Pelatihan Penulisan dan Publikasi Artikel Populer Berbasis Riset melalui The Conversation bagi Mahasiswa Universitas Negeri Makassar

Abstract

The ability of academics to disseminate research findings to the wider public through popular media remains relatively limited, despite the important role of science communication in expanding the social impact of research. This community service program aimed to enhance the knowledge, motivation, and interest of Universitas Negeri Makassar students in writing and publishing research-based popular articles through The Conversation Indonesia, while also evaluating participants’ perceptions of the training implementation. The program was conducted online via Google Meet in May 2026 and involved 22 active students from Universitas Negeri Makassar. Evaluation was carried out using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire consisting of nine indicators and two categorical questions, which were analyzed descriptively using mean scores and frequency distributions. The findings showed that the training received positive responses from participants, with an average evaluation score of 4.08 (categorized as good). In addition, some participants expressed intentions to publish articles through The Conversation after completing the training. These findings suggest that the training has the potential to support the strengthening of science communication and the culture of popular publication among university students. However, the interpretation of the results should be approached cautiously, as the evaluation was based solely on participants’ perceptions following the training.