The Wildlife Study Club (KSSL), a student activity unit at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FVM UGM), organized a workshop titled “Workshop on Preparing Your Manuscript Targeting High-Impact Journals” on Saturday and Sunday, February 22–23, 2025, at Seminar Room 2, Building V4, FVH UGM. This in-person workshop was open to the public and attended by 16 participants from various institutions, including the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Hasanuddin University, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Cenderawasih University, Gorontalo State University (UNG), and Sebelas Maret University (UNS).
During the workshop, participants were guided by expert speakers in preparing their research manuscripts for publication in Scopus-indexed journals ranked in the first quartile (Q1). KSSL FVH UGM had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe, the chief editor of Taprobanica (Q1), professor Justin Travis, a subject editor of Oikos (Q1), and Ms. Poppy Myrnard from the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, as speakers for the event. The lead workshop organizer from KSSL, Muhammad Ridwan Adyatama, stated that the event served as a learning platform for Indonesian researchers, particularly those in biodiversity conservation and local ecology. “Indonesia has exceptionally high biodiversity. I hope that through this event, researchers from across Indonesia can improve their scientific writing skills directly from experts, allowing them to document Indonesia’s rich biodiversity in internationally recognized scientific publications,” Ridwan explained.
This two-day full-day workshop ran from 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM GMT+7. On the first day, participants received guidance from the speakers on selecting target journals, writing abstracts, and refining the introduction section of their manuscripts. Professor Justin Travis also discussed the dangers of predatory journals and provided strategies for avoiding questionable publications. Additionally, the speakers trained participants on the proper use of large language models to bridge language gaps when writing manuscripts in English.
On the second day, the participants were guided in drafting the methods, results, discussion, and conclusion sections of their manuscripts. Dr. A. A. Thasun A. also explained the article submission and acceptance process in high-impact journals. The workshop concluded with a session on crafting a compelling journal article cover letter.
The workshop received positive feedback from participants. “Thank you, Ridwan and Dr. Thasun, for organizing this well. Thanks to Prof. Justin and Poppy for the lecture, discussion, and suggestions for my manuscript. Glad to have you all in this two-day activity. Hope to see you again,” said Ms. Supeni, one of the workshop participants. This activity aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 14 (Life Below Water), Goal 15 (Life on Land), and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
[Writer: organizing committee from Kelompok Studi Satwa Liar]