UPM defends disputed research, says it's peer-reviewed

 

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has defended two of its academics against claims they had misrepresented Malay maritime history by purportedly using an incorrect photo of a vessel in their research paper.

This comes after Rozita Che Rodi and Hashim Musa were criticised for their article titled “The Jongs and The Galleys: Traditional Ships of The Past Malay Maritime Civilization” published in the International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Vol.13, Issue 11, 2023.

French historian Serge Jardin claimed that the photo published in the article was not a Malay jong but instead a Foochow pole junk.

Responding to Jardin’s criticism, UPM said the article published is listed on the Educational Research Abstracts Online (ERA) database – which has a “blind peer-reviewed, refereed journal” policy.

“It means the journal’s findings have been reviewed by experts in the field who are unrelated to the researcher to avoid conflicts of interest in confirming the findings of studies,” UPM said in a statement.

“It must also be considered that social science and humanities field is open to interpretation, which is a good practice for studies like this for the sake of improvement,” it added.

‘Committed to standards’

UPM asserted that it was committed to maintaining the dignity of higher education and the integrity of scientific research activities and academic publications.

According to its website, ERA is a comprehensive database comprising fully indexed abstracts which cover the current international research in education.

French historian Serge Jardin

In criticising the article via Facebook on Saturday, Jardin said: "The photo does not show a Malay jong but a Foochow pole Junk from China.

"The model is not in the Maritime Museum of Jakarta but in the Royal Museums of Greenwich, England (ID: AAE0200). In a museum, all exhibits have an identification number.”

Jardin then provided a link to a model of a Foochow pole junk displayed by the Royal Museums of Greenwich.

He also claimed that local mariners did not use galleys during the Malacca sultanate period as it was only introduced to the region by the Portuguese.

"The galley, Mendam Berahi, of ‘Hikayat Hang Tuah’ (17th century) is an anachronism,” he said, in addition to questioning the credibility of the journal and asking if there was a peer review process involved in the publication of articles there.

Malaysiakini has reached out to Jardin, Rozita and Hashim for comment. - FMT