The Research and Publication Unit of the Faculty of Management Studies, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka (SUSL), in collaboration with the Emerald Publishing and College of Healthcare Management and Economics, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE, launched a four-month research course on “Writing Impactful Research” on 22nd April 2021 through online platform: “GoToWebinar.” Prof. Udaya Rathnayake, Vice-Chancellor, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Mr. Sundar Radhakrishnan, Vice President - South Asia, Emerald Publishing, Prof. Hossam Hamdy, Chancellor, Gulf Medical University, UAE, Prof. Athula Gnanapala, Dean, Faculty of Management Studies, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Prof. MSM Aslam, Chairman- Research and Publication Unit, Faculty of Management Studies, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Dr. Jayantha N. Dewasiri, Senior Lecturer, Sabaragamuwa University / Brand Ambassador, Emerald Publishing – South Asia, Miss. Sangeeta Menon, Publishing Relationship Manager, Emerald Publishing, Prof. Sudhir Rana, College of Healthcare Management and Economics, Gulf Medical University, Prof. Kashif Saeed, GIFT University, Pakistan, and Miss. Disha Lakhanpal, Regional Marketing Manager, Emerald Publishing, and more than 1100 senior academics and researchers worldwide graced the proud event.

The first session of the programme followed up the inauguration ceremony by Prof. Kashif Saeed, GIFT University, Pakistan. Prof. Muhammad Kashif is working as an Assistant Professor, Business School at GIFT University, Pakistan.

With 15 years of full-time teaching and research experience, he has published 50 articles in internationally acclaimed journals.

These journals include Personnel Review, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, International Journal of Bank Marketing, TQM Journal, Journal of Management Development, British Food Journal, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, International Journal of Consumer Marketing, and the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Logistics as a few to name. He worked with the British Food Journal as Guest Editor to successfully launch a call for papers on food anti-consumption.

For Emerald Publishing, he works as the brand ambassador for Pakistan, where the core role is to increase awareness among Pakistani academics concerning research methods and publications in international journals.

As a trainer, he delivered various seminars and workshops across Pakistan and in universities of Indonesia, Morocco, and Sri Lanka. He emphasized the rationale and complexities in publishing in a layman’s language, and given below is the essence of his session.

Putting eggs in a different basket: The rationale and complexities in publishing

Getting research articles published in journals is an important concern for faculty members teaching in higher education institutes. The faculty as an individual and the university as an institution of higher learning gain several benefits by publishing in journals.

There are lucrative financial rewards as well as promotion opportunities for those who publish in journals. Also, one can become a part of the global community when the published research work is followed by peers worldwide. Moreover, publishing research work in journals strengthens the credibility of the arguments.

Such credibility is gained because a scientific filter is used to judge the quality of writing and research. From an institutional perspective, faculty members can attract funding from various organizations. However, it is possible where faculty publishes research work in journals with an international reputation, which contributes to establishing a positive brand image of the researcher. Alongside funding, publishing in journals improves the rankings of universities.

In addition, the development of a research culture and an industry-led curriculum are few other advantages that institutions gain when the faculty members publish their work in credible journals. However, finding a suitable journal to publish work is a challenging task. Several indicators signal the reputation of a journal.

First, despite being interdisciplinary, the journal focuses on specific issues over a period of time. Second, the peer-review; although it takes time, there is no compromise on quality.

Third, the editorial team works transparently and logically. Fourth, the journal is listed in reputable databases and indexing services. Finally, the editorial team comprises world-renowned scholars of a field. The indexing services such as Web of Science (WOS) and SCOPUS are credible sources to assess the quality of a journal.

In business and management, the institutions such as the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) and Academic Journal Guide (AJG) issue some rankings of some prestigious journals in the field. Employers use these lists to evaluate a potential faculty member.

Since the trend to conduct research and publish it in journals is rapidly increasing, there are some malpractices that authors must remain careful before they submit their work.

There are several categories of journals that authors should avoid publishing their work. However, it is notable such journal administrators can easily deceive academics. In this regard, several indicators signal the poor quality of a journal. A faculty member must take note of these before submission and publication of research.

First, the website is immature and non-professional. You will find unrelated images which do not represent science and the subject matter. Thus, these non-professional signs on the website indicate poor quality.

Second, the journal is not listed with a reputable publisher. In the presence of publishers such as Emerald, Taylor & Francis, Sage, Wiley, ScienceDirect, and Springer, why is there still a need to submit work to any other journal?

Third, the journal is not indexed by Web of Science (WOS), SCOPUS, ABDC, and AJG. It is understand that there are still the pros and cons to publish work, but why is there a need to undersell the research work by publishing it in questionable journals? Fourth, the emails and contact information of editorial board members, even the editors, are deceptive. It is the right of an author to connect with the editorial team of a journal in case there is a need. Fifth, the journals which ask for money in the social sciences and are ready to bargain must be avoided.

A scientist in physics or biology makes a lot of sense to pay for an article evaluation because a similar experiment is to be conducted by the reviewer in a lab. In some cases, the purchase of raw material to experiment is pivotal, requiring payment to process the article.

However, why there is a need to pay for an evaluation of survey-based research? Above all, when there are many free journals, why opt for a paid outlet? Sixth, the journal reports are surprisingly quick and immature.

There is no hard and fast rule, but the quality of a review also signals the quality of a journal. Also, despite being listed in credible databases, authors should still take notice of some practices and actions. Finally, you might receive some emails where an editor is requesting to submit an article for publication in a journal.

The emails to request for a possible publication are written only to subject experts, well-known globally for their work. These journals, at times, try telling us what we are not, filled with unnecessary appreciation. On the contrary, the symbol of science is organized scepticism.

Finally, there are some suggestions to colleagues to improve their academic standing. First, try establishing a balance between teaching and publishing. The universities recruit you mainly to teach at undergraduate to postgraduate levels. Thus, your publishing endeavours must improve your teaching and evaluation.

The scientific manners learned during the research and publication process should offer input and extension for creative assignments and an industry-led curriculum. Second, publish in journals which you can easily recommend your M.Phil. / PhD students to read and to problematize for their research. At least we can make an effort to publish in reputable journals.

Third, at an initial level, start publishing in journals that are indexed in databases mentioned above. However, improve your ability to publish in journals with the passage of time.

The second session of the programme is to be delivered by Prof. Vikas Arya from the International University of Rabat, Rabat Business School, Morocco, on “How relevant is the Innovative approach in research for targeting high impact journals.”

By: Prof. Kashif Saeed

GIFT University Pakistan,Brand Ambassador- UAE: Emerald Publishing

Dr. JayanthaN. Dewasiri

Senior Lecturer - Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka,Brand Ambassador- South Asia: Emerald Publishing