Indonesian Alumni of Australian National University Dispute MPR Speaker's Journal Publication Claim

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 50 alumni of the Australian National University (ANU) in Indonesia are disputing a statement made by Bambang Soesatyo (Bamsoet), the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), regarding research publication at ANU. They specifically reject Bamsoet's claim that ANU mandates researchers to publish in five university-affiliated journals.

“Bambang Soesatyo's misinformation creates a false impression about ANU's academic standards and tarnishes the university’s credibility in the public,” said Arief Anshory Yusuf representing dozens of alumni in a joint written statement on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. “Therefore, we urge him to clarify his statement.”

Yusuf, a 2009 Ph.D. graduate from ANU's Crawford School, clarified that there is no formal or informal requirement to publish in ANU journals. He emphasized that ANU grants researchers the freedom to choose journals that best suit their field and desired reach.

“We believe that ideas and research results should be reviewed externally, not internally,” he said.

According to Yusuf, external review is crucial for ensuring research quality and validity, and publishing in external journals allows for wider dissemination, fosters diverse perspectives, and strengthens the credibility of research findings

Bamsoet's remarks about ANU arose during a meeting with the Indonesian Professors Association (PERGUBI) in Jakarta on July 8, 2024.

He highlighted the pressure on lecturers and postgraduate students to publish in Scopus-indexed journals and expressed concern that this emphasis has led to the emergence of a new moral hazard, "journal brokers". He further argued that prioritizing Scopus hinders the development of domestic journals as everyone chases international recognition.

Bamsoet then presented the Australian National University (ANU) as a model. He claimed that ANU requires researchers to publish in its five internal journals. In his view, this approach strengthens ANU's internal publications. He suggested that Indonesia could emulate this system, where universities prioritize their own journals instead of solely focusing on Scopus.

“Instead of chasing Scopus accreditation, the Ministry of Education and Culture should encourage universities to develop their own journals. So this will foster academic independence and allow us to showcase domestic research that can rival international publications.”

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA

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