Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held the First Lecture for the Postgraduate Program for the 2026/2027 Academic Year on Wednesday (26/8). The event, held at the Auditorium of R. Soegondo Building, FIB UGM, was attended by around 250 new master’s and doctoral students under the theme “Research Methods and Ethics in the Humanities”. The event was officially opened with warm remarks from Mrs. Ningrum, who emphasized the importance of academic adaptation and high integrity for young researchers.
Present as the keynote speaker was Professor and Lecturer of the Department of Languages and Literature at FIB UGM, Prof. Dr. Drs. Sajarwa, M.Hum. In his presentation, Prof. Sajarwa highlighted that no reputable research begins without a research gap. He thoroughly examined research originality through three main areas (quantity, quality, and limitation) as well as four types of literature gaps, including conceptual, temporal, population group, and methodological aspects. Students are required to expand their literacy and read references deeply before formulating research ideas.
To identify these gaps, students are directed to actively map literature through globally reputable scientific databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, DOAJ, JSTOR, and Google Scholar. Beyond reviewing scientific articles, students are also encouraged to remain sensitive to empirical reasons in the field—such as threats to humanity, problem-solving needs, historical facts, topicality, extreme conditions, and social deviations—as primary catalysts for research.
At the end of the session, Prof. Sajarwa shared crucial advice regarding scientific writing methodology at the postgraduate level. He urged students to set aside individual egos and build a solid academic tradition. “Do not write alone; write in groups,” he concluded, stressing the importance of collaboration and peer group discussions to produce comprehensive and high-impact research outputs.
[Author: Humas FIB, Zaidan Abdurrahman]
