Peer-learning session on navigating academic publishing

On 3 September 2026, a peer-learning session organized by the Explore programme – 'From research to publication: Academic writing and publishing', covered preparing manuscripts, selecting suitable journals, responding to peer review and planning publications. The session attracted 139 registrants, largely researchers and academics, from 21 countries.

David Ganz, executive director of RECOFTC, linked academic publishing to Explore’s wider goal of translating research into practice and policy. “As the final stage of a broader effort, publications are a key metric for measuring our success,” he said.

Ganz emphasized Explore’s contribution to institutional capacity building, noting that many participating institutions were managing direct international research grants for the first time.

Building their capacity to manage and report on these grants, he said, was transformative and important for future research proposals and project implementation. 

The session featured three Explore researchers who shared lessons from their own research and publication journeys.

Foregrounding the research

Muhammad Alif K Sahide, professor of forest governance at Hasanuddin University and editor-in-chief of Forest and Society, encouraged researchers to begin with the story behind their research.

A strong paper, he explained, should have a clear central argument. He noted that researchers should be selective about the evidence and literature they include and focus on what their findings add to existing scholarly conversation.

Sahide also shared practical advice on responding to peer review, emphasising that rejection and requests for major revisions are a normal part of academic publishing.

Adapting research to challenging contexts

Nyein Chan, a junior associate professor at Kyoto University of Advanced Science, shared lessons from his research on gender, forest landscape governance and climate change adaptation in Myanmar.

For his team, adaptability became essential when conflict and security constraints limited the ability to collect field data. The team shifted focus from gender differences to gender dynamics and power relations. A systematic literature review provided an alternative approach when further field research was not feasible, and theoretical frameworks helped strengthen their analysis.

Chan also shared digital tools that researchers can use to support literature searches and analyse research trends and networks.

Research with communities, not on communities

Rahmanta Setiahadi, professor of forest management at Merdeka University of Madiun, Indonesia shared lessons from a research project spanning three sites across Indonesia and Lao PDR. He noted that while both countries face underlying gender inequality, unequal power and unequal access to resources, problems on the ground look different. In Indonesia, social forestry is expanding and communities have relatively open space to participate. In Lao PDR, forest governance is more centralized and women face greater obstacles in decision-making.

He emphasised the importance of building equitable research partnerships based on trust, shared goals, regular communication and clear responsibilities. He shared how his research uses participatory approaches that position communities as co-producers of knowledge through methods such as storytelling, focus group discussions, participatory mapping and community dialogue.

The session also looked at journal selection, research originality, predatory publishing and common mistakes in manuscript preparation.

Strengthening research and knowledge sharing

Across the presentations, speakers encouraged researchers to plan publications early, develop a clear argument and organize their findings around focused research questions. They also highlighted the value of peer learning and collaboration in strengthening research and communicating findings to wider audiences.

Reflecting on the session, Yufang Su, Explore’s programme manager at RECOFTC, highlighted the importance of strengthening researchers’ skills and confidence in preparing and revising manuscripts, learning from common publication challenges and thinking strategically about publication and knowledge dissemination. “The session provided practical insights and experiences that researchers can apply to their academic publication work,” she said.

To ensure research findings are accessible to wide audiences, Explore routinely documents and shares research it has supported through its sub-site and through RECOFTC’s publications library.

Watch the session recording: From research to publication: Academic writing and publishing.

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Utsav Maden is Communication and Knowledge Management Officer at RECOFTC.

Explore is a research network and community of practice dedicated to expanding and applying knowledge on forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia. The network is funded by the Government of Sweden and hosted by RECOFTC, in partnership with the Landscape Alliance, in collaboration with universities, research institutes, governments, civil society organisations, local communities and the private sector across Southeast Asia.

To learn more about Explore and upcoming learning opportunities, contact [email protected] or visit the Explore website.