Surabaya (13/11) – Benchmarking of Research and Innovation Institutions to Universitas Airlangga to strengthen journal governance towards Scopus indexation at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. The event was attended by the Head of Publication and Journal Strengthening Division, Dr. Tri Wulandari Kesetyaningsih, M.Kes., Editor in Chief of the Journal of Medicoeticolegal and Hospital Management, Dr. Dr. Arlina Dewi, M.Kes., AAK, Managing Editor of Indonesian Journal of Nursing Practices Nopryan Ekadinata, S.Kep., Ns., MPH., Ph.D, and Journal Managers.

The event began with introducing each leader and journal manager between universities. Mrs. Tri, in her speech, emphasized the importance of improving the journal’s reputation and hoped that the benchmarking results to Airlangga University could provide output for developing journal quality at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta.

Indonesian Journal of Health Administration (IJHA) Universitas Airlangga shared the success story of journal transformation in the benchmarking activity of the Research and Innovation Institute of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. As one of the seven Scopus-accredited journals of the Faculty of Public Health (FKM) Universitas Airlangga, IJHA is proof of the success of managing internationally indexed scientific journals (Scopus).

IJHA achieved Scopus Q2 status in 2024 after a long journey that started with the first submission in 2020. Meanwhile, the uniqueness of IJHA lies in its open and diverse editorial structure, with section editors who all come from outside the institution and have different expertise backgrounds.

“The journal must be open, transparent, and not only owned by certain institutions. Diversification is essential to maintain objectivity,” said Nur Atika, S.KM., M.PH as Managing Editor of IJHA.

This system has attracted international academics, including professors from India and Pakistan, who proactively volunteered as reviewers. The IJHA editorial process applies strict standards with a double-blind review system involving at least three reviewers for each article. The process begins with an initial screening, including scope suitability, management and administrative aspects, and novelty evaluation.

Strategies to increase journal visibility are carried out through various innovative ways, including using social media such as Instagram and platform X to increase Altmetric Badge. IJHA also actively organizes competitions and conferences to attract quality articles, with the best output included in regular issues.

“We do not make special issues; our focus is to maintain the quality of each regular issue,” explained Arif Wardoyo.

Mrs. Atika, Managing Editor of IJHA, emphasized that the key to journal success lies in consistency and continuous process.

“Citations cannot be obtained instantly. This is a long process that we started in 2013,” she emphasized.

Transparent editorial policies, unbiased peer review quality, balanced rejection rates, and solid international affiliations are essential to building the journal’s reputation.