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International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 8 (1.9) (2019) 547-550 International Journal of Engineering & Technology Website: www.sciencepubco.com/index.php/IJET Research paper Bridging the Gap for Malay Literature Content on Built Environment Through Wiki as A Collaborative Writing Tool Nayeem Asif 1 , Nangkula Utaberta 2* , Azmal Bin Sabil 1 1 Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia(UPM) 2 Halal Products and Research Institute,, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Research Development Centre, Linton University Col- lege) *Corresponding author E-mail: nangkulautaberta@gmail.com Abstract This paper describes the procedure of engaging students in producing collaborative writing and utilizing online platform to build up a database of written content on specific discipline using the student generated writings. The aim is to add up to the content on built envi- ronment in Malay language as professional and academicians reports a scarcity in this field. The process involves thirty three third year students of architecture as the primary participants to produce writings based on a given template and three post graduate students to review and comment on the writings for maintaining a standard quality. 24 articles were selected after the screening process and upload- ed to a wiki platform named Wikia under the title of WARIS ARKIEDIA. Continuation of this process with additional bathes of student can add up more articles in the existing database. It is expected that, once available online, users participation can effectively improve the content quality as well as add on more related wikis and contribute to build up a national architecture literature database in Malay lan- guage. Keywords: Collaborative writing, Arkipedia, Wiki, Malay literature, Built environment 1. Introduction Student generated contents in the form of academic writings is a potential primary source for developing a database on any given disci- pline. Engaging suitable professionals in review process for the writings can improve the content quality to an acceptable level. This process of writing can broadly be termed as collaborative writing. (Hadjerrouit, 2011; Wheeler et al., 2008) There are indications from various scholars that, written contents on the discipline of built environment in Malay language are very lim- ited in number compared to that of English content. Among the few writers who attempted to fill up this gap there are Besim Selim al Hakim, Abdul Halim Nasir, Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi, Spahic Omer, Nangkula Utaberta and few more. Another aspect to be considered is the platform on which the written contents can be showcased. Web 2.0 technology, particularly the wiki technology proves to be a great leap towards collaborative writing and knowledge distribution. This study describes a preliminary procedure of how the student generated contents can contribute to develop a database on the discipline of architecture in Malay language. In other words, the study is a step by step attempt to encourage academic writings in undergraduate students, upgrade the content quality by a review process and finally develop a database of the writings for public use. 2. Lack of written content on built environment in malay language As one of the oldest profession in the world, the development of architecture in Malaysia is relatively slow in terms of innovation as well as thoughts and ideas. Architect Saari Omar and academician Mohamad Tajuddin Rasdi called it a profession that is in serious crisis. One of the main cause for this situation as specified by Tajuddin Rasdi is the lack of popular and academic writing in the field of architecture in Malaysian context. (Mohd Rasdi, 2005) Detailed study conducted by (Kosman et al., 2008) on publications related to architecture in Malaysia shows that only 66 books, 400 sections and 162 articles are found in in academic and popular written sources. Among the sources there are archive of Institute of Archi- tects Malaysia, architectural magazines, Utusan Malaysia, Harian Metro, New Straits times, Berita Harian, The Star, Malay Mail, KOS- MO, Community hall and Culture Council. The amount of content is insufficient given that architecture is being practiced in Malaysia for such a long period of time. This is increasingly exacerbated by the fact that of 400 popular article sections just 57 or 14. 25% are contributed by members of the professional and academic architecture of which 26 articles or nearly half of which was contributed by Mohamad Tajuddin. More than 300 different articles contributed by figures that are not directly related to the profession of architect as Abdul Halim Nasir and Nik Azmi Nik Daud. Writing in the Community hall and Culture Council was 53% of which Abdul Halim Nasir contributed 88 articles. (Kosman et al., 2008)