From Assumption to Evidence: A Needs-Based Design for International Publication Mentoring

Abstract

Publication in reputable international journals is a principal criterion for evaluating lecturers’ academic performance at Indonesian universities. This study maps the readiness, obstacles, and expectations of lecturers at a faculty of social and political sciences regarding a proposed workshop and mentoring program for international publication, using the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Yogyakarta, as an empirical case. Using a descriptive quantitative approach, data were collected via an online questionnaire completed by 29 lecturers and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic categorization of open-ended responses. Most respondents were actively engaged in research (93.1%) and had already set a target for international publication (96.6%), yet publication output over the past three years remained concentrated at one to two articles (55.2%). The most pressing obstacles were the Article Processing Charge (APC, mean score 3.21) and difficulty selecting a suitable target journal (3.10); understanding of predatory journals was the weakest area (2.62). The manuscript clinic was the most anticipated activity format (82.8%), with a submission-ready manuscript identified as the primary expected outcome. These results point to a need for sustained, practice-based mentoring rather than one-off training, and the resulting needs-analysis framework is offered as a model other faculties facing comparable structural constraints may adapt to their own context.