Before a researcher can pose a question that seems simple, a great deal of work must first be done, reading earlier scholarly works, following academic debates, identifying unanswered questions, and carrying out a whole range of other scholarly tasks. Once a question has been found, further work still awaits: gathering evidence, building an argument, and writing it all with clarity. This kind of intellectual journey is the subject of a book by UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta Rector, Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan, titled The Art of Scientific Inquiry: Mastering the Way of Thinking, Researching, and Scholarly Writing.
The book was launched and discussed at an event held by the Graduate School of UIN Sunan Kalijaga together with Suka Press, at the 1st-Floor Convention Hall, on Tuesday (9/29/2026). Discussants included Director of the Graduate School, Prof. Muh. Nur Ichwan; lecturer at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM, Fina Itriyati, Ph.D.; and Graduate School lecturer at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Najib Kailani, Ph.D. Hundreds of students from both within and outside UIN Sunan Kalijaga were in attendance.
Prof. Noorhaidi expressed concern over the use of AI as a shortcut in writing scholarly work. He said he feels a sense of regret when someone is able to produce an article yet does not understand the issue being studied, nor the argument written under their own name. According to him, what is lost in such an approach is precisely the process of learning to become a scholar.
"Deciding to pursue a master's or doctoral degree is a life choice to become a scholar, to explain reality systematically, logically, and empirically. Explanations that are abstracted can become theory, models, concepts, and other contributions to the development of knowledge. This is the very foundation of knowledge production. People think, and so knowledge comes into being," he said.
Prof. Noorhaidi explained that a scholarly article is born from a long process, formulating a problem, designing research, and building an argument that can be held accountable. That process demands perseverance. "If you want to become a scholar, follow that quiet, winding path. In doing so, you gradually grow into a researcher and an independent producer of knowledge," he said.
The academic, who is listed among the Top 2% World Ranking Scientists, affirmed that writing scholarly work demands a careful and comprehensive process. Every paragraph needs to be checked for coherence, every argument weighed against the strength of its data, and every section discussed with one's advisor. Through this process, a researcher builds a complete explanation of the issue being studied.
Even so, he said, scientific conclusions are always tentative in nature, meaning they hold only as far as they are supported by the data, theory, and reasoning used, and remain open to being tested by future research. "If, say, someone comes along a month later and refutes it, that's fine. You've already filled in a gap that was once empty," he said.
For this reason, Prof. Noorhaidi, also a member of the Cultural Commission of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences, invited students to return to the fundamental work of a researcher: reading carefully. "Reading means grasping the question the author poses, understanding the theory being used, and seeing how the facts support the conclusion," he explained.
Prof. Noorhaidi affirmed that one of a researcher's key tasks is producing novelty, discovering a dimension of a problem that has not yet been examined or explained by other scholars. To identify where such a contribution lies, a researcher must keep up with the ongoing academic debates within their field. The internet and digital technology now make it easier to access research from around the world, but researchers still need to read and critically assess such work.
The ideas behind The Art of Scientific Inquiry grew out of his long journey of learning, researching, teaching, and mentoring students. His academic journey began at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, where he completed his undergraduate studies. He then continued his education in the Netherlands, earning an M.A. from Leiden University and an M.Phil. from the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World, before completing his doctorate at Utrecht University. His experience learning across various academic environments introduced him to a tradition of critical reading, questioning findings, and testing arguments through discussion. He has continued to carry that approach into his research, teaching, and mentoring of students, an experience he has since distilled into this book.
"Try to understand comprehensively what I've written. This can help anyone who wants to become a good scholar. This book is an extraction of a long journey, teaching, mentoring, and so on, lecturing, interacting with scholars around the world," he said.
During the book discussion, Prof. Muh Nur Ichwan situated Prof. Noorhaidi's thinking within the broader trajectory of Islamic studies. He recalled the time when the two of them studied together at Leiden University, delving into approaches that allow Islam to be examined through academic inquiry and empirical research.
Fina Itriyati, Ph.D., observed that the book reminds readers of the human role in research. Critical capacity, sensitivity in recognizing problems, and the ability to examine one's own assumptions all develop through a long process. For Fina, the way of thinking shaped through research ultimately also influences how a person understands everyday life and makes decisions.
Meanwhile, Najib Kailani said The Art of Scientific Inquiry carries particular strength in inviting readers to reconsider a task often assumed to be settled before research even begins: how curiosity grows into a question worth asking. A scientific question, he said, is not born simply from a desire to find an answer. Researchers need to read the work of other scholars to understand what has already been explained and where their own research can make a contribution. In that process, the literature review also cultivates intellectual humility.
Najib also highlighted Prof. Noorhaidi's discussion of abduction in research logic. When confronted with a fact or phenomenon, a researcher does not simply match it against existing theory. Instead, the researcher attempts to formulate the most plausible explanation, then tests it further. This discussion, according to Najib, shows that research demands the capacity for reasoning, not merely accuracy in following procedure.
Another point Najib considered important was reflexivity. The book invites researchers to recognize that their position in the field, how they relate to informants, and the trust they manage to build can all shape the data they gather and how they interpret it. Despite addressing complex issues, the book is written in language accessible to students from the undergraduate through doctoral level.
Ultimately, the book invites readers to undertake scholarly work in earnest: reading to understand ongoing debates, posing questions that carry genuine meaning, and building explanations that remain open to being tested. It is through this process that a researcher learns to think independently and to make a contribution to knowledge. (humassk)