Plants (ISSN: 2223-7747), a leading open access journal in plant sciences, is delighted to collaborate with Chiang Mai University to co-host the Scientific Publishing Workshop on 9 July 2025. This workshop unites researchers, academics, and publishing professionals to explore cutting-edge strategies in academic dissemination within the agricultural sciences. Through sessions on open access publishing models, manuscript refinement, peer review engagement, data-driven visualization, and AI applications in plant research, we aim to equip participants with actionable tools to amplify their research impact. Building on the enduring partnership between MDPI and Chiang Mai University, this event reflects our shared dedication to fostering research excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the democratization of knowledge in plant sciences.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kittisak Jantanasakulwong, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Agro-Industry at Chiang Mai University, shared his thoughts on the importance of science and the publication process. He expressed his gratitude to MDPI Thailand for organizing the event, which provided detailed information about the publication process and ways to improve it.

In the first presentation, Mr. Pongsakorn Vithayanon, the Editorial Team Leader at MDPI Thailand, shared insights on open access journals and MDPI’s current status as a leading open access academic publisher. He introduced the Plants journal as a valuable option for researchers in the Department of Agri-Industry.

The second session was shared by Dr. Krit Inthajak, MDPI’s regional journal relations specialist in Asia–Pacific, with the topic “How to Write Scientific Papers”. This session comprised how to prepare literature reviews before deciding to write a manuscript and the contents of the front matter, main text, and back matter. During the Q&A, the university professors had questions concerning the overuse of keywords in titles and how to handle copyrighted images. Another concern involved the experience of having their manuscript desk-rejected, for which we provided various ways in which scholars can improve their manuscript for it to be sent for peer review.

The third session, titled “Data Visualization for Scientific Papers”, was presented by Ms. Hathaipat Kittirojana, a Regional Journal Relations Specialist. She initiated the session by pointing out why data are so crucial due to the constantly increasing amounts of data. Data visualization is an approach through which we can maintain our perceptual and cognitive abilities to understand the trends and patterns of data by presenting them graphically in figures, graphs, or tables. She then explained and emphasized MDPI’s figure and table formatting, what authors should pay more attention to, and what authors should avoid.

For the final session, “Artificial Intelligence in the Scientific Publishing Industry”, Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon, Regional Journal Relations Specialist at MDPI’s Bangkok Office, presented on the latest developments in AI globally and its applications in Thailand. She outlined MDPI’s guidelines on the use of AI and AI-assisted tools in manuscript preparation, emphasizing that any such use must be declared in the AI statement within the Acknowledgments Section and in the Materials and Methods Section. The session concluded with a demonstration of AI tools developed by MDPI’s AI team, highlighting their potential to enhance processes and services for both internal and external users.

As we conclude the workshop at Chiang Mai University, we celebrate a day marked by dynamic knowledge exchange and cross-disciplinary synergy. The enthusiastic involvement of researchers, educators, and students from diverse agricultural fields underscored the workshop’s success in empowering attendees with practical skills for high-impact publication, rigorous peer review, and AI-integrated research methodologies. Engaging dialogues on open-access trends, ethical publishing, and global research partnerships highlighted the pivotal role of open science in advancing sustainable agriculture and food security. This collaboration deepens the longstanding relationship between Plants and Chiang Mai University, paving the way for future initiatives.