Prodi Pendidikan IPA (International Program on Science Education), Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
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Workshop on Preparing Science Education Articles for Publication in International Journals

Community Service
9
Jul

Workshop on Preparing Science Education Articles for Publication in International Journals

Saturday, July 4, 2020

The International Program on Science Education (IPSE) study program, in collaboration with the Journal of Science Learning (JSL), and the Association for Science Educators (PPII) West Java, held a workshop with theme Preparing Science Education Articles for  Publication in International Journals. The workshop was held as a Zoom video seminar on Saturday, July 4, 2020, and attended by over 400 participants from across Indonesia. Seminar participants included professors, members of PPII, lecturers, teachers, and students Topics covered in this workshop were trends in science education research in Indonesia and the developing international scope of publications; quantitative and qualitative research methodology in science education, and practical points helpful in preparing for international journal publication of one’s research work.

Five expert keynote speakers shared at this workshop:

  1. Ari Widodo, Head of the Association for Science Educators(PPII) West Java (h-index+ 19)
  2. Erman, Professor of IPA at UNESA (h-index=4) including publications with  JRST Wiley and IJSME Springer
  3. Eka Cahya Prima, Editor-in-Chief of the JSL (h-index =10)
  4. Ikmanda Nugraha, S.Pd., GCert.Ed., M.Pd, JSL Biology Section Editor
  5. Margaret Thomas, Ph.D., JSL English Proofreader Editor

Mr. Cece Sutia facilitated this workshop as moderator.

After the opening, the workshop began with a presentation on the theme “Research for Publication” with keynote speaker Prof. Ari Widodo.  He explained the impact of a research paper is usually measured by the impact factor. The first step in the preparation of an article is to ensure the research is proper for publication.  Evaluate, for example, if the research contributes to the expertise of the field or practice, is novel and in line with the latest research. He noted some characteristics of the latest research, such as being comprehensive, not superficial, and using complex methodology. Some journal resources can be accessed online from publishers such as Springer, Wiley, and Taylor Francis. Recommended journals to consult were Science Education,  the International Journal of Science Education and Research, Research in Science Education, the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, the Journal of Science Education and Technology, the School Science Review, and the Journal of Science Learning.

The second speaker was Prof. Erman from FMIPA, UNESA. Prof Erman presented materials on research methodology that will more likely lead to publication in reputable international journals. The basic principles for someone wanting to publish in an international journal are intention, patience, persistence, excitement, and more than just a pragmatic motivation. It doesn’t matter that much if your article is rejected, although it is better if it is accepted, the point is to submit to a journal in a qualified database. According to Dirjen Pendidikan Tinggi on journal publication (SE Dirjen Dikti No. 638 Tahun 2020), the main factor behind failed acceptance for publication is research methodology. There are some criteria for publication in the best journals.  For doing research in the proper way, the researcher has to be ready to develop some skills, such as scientific thinking skills, critical thinking skills, scientific skills, communication skills, also expertise in the field of research and the research methodology. For publication,  the main criteria are novelty, an expert explanation of the problem, clear and appropriate research methodology, clear references, and excellent communication. Research methodology can be qualitative, mixed-method, or quantitative. In research methodology, the researcher must evaluate type, design, aim, data sources, the instrument for collecting data, and the techniques for data analysis. All these aspects will influence data quality, and data quality will impact the quality of data analysis and the significance of the results of the research. The research type and research design must be written explicitly, and logically, in line with the research problem, and not claim more than is warranted. The participants also must be properly chosen, have clear characteristics, be of an appropriate sample size, and be chosen according to ethical standards. At the end of the presentation, Prof Erman reiterated that novelty, expertise, contribution and perfect writing are the most important criteria for getting one’s research published.

The third speaker, Dr. Eka Cahya Prima,  opened his session with two hadiths from HR. Ibnu Majah, “Menuntut ilmu itu wajib atas setiap muslim”, and HR Bukhari, “Sesungguhnya setiap amalan disertai niat, dan sesungguhnya setiap orang hanya akan mendapatkan apa yang ia niatkan”. These hadiths encouraged all participants that the basic requirement is to have a straight intention in all activities, especially in research activity that has a good contribution to science and knowledge. Dr. Eka also emphasized the importance of motivation for publishing a paper that has benefits not only for the researcher but also for the wider society. Improving writing skills,  upgrading knowledge, recognizing other’s research, supporting quality work are also helpful to society. On the technical side of things, Dr. Eka explained the importance of understanding the profile of research articles and publications by evaluating citations, knowing the network citation of an article, and knowing collaboration links. He also pointed out the usefulness of knowing the characteristics of the publisher and journal.  Types of publications can be described by a pyramid where the bottom of the pyramid are conference proceedings, then non-indexed journals, then book chapters, then books, with indexed journals at the peak.  Ways to improve one’s opportunities for publishing are by attending relevant conferences, reading a journal’s website, and looking for special issues on your area of interest. There are also some criteria on the reputation of a journal, such as being listed in an academic database and its citation analysis, which can be used as a reference for university ranking. According to PERMENRISTEKDIKTI NOMOR 9 TAHUN 2018,  a journal is electronic or non-electronic news or communication that includes scientific papers and is published on a schedule.  A journal’s reputation cannot be separated from its impact factor (IF). IF is a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year, and it is used to measure the importance or rank of a journal by calculating the times its articles are cited. DR Eka also gave some tricks for acceptance of a paper in an International Journal, such as the basic steps to publishing a journal article, some reasons why a paper is rejected, and writing techniques.   DR Eka closed the session by explaining the steps to publish a journal article. First, find a journal that suits your publication criteria, prepare your paper for submission, then submit and revise, track your paper, and finally share and promote your paper.

The fourth speaker was Mr. Ikmanda Nugraha, who delivered a presentation on tips to manage one’s reference list and steps to avoid plagiarism. Mr. Ikmanda opened the session by explaining trusted and credible sources, which can be from any book, article, image, or item that accurately and factually supports the arguments of the research paper. The source can be considered as credible if the materials were published within the last 10 years by respected and well-known authors.  The authors should be associated with government and/or educational institutions, and registered in academics databases.  Google Scholar is a legitimate tool to use to find materials.  Sources should be avoided if they are out of date, social network posts, blogs, Wikipedia, or without citations. Five questions to ask in order to know whether the source is reliable or not are: “Who is the author?” , “When was the material published?”, “What is the purpose of this source?”,  “How is this source proved?” and “What type of audience is this source aimed at?”. Google Scholar, SAGE Journals, IEEE, ERIC, Scopus, etc, can be used to find reliable journals. Talking about reliable sources cannot be separated from the use of appropriate tools to manage the references gathered, because 90% percent of papers get rejected at first submission due to incorrect format of the references (not matching the style of the journal). Useful reference management software include Mendeley, Zotero, bibme, RefWorks, or Endnote. A common style for publication is the American Psychological Associaton (APA) style. The three major issues that researchers usually get wrong in relation to APA style is improper referencing, improper reporting of statistical results, and errors in formatting tables. Besides arranging for reliable sources and using good reference management, the researcher also must consider avoiding plagiarism. There are programs that can be used as plagiarism checkers, such as Turnitin and Grammarly, among others.

The last speaker was DR. Margaret Thomas, who presented materials on paraphrasing and some general English errors in writing by the non-native writer. Common mistakes include errors with propositions, adjective/nouns, and too much repetition of words or phrases.  It is important to always work toward a smooth flow of one’s ideas in communicating by writing. In paraphrasing, it is necessary to read the original quote carefully, check for word meaning, summarize the ideas in writing before using the ideas in one’s paper.  Good reference management is important so that proper citations for the work and ideas of others are made and recorded. As an academic publication, the paper must be to the point and meet the regulations of the chosen journal. Using materials from a recent presentation by DR Kamang Wijaya on titling a paper, participants were reminded that a title should follow the author guidelines, be eye-catching, short, clear, informative, and reflect the content of the article well without using abbreviations.

After each speaker presentation, there was a question and answer session. Participants were very enthusiastic and engaged. The link to access materials was given, and every participant received a free certificate. The workshop ended at 4 pm with a reminder about registering in the Association for Science Educators (PPII) in order not to miss out on upcoming programs and workshops on publishing academic articles. Contributor : Putri Sekar Melati (IPSE 2017)

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