Lecturers have the duty to share their knowledge and experience, both with students and the wider community. This valuable knowledge and experience can be expressed through books.
Therefore, lecturers need to understand the strategies for writing books and academic works.
UGM Faculty of Geography lecturer Professor M. Baiquni stated that writing books has its own art. The art he refers to is the skill of organizing and summarizing ideas so that they are cohesive and can inspire awareness.
“Writing is indeed our task as lecturers. It requires a lot of motivation, one of which is to share knowledge and experience,” said Professor Baiquni during the Academic Writing Workshop on Thursday, Mar. 6, 2025, at Multimedia Room 1, UGM Central Office.
Professor Baiquni mentioned that writing books can be a way to build a personal or institutional reputation. He also believes writing books can be a bridge to recognize and develop one’s abilities.
“This effort can also be seen as a way to expand knowledge and networks,” he said.
He says the trends and motivations for writing have shifted over time.
There is a tendency for individuals to write as a way to release pressure and burdens.
However, any motivation can be a valid reason to start writing. The true measure of success for a piece of writing is how the words are crafted into ideas that benefit many people.
“This usefulness is what UGM continues to promote, encouraging lecturers to publish scientific works and write academic books,” said the Chair of UGM’s Board of Professors.
In addition to benefiting lecturers’ career advancement, written works are part of international publication collaborations that enhance the university’s reputation.
“These written works also demonstrate their broad usefulness in advancing knowledge in each field,” he added.
The Head of the Scientific Publication and Intellectual Property Sub-Directorate, Dr. Ratih Fitria Putri, mentioned that this workshop was aimed at helping lecturers publish their written works as books.
329 participants, including 39 professors, attended the workshop. Dr. Putri stated that the Directorate of Research continues to encourage lecturers to publish books through mentoring programs and incentives.
In 2024, 220 works by UGM lecturers were published through UGM Press.
“The number of academic books published in 2024 saw significant growth through this program. In the future, we will continue to develop mentoring and incentive programs to encourage publications,” Dr. Putri hoped.
Author: Lazuardi
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang
Photographer: Firsto