Penulisan Karya Ilmiah: Tantangan, Prinsip, dan Penguatan Metodologis bagi Mahasiswa

Abstract

Scientific writing is a fundamental competency that university students must master as part of academic development and intellectual formation. However, various studies indicate that students continue to face challenges in understanding the principles of academic writing, research methodology, and the application of academic integrity. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the difficulties encountered by students in producing scientific papers and to formulate effective strategies for strengthening their academic writing skills. This research employs a library research method by collecting data from credible sources, including research methodology textbooks, national and international journal articles, and higher education regulations. The analysis was conducted through source criticism, content analysis, and synthesis of findings. The results reveal that students often struggle to select relevant and focused research topics, formulate operational research questions, and conduct in-depth literature reviews. Common errors also include inconsistencies between research problems, methods, and data analysis techniques, indicating a low level of methodological literacy. Additionally, plagiarism intentional or unintentional remains a significant issue due to limited understanding of paraphrasing techniques and citation standards. The case studies presented such as overly broad research topics, mismatched research methods, and unintentional plagiarismi llustrate real challenges that significantly affect the quality of students’ academic work. This study proposes three strategies to strengthen students’ scientific writing competence: (1) intensive training on academic writing techniques, including paraphrasing, citation, and reference management; (2) enhancement of methodological literacy through applied workshops and structured supervision; and (3) the development of a reading culture through regular engagement with high-quality academic articles. These findings are expected to serve as a reference for higher education institutions in designing comprehensive academic support programs and to help students produce scientific papers that are high-quality, ethical, and aligned with academic standards.