Malang — Universitas Negeri Malang (UM) has once again demonstrated its commitment as a globally competitive campus by hosting the Visiting Impact Researchers World Class University event titled “Strategic Pathways to Research Excellence: Enhancing Scholarly Impact and Visibility” at the Graha Rektorat, 9th Floor, on Friday (May 22). This event featured Distinguished Chair Professor from UCSI University, Prof. Ts. Dr. Ooi Keng-Boon.
The event was attended by the leadership of the UM Faculty of Vocational Studies, faculty members, heads of study programs, and doctoral students in Electrical Engineering and Informatics. Prof. Ooi’s presence is considered a strategic momentum for UM to accelerate research quality, international publications, and global academic reputation.
The Dean of the UM Faculty of Vocational Studies, Prof. Dr. Ir. Muladi, emphasized that Prof. Ooi’s academic achievements serve as an inspiration for the UM academic community in building a research culture with a broad impact.
“Prof. Ooi has a Scopus h-index of 83 with over 41,000 citations on Google Scholar. These figures demonstrate that research quality is measured not only by the number of publications but also by its influence on the development of science,” he stated.
During the presentation session, Prof. Ooi emphasized that research excellence is determined by two main aspects: scholarly impact and visibility. According to him, publishing in internationally reputable journals is a crucial factor in increasing citations as well as the academic influence of a study.
“If research is published in journals with high visibility, its scientific impact also increases. Conversely, publishing in predatory journals can damage a researcher’s reputation,” he said.
He also shared several strategies for producing internationally reputable scientific publications. These strategies include the ability to identify a research gap, strengthening theoretical foundations, maintaining methodological rigor, and building relevant theoretical and practical contributions.
According to Prof. Ooi, researchers need to read dozens or even hundreds of scientific articles to find research novelty that is truly robust and has a long-term academic impact.
This academic forum is part of UM’s strategic steps in strengthening a world-class research ecosystem and increasing the international competitiveness of Indonesian higher education institutions. Furthermore, the activity supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 regarding Quality Education, by enhancing research quality, scientific publications, and global collaboration in higher education.
Reporter: Keynisya Pentania Sofyani – Internship UM Public Relations
Photographer: Sudrajar Arif Wicaksono – Internship UM Public Relations
Editor: Muhammad Salmanudin Hafizh Shobirin – UM Public Relations