How to write Good Journal

Hands on Journal Publication Workshop with Chief Editor


Hands on Journal Publication Workshop

If your research is not published in a journal it does not exist – it must be possible to find it because your paper is your passport to the community. There are 3 necessary steps in useful research:

  1. First is to begin with it
  2. Second is to end with it
  3. Third is to publish it

Review article (chapter 2)
Critical synthesis of a specific research topic –  8000-12,000 words

Original article 
Disseminating completed research findings – 6000 – 8000 words with references. Choose the appropriate journal to build a scientific research career

TOC in Original Article

1. Title – must be catchy & spicy. Be honest & concise. the content must at par with the tittle. Make sure cover all the keyword. Less than 15 words.
2. Abstract – no technical jargon, standalone,  4W1H.
3. Keyword – repeatitive of the words so the manuscript to be easily found online and cited. should be specific, avoid uncommon abbrevieations and general terms. more than 85 repeatition should be keyword.  the journal appointed reviewer based on the keywords. Not more than 5 keywords and abbs the establish one.

3. Introduction – the most difficult.

i  Start by general aspect then go down to specific to your research.
ii. Flow must consistent between paragraph.
iii. Must have Statements that indicate the need for more investigation.
iv. Introduction should start with the problem in that case.

4. Study area/background (easy)

5. Methods (easy)

6. Results (easy-just the facts)

7. Discussion (second most difficult) – good paper will have good discussion.

8. Conclusions (what have done in your study) – easy. Avoid repeatition with other sections, overly speculative.

9. Acknowledgements – anyone who helped you, sources of funding. e.g. grant or reference numbers.

10. Figure 5-6 and tables 4 is appropriate. Dont put too many in one paper.

Level of difficulty

  1. Conference
  2. Non-indexed journal
  3. Indexed Journal
    1. A journal is indexed when its bibliographic and citation information is included by the citation data supplier – set turnitin similarity indexed to 0 ( I dont understand, need to check with Librarian).
    2. Overlapped with
    3. Impact factor is an annual measure of the extent to which articles in that journal are cited.  It can be calculated as follows:
    4. Research Uni – ISI (Web of Science) and Scopus.
      1. ISI founded in 1960 and becoming WoS

Criteria for choosing a journal

  1. Scope of journal
  2. Indexing
  3. Impact factor (IF)
    1. number of citations that articles in the journal have received within a specific time.
    2. IF=CITATIONS/ARTICLES PUBLISHED (in two years)
      5 year impact factor=IF in five years(sum of citations in 5 years/articles published in five years)
      yearly IF= IF in one year.
  4. Journal ranking
    1. Q1 & Q2 – highest quality paper
  5. Publication frequency
  6. Time to publish.

Tips to publish

  1. Journal selection Process
    1. Target 3-5 possible journal
    2. Choose the journal that matches the quality of journal
    3. Factors to consider – scope of journal, journal indexing database.

e.g. IEEE, Elsevier – high rank & top view

  1. http://journalfinder.elsevier.com – 
    1. Enter title and abstract of your paper to easily find journals that could be best suited for publishing. JournalFinder uses smart search technology and field-of-research specific vocabularies to match your paper to scientific journals.
  2. Most downloaded papers – use it in your journal references.
  3. How to increase the visibility – Publish papers in somewhere pay (elsevier, IEEE) then put into researchgate so people can easily download without pay.
  4. Enhance your writing by:
    1. Critical review for thesis chapter 2 (LR)
    2. Finding the Gap of the study
    3. Novelty of the study
    4. Build an expertise area.
  5. Submitting the paper – traditional submission (email) via a journal online submission – include the cover letter (very important) – contain authors’ rationale.
    1. Cover letter is important. Example of cover letter:
    2. for choosing the editors’s journal. The letter can suggest reviewer.
  6. The peer review process – Editors to the reviewers to review. Then the reviewer will recommend – reject, revise, accept. Managing editor – involve in clerical and administrative detail in the review process. Makes some preliminary decisions.
  7. Initial screening – language, content.
  8. Review process from 1 hr to 6 months. 1-4 reviewers along with editorial comments. Proof preparation for checking by authors. In press/queue/article in press.
  9. Reviewers comment – after taking the considerations matter above – publish or reject!
  10. Some of the good criteria – title must be good, then get unique methods or result is something interesting, new and novelty idea.
  11. Addressing reviewers comment
    1. not being out rightly rejected
    2. make sure address everything
    3. If it is rejected – at least give some feedback

Social Network for Academic

  1. Research gate
  2. Academia Ed
  3. ORCID
  4. Google scholar
  5. Scopus profile Rdsearch ID profile
  6. Pubfacts profile
  7. Publons profile

Klinik Geran Universiti UTMER dan UTMFR bersama PM Dr Khairi

PM Dr Khairi share we us the importance to target for the grant. If you want 5 grants, please submit 10 proposals. He share about the grant process continuity. Make sure 1 grant will create another grant opportunities. The next grant must be better from previous grant.

Unsuccessful grant must be revised and resubmit the proposal during the next funding cycle.

Tips to write good proposal:

  1. How easy the reviewer to understand your proposal and how details the proposal.
  2. Do your background work – funding bodies, eligibility and guidelines.
  3. Study your funding sources
  4. Ensure you entitle the grant – check the guidelines for submission.
  5. Dont do last minute – leave plenty times
  6. Choose the best team for the work – need the strong team. Must be balanced – need professorship (to give advice, consel), need 1-2 associate professor and 2-4 people to do work (drs and your friends).
  7. Budget – provide value for money. E.g. We need the computers – then we need to justify for research usage. Printer – must be relevant to the research. Handphone – tak boleh beli – just buy for internet line. Follow the capstone. For UTM Grant – put maximum.
  8. Milestones – 1 year within 3-4 milestones. Follow the time duration.

UTM ER – maximum 2 years (30K for S&T) caps budget RM2million. Essential for non-PI. Insya Allah RMC will give priority to them. 2 Book chapter or research book or 1 indexed journal.

UTM FR  – 2 years (70K) or 3 years (100K). Caps budget RM7.2 million. Project start date 1 November 2019. Submission deadline by 30th September 2019. Announcement of grant awarded 30 October 2019.

Allocation disbursement

Tips in Radis:

  1. Masukkan potential commercializaiton
  2. Collaboration proof very important to solve something.
  3. In the methodology masukkan;
    1. Flowchart perlu lebih details – nampak macam kita tau apa nak buat. The flowchart must match with the activities and objectives of the research
    2. Put samples –
    3. Research Expected result – maps with keperluan negara
      1. Novel theories/new findings
      2. Reserch publications – janjikan more and put in details where you want to publish, Indexed proceedings –
      3. Specific pr potential applications
      4. Number of phd and master by research students – put names and ID
      5. Impact on society, economy and nation
      6. Intellectual property (IP)
    4. Activities – 3-4 activities per year
    5. Equipment – patut isi – contoh komputer sedia ada dan software berkaitan. Other places – show about the collaboration.
    6. Budget –
      1. no capping. RM 1500 untuk PhD. RM18,000 x 3 tahun = RM 54,000.00.
      2. Q1 caps RMC RM5000.00, Q2 RM3000.00
      3. List and Justification – put as attachment.

Innovations in LnT: Sharing Session on NALI and AKRI Participants

Today, Prof Dr Zaidatun Tasir from Sekolah Pendidikan, Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan gives talk about LnT NALI and AKRI. NALI is New Academia Learning Innovation. You can revised NALI here. AKRI is Anugerah Kecemerlangan Khas daripada Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. This year NALI 2019 conference had been held on September 2019. Please visit here http://ctl.utm.my/nali2019/about/

source: https://elearningindustry.com/cone-of-experience-what-really-is

Active Learning

source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Active-learning_fig1_281275352

Problem based learning – need cycle, problem formulation, weightage and assessment (triple jump). Indeed claim learning through problem or problem learning. Please visit https://www.capss.org/educational-transformation/what-are-student-centered-approaches

Students Centered Learning because four principles of

  1. Learning is personalized
  2. Students take ownership
  3. Learning can take time anytime and anywhere
  4. Competency based learning

Problem Based Learning for 21st Century Learning

  1. Step 1: Explore the issue.
    Gather necessary information; learn new concepts, principles, and skills about the proposed topic.
  2. Step 2: State what is known.
    Individual students and groups list what they already know about the scenario and list what areas they are lacking information.
  3. Step 3: Define the issues.
    Frame the problem in a context of what is already known and information the students expect to learn.
  4. Step 4: Research the knowledge.
    Find resources and information that will help create a compelling argument
  5. Step 5: Investigate solutions.
    List possible actions and solutions to the problem, formulate and test potential hypotheses
  6. Step 6: Present and support the chosen solution.
    Clearly state and support your conclusion with relevant information and evidence.
  7. Step 7: Review your performance.
    Often forgotten, this is a crucial step in improving your problem-solving skills. Students must evaluate their performance and plan improvements for the next problem.

Learning Evolution

  1. Theory of Inquiry (Dewey 1938) to community of Learning
  2. Learning in the community – web pages, LMS, FB Groups
  3. Learning with the Crowd – is now 21st century learning evolution

Now learning is social network relation, interact with societies,

Crowd learning activities

New Learning theories

  1. Location based theory
  2. Space Based theory
  3. Constructivism theory toward connectivism in digital age (learning is a process of connecting nodes or information sources).

  1. https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/12/these-are-4-concepts-shaping-21st.html

AS104 Remote Supervision

Prof Emeritus Datuk Ir Dr Zainai Mohamed talks about AS104 – Remote Supervision at Bilik Ilmuan 1, UTM KL. Thank you SPS for arranging this session. It is superpower brain food to hear from 69 years old wise man talks about effective supervision.

Key things (foundation to understand)

  1. Research – original investigation undertaken in order to gain knowledge and understanding. These include curiousity-lead activity and work of direct relevance to the needs of commerce and industry.
  2. Scholarship – generates outputs generate
  3. Level of higher degree awards
    1. Bsc Degree Project need approx 300-400 hours with fairly demanding on level of difficulties.
    2. Master Degree -600-900hours
      1. Master Project
      2. Dissertation
      3. Thesis
    3. Doctor of philosophy – orginality and make some significant contribution to knowledge at least some of which might be publishable later.
      1. minimum of 5400 hours.

Part 1: Supervision & Effective Supervision
Supervision must be able to develop research and scholarship capability. The purpose of supervision (why):

  1. Share knowledge and experience.
  2. Guide and facilitate the students to produce research and result product.
  3. Enhance the student research skills
  4. To monitor the students within his/her study timeline. – GOT is extended monitoring – ensure the student ended at proper time.
  5. To motivate the students during ups and downs – not necessarily provide the solution since the motivation is itself the solution. Simple discussion, sooth them, connect them to the right people or resources is also part of the motivation.
  6. To facilitate research process – clarify the path for research process flow – in the reasonable scope.

Effective supervision with respect to processes.

  1. First of all, for effective supervision – we must know which level of degree award we supervise. e.g. for PhD, it is about supervised research training. Don’t expect the student to deliver all of your expected outcomes.
  2. In AS104, we are handling the student that intend to solve the real industry problem – Hence we need to carefully identify the reasonable scope and limit for this kind of situation. No need to solve the whole world, department of ministry problem within one phd.
  3. Develop partnership with the student. It is not only one time meeting. It is the partnership from the beginning until the end.

Expected Outcomes

  1. Scholarship thinking.
  2. Produce student with good discipline in academics
  3. The findings of the students research should contribute to the well being of society
  4. Develop research Culture and environment – and develop the culture will take sometimes.
  5. Develop Expertise within body of knowledge.

Part 2: Remote Supervision & Responsibilities of Participants
Remote means off campus programmes – at UTM we have: UTM Pesisir, special program, Open Distance Learning (ODL) Franchise PG Program (SPACE).

  1. Remote location & External student.
  2. Confidence in sutdent’s independency within agreed environment
  3. Insfrastructure – library, lab
  4. Expertise
  5. Quality assurance elements.

Take home message from Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Zainai to empower the supervision. 

  • Don’t kill the student’s ideas – accommodate the ideas.
  • We are busy, but when it comes to students’ time – don’t show them we are too busy.
  • Supervision is about to develop the scholarship thinking and personal abilities. To do these will take some time and partnership. Share, discuss and grow the knowledge together.

Coordinator for Masters’ Project

Dr Nilam Nur Sjarif adalah merupakan koordinator bagi semua projek master (MANB, MANQ, MANA, MANS) di Jabatan Informatik Termaju. Ini adalah jawatan baru yang akan memastikan integriti dan keadilan dalam pengagihan beban setiap penyelia.

  1. Registration form – Pelajar akan diberi proposal form dan mereka perlu hantar tajuk dan proposal pelajar yang ditandatangani oleh penyelia. Impak – SV in-the-know.
  2. Progress Report form – maksimum 4 kali pertemuan yang perlu ditandatangani – kalau lebih tiada masalah. Impak – wajib perjumpaan dengan SV.
  3. Consent form – minggu ke-10 perlu ada persetujuan SV untuk mengesahkan keupayaan pelajar menghantar laporan akhir.
  4. Minggu ke-13 untuk penghantaran laporan akhir beserta dengan turnitin.
  5. MInggu 14-15 lock untuk presentation project 2 dan 1.

Sesi Sua Mesra YBrs Dekan FTIR

YBrs Prof Madya Dr Astuty Amrin dilantik menjadi dekan Fakulti Teknologi dan Informatik Razak secara rasminya pada 17 Julai 2019. Berdasarkan pengalaman beliau di SPS dan akademik, dengan sokongan dua hero TDA dan TDPIPA yang gagah perkasa, insya Allah beliau menyampaikan rasa keyakinan dan besar hati untuk menerajui FTIR. Beliau adalah orang yang sangat rajin bekerja dan berintegriti. Itu adalah kekuatan utama beliau. Sekiranya beliau tidak tahu, beliau akan belajar. Sekiranya tahu beliau akan kongsi bersama orang lain.

Diantara harapan dan halatuju Razak.

  • Perkasakan Sinergi 4.0.
  • Kukuhkan Core Business (akademik)
  • Kenaikan pangkat & succession planning
  • Tingkatkan enrolmen

Alhamdulillah, Jabatan Informatik Termaju jelas perpaduannya. Itu kekuatan utama. 54% daripada staf akademik berusia antara umur 40-49 tahun. Matang dan paling produktif membuat kerja akademik, mudah pula untuk succession planning. Kepakaran setiap ahli akademik hendaklah diambil kira daripada sarjanamuda, sarjana, phd dan seterusnya bidang penyelidikan semasa yang diceburi. Jumlah pelajar penyelidikan 129 orang dan 209 pelajar baru, dekan mengingatkan para akademik untuk menyelia pelajar dengan lebih berintegriti, supportive dan bertimbangrasa. Beberapa peringatan daripada Dekan ialah:

  1. Pelajar kurang daripada 2 baki semester hendaklah NHT (notis hantar tesis) dengan kadar segera.
  2. Semester terbaik untuk Pelajar PD ialah pada semester 3.

Dekan Do’s
1. Profesionalism & Disiplin – waktu kerja, cara berpakaian, peraturan mengguna kenderaan dan arahan bertukar bilik.
2. Etika & integriti – AP59, etika sosial, menjaga nama baik Fakulti dan UTM, kepakaran yang sebenar.

Dekan Dont’s
1. Penyebaran maklumat tidak benar.

Pengajaran Tentang Masa dalam Surah Al-Asr & Al-Fajr

Pagi ini, PM Dr Shahidan menyampaikan tazkirah ringkas tentang pentingnya masa. Pengajaran yang dipetik dalam surah al-asr (waktu asar yang sibuk dengan kerja) dan al-fajr (waktu subuh yang susah nak bangun).

Yes, I like my boss PM Shahidan. He is a simple guy – talks like father, full of hikmah and prioritize syura. I can feel that he speaks from heart to others’ heart. Straight forward and sincere.

Dalam surah al-Asr, Allah menerangkan bahawa sesungguhnya demi masa ramai orang yang kerugian – Innal insana la fi Husr. Justeru dalam kehidupan, banyak idioms tentang masa. Ada orang tak cukup masa, ada orang lebih masa, ada orang buang masa, ada orang curi masa, ada orang beri masa. Yang paling bahaya sekiranya masa kita berkait dengan masa orang lain. Contoh paling mudah ialah apabila kita tidak menepati masa dalam mesyuarat, orang terpaksa menunggu untuk mulakan perbincangan – itu namanya kita mencuri masa orang lain (Allahuakhbar baru perasan kita bukan sahaja merugikan masa sendiri tetapi sehingga mencuri masa orang lain). Yang paling bagus ialah kita beri masa – beri masa dengan mendengar masalah orang lain, beri masa kepada masjid dan surau, beri masa untuk membantu orang lain.

Dalam kita cuba menghargai masa – ingat untuk Watawa saubil haq – Berdakwah dengan kecil-kecilan – anak-anak dan suami. Juga jangan lupa Watawa saubis sob – penuh dengan kesabaran

RMC-UTM International Relations Unit

Sila rujuk ke sini bagi mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang International Research Grant. Boleh mendaftar sekiranya berminat di google form ini. The keyword for international grants – please be more proactive and ensure the benefit and giving back research to the society.

Ms Noraziean Hashim (PP) dan Puan Siti Rahimah – boleh hubungi di internationalscouting.rmc@utm.my

Pn Rahimah berkongsi tentang peluang-peluang yang ada semasa menghadiri European Research Day (taklimat pada 27 Ogos 2019 di Universiti Malaysia). Diantaranya ialah:

  1. Euracess -thousand grants from 44 european company.
  2. Newton-Ungku Omar Fund
  3. Erasmus – hubert Curien Partnership Program.

How to build an international research network

  1. Join network – sila berhubung dengan Dr Farahadiana bagi mendapatkan khidmat nasihat tentang network UTM yang sedia ada.
  2. Attend Conference – contact speakers/presenter prior conference
  3. Communication – proactive, approach new contact. Know exactly potential collaborator needs, tolong jangan syok sendiri
  4. Realistic network – look for reachable potential collaborator – thinking of SME too
  5. Increase visibility – update website, blog, publication and citation
  6. Appropriate research – fit research with potential collaboration need, attraction to industry.

How to prepare good research proposal

  1. Interesting ideas – unique and not common
  2. Useful research output – benefits to community not only paper publication (show how we can give back to the society)
  3. Structured proposal – realistic time monetary and output – e.g caps 50K, then the bajet janganlah dekat sangat dengan 50 tu, please be more realistik.
  4. Review – proof read and peer review helps to reduce mistakes
  5. Language – appropriate language and writing style.

Perolehan Kewangan bagi Geran UTM

En Mun’im ialah speaker petang ini. Beliau merupakan pegawai kewangan W41 di RMC, UTM.Beberapa isu cabaran bayaran yang sering berlaku bagi bayaran Geran Universiti ialah:

  1. Aktiviti geran mesti mendapat kelulusan daripada pihak RMC. Nyatakan berapa banyak dan pastikan ikut prosedur terbaru.
  2. Tuntutan pastikan tidak melebihi 3 bulan.
  3. Elakkan membuat pembelian secara pecah kecil
  4. Penyelidik tidak up-to-date terhadap peraturan & garis panduan dari masa ke semasa.
  5. Pastikan maklumat bank penerima lengkap dan aktif – bagi pelajar luar negara, sekiranya tidak renew visa dan tidak dimaklumkan di bank, maka bank akan tutup akaunan
  6. Penyelidik kurang mahir menggunakan sistem kewangan.
  7. Isu terimaan – pemaklumna kemasukan data ke UTM tidak diterima. Follow up ASAP dengan RMC.
    Isu teknikal – sistem TMFin masih belum stabil menyebabkan masalah teknikal untuk agihan dan pelaporan.

Aset, Inventori dan Penyelenggaraan

  1. Harta – B35000
    1. Kos harta bernilai lebih RM3000
    2. Perlu isi Borang Key.PA-2 (warna pink).
    3. Jika alat ditempatkan diluar UTM – ketua projek perlu mengisi KEW.PA-9A) dan borang Pergerakan Harga (KEW.PA-6).
    4. Pembelian melebihan RM5,000 perlu melalui unit perolehan.
  2. Inventori – B36000
    1. Harga bernilai lebih RM500
    2. Perlu isi Borang KEW.PA-
  3. Selenggara – B2800
    1. Daftar Penyelenggaran harta tetap KEW-PA-14

Pelupusan Aset Penyelidikan

  1. Pertukaran hak milik – bagi aset di bawah geran yang masih aktif
  2. Pelupusan – dd
    1. Lupus beli
    2. lupus musnah
    3. lupus hadiah
    4. lupus pindah – serahkan kembali ast penyelidikan kepada penaja diletakkan dikawasan yang dinyatakan dalam proposal geran penyelidikan.
  3. Pemindahan Aset – bagi geran tamat (terutamanya bagi yang nak pencen memang sangat perlu update).