Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology | Summary of the MDPI Academic Publishing Workshop at the University of Granada

On 16 October 2026, the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (JFMK, ISSN 2411-5142) organized an online Academic Publishing Workshop (APW) in collaboration with the University of Granada. The session brought together students from the Sports Science master’s program to explore key aspects of responsible scientific publishing.

The workshop was hosted by Dr. Amador García Ramos and delivered by Ms. Caral Zhou and Ms. Tijana Radojicic. Starting at 16:30 (Spain time), the session lasted approximately 1–1.5 hours and combined presentations, practical examples, and a final discussion with participants.

Open access and integrity in scientific publishing

Ms. Caral Zhou opened the workshop with an introduction to JFMK, presenting the journal to students working in sports sciences and related research areas. She then introduced the open access publishing model and its role in making scientific findings available to readers, supporting knowledge sharing, and increasing the visibility of research.

Her presentation also addressed research ethics and academic integrity, highlighting the responsibilities of researchers when preparing and submitting scientific work. Through practical examples, she discussed the importance of presenting research accurately and transparently, maintaining data integrity, and following ethical standards throughout the publication process. This section helped students connect publication ethics with decisions they may encounter in their own research and future manuscripts.

Responsible use of artificial intelligence

Ms. Tijana Radojicic presented the role of artificial intelligence in scientific research and academic publishing, highlighting both its opportunities and challenges. She discussed how researchers and publishers use AI for tasks such as language editing, literature reviews, reviewer identification, journal promotion, and data analysis, while emphasizing potential risks related to accuracy, plagiarism, and research integrity.

Her presentation covered ethical considerations, including responsible AI use, data privacy, transparency, and compliance with journal and publisher requirements regarding AI-generated content. Particular attention was given to MDPI’s policies on AI use by authors and reviewers, alongside safeguards designed to maintain publication ethics and research quality.

Finally, Ms. Radojicic explained how MDPI integrates AI into its workflows to improve efficiency and service quality while keeping human oversight central to editorial decisions. At the university’s request, approximately 75% of the workshop was delivered in Spanish and 25% in English, helping students follow the content.

Supporting students in their publishing journey

Through this initiative, JFMK provided students in sports sciences with an opportunity to learn directly from publishing professionals and discuss questions relevant to their future research activities.

The workshop concluded with a Q&A session and received very positive feedback from participants, who also requested the presentation to revisit the topics covered.

We sincerely thank Dr. Amador García Ramos for his collaboration in coordinating the workshop, Caral Zhou and Tijana Radojicic for sharing their expertise, and all the students who joined the session.

We look forward to continuing to support the sports science community and the next generation of researchers through initiatives that encourage knowledge exchange, collaboration, and scientific excellence.