USM PENANG, 23 April 2026 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) continues to strengthen the quality and impact of its research through the organisation of the USM Publication Strategy Workshop 2026, conducted in a series format with an emphasis on selecting high-impact and reputable publication channels.

USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, Professor Dr. Habibah A Wahab, said that publication quality must always take precedence over quantity to ensure that the university’s research outputs remain relevant and deliver significant impact at the global level.

“This workshop is organised with the objective of helping the academic community make more accurate, informed, and strategic decisions in selecting publication channels,” she said while officiating the second series of the workshop recently.

Conducted in two series, held in early and mid-April respectively, the workshop focused on strengthening publication strategies through a data-driven approach, including the identification of reputable journals according to discipline and a deeper understanding of evaluation metrics.

Habibah also emphasised that, in the context of increasingly competitive global academia, efforts to strengthen publications in high-impact journals, particularly those in the Q1 and Q2 categories, are seen as crucial in increasing citation rates and research visibility.

“This will, in turn, contribute to improving USM’s position in international rankings as well as in MyRA assessments,” she added.

Meanwhile, the workshop also supports efforts to combat publication in predatory journals by providing clearer guidance and references for the academic community.

The role of the Library as a strategic partner of the university has also been strengthened in line with the evolving global publishing landscape towards open access.

Through the implementation of a Transformative Agreement, publication costs such as Article Processing Charges (APC) can be managed more systematically, thereby reducing the financial burden on researchers.

The second series of the workshop saw active participation from representatives of schools and centres of excellence across USM, contributing to better alignment of publication needs and more focused sharing of disciplinary expertise.

Among the key outcomes of the workshop was the development of a comprehensive dataset and journal reference resource, which has the potential to serve as the foundation for a university decision-support tool in formulating more focused and high-impact publication strategies.

The organisation of this workshop reflects USM’s continued commitment to strengthening the quality, integrity, and visibility of scholarly publications, in line with its aspiration to remain competitive at the international level.

Original Text: Fujica Azura Fesal/Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin/Photo: Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut Production Team, USM