Sebijak Institute, Faculty of Forestry Universitas Gadjah Mada, with support from KONEKSI (Australian-Indonesia Knowledge Partnership Platform) and the Henry Luce Foundation, has successfully organized the “Scientific Article Writing Workshop” at the Wanagama Science Eco-Edu Forest, Gunungkidul. Held from July 6–10, the workshop aimed to provide scientific writing training for academics and early-career researchers.
First day – 6 July 2026
Figure 1. Sigit Sunarta, Ph.D. (Left) and Prof. Dr. Ahmad Maryudi (Right)
The first day opened with remarks from Prof. Dr. Ahmad Maryudi, Chairperson of Sebijak Institute, and Ir. Sigit Sunarta, S.Hut., M.P., M.Sc., Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, who both highlighted the importance of producing internationally competitive scientific writing. Participants then attended the “Research Trends Presentations,” covering forest policy, agroforestry, silviculture, climate change research, and scientific publishing. The day concluded with thematic group discussions across three groups: Agroforestry, Gender, and Development Studies (led by Prof. Digby Race), Forest Policy and Governance (led by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Alif K. Sahide), and Livelihood and Political Ecology (led by Dr. Micah Fisher).
Throughout the workshop, participants presented the progress of their manuscript drafts or personal projects and received continuous feedback from their respective coaches and peers. Every coaching session concluded with a reflection session to review the key lessons and takeaways.
Second day – 7 July 2026
Figure 2. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Alif K. Sahide Delivering Presentation on The Second Day.
On the second day, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Alif K. Sahide delivered a presentation titled “Designing Publishable Research: From Research Questions to International Journal Publications.” He walked participants through the research architecture, emphasizing that writing begins long before drafting, starting from identifying research questions to aligning theories, designs, and methods. The key takeaway from his session was that most manuscripts are rejected due to poor research design and weak theoretical alignment rather than grammar. He stressed that publishable papers rely on asking important questions, establishing a coherent theoretical lens, selecting appropriate methodologies, and clearly articulating the study’s contribution.
Third day – 8 July 2026
Figure 2. An overview of the journal article structure presented by Prof. Digby Race.
The third day featured a session by Prof. Digby Race focused on the article writing and publishing process, titled “Communicating Our Research.” He guided participants through structured article outlining, from abstracts to results and discussion, and laid out the key steps of the publishing workflow, including drafting, peer review, and journal submissions. The core takeaways centered on actionable writing strategies: clearly articulating a paper’s core contribution in a single sentence, writing to appeal to an international audience, avoiding the urge to dump all project data into a single paper, and maintaining practical writing habits like scheduling dedicated focus blocks and leveraging peer feedback from a writing peer.
Fourth day – 9 July 2026
Figure 3. Presentation on the third day by Dr. Micah Fisher.
On the fourth day, Dr. Micah Fisher delivered a presentation titled “Abstract, Intro, Conclusion, Title,” unpacking strategies for crafting the key of a manuscript. He introduced the abstract as a “peer review map” that must concisely cover global significance, research goals, theoretical framework, unambiguous findings, and broader contributions. He further explained that introductions act as “promises” establishing why an issue matters and how the paper addresses it, while conclusions serve as the “delivery” acting as a mirror image of the introduction that articulates what the findings mean once the gap is filled. Finally, Dr. Fisher outlined strategies for crafting effective paper titles, demonstrating how double-header titles, cause-and-effect hooks, and policy-focused framing can elevate reader interest.
Fifth day – 10 July 2026
Figure 4. Group Photo by Participant at Hutan Pinus Mangunan
Figure 5. Gejog Lesung performance
On the final day, participants joined a field trip to Seribu Batu Songgo Langit and Hutan Pinus Mangunan. At Seribu Batu Songgo Langit, Purwo Harsono, Chairman of the Notowono Cooperative, presented on the cooperative’s community-based ecotourism model, highlighting collaborative governance, local participation, and sustainable tourism development. After exploring the site and documenting the visit, the group visited Hutan Pinus Mangunan, a community-managed pine forest honored with the Kalpataru Award for its environmental stewardship. The trip concluded with a traditional Gejog Lesung performance, where the locals – dominated by the mothers – played a traditional Javanese percussion art using wooden rice mortars (lesung) and pestles (alu) that originated as an expression of gratitude for harvests and remains an important part of Yogyakarta’s cultural heritage.
The workshop concluded on a high note, equipping researchers with valuable insights into scientific writing, methodology, and publishing. Building on this momentum, the facilitators kindly agreed to provide ongoing guidance and writing assistance, which ensure participants continue to refine their manuscripts for international publication. Through this collaborative initiative, Sebijak Institute and its partners remain dedicated to nurturing researchers and scholars on forestry and environment.