Virtual Conference Guide: Online Platforms You Can Use

As institutions begin to navigate their activities online or distance learning, so many stakeholders also going through this learning environment shift. Most students, professors, lecturers and researchers are forced to use technology as they do their studying, teaching and research works. They must know how to speed up the adoption of technology-enabled learning in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Despite this transition, researchers still have the responsibility to increase their capacity and disseminate their knowledge to a large audience. But there’s hope for them to perform their responsibility in society by engaging virtual events.

In this post, we recommend platforms aim to help those who might consider working from home to do virtual conferences:

1. Google Hangouts

It allows you to message contacts, start free video or video calls with one or more person. The application is integrated with other Google’s G-Suite tools. It can also be used across all devices.

2. Zoom

The platform is one of the leading video enterprise solutions. It allows you to host product training, webinars, video conferencing, meeting, and more. Zoom has also collaborated with many apps, like Outlook, Slack and Egnyte.

3. GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is another online meeting software. You can also launch or join a meeting from your smartphone. It can feature collaborative team messaging, video transcriptions and customizable team settings. The company also has, GoToWebinar which have hosted 2.7 million webinars a year.

4. Skype for Business

Skype for Business is a communication tools that gives you instant messaging (IM), audio and video calls, online meetings, availability (presence) information, and sharing capabilities all from one. The platform is enterprise instant messaging software developed by Microsoft.

How Virtual International Conferences Can Benefit You

Reacting to the fast-spreading of Covid-19, almost all universities in the world has already canceled all public events and transition all in-class instruction to online and remote teaching. With this transition, researchers also seem to have missed the opportunity to hold any scientific gatherings. For researchers and academicians, also for experts, policy makers, students and stakeholders, international conferences can play a significant role to exchange and spread ideas, knowledge and recent trends. Bearing in mind that researchers also have to publish their research, international conference can provide this obligation. Following the trend to move all activities to online, so does the international conference.

Now, it seems online/virtual conferences will complement traditional conferences. Some of the primary benefits of online international conferences are:

1. Access can be easier

Online conferences are quite similar with same professional conferences, they are packed with sessions, panel discussions and sometimes short ceremonial and social media events. As long as you have an internet connection, you can participate online conferences with smartphone, tablet or computer. You can attend any sessions remotely. It can be said that you have a permanent access, you can watch and and re-watch all the sessions you want.

2. Connecting with a larger audience

Online conferences also have a much wider geographical reach, allowing for attendees to join from any different countries.

3. Cost and time-effective

Online conferences are much more cost-effective for organizers and participants. It reduced extraneous expenses, like travel, hotel accommodations, food expenses. By setting up an online conferences, it saves time consumed and only cost you registration and publication fees. Nevertheless, you don’t have to stress about your formal attire.

Find Upcoming Research Synergy Foundation Virtual Conferences Here: http://www.researchsynergy.org/upcoming-international-conference/

References:

https://www.inc.com/dave-kerpen/5-ways-to-benefit-from-an-online-conference.html

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/7-reasons-virtual-confere_b_3404249

Open Access vs. Closed Access Journal: A Publication Option

Many academic researchers pursue to publish their original research in reputable journals. Along with the growth of technology and knowledge development, the number of scientific publication will continue to rise and shift to digital distribution. The scholarly journal is one of the many venues to disseminate knowledge to a broader audience in all parts of the world. Researchers could freely choose based on their research field and quality, publication speed, also the cost to publish.

In today academic world, there are two types of journal publications that are widely known apart from a traditional journal (hard-copy/printed journal): 1) Open Access, and 2) Closed Access. Each journal type has advantages and disadvantages. Open Access Journal can enhance the visibility and make the spreading of knowledge more feasible. The visibility can lead to a citation impact advantage.

The cost of publication in open access journals are commonly more expensive than closed access journals. However, articles in closed-access journals are initially only visible to people at institutions which have a license for these specific journals. Researchers in developing countries are less able to access research, so they gain more from open access journals. Although both journals produce more forms of e-print, it also provides printed version for each journals. There are also hybrid open access journals that contains a mixture of open access articles and closed access articles.

REFERENCE:

https://www.aje.com/arc/making-the-choice-open-access-vs-traditional-journals/

Designing Quantitative & Qualitative Research towards Publishing in Scopus/WOS Journal Workshop

Research Synergy Institute in collaboration with Universitas Padjadjaran conducted a two-day workshop themed: Designing Quantitative & Qualitative Research towards Publishing in Scopus/WOS Journal. The workshop was held in Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, from 26 to 27 February 2020. The workshop targets lecturers, postgraduate students, researchers, and academic staff who are designing to improve research methodology. The goal of the workshop was to encourage research productivity among Indonesian Researchers and support them to publish manuscripts in high-impact journals. On the 1st day, the workshop was officially opened with a welcome remarks from Dr. Hendrati Dwi Mulyaningsih as a Chairman of Research Synergy Foundation.

 

The workshop was being delivered by Assc. Prof. Dr. Hiram Ting from from UCSI University, Sarawak, Malaysia and Dr. Cheah Jun Hwa (Jacky) from Universiti Putra Malaysia. At the beginning of the 1st workshop session, Dr. Hiram Ting shared his publication success experience. He explained his experience based on 2 different points of view; 1) as a researcher, and 2) as a Scopus Journal Editor. His explanation includes several important points that must be considered by the author so that the article can be accepted by Scopus/WOS Journals. He also revealed how a research can have a broad and beneficial impact on society.

In the afternoon session, participants learned about how to design a quantitative research with Dr. Cheah Jun Hwa (Jacky). The learning session has been very interactive. Dr. Jacky also taught step by step on how to process data using Smart PLS in quantitative research. Along with the workshop facilitators; Dr. Cham Tat-Huei from Universiti Tunki Abdul Rahman, Dr. Bibiana Lim from Sarawak Campus, and Dr. Leong Choi Meng  from UCSI University, they helped participants install the software and complete the data process. The trainers also provided free license of Smart PLS for all participants.

In the 2nd Day of the workshop, Dr. Hiram Ting provided a rich understanding on how to conduct a qualitative research design. Dr. Cham Tat-Huei and Dr. Bibiana Lim also shared their practical experience in qualitative research. The trainers also helped to guide and develop participants’ skill on interviewing styles. With the help of workshop facilitators, two participants were allowed to practice interviewing on two interviewees. The practice was intended to show on how to get data from various interviewee characters.

Furthermore, participants were given a training on processing a qualitative data with Quirkos software. Participants used their laptop to analyze sample qualitative data using Quirkos during the exercise. All workshop facilitators were actively guided each participants to ensure they could use the software properly.

This two-day training workshop was very successful. Participants have learned a myriad of ways to become more productive researchers and better known for quantitative and qualitative research. Research Synergy Institute (RSI) and the trainers who are part of Sarawak Research Society (SRS) will continue to work together to provide the next scientific writing workshop and international conference in Bali on August 2020.

We look forward to welcome all Global Researchers in our upcoming events!