Highlighting Virology Research in Africa: An Opportunity for Knowledge Generation and Capacity Development

Virology research in Africa is crucial for advancing our understanding of viral diseases and their impact on public health, agriculture, and the environment. This initiative aims to showcase the work of virology researchers in Africa. While not limited to contributions from Early Career Researchers (ECRs), this initiative prioritizes mentorship and development opportunities for ECRs to strengthen their expertise and contributions to the field.

Spearheaded by Specialty Chief Editors for Virology, Professor Anna Kramvis and Professor Theodoros Kelesidis, along with their colleagues, this initiative provides ECRs in Africa with opportunities to develop their publishing and editorial skills. Participants will gain experience in editing a Research Topic, engaging with peer review, and contributing to the generation and dissemination of knowledge in virology research across Africa.

Topics of Interest

This Research Topic welcomes submissions that explore a wide range of virology themes, including but not limited to:

• Prevalent and circulating viral infections in Africa, including HIV
• Emerging and re-emerging viral diseases, including clinical presentation, pathogenesis, and treatment
• Zoonotic and vector-borne viruses
• Viral genomics, evolution, and molecular epidemiology
• Vaccine development and antiviral therapeutics
• Viral-host interactions and immune responses to viral infections
• Public health strategies for disease prevention and elimination

Mentorship and Research Development

This initiative offers a structured mentorship program designed to support ECRs in Africa.
Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Attend our introductory webinars on manuscript preparation and publishing:
May 14, 2025 at 3 PM GMT
August 6, 2025 at 3 PM GMT (this session has been postponed till September 2025 - a new date and time will be set shortly):
Registration Link
• Participate in an abstract writing workshop for 12 selected ECRs , where they will receive feedback on their research manuscripts and submissions
• Receive ongoing mentorship after the workshop, pairing them with experienced researchers to guide them throughout the writing and publishing process
Submission Guidelines
We invite researchers to contribute to this Research Topic by submitting:
• Abstracts (manuscript summaries): While abstract submission is optional, we strongly encourage researchers to submit an abstract before submitting their manuscript. The abstract does not need to match the final version included in the manuscript.
• Full manuscripts: Original research, reviews, mini-reviews, and perspective articles related to virology in Africa.

Researchers who attend the first webinar will receive a certificate of attendance , while those selected for the abstract writing workshop will be eligible for a 10% discount on their final manuscript submission. Depending on the response to the first call, additional workshops may be organized.

Mentors

Mentors will be selected based on their subject matter expertise and will be drawn from the editorial board and the personal academic network of the topic editors. Once appointed, they will be listed below:
[Details to be added as the initiative develops.]

Disclaimer

The mentors assisting authors with their manuscripts are not involved in the peer review process. All submitted papers will be handled following standard editorial procedures and peer review processes: Frontiers Peer Review Process

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: ECR, Virology, Viruses, Africa, Viral, manuscript preparation, abstract

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.