IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS: HIMA PDIA FEB UNAIR HOLDS ACADEMIC WRITING & READING SKILLS WORKSHOP

(HIMA PDIA NEWS) – As part of an effort to improve academic reading and writing skills for undergraduate to doctoral students, the Accounting Doctoral Program Student Association (HIMA PDIA) of the Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Airlangga (FEB UNAIR) held a workshop entitled “Academic Writing and Reading Skills” on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. This hybrid activity aims to provide practical insights to students in understanding and applying academic reading and writing skills better.

This workshop featured Novrys Suhardianto, SE, MSA, Ak., Ph.D., a lecturer at FEB UNAIR with extensive experience in academic writing. He is also a graduate of City University of Hong Kong, known for its educational approach based on quality reading and academic writing skills. The event was moderated by Imam, a PDIA FEB UNAIR student, who acted as moderator to ensure an interactive discussion. Interestingly, this activity was packaged in a semi-formal format and concluded with a fast-breaking session together.

The Importance of Academic Reading and Writing Skills

Following the opening session and a prayer by the moderator, the event continued with a presentation by Novrys Suhardianto. He began his session by expressing his concern about doctoral students who often struggle to write in a structured and systematic manner. According to him, two main factors help students express their ideas in academic writing: knowledge mastery and the ability to express that knowledge in writing.

Novrys further explained that reading skills are key to acquiring knowledge. He divided reading skills into three levels:

1. Spelling – Reading word by word without deeply understanding their meaning.
2. Understanding (Comprehensive) – Reading with a full understanding of the meaning of each word and sentence.
3. Critical Analysis – Not only understanding, but also connecting the content of the reading with existing knowledge to produce deeper thinking.

In addition, he also discussed three levels of writing skills, namely:

1. Arrange words into sentences.
2. Create a structured story.
3. Write critically.

In an academic context, Novrys emphasized the importance of critically reading references and understanding the narrative structure of research, rather than simply memorizing variables. He exemplified that a good academic writer must be able to construct a critical narrative based on mapping previous references, rather than simply arranging data linearly.

Dissecting Articles and Effective Writing Techniques

As part of the practical session, Novrys also analyzed two articles from reputable journals to provide participants with insight into how to read scientific articles effectively and understand good writing structure. He emphasized that each paragraph in academic writing should have at least one main idea sentence and one supporting sentence. Furthermore, each paragraph should have good cohesion to make the writing easier for readers to understand.

Academic Impact and Contribution

This workshop not only aims to improve students' scientific publication skills but also contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education. Improving the quality of academic writing is believed to strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian academics globally, while also opening up opportunities for research funding and scholarships.

Furthermore, this activity also provides a platform for students from all levels to share experiences, strengthen academic networks, and encourage collaboration in research. With closer synergy among students, it is hoped that a strong academic climate will be created, resulting in more high-quality scientific work produced by FEB UNAIR.