The UP Institute of Islamic Studies (UP IIS) hosted another capacity-building activity entitled “Seminar on Graduate Thesis Writing and Academic Integrity: Tools, Tips, and Ethical Practice.” The activity was held on September 3, 2025, in Room 300, Virata Hall, UP Institute of Small-Scale Industries Building, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.
Ms. Margarette Manalastas, Senior Project Assistant of the Research, Publication, and Extension Division (RPED), explained that the seminar is part of the Academic Research Utilization for Graduate Advancement (ARUGA) program under the Internal Quality Resilience Agenda (IQRA). Now in its second installation, the seminar aims to strengthen research skills and engagement of UP IIS students by providing relevant instructions, guidelines, and regulations.
Asst. Prof. Darwin J. Absari, College Secretary of UP IIS, emphasized the significance of having a “mentor” for research writing. He mentioned that previous UP IIS students, particularly those working on their thesis, were not as fortunate as the current group. There were no workshops on research writing, and students solely depended on their research course. He also stated that “learning” is a lifelong process and is innate in humans due to their tendency to forget. Therefore, seminars on research and similar topics serve as crucial reminders during a student’s academic experience.
There were two resource speakers invited for the seminar: Asst. Prof. Yhna Therese Santos, Assistant Professor at the UP School of Library and Information Science (UP SLIS) and the Chair of UP Diliman’s Task Force for Research Integrity, who presented on “Thesis Writing Tools and Tips,” and Mr. Ahmadgaid Al Asaad, Manager of Advanced Analytics at Johnson & Johnson Philippines and alumnus of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies, who covered “Plagiarism, Turnitin, and AI.”
Asst. Prof. Santos, the first resource speaker, presented an overview on thesis writing, some tips as the process of writing goes on, some information on AI, and relevant information on Arabic translation and transliteration. Mr. Al Asaad, the second resource speaker, discussed plagiarism by contrasting his experience as a student of Statistics and of Islamic Studies, and highlighted the ethical use of Turnitin and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The seminar was attended by UP IIS faculty, staff, and students, along with participants via Zoom.
