Announcements

A successful academic publishing workshop was jointly organized by MDPI and Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, with the goal of strengthening scholarly communication skills among local researchers. Through hands-on sessions and open dialogue, attendees learned how to effectively craft scientific papers, respond to reviewer critiques, and avoid frequent pitfalls that lead to rejection in the initial editorial check. The event provided a lively platform for peer learning and professional exchange.

We were honored to have Asst. Prof. Dr. Supit Boonlab, Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburiม, open the Academic Publishing Workshop, organized in collaboration with MDPI. In her opening remarks, she emphasized that the workshop provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen the publication environment within the faculty and to support academic staff in enhancing their research and scholarly communication skills. She also encouraged all faculty members and participants to take advantage of the workshop to exchange ideas, learn about current trends in academic publishing, and improve the quality and international visibility of their research outputs. Furthermore, she expressed her appreciation to MDPI for supporting academic development activities and fostering collaboration with the university community.

The first session was shared by Dr. Krit Inthajak, the Regional Engagement Editor. MDPI’s Journal Cluster of Human Thought and Cultural Expression, consisting of Social Sciences, Histories, Humanities, and Languages, was introduced since the majority of participants came from social sciences. He also provided research trends that RMUTT scholars have published where the majority submits through Sustainability.

The second session, “How to Write Scientific Papers”, was presented by Dr. Juthathip Poofery, Editorial Team Leader and Regional Engagement Editor. The session introduced the fundamental structure of scientific manuscripts, including the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion Sections, and emphasized that the Results Section is the core section of a research paper. The speaker also reviewed how to write an effective title and structured abstract, as well as how to clearly present participants, variables, and research procedures in the Methods Section. In addition, the session covered the differences between Results and Discussion, appropriate academic writing style and tense usage, and strategies for writing concise and impactful scientific language. Important elements of the Back Matter Section, including author contributions, funding, ethics statements, data availability, conflicts of interest, and references, were also introduced as essential components that contribute to transparency and research integrity. Participants showed strong interest in keyword selection and the appropriate use of language in academic writing.

The third session, titled “How to Respond to Peer Reviewers”, was presented by Ms. Hathaipat Kittirojana, a Regional Journal Relations Specialist. She discussed the peer-review process at MDPI and guided participants through how to revise manuscripts professionally. This session also included the key tips of revision preparations and how we can organize a response in an effective way. In conclusion, she encouraged the audience to remain positive, open-minded, and professional when replying to reviewers.

Dr. Siriporn Tantiwatcharothai, Regional Engagement Editor at the MDPI Bangkok Office, delivered a presentation on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the academic publishing industry. The presentation covered an overview of how AI works, its advantages, and key concerns related to the use of AI in manuscript preparation. In addition, Dr. Siriporn introduced how MDPI applies AI technologies within its editorial processes to support efficiency, quality control, and research integrity, as well as how AI can assist researchers in identifying suitable journals for their work. She highlighted that although AI is a useful tool, users should always carefully verify and critically review AI-generated content to ensure its accuracy, reliability, and ethical use.

The collaboration between MDPI and Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi not only enhanced participants’ confidence in navigating the publication process, but also deepened mutual trust and opened doors for future joint initiatives. Moving forward, both parties are committed to supporting researchers in producing high‑impact scholarly work.