Announcements

MDPI was pleased to partner with Chiang Mai University in Chiang Mai on 5 June 2026 for a highly productive Academic Publishing Workshop dedicated to advancing academic publishing and scholarly communication. The event was officially opened by Associate Professor Dr. Apichat Tantraworasin, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, who welcomed the MDPI speaker team and expressed his appreciation for their contribution in sharing valuable knowledge with faculty members, researchers, and students.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Apichat highlighted the challenges of publishing in international journals and emphasized the importance of developing practical skills throughout the publication process. He noted that the workshop addressed key researcher needs, including manuscript preparation, responding to peer reviewers, publication ethics, the responsible use of artificial intelligence, and effective figure and table design. The event brought together experts and members of the academic community to explore the latest trends and best practices across a range of scientific disciplines. Through insightful presentations and engaging discussions, participants gained valuable practical skills in scientific writing, data visualization and layout, responding to peer-reviewer comments, navigating the MDPI editorial process, understanding publication ethics, and engaging responsibly with artificial intelligence in scholarly publishing. The audience comprised participants from various academic levels—including professors, PhD students, master's students, and postgraduate researchers—with strong engagement maintained throughout the day.

During the first presentation, Mr. Pongsakorn Vithayanon, Editorial Team Leader and Deputy Managing Editor at MDPI Thailand, introduced the concept of open access publishing and MDPI’s role as a leading academic publisher. He highlighted several journals, including IJMS, Medicina, CIMB, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Stress, and explained how these journals provide valuable publication opportunities for researchers in the medical and life sciences fields. The session also provided an overview of the publication process and the benefits of publishing in open access journals.

The session, “How to Write Scientific Papers”, was delivered by Dr. Juthathip Poofery, Editorial Team Leader and Regional Engagement Editor. The presentation provided practical guidance on preparing and structuring a scientific paper, covering essential components from the title and abstract to the discussion, conclusions, and back matter. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying research gaps, presenting methods with sufficient detail to ensure reproducibility, and clearly distinguishing between the reporting of results and their interpretation. The session also highlighted best practices for enhancing the visibility and impact of research through effective scientific writing, including the selection of appropriate keywords and the development of clear and informative manuscript elements. Ethical and transparency requirements, including authorship contributions, funding disclosure, data availability, informed consent, and conflicts of interest statements, were also discussed. Participants showed particular interest in practical approaches to improving manuscript quality, especially refining titles and keywords, strengthening scientific writing, and increasing the discoverability of their research.

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 the audience through how to revise the manuscript 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.

For the next session of the event program, Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon, Regional Engagement Editor at MDPI's Bangkok Office, delivered a presentation entitled “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scientific Publishing”. The session explored the growing impact of artificial intelligence on scholarly communication and the evolving publishing landscape. The presentation provided an overview of AI technologies, with particular attention to Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), which have become increasingly integrated into research and academic writing workflows. Participants gained insights into the capabilities of these tools, as well as their current limitations and potential risks. Emphasis was placed on the importance of human oversight, critical evaluation, and responsible use when incorporating AI-generated content into scholarly work. The session also addressed ethical considerations surrounding AI use in research and publishing. Drawing upon the recommendations of COPE and STM, the presentation outlined MDPI's policies and guidelines regarding the appropriate use of AI by authors, reviewers, and editors. The importance of transparency and proper disclosure of AI-assisted content was highlighted as a key aspect of maintaining research integrity. To conclude, participants were introduced to several AI-powered solutions developed by MDPI’s AI team. These tools are designed to support editorial processes, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the publishing experience for authors, reviewers, and editors.

The next session, titled “Publication Ethics for Authors”, was presented by Dr. Siriporn Tantiwatcharothai, Regional Engagement Editor at the MDPI Bangkok Office. She began by highlighting the importance of maintaining ethical standards throughout the research and publication process. The presentation then explored common ethical issues encountered in scholarly publishing, along with an overview of MDPI’s policies and guidelines for addressing them. The session also discussed the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research, emphasizing the associated ethical considerations and potential risks. In closing, Dr. Siriporn explained the procedures followed by MDPI when handling ethical concerns identified after publication, providing participants with a clearer understanding of how such cases are investigated and managed.

The sixth session, titled “How to Make Good Figures for Scientific Papers”, was presented by Ms. Pratthana Kruekantha, Production Editor at MDPI. She highlighted the importance of well-designed figures in enhancing the clarity, readability, and impact of scientific publications. The presentation covered different types of figures, the essential components of graphical abstracts and scientific figures, and best practices for figure preparation, including captions, image quality, and data presentation. The session also introduced practical graphic design principles, such as selecting appropriate chart types, using effective color schemes, improving accessibility, and maintaining visual consistency. It concluded with an overview of design tools that can help researchers create professional, publication-ready figures. The final session, titled “How to Design Tables in Scientific Papers”, was also presented by Ms. Pratthana Kruekantha. She introduced the essential components of scientific tables and shared practical guidelines for designing clear, accurate, and publication-ready tables. The session covered table structure, formatting standards, data organization, and common issues encountered during manuscript preparation. It concluded with recommendations for table-editing practices and an overview of MDPI’s figure and table editing services.

The workshop concluded with a closing session and a certificate awarding ceremony, recognizing the active participation of all attendees throughout the day. Participants remained attentive throughout the presentations, and while only a limited number of questions were raised during the Q&A sessions overall, the discussions that did arise were focused and substantive. This collaboration underscores the shared commitment of MDPI and Chiang Mai University to fostering interdisciplinary research and promoting global excellence in academic output. The event not only strengthened the partnership between MDPI and the university but also laid a solid foundation for continued collaboration and future academic advancement.