UIN Jakarta Equips Junior Faculty Members with Advanced Research and AI-Assisted Academic Writing Skills

Rectorate Building, UIN Online News – UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta organized a comprehensive seminar titled "Capacity Building Workshop for Junior Faculty: Proposal Drafting, Academic Publishing, and Aligning with UIN Jakarta's Research Trajectory" at the Rectorate's Diorama Room on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The full-day event drew over a hundred junior faculty members from various departments, serving as part of the university's strategic initiative to solidify its research and publication ecosystem.

Under the theme "From Proposal to Publication: Empowering Junior Faculty in the UIN Jakarta Research Ecosystem," the workshop aimed to equip participants with competitive grant-writing techniques, high-impact publication strategies, and the integration of artificial intelligence tools in academic workflows. The event was a collaborative effort between the Institute for Research and Community Service (LP2M), the Center for Research and Publishing (Puslitpen), the University Journal Center (PRJ), and the Human Resources (HR) Division.

In his opening remarks, the Secretary of LP2M UIN Jakarta, Dr. Fathudin, expressed his appreciation for the enthusiastic turnout of the young academics. He noted that the training reflects LP2M's commitment to sharpening the research capacities of new faculty members, enabling them to produce high-quality, relevant, and socially impactful academic papers.

He emphasized that upgrading research competencies is a non-negotiable requirement amid the university's transition toward becoming a research-based institution and meeting World Class University standards, which utilize research output, citations, and international academic networks as core metrics.

Fathudin argued that academic research should never be treated as a mere bureaucratic requirement, rather, it must address real-world challenges. Therefore, understanding UIN Jakarta’s research roadmap is essential to enhance cross-disciplinary studies and maximize funding and publication opportunities.

"Proposals and publications are inseparable. A proposal marks the inception of knowledge production, while publication represents its academic downstream. Never initiate a research project without visualizing its target publication," he advised.

The Faculty of Sharia and Law lecturer acknowledged that early-career academics often face hurdles, such as adapting to institutional research cultures, navigating limited professional networks, and breaking into prestigious peer-reviewed journals. Consequently, LP2M acts not only as a grant administrator but also as a facilitator and academic mentor through research groups and senior-junior collaborative projects.

The Head of the UIN Jakarta HR Team, Naili Ulva Sa’adah, added that research and scientific publications are vital benchmarks for faculty performance evaluations. "Therefore, we must continuously nurture the capacity of our young lecturers through structured mentorship and training programs," she said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the University Journal Center, Dr. Saifuddin Asrori, highlighted UIN Jakarta’s commitment to elevating its academic journals to meet global benchmarks. The university is actively pushing for higher publication standards to help internal and national journals gain indexing in premier databases like SINTA and Scopus.

"Academic publication is the public face of a university's intellectual rigor. UIN Jakarta is dedicated to cultivating a healthy, premium-quality publishing ecosystem that can compete globally," he stated.

The Head of Puslitpen, Dr. Siti Ummi Masruroh, also reiterated the importance of actionable research. "Faculty research cannot simply stop at academic output. It must deliver concrete solutions to social dilemmas and offer substance for policy development," she asserted.

The workshop featured specialized training sessions from veteran academics. Muhammad Fikri Syahid delivered a session on "AI as a Research Assistant: Optimizing Artificial Intelligence for Proposals and Scientific Writing." This was followed by Dr. Antoni Saregar, who presented "Research and Publication Strategies for Junior Faculty: Navigating Frameworks, Targeting Journals, and Output Quality." Finally, Amilia Trianasari conducted a hands-on technical workshop on using reference managers to streamline systematic academic writing.

(Meisa/Khoirillah/Zaenal/Arifin)