Scifiniti, in partnership with the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), hosted a joint webinar on Peer Review & Research Integrity, marking Scifiniti’s third webinar overall. This focused session aimed to strengthen researcher capacity in ethical peer review and responsible publishing.

The webinar took place at a time when issues such as peer-review manipulation, rising global retractions, and integrity breaches have highlighted the need for stronger, more transparent review systems.

Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Harrison Weda and Ms. Joy Owango of TCC Africa, alongside Mr. Qasit Malik, Publishing Director at Scifiniti, who provided an overview of the collaboration and outlined the event’s structure.

The program featured leading voices in research integrity and scholarly communication, including:

• Dr. Nicholas Outa (TCC Africa Trainer) – “Bias in Peer Review”
  Highlighted ways to recognize and mitigate bias in peer review.

• Dr. Daniela Saderi (PREreview) – “Open Peer Review: A Pathway to Trust and Transparency in Research”
  Explored how open peer review fosters trust, transparency, and collaboration.

• Johanssen Obanda (Crossref) – “How Crossref Strengthens Research Integrity”
  Emphasized Crossref’s role in supporting robust peer review systems through persistent identifiers and metadata standards.

• Dr. Ivan Oransky (Co-founder, Retraction Watch) – “Retractions: On the Rise, But Not Enough”
  Discussed the increasing number of retractions and the continued need for mechanisms to correct the scientific record.

• Dr. Hanieh Yaghootkar (Editor-in-Chief, GenoMed Connect, Scifiniti) – “Strengthening Peer Review Workflows: Scifiniti’s Approach”
  Focused on efficiency, integrity, and technology-driven solutions for authors and reviewers.

The webinar concluded with an interactive discussion and Q&A moderated by Ms. Joy Owango (TCC Africa).

The webinar was attended by over 300 participants across various regions, demonstrating broad engagement and emphasizing the global importance of ethical peer review practices.

Scifiniti thanks all speakers for their contributions, which helped make the event a success.

This event also marked the first joint activity under the newly established partnership between Scifiniti Publishing and TCC Africa, aimed at strengthening research capacity, promoting ethical scholarly communication, and supporting researchers.

Scifiniti looks forward to continuing to organize such webinars and events to train and empower young researchers, equipping the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to maintain integrity and excellence in scholarly communication.

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