Eighteen SEARCA scholars attended the Training on Writing for Science and Policy as part of the Center's Graduate on Time (GOT) Program.
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Eighteen scholars of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) participated in the Training on Writing for Science and Policy held on 2125 July 2025 as part of the Center's Graduate on Time (GOT) Program. The scholars hailed from various SEARCA scholarship study posts across Asia, namely, Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), IPB University in Indonesia, Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI) in Japan, and National Taiwan University (NTU).
The training was organized by the Center's Education and Collective Learning Department and facilitated by faculty members from the UPLB College of Development Communication.
Designed to enhance the participants' scholarly communication skills, the training deepened their understanding of scientific writing conventions and equipped them with tools to produce clear, well-structured journal articles. It also focused on crafting effective research presentations and using visuals and scripts to communicate findings to both academic and policy audiences.
Prof. Dr. Benjamina Paula Flor opened the training with a session on the concepts of science communication, highlighting the importance of academic publishing and engaging with policymakers. This was followed by a Meet-and-Greet Session with journal editors and managers from the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC). Prof. Dr. Efi Yuliati Yovi presented Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika (IPB University), Prof. Dr. Phebe Ding introduced Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science (UPM), and Ms. Monalinda Cadiz discussed SEARCA's Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD). The session offered valuable insights into journal operations and ethical guidelines in scientific publishing.
Throughout the training, participants were introduced to the strategic aspects of planning for publication. This included selecting a focus for their article, creating detailed outlines, identifying suitable target journals, and using project management and online journal matching tools. Prof. Dr. Serlie Jamias led an in-depth discussion on the principles and techniques in writing scientific papers, focusing on the structure of the key sections: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion and Recommendations. Asst. Prof. Avril Adrianne Madrid emphasized principles of clear and effective writing, while Ms. Charlene Mae Arkaina delivered a session on the fundamentals of graphic design and data visualization. She underscored the importance of effectively presenting data using tables and figures tailored to journal and presentation formats. Asst. Prof. Jyasmin Calub-Bautista conducted a session on preparing impactful presentations for policymakers, which covered message development, scriptwriting, and delivering presentations that resonate with decision-makers.
As a culminating activity, all 18 participants delivered mock policy pitches incorporating the skills and techniques they acquired during the training.
The customized training is part of SEARCA's GOT Program, which helps scholars complete their degree requirements on schedule through targeted academic and enrichment activities.