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University of Santo Tomas Graduate School (UST GS) Office for Graduate Research (OGR) Director Prof. Dr. Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro, organized a webinar titled “Writing Research Publications” held on October 2, 2021, attended by over 200 graduate students.
Academician Prof. Emeritus Fortunato B. Sevilla III, Ph.D., of the Science Cluster, UST Graduate School was the speaker. Sevilla, a renowned Professorial Lecturer and Outstanding Researcher with distinguished awards and recognition both local and international, talked about the dynamics and intricacies of research writing.
Sevilla started with an update on the CHED Memorandum Order No. 15 Series of 2019 regarding Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Graduate Programs. According to him, the motivation for publication includes what the researcher has done, highlights the success of Master’s or Ph.D., garners points for promotion, gains visibility in the international research circle, and confirms the acceptability or quality of the researcher’s work.
Further, it is the responsibility of the researcher to disseminate his research findings. He stressed that while the author’s physical presence will cease to exist, the publication will immortalize the contribution to the stock knowledge of the author as he will be cited every time a researcher refers to his research work.
Likewise, Sevilla added that by publishing one’s research, the researcher lays a foundation of establishing a network to connect with other researchers. He mentioned the advantage of publishing in open access journals where accessibility is free and public with no financial, legal, or technical barriers, compared to publishing with subscription fees.
However, Sevilla also cautioned the participants and would-be researchers about the perils of publishing in predatory journals because of its negative effects, in addition to the monetary cost it entails. More importantly, he gave key points in the authorship and the different parts of a research paper from the abstract down to conclusions and recommendations.
In his closing remarks, Graduate School Dean Prof. Michael Anthony C. Vasco, Ph.D., stated that “the quality of research is the hallmark of graduate and post-graduate education. It is through high-caliber research that separates a graduate or post-graduate degree from a professional or undergraduate student. The research publication is a medium for the dissemination of knowledge.”
Vasco emphasized that the research process would never be complete without dissemination through publication for public consumption. Hence, it must be published to withstand scrutiny by critiques and peers to validate its value to the body of knowledge, policy formulation, and contribution to national development.
Assoc. Prof. Mary Caroline N. Castano, Ph.D., of the Business cluster, served as the moderator.
