Frequently Asked Questions

The Student Publication Support Program (SPSP) is a dedicated ED-ResPro stream focused on supporting students to prepare a manuscript for submission. It sits alongside, and is complemented by, the ongoing networking and support streams for students and supervisors.

SPSP runs as structured 8–10 week publication support blocks designed to guide students, with supervisor involvement, through drafting, revising, and preparing a manuscript for submission.
Each block typically includes:

• Weekly facilitated writing sessions (protected writing time and accountability)
• Practical guidance on common publication challenges
• A submission-focused session
• A follow-up check-in after the block concludes

Supervisors are not required to attend weekly writing sessions.
However, participation in SPSP requires a commitment to:

• Providing timely feedback
• Reviewing drafts
• Supporting journal selection and key content decisions

Both the student and supervisor should be committed to progressing toward submission before joining a publication block.

Yes. Students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions (except in emergencies) and complete tasks between meetings. Regular attendance is important for maintaining momentum and working toward submission.

No. AEDRTC facilitators are not expected to be authors on any outputs. Participants are asked to acknowledge AEDRTC in publications and presentations arising from participation in the program.

Each SPSP block runs for 8–10 weeks, with a follow-up check-in after the program ends to support ongoing progress toward submission.

The Eating Disorders Research Supervisor & Student Support Program (ED-ResPro) is an Australian Eating Disorders Research & Translation Centre (AEDRTC) initiative designed to strengthen research capability and support publication outcomes in eating disorders research.

The program provides structure, guidance, and connection to help address common barriers such as limited time, competing commitments, and limited access to research networks.

The program has received ethics approval under La Trobe's HEC25159.

• Build research capacity across the Australian eating disorders sector
• Support students and supervisors to progress research beyond completion and into publication
• Strengthen collaboration, co-production, and research networks
• Provide discipline-specific support across psychology, allied health, and biomedical sciences

ED-ResPro consists of three interconnected streams that can be joined together or separately:

• Student Networking & Support: monthly sessions focused on connection, skill-building, and navigating research pathways
• Supervisor Networking & Support: monthly sessions focused on supervision, collaboration, and supporting student publication
• Student Publication Support Program (SPSP): structured publication support blocks for students preparing a manuscript

ED-ResPro is open to all individuals residing in Australia involved in eating disorder–related research, including:

• Honours, Masters, and HDR students
• Academic supervisors
• Clinicians and community-based researchers
• Researchers with lived experience involved in research

Students are the primary participants in SPSP publication blocks. Students and supervisors may join the networking and support sessions independently of SPSP.

High-quality eating disorder research is often completed but not published due to:

• Limited time after thesis submission
• Lack of structured support for writing and submission
• Clinicians and community-based researchers
• Researchers working in small or isolated teams

ED-ResPro was developed to address these challenges and to support high-quality, including co-produced, research to reach publication while strengthening national research capacity.

The Student and Supervisor Networking & Support streams run as monthly sessions across Semesters 1 and 2. Topics vary depending on participant needs and may include:

• Collaboration and co-production
• Research design and methodology
• Recruitment and service partnerships
• Clinician and lived-experience involvement
• Translational pathways
• Conferences, journals, and publication planning

Yes. Each discipline stream follows the same overall structure and schedule, with discussions, examples, and speakers tailored to the field. Participants nominate their discipline when registering.

Honours and Master's students often join after submitting their thesis. HDR students may participate at different points in their candidature when preparing work for publication or seeking broader research support.