The Importance of Improving Research Media Infrastructure to Build a Research Culture for Academics and Researchers

 

A.  A, Introduction

Some time ago I was invited by a friend (sending a zoom link via What-apps) to participate in a discussion between academics about making scientific journals of research/research results and publishing them. In accordance with the new government policy that published journals must be indexed on internationally accredited journal media such as Scopus for example. This is in line with Law Number 14 of 2015 concerning Teachers and Lecturers, in article 60 it is stated that in carrying out professional duties, lecturers are obliged to, among other things, publish scientific publications as a source of learning. Furthermore, it is technically described based on the Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Regulation Number 20 of 2017 concerning Lecturer Professional Allowances and Honorary Professor Allowances, requiring lecturers with the academic position of head lector and professor to publish scientific publications.

At first I did not understand scientific journals, but from the variety of discussions and experiences they had many ups and downs in sending these journals, especially academics or lecturers who were required to fulfill the requirements, whether for promotion or positions to become lecturers to become professors. From the discussion, there were many complaints from the lecturers because the selection of the media reviewers of the journal was so tight that it could take a long time and cost a lot of money. Not infrequently some lecturers or researchers are not able to meet the deadline in submitting for promotions, for example, because the requirements for published scientific journals have not been published.

 

B.    Publication of Scientific Articles/Journals From Research Results

In the world of academia, every research institute or university generally has guidelines or guidelines for making or compiling scientific articles. This is one of the requirements or part of the Education curriculum. The quality or comprehensiveness of a scientific work depends on the level of education taken. Remember when a lecture was explained by a lecturer, if the Education level at the First Strata (S-1) revealed the results of research on the application of a theory (What), and in the Second Strata (S-2) explained somewhat in depth the results of research on why the theory applied is different from the reality (why).

As for the education level at the Higher Strata (S-3), it will focus on explaining how a theory encountered (for novelty or innovation or originality) can be applied (How). In accordance with the national education system, in order to improve quality and competence, it is expected that educated students can transfer knowledge to the community, one of which is through research results that are disclosed in papers or scientific works in the form of a thesis or dissertation. The results of the scientific work are written in the form of articles and published in scientific journals. Especially for the education level at the Higher Strata (S-3), it is expected to produce output in the form of publication of scientific articles in accredited journals, or educational textbooks as well as obtaining patents for research.

The obligation of scientific publications is mainly addressed to teachers and lecturers as learning media and communication links as knowledge transfer to the community, this is stated in Law Number 14 of 2015 concerning teachers and lecturers as stated in article 60 which states that lecturers are obliged to, among others, carry out scientific publications.  Even for higher academic positions, this affirmation is stated in the technical instructions of the Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Regulation Number 20 of 2017 concerning Lecturer Professional Allowances and Professor Honorary Allowances which require lecturers with the academic position of head lector and professor to publish scientific publications.

In connection with the publication of scientific articles or journals to the public, it can be done through newspapers or general and special magazines, namely academic journals. The academic journal media is a special journal media as a communication medium to transfer knowledge for researchers/academics to the public as readers. The media reports the latest research results or methods in the context of advancing science, there are journal media with national and international standards.

 

C.   Stuttering Research Culture for Academics and Researchers in Indonesia

Interested and curious from the results of the discussion, I tried to browse about scientific journals and their problems. Surprisingly, a few months ago our country was shocked about the publication of Scientific Journals as revealed in an article written by Machacek and Srholec on February 7, 2021 with the title "Predatory publishing in Scopus: evidence on cross-country differences". In the article, it was revealed that Indonesia (in the 2015-2017 period) had published scientific journals through the Predator Journal about 16.73% of the published scientific journals. (Sunu Wibirama, Scopus race, Journal of Predators and Cultural Research Stuttering, ajpkm.org, 2021).

The existence of government policies through the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education regarding the obligation to publish research results in scientific journal media causes some academics to justify various ways. In fact, so that their scientific works can be published in international journals, but avoid stringent selection and review by holding international conferences or seminars. Even though it costs quite a lot of money for the organization and the honorarium for the resource persons, it is enough for academics to make a kind of proceedings (a collection of academic papers), then their scientific papers will automatically be published in the international media without selection.

Therefore, various international conference and seminar Event Organizers (EOs) have emerged that offer universities or research institutions promising that the publication of proceedings will be indexed by Scopus. Hearing this promise, of course, academics who need requirements for research results that are published internationally will be interested in participating as participants by paying a fairly expensive fee. Thus the results of their research passed without strict selection. Sunu Wibirama (2021), states that the phenomenon of research culture shock occurs because our academics are mentally averse to being complicated (shortcut mentality).

The first problem is that there is a reference to performance achievement measured by numbers quantitatively without regard to a person's achievements qualitatively, for example from the point of view of honesty, integrity and objectivity of the results of his scientific work. The second thing is the stuttering of research culture among researchers and academics because of the ranking as a performance benchmark for an educational institution. And the next thing, the government's lack of attention to support facilities and infrastructure for research facilities for academics.

In addition, many universities and research institutes in Indonesia do not yet have a strong scientific base to cover the “stuttering culture of research”. The weakness of HR competence is because most scientists with careers abroad choose not to return to Indonesia due to the lack of support for research facilities and policies that make it easier for researchers to innovate compared to the country where they live. The weak quality of human resource competencies and research research infrastructure has an impact on the weak development of the research world and the low quality of scientific articles published as a medium of communication or knowledge transfer between the world of education and the community.

D.   Strict Selection In International Scientific Journals

International journals are journals of scientific articles not only written in foreign languages ​​(generally English), but also revealing the results/research on something new and scientific, and can be accounted for. Because international journals are global in nature, the acceptance of articles is carried out with a very strict selection regarding the content or content of the article or research methodology and novelty. An international journal can be said to be a media that has the highest ranking or accreditation from other scientific journal media. This level can be seen from the tightness in the selection to the publication of articles in the media, because the international journal media has a team of editors and reviewers with international qualifications.

According to Dian Fiantis, Professor of Soil Science, Andalas University, one of the peer reviewers to assess the feasibility of a research proposal to receive funding or not from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education provided an explanation regarding matters related to research and the publishing process in scientific journals. The first thing that must be done is the need for us to re-examine in the preparation of research proposals, because the proposals often contain weaknesses, among others: the research ideas offered are less creative and actual, even duplication of previous research often occurs. One of the contributing factors is the limitations of academics or researchers in accessing various scientific articles/journals published in international journal media.

Supposedly a prospective researcher reads a lot of these journals, thus it can be used as a comparison material for the research plan he has made and will even get new research ideas. In this case, the government through the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemendikbud) has subscribed to international journal media and has opened a free access network for academics.

The next problem is the language barrier, because in general articles that will be published in English-language international media, for lecturers or academics who are not equipped with English language education will experience difficulties. In this case, each university through foreign language educational institutions provides guidance, especially specifically regarding writing foreign language articles. In addition, on various media pages, there are applications for testing foreign-language articles so that they can be corrected either from the point of grammar or grammar and others.

And finally, Professor Dian Fiantis explained about the length of the process of publishing research results to be published in journals. Indeed, this process can take a long time and requires patience for academics. Sometimes there are researchers who feel that the results of their research are new and perfect, but the editor of the article states otherwise so that it needs to be improved or re-established, lucky to get an editor who is willing to explain so that the researcher can immediately make improvements. In general, scientific papers published in internationally reputed journals require stages of about one to two years.

E.    Closing

Underlying the problems that the author mentioned in the foreword can be a reflection for the academic world because actually the difficulties faced in writing scientific articles that need to be published in international scientific journals are not so difficult if we want to understand the process and how. However, the processing of a scientific article in a journal with an international reputation requires a long processing time in order to maintain the quality or quality of the published articles.

This is a factor that causes some of our academics to try to find shortcuts by choosing media that are not so strict in their selection, of course with low (or unclear) accreditation quality or journal media quality and known as predatory journals as fulfillment mere administrative requirements. Whereas the government through the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemendikbud) has implemented a new policy in order to improve the quality or quality of scientific journals produced by academics. Publications in scientific journals play an important role as an indicator of the progress of a nation, because through the media these international journals are an acknowledgment of outsiders to our academic world.

However, the phenomenon that occurs cannot be left alone, the government in this case the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemendikbud) must try to fix the problems that occur. The need for the government to review the policy referring to the Scopus standard if it is not accompanied by strengthening the academic community as mentioned above, there will be stagnation which will result in fraud in the effort to publish scientific journals in international journal media.

The need for a free access policy to obtain international journals for each university and research institution in order to strengthen the literacy and competence of students as research material or academic research. Next is the need for adequate research funding, not only for the best selected researchers but can be adjusted to the needs of other researchers or students. Thus, the allocation of 20% of the APBN needs to be reviewed in relation to the program to improve facilities and infrastructure for research, including foreign language institutions as strengthening the mastery of foreign languages ​​for academics or researchers.

The strengthening of scientific journal media at the national level also needs attention by providing assistance so that they can cooperate with internationally reputed reviewers or editors, the selection of submitted scientific articles is one of the strengthening of the quality of scientific journal results. Likewise, publishers of scientific books need to get the same contribution through reliable editors with international repute. so that there is an increase in the quality of scientific books which are reading media for the public.

 

Reference:

1.      Sunu Wibirama, “Balapan Scopus, Jurnal Predator dan Gagap Budaya Riset”, ajpkm.org. 11/02/21.

2.      Dian Fiantis dan Budiman Minasny, Äpa Kendala Peneliti Indonesia Menulis di Jurnal Internasional?”, theconversation.com, 10/1/19.

3.        Edi Subkhan, “Scopus dan Problem Kultur Akademik Kita”, detiknews.com., 21/3/19, diunggah tanggal 29/09/21.