KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 – The Faculty of Artificial Intelligence (FAI), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), successfully organized an online sharing session titled FAI Academic Publishing 101: Choosing the Right Platform for Your Research. The session was delivered by Dr. Nilam Nur Amir Sjarif, an experienced educator, researcher, and trainer. She has an extensive publication record in high-impact journals indexed by Scopus and Web of Science, including Q1-ranked journals. Dr. Nilam currently serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence, UTM Kuala Lumpur, and is the Programme Coordinator for the Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics (Conventional Mode). The sharing session was conducted via Webex and successfully attracted 105 participants consisting of 49 UTM staff members and 56 UTM postgraduate students (Master’s and PhD levels).
This sharing session was designed to help participants make informed and strategic decisions when selecting appropriate platforms for publishing their research. It introduced practical approaches to understanding the publishing landscape, evaluating journals and conferences, and exploring open access options including pre-prints and repositories. Participants were guided on how to identify and avoid predatory publishers, ensuring ethical and credible dissemination of their work. The session also featured insights into real publication journeys, offering practical tips and experiences to support researchers throughout the submission and peer-review process.
The session covered five key aspects of academic publishing, beginning with an overview of the publishing landscape and current trends in scholarly communication. Participants were guided on how to critically evaluate journals and conferences using essential criteria such as indexing, impact factor, and alignment with research scope. The session also introduced the concepts of open access, pre-prints, and research repositories, emphasizing their importance in enhancing research visibility and accessibility. Ethical publishing practices were highlighted through a discussion on how to identify and avoid predatory publishers. The session concluded with a sharing of real-world publication journeys, providing participants with practical tips and strategies to navigate the manuscript submission and peer-review process successfully.
Through initiatives like this, FAI demonstrates its commitment to empowering the academic community with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complex world of academic publishing. The session on choosing the right platform for research publication was well-received by participants, who found the content insightful and practical. Feedback indicated that the session helped clarify key aspects of journal selection, ethical publishing, and research visibility. Many attendees expressed interest in having more sessions of this nature in the future to further support staff, students, and researchers in making informed publishing decisions and achieving greater impact through their scholarly work.
Prepared by: Dr. Noor Jannah Zakaria, Dr. Fiza Abdul Rahim and Dr. Mohd Azri Mohd Izhar