We recently conducted a three-day workshop on aspects of academic publishing for Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), a deemed-to-be university in Chennai. The workshop was attended by research scholars from SIST. We introduced various tools that will help them publish their work in reputable academic journals. The workshop was designed in line with the practical units (Units 4 to 6) of the UGC-mandated paper Research Publication & Ethics (RPE).

The scholars were excited to learn the process of publication – from drafting a manuscript to sharing their publication for wider reach. The central theme was how to choose the right journal for their publication. The workshop included sessions on open access publishing, predatory journals, characteristics of a genuine journal, and journal-level and author-level metrics (such as impact factor, h-index, g-index, etc.). More importantly, the participants showed a great level of enthusiasm and curiosity and clarified a lot of questions a new researcher would have. At the end of the workshop, they expressed their confidence in being able to select the right journal for their publication.

On behalf of Tholga Publishing Services, I appreciate the efforts taken by the Management and the Research division of Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology for their efforts to impart knowledge on such an important topic that will have life-long impact on their research scholars and thank them for the wonderful opportunity to share my experience in the e-publishing industry with the researchers of the future.

Murugaraj shanmugam has nearly 20 years of experience in academic publishing and worked with major publishing services companies that cater to academic publishers of international repute. He is passionate about sharing his experience with individuals and research institutions. He also teaches copyediting through Editor’s Essentials. LinkedIn | murugaraj@tholga.com