By Nurul Ain Mohd Noor, UMT Press

Aiming to further strengthen the quality and indexing status of its journals at both national and international levels, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bon View Publishing.

Bon View Publishing is an independent international scholarly publisher headquartered in Singapore and established in 2020. As a publisher of open-access, peer-reviewed academic journals, it is committed to supporting scientific research and promoting the dissemination of knowledge across various disciplines. 

Currently, UMT Press publishes six journals, comprising one Scopus-indexed journal, three journals indexed in the Malaysian Citation Index (MyCite), and two journals currently preparing for MyCite indexing applications.

Bon View Publishing has a strong track record in international academic publishing, particularly in the development and management of English-language scholarly journals. It currently manages six Scopus-indexed journals, all of which achieved indexing within approximately two years of publication, demonstrating its expertise in journal development, editorial management, quality assurance, and indexing strategies. 

This achievement provides a valuable benchmark for UMT journals in strengthening their development strategies and enhancing their readiness for future Scopus indexing applications. The collaboration is expected to support UMT journals in improving their quality and visibility, with the aim of having more UMT journals successfully indexed in the Scopus database in the future.

The partnership is also expected to extend beyond journal development to encompass academic exchange and broader publishing-related initiatives, further strengthening scholarly communication, knowledge dissemination, and research impact.

This MoU outlines five key areas of cooperation: Enhancing indexed publications; academic training and capacity building; collaboration on conferences and events; establishing a strategic and long-term partnership; and other areas of cooperation as mutually agreed upon by both parties. In line with these objectives, the collaboration aims to strengthen UMT’s scholarly publishing capacity, enhance the quality and visibility of its journals, and foster broader academic and publishing initiatives.

The three-year MoU will mark the beginning of a long-term, sustainable, and mutually beneficial partnership between UMT and Bon View Publishing, paving the way for continued collaboration and shared growth in scholarly publishing and academic development.

The collaboration between UMT and Bon View Publishing was initiated following a courtesy visit to UMT Press on 2 July 2025. This was followed by a knowledge-sharing session involving UMT journals entitled “Bon View’s Experience in Building High-Quality Journals: How to Meet Scopus Criteria”, delivered by Dr. Jiayi Xu, Director of Publishing Strategy.