Jakarta, Sept. 10 -- The University of Sumatera Utara (USU) has nearly doubled its number of professors in five years, reaching 208 after six lecturers were inaugurated this week, but the quality of academic publications remains a challenge for the leading public university in North Sumatra.

USU Rector Professor Muryanto Amin said raising publication quality is a priority because, although more than half of the university's lecturers have published in Scopus-indexed journals, many are not lead authors.

He called on faculty members to collaborate more closely and improve their visibility in academic circles, according to the university's website that ANTARA accessed here Wednesday.

He said professors play a critical role in making USU a...