Publishing Patterns and Pressures: Exploring Malaysian Academics’ Scholarly Publication Practices

This research project investigates the academics' scholarly publication practices in Malaysian universities. Scholars in Malaysia face unique challenges and pressures in their publication choices, balancing the demand for high-impact publications with the need for broader dissemination of their research. Malaysian universities operate in a competitive global academic environment, with career incentives tied to publishing in Web of Science and Scopus-indexed journals. This focus on quantitative metrics and high-impact factors may limit scholars' opportunities to share their work more broadly, mainly through open-access channels.

This talk will highlight quantitative data and document surveys that paint a current picture of scholarly publication practices among Malaysian academics. The presentation will focus on publishing patterns, preferred venues and the factors influencing publication choices across different disciplines.

This analysis provides insights into where Malaysian academics publish, their motivations for choosing specific journals and how these patterns compare to international trends. The structural constraints that may impede publication practice changes will also be discussed. The findings could inform policy discussions and support strategies to enhance the visibility and impact of Malaysian research on the global stage.

Ali Fauzi holds a PhD in information systems from Universiti Malaya, a master’s degree in information management from Universiti Teknologi MARA (Malaysia) and a Bachelor of Science in management from the University of Oregon, Eugene. Currently serving as a senior lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, his research interests span information systems, social media impact, digital activism and information science. His work explores topics such as the role of social media in social movements, disaster relief and scholarly communication. His current research projects include investigating social media use in scholarly work, social media use by society and organizations, and exploring national perspectives on information consumption and literacy.