International publication in social sciences isn't as difficult as people think.

Editor's note: DraftThe regulations on professor and associate professor standards recently announced by the Ministry of Education and Training have sparked much debate. The main topic of discussion revolves around the criteria for ISI and Scopus publications for candidates as well as members of the council (discipline and interdisciplinary).

While those in the natural sciences and engineering fields argue that candidates and committee members should have more ISI/Scopus publications, those in the social sciences and humanities fields believe that this field has unique characteristics and limitations in terms of international publication.

VietNamNet had an interview on the issue of international publications in the social sciences and humanities with Professor Pham Quang Minh, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

Professor Pham Quang Minh

"Vietnam is like a new horizon, fertile ground for research."

Some argue that the social sciences and humanities have unique characteristics that make it more difficult to publish internationally compared to the natural sciences and engineering. As a professor in the social sciences and humanities, what is your opinion on this matter?

- I believe that international publication in the social sciences and humanities is not as difficult as people think. On the contrary, there are many advantages for researchers in the social sciences and humanities to have international publications.

First,The vibrant realities of Vietnam, from political and economic issues to socio-cultural matters, security, and defense, offer incredibly diverse and rich research opportunities. Vietnam can be likened to a "new horizon," a "fertile ground," or a "living museum" for researchers to pursue their research ideas.

Therefore, many researchers in the social sciences and humanities worldwide have shown interest in Vietnam. Case studies on Vietnam have contributed to clarifying many theoretical issues, or have become typical and characteristic studies.

Secondly,Since the country's reform and the end of the Cold War, the trend of cooperation and exchange between Vietnam and countries around the world has been developing very strongly. As a result, more and more scientists are coming to Vietnam to conduct research, and many Vietnamese scientists have the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with foreign countries. Consequently, the formation of joint research ideas and topics now faces fewer obstacles than before and is becoming increasingly common.

Third,The social sciences and humanities also increasingly have young staff members who have received formal training abroad. These individuals are gradually taking on important roles, and with the new research methods and approaches they have learned overseas, the international publication prospects of this generation of young scientists are also very favorable.

Final,Currently, the social sciences and humanities, like other fields, are receiving significant support from the State through various mechanisms. For example, the NAFOSTED Fund is ready to support researchers when they have good ideas and international publications.

With the advantages mentioned above, I can confidently say that international publication in the social sciences and humanities is not difficult, nor is it something impossible to achieve.

Some argue that the social sciences and humanities have their own political mission and responsibilities, and therefore not every field can publish internationally. What is your opinion on this?

- As a scientist, the primary political task is to conduct truly high-quality research that serves the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State. The political task is not to illustrate policies and guidelines.

If scientists conduct high-quality research, the world can understand and correctly interpret our policies and guidelines, preventing misunderstandings. And for our research to be read and understood by the international community, it must, of course, meet international scientific standards. We cannot have research that is so isolated that no one understands it.

Many people also argue that the research subjects of the social sciences and humanities are "sensitive." In my opinion, this is a rationalization, failing to address the issue directly. This applies to reputable scientific journals such as...ISI, ScopusScientific quality is the top requirement and is the deciding factor in whether an article will be published or not.

Vietnam's number of international ISI publications exceeded 3,000 for the first time in 2015, according to data from the Web of Science, updated by S4VN on June 2, 2016.

I often tell the professors at the school, "If you think your paper is considered 'sensitive,' then show it to me and see if it's 'sensitive' or contains 'state secrets.' So far, no one has shown it."

One-sided thinking leaves us feeling lost.

So, in your opinion, how should we understand the "unique characteristics" of Vietnam's social sciences and humanities regarding international publications?

- It is true that the social sciences and humanities, especially those in Vietnam, face certain difficulties that lead to limited international publications at present.

Our first challenge is language. Many researchers, especially those from the older generation, are not proficient in English, the main academic language currently used in international publication catalogs such as ISI/Scopus. However, language is not the main challenge.

The biggest challenge for our researchers in the social sciences and humanities is methodology and research methods. For a long time, we were isolated, only receiving training, interacting, and collaborating with scientists from the socialist bloc. Now that the global political situation has changed, the distinctions and divisions of the past have disappeared, and the world has entered a period of integration, scientific issues are no longer isolated.

One-sided, passive, uncritical, and unchanging thinking, often academic and scholastic, coupled with a lack of tools to reference new research, and insufficient time and funding for field research, has resulted in our research being dry, irrelevant, lacking novelty and scientific rigor, and unconvincing.

According to him, what solutions are needed to enhance the international publication capacity of the social sciences and humanities?

ButFirstly,Innovation requires effort from the scientists themselves. This is crucial because no one can "hold their hand and show them how to do it." Each scientist must constantly, persistently, and continuously train themselves and innovate in order to make progress.

Next,It is necessary to strengthen exchanges, actively and proactively participate in international seminars and conferences, and propose cooperation with foreign scholars on common research topics.

Tuesday,Universities and research institutes need to provide more active support to encourage scientists to publish internationally.

For example, at our university, any faculty member with an international publication in the specified category is eligible.ISI, ScopusThey will receive an immediate reward of 15 million VND. The school is also ready to support the translation of lecturers' papers into English, assist with editing, and introduce them to reputable publishers. The school also provides each lecturer with 500 USD/year to participate in overseas conferences if their papers are accepted.

Total number of international publications from Vietnam (2010-2015) and the percentage of international publications in Q1-ranked journals each year. (Source: S4VN)

However, I also believe that, in addition to scientific articles published in journals on the list,ISIandScopusTherefore, current criteria for international publications in the social sciences must also take into account book chapters and articles published by reputable publishers (for example).Routledge, Macmillian, Springer, Elsevier....) or articles in prestigious journals of renowned universities among the top 100 universities in the world.

For example, MagazineJournal of Vietnamese Studies (JVS)of the University of California, Berkeley, although not included in the list.ISI/ScopusSong is currently the most prestigious journal in Vietnamese studies. Anyone who has a paper published in this journal becomes known to the entire global community of Vietnamese studies scholars.

This broadens the understanding of international publications in this way, going beyond just journals.ISI/ScopusThis will ensure the specificity of the social sciences and humanities.

For example, in the last five years, on average, faculty members of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities have published about 50 international papers per year. This number includes various genres, from research papers in scientific journals to book chapters, books, book reviews, and is in multiple languages, but primarily English. However, it is noteworthy that out of these 50 papers, only about 5-6 research papers (10%) were published in indexed journals.ISI, ScopusThese are journals with high scientific prestige and impact factors.

Thank you for the conversation!

Le Vanperform