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On October 14, 2025, the Global Network Seminar was held, and the seminar welcomed Professor D. Brent Edwards from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Under the theme “How to Publish Academic Papers,” Professor Edwards shared practical guidance, particularly for graduate students and early-career researchers, on how to develop research into academic papers and successfully navigate the process of publishing in international academic journals. Drawing on his extensive research and publication experience in comparative education and international education development, he discussed the entire publication process, from conceptualizing and writing a paper to selecting an appropriate journal, submitting a manuscript, and responding to peer review.

Professor Edwards began by emphasizing the importance of clearly identifying how a study contributes to the existing literature and framing the paper in a way that captures readers’ interest. He also stressed the importance of submitting manuscripts rather than waiting until they are perceived as completely perfect, noting that researchers develop their publication skills through repeated experience with writing and submission. He further highlighted the value of receiving feedback from other researchers, continuously improving manuscripts, and maintaining multiple research projects at different stages of development.

The lecture also addressed the importance of carefully selecting an appropriate journal. Professor Edwards explained that researchers should consider not only journal rankings and impact, but also the editors, target readership, preferred style and length of articles, and whether a journal tends to publish empirical, practice-oriented, or theoretical research. Reading articles already published in prospective journals was recommended as an important step in determining whether a manuscript is a good fit. Using empirical and policy-oriented research as examples, he also explained the overall structure of an academic paper, including the introduction, literature review, methods, conceptual/theoretical/analytical framework, case context, findings, discussion, implications, and conclusion. Particular attention was given to clearly defining the central focus of a study, connecting theoretical and conceptual frameworks with empirical findings, and appropriately positioning the study within the existing literature.

In the latter part of the lecture, Professor Edwards provided practical advice on navigating the peer-review process. He encouraged participants to regard a revise-and-resubmit decision as an important opportunity to improve a manuscript and emphasized carefully considering reviewers’ comments when revising a paper. He also explained how to prepare responses to reviewers in a respectful and objective manner, address each comment systematically, prioritize major comments, and clearly indicate the page numbers where revisions have been made.

The seminar provided participants with a valuable opportunity to deepen their understanding of the entire academic publication process, from writing and journal submission to peer review and revision. Participants gained practical insights into strategically selecting appropriate journals, continuously improving manuscripts through feedback from other researchers and peer reviewers, and effectively communicating their research findings to an international academic audience.