On April 29, 2024, four Ph.D. students in Mathematics Education from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) organized a community engagement activity at the Mathematics Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Malikussaleh University. The event, titled “Workshop on Scientific Article Writing Techniques and Reference Manager Software Usage,” was also attended online by two accompanying professors, who are mathematics education experts from UPI. Held at the Computer Lab of FKIP, the activity aimed to enhance the scientific article writing skills and mastery of reference management software among mathematics education students.
In his report, the Project Leader, Herizal, stated that the participants in this activity were 37 sixth-semester students who are about to start their final projects and write scientific articles as part of their study completion. The Head of Mathematics Education Study Program at UPI and accompanying lecturer, Prof. Al Jupri, M.Ed., Ph.D., emphasized that this activity is part of the university’s tridharma, where Ph.D. students not only attend lectures and conduct research but also directly contribute to society through community engagement activities. Meanwhile, Prof. Suhendra, M.Ed., Ph.D., as a member of the accompanying faculty team, emphasized that students not only need to have ideas but also need to express those ideas in writing, such as scientific articles. Therefore, this activity was conducted to facilitate that process.
The community engagement activity was also attended by the Coordinator of Mathematics Education Study Program at FKIP Malikussaleh University, Aklimawati, M.Pd. In her address, she welcomed the conducted activity and hoped that the relationship between the two study programs could continue through other collaborative activities, such as faculty and student research.
The training consisted of two sessions. In the first session, participants were guided to understand the basic techniques of scientific article writing by speakers Herizal and Iryana Muhammad. Meanwhile, in the second session, students were introduced to the usage of Reference Manager Software, particularly Zotero, which facilitates the management and citation of references in academic work. The material was presented by Roni Priyanda and assisted by Marhami. Recognizing the importance of scientific writing skills in developing academic and professional careers, this activity is expected to make a positive contribution to enhancing the quality of scientific writing and publication among mathematics education students at Malikussaleh University.