\u201cScopus likes something unique. If our journal is too general, they will question why it should exist when many similar journals already do,\u201d Ilmi explained during his presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement became a direct critique of many Indonesian journals that still maintain overly broad scopes without a clear academic distinction. According to Ilmi, the era of \u201cmega journals\u201d is over. New journals must identify a specific niche to gain value in the eyes of international indexing institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He cited JTBB as an example, explaining that from the beginning the journal deliberately limited its focus solely to tropical biodiversity in Southeast Asia. This policy even influenced the selection of editors, reviewers, and manuscript origins. \u201cIf I say the focus is ASEAN, then the editors, authors, and research themes must reflect ASEAN,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MKGI\u2019s Challenges: Name, Scope, and Identity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Much of the workshop discussion focused on the journey of the Indonesian Dentistry Magazine<\/em> (MKGI). One evaluator\u2019s note highlighted that the journal\u2019s scope was considered too broad and lacked differentiation compared to other dental journals that had already been indexed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The MKGI management team revealed that Scopus reviewers had previously considered the journal\u2019s objectives \u201cstill confusing,\u201d particularly regarding its focus on natural material regeneration, which was seen as insufficiently defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe eventually started considering being more specific about the journal\u2019s theme because it turned out to be a major issue during thereview<\/em>process,\u201d said one of the MKGI managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilmi viewed this step positively. According to him, changing the journal\u2019s name is not the main solution, as it could damage the administrative and citation track record built over many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also argued that the biodiversity richness and public health characteristics of Southeast Asia could become a distinctive strength for Indonesian dental journals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur eating habits are different from Europe\u2019s, our microbiota are different, and our oral health culture is different. Those factors can actually become our scientific uniqueness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Criticism of Journal Management in Indonesia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond discussing scientific substance, the workshop also highlighted the complex problems surrounding journal management in Indonesia. Ilmi openly criticized the practice of some national journals that are overly business-oriented and accept articles merely for article processing charge (APC) revenue. article processing charge<\/em> (APC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Ilmi, JTBB maintains a rejection rate of up to 70 percent in order to preserve quality. However, this decision also results in an extremely high editorial workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most important role is the technical editor<\/em>. They chase reviewers, remind authors, and ensure the layout and language are correct. It\u2019s the behind-the-scenes work that often goes unnoticed,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also pointed out the lack of institutional support for scientific journal managers. Many universities, he said, still assign journal management responsibilities to librarians or administrative staff without forming dedicated teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA journal is a full-time job. It cannot simply be handled as a side task,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regional Competition and ASEAN Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The workshop also revealed that competition among scientific journals has increasingly shifted toward the regional level. Countries such as Malaysia and Thailand were said to already possess internationally reputable dental journals with more mature ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, Ilmi encouraged FKG UGM to first establish ASEAN networks before targeting Europe or America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s no need to aim too far at first. Start with Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. That\u2019s more realistic and more closely aligned in terms of research themes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to him, regional international conferences could become strategic sources for obtaining overseas manuscripts while also expanding reviewer and editorial board networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between Academic Idealism and Financial Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amid the push for internationalization, the workshop also highlighted a major dilemma faced by Indonesian journal managers: maintaining academic idealism while remaining financially sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilmi admitted that he initially rejected the implementation of APCs because he believed scientific knowledge should be freely accessible. However, the need for economic independence eventually led JTBB to charge a publication fee of 250 US dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt first I was idealistic\u2014scientific knowledge should be free. But the faculty encouraged us to become self-sufficient<\/em>,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, after achieving financial independence and entering Scopus, JTBB is aiming even higher by targeting Q1 quartile status through collaborations with international scientific associations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For FKG UGM, the workshop served as a reflection that the path toward international indexation is not merely an administrative issue, but rather a transformation in journal governance and substance. Amid increasingly specific and competitive global scientific journal competition, Indonesian journals are required not only to exist, but also to possess a distinctive and truly strong scientific identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Reporter: Andri Wicaksono, Photo: Fajar Budi Harsakti)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Upaya jurnal-jurnal ilmiah Indonesia menembus indeksasi internasional bereputasi seperti Scopus ternyata tidak semata ditentukan kualitas artikel. Di baliknya, terdapat pertarungan panjang soal identitas jurnal, spesialisasi keilmuan, kualitas tata kelola editorial, hingga strategi geopolitik akademik. Hal itu mengemuka dalam Workshop Menuju Indeksasi Internasional Bereputasi yang digelar Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi Universitas Gadjah Mada (FKG UGM) yang dibuka […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":295,"featured_media":18574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,326,330,318,317,321],"tags":[298,300,307,291,297],"class_list":["post-18573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berita-terbaru","category-sdg-10","category-sdg-11","category-sdg-17","category-sdg-4","category-sdg-9","tag-sdg-10-mengurangi-ketidaksetaraan","tag-sdg-11-kota-dan-masyarakat-yang-berkelanjutan","tag-sdg-17-kemitraan-untuk-mencapai-tujuan","tag-sdg-4-pendidikan-berkualitas","tag-sdg-9-industri-inovasi-dan-infrastruktur"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fkg.ugm.ac.id\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2026\/05\/mkgi-1-1024x683.jpg\")
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