(Re)discovering the passion for research through writing

The poster of the webinar

UTAR Belt and Road Strategic Research Centre (BRSRC) organised a webinar titled "Publishing, Publication or Publishism? (Re)discovering the Passion for Research through Writing" via Microsoft Teams on 15 June 2021. The webinar received around 200 participation.

Invited to deliver the webinar was Dr Hiram Ting, Associate Professor at UCSI University. Dr Hiram is also the Managing Editor for the Asian Journal of Business Research (Scopus), the Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Responsible Tourism Management and Ambassador of Emerald Publishing in East Asia Region. Moderating the webinar was Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM) lecturer Tiong Kui Ming.

 

From left: Dr Hiram and moderator Tiong

Inspired by Aaron Ciechanover, an Israeli biologist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr Hiram said, “Do something you are passionate about; something that you love and something you are good at, then success is inevitable.” Dr Hiram reflected on his interest and said, “I am a learner like all of you and I am passionate about what I am doing. The positions I hold today reflect my passion and my endeavour in learning things and making contributions to the community.”

“Publication does not only mean having an impact factor. I understand impact factor is important, but my team and I believe that real impact is more important. Our emphasis lies on how the knowledge can be transferred and be used for the population we serve. We believe, during the process, or at the end of the day, whatever research we do, it is not only for records but for the benefits of the community. The publications need to have a real and positive impact on others,” he added.

Other topics discussed by Dr Hiram include “What to write about”, “When should the participants get started”, “what insight to pass on to readers”, “How to stop procrastinating” and “How to light a fire in writing process”. He said, “I hope my sharing brings you another perspective and you will see something beyond that. Publishing requires writing, planning, enabling environment and resources. This webinar aims to guide and motivate you to start writing, to help you see the bigger picture of publishing and also help you enjoy the writing process and outcome.”

He shared nine ways to draw ideas. “You can draw ideas through observation and experience; joining business events and meeting practitioners; interest, thinking and reflection; meeting experts and journal editors; talking and working with government bodies; presentation and networking during conference, seminar and workshop; travelling and making friends; and working with students by having constant discussions and reading,” he shared.

Dr Hiram recommending some publishing tactics to the participants

Nearing the end of the webinar, Dr Hiram advised the participants not to be afraid of failure. He said, “Failure is a crucial ingredient for success. Your paper is more about you; your paper is a story that you will tell others. Every mistake has a lesson to offer when you are open to failure.” He also suggested participants to volunteer themselves as a reviewer, build their network and work as a team besides talking and working with practitioners.

He concluded, “Publishing is about planning, positioning, progressing and practising. Writing and publishing require continual learning and practice and it starts today, not tomorrow. I would like the participant to see publishing beyond publication; it is a process to learn, network, and create values in the long term. Remember, mistakes and failures will improve your writing and publishing. Being passionate in your work and working as a team will sustain your writing and publishing. Writing or publishing is not supposed to be easy, but it can be rewarding. And don’t forget to have fun in your publishing journey.”

The webinar ended with a group photo session.

Dr Hiram (top row, middle) with some of the participants