With the purpose of contributing to the democratization of access to academic publishing, last Tuesday, March 24, the workshop “Scientific Article Writing” was held, led by renowned experts: Prof. Mary Luz Ojeda, Prof. José Gabriel Pérez, and Prof. Jorge Enrique Guevara, who shared valuable knowledge with research faculty members from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Univalle, La Paz Academic Campus, Bolivia.

This first session, conducted in collaboration with the Journal of Latin American Sciences and Culture (JLASC), had the main objective of guiding and motivating professors and program directors from Strategic and Digital Communication, Mgr. Daniela Urquiola; Law, Dr. Carlos Fernández; and Psychology, Mgr. Erick Fernández, encouraging them to contribute to the construction of scientific knowledge in their respective fields through the development of academic articles.

Professor Mary Luz Ojeda highlighted the importance of distinguishing between an essay, a report, and an article, emphasizing that the latter is the result of rigorous research aimed at generating new knowledge across different areas and disciplines. “We do not always write science; therefore, the presence of a research question, methodology, verifiable results, and a final discussion is essential,” she explained. A valuable contribution of the workshop was clarifying for the teaching community that not everyone needs to focus solely on writing research articles. Professor José Gabriel Pérez noted that “before writing an academic document, it is vital to recognize our own skills.” He emphasized that faculty members may also produce review and reflection articles, which differ in research design and in the selection of data collection instruments. Participants had the opportunity to resolve their questions through practical activities effectively designed by the three experts. One moment that captured the attention of communicators, lawyers, and psychologists was a set of recommendations aimed at avoiding the most common mistakes in writing scientific articles. “Not having clear research questions, mixing opinion with evidence, misuse of citations, inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and failure to validate sources,” mentioned Professor Jorge Enrique Guevara, who also stressed the importance of maintaining a defined structure and upholding ethical standards by respecting other researchers’ copyright.

The three speakers, faculty members of the Unidad Central del Valle del Cauca (UCEVA) and members of the International Green Science Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (IGSCLAC), agreed that the use of AI in scientific research production is inevitable. They highlighted it as a resource that enables more efficient time use in information searching, citation management, and source verification, and that supports the development of critical and reflective thinking. This event, supported by Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology (ARCST) under the framework of the Science Culture Construction (SCC), served as a platform to encourage Univalle professors to write scientific articles for publication in upcoming editions of JLASC. Finally, it was reaffirmed that teaching not only involves participation in teaching and learning processes but also entails contributing to society by building a scientific culture.

Editor: Professor Yelka Aguilera Santos
Scientific Dissemination and Public Communication Coordinator, Journal of Latin American Sciences and Culture (JLASC)