Management and social sciences: truth behind research publications

[Neo]

Management and social sciences: truth behind research publications - I​

By Dr Ayub Mehar

ARTICLE (July 12 2008): To achieve the objective of sustainable development through a silent revolution the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) had implemented a knowledge-based economic growth model. Several attractive targets, noble causes and desirable objectives were determined to achieve the goals of economic, social and technological advancement in higher education. Numerous policy measures and incentives were taken to achieve the desirable goals during the last seven years.

Transformation of UGC into HEC, upgrading of university faculty in higher pay scales, huge spending on the frequent foreign visits by the university faculty, attractive salaries under the tenure track system, income tax benefits to all faculty members of the universities, recognition of the journals, huge number of indigenous and foreign scholarships, strict actions against plagiarism, quality assurance system, accreditation, endogenous PhD program, huge spending on e-libraries established by the HEC for the universities, much emphasis on research publications and seminars and conferences are the measures that have been taken to improve the standard and quality of research activities in Pakistani universities.

The HEC-implemented model seems an integral part of the Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF) launched by the Planning Commission. The higher education related issues of Pakistan economy has been discussed broadly by different institutions and in different dimensions.

The issues were broadly covered in a report on the State of Higher Education prepared by Aga Khan Foundation in 2002, then the Boston Group prepared a comprehensive study on Higher Education in Pakistan in 2004. Pakistan Institute of Development Economics carried out a detailed study on the science and technology based industrial vision of Pakistan economy.

In the recent past, the World Bank has issued a policy note to assess the higher education in Pakistan in relation with the MTDF, linking the knowledge creating activities with the economic development is a common element in all these studies.

Academic research in Pakistani universities was an inseparable part of the chain of the knowledge based economic growth model implemented by the HEC. Academic research is published in the research journals after peer review by the external referees. The external referees or reviewers are considered as authority on the subject with sufficient research experience verifiable by their citation history or impact factors of their publications.

To become a member of the board of editors/referees a significant record of research publications in the good standing international journals is required. Their research credentials can be easily verified by any citation index or impact factors calculated by a well-reputed index.

In today's environment such updated information is freely available on Internet. The peer-reviewed system to evaluate the research output - including research publications and dissertations/thesis for awarding of research degrees - is the only criterion to verify the status and factual position of research work in the universities. Unfortunately, this system of research evaluation has been fabricated and misinterpreted in the faculties of management and social sciences in Pakistani universities. The fabrication in this system has badly damaged the HEC efforts and policy outcomes and derailed the entire growth model.

To fulfil the publications' requirements, some universities have launched their so-called research journals. It is an attempt to fulfil publications' requirements without adopting the peer-reviewed procedure in its real sense. The editors, referees/ reviewers and even HEC appointed committee members to evaluate the quality and originality of research publications in such journals do not have experience of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Almost all the editors, referees and committee members of the Pakistani journals in the field of social and management sciences do not have even a single publication in the journal of impact factor. (Impact factor is a measure of the citations to science and social science journals. It is frequently used as a proxy for the importance of a journal to its field).

They try to avoid the international referral and citation system. The structure of the editorial boards and the contents of material tell the truth behind the awareness of academic research. Such published materials cannot be considered as research or knowledge creating activities. They cannot be included in a reputable abstract journal or citation index. Hence, it always creates a zero impact factor. It is a clear self-contradiction of the HEC policies.

HEC has also failed in strict implementation of research publication requirements in faculty promotions, appointment of new faculty either in basic pay scales or under the tenure track system, approval of the research supervisors, selections of the referees, reviewers and panellists at the time of approval of a research journal or a refereed conference and even in case of the appointment of a committee member to evaluate a research journal.

The list of approved supervisors and the committee members to evaluate the journals in management and social sciences at the HEC website shows that majority of the HEC approved team members do not have a single research publication in the international peer reviewed journals of impact factor. HEC has been relaxing the conditions on publication requirements from time to time.

Initially, publications in the journals of non-zero impact factor was imposed, then journals without impact factor but listed on approved abstract systems were accepted. Now, this condition has also been compromised. It is envisaged by HEC website that feasibility reports, consultancy services, newspaper articles and projects working papers are considered as research work.

This phenomena is not limited to the private sector, the promotions of faculty in public sector universities were also based on these 'ever-relaxing criteria'. The most important question in this regard is that how can a supervisor/reviewer can examine or supervise a quality research if he/she does not have any experience of research publications.

It is unfortunate that HEC polices and efforts have failed to create awareness about the importance and criterion of research publications in the faculties of management and social sciences. The non-availability of the refereed journals and citation indexes in the universities' libraries is one of the major causes behind the non-familiarity of faculty with the research norms and culture. It may be surprising, and even unbelievably, that majority of the management and social sciences faculty in Pakistani university even does not know the names of the peer reviewed journals in their field of specialisation.

It is noteworthy that HEC approved and well- reputed universities in private sector do not subscribe such journals for their libraries, while readings from those journals is a usual part of the curriculum in world average universities. At least one or two publications in such journals are considered as a mandatory requirement for a research degree.

The private sector universities try to justify that those journals are available on HEC provided e-library facility. This argument shows their unawareness about the use of e-library and its limitations. HEC provided facility cannot be a substitute of the print journals. The libraries in private sector universities even do not subscribe any 'abstract journal' or 'citation directory'.

It is notable that access to the peer reviewed journals, abstract journals and citation directories is a basic and minimum requirement for launching a research degree program, but even HEC does not feel its responsibility to confirm the fact behind the research degree programs in Pakistani universities. This practice is not only creating serious doubts on the creditability of the research degree programs; it is also a main hurdle in faculty development. (To be concluded)

Business Recorder [Pakistan's First Financial Daily]

 

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[Neo]

Management and social sciences: truth behind research publications - II​

ARTICLE (July 13 2008): It is notable that no visible work of Pakistani scholars in the literature of social and management sciences is available (excluding a very few exception). The crisis of the lack of research is much severe in social and management sciences as compared to physical sciences.

The magnitude of per document citation of Pakistani research publications is 1.77 in social sciences, and Pakistan is placed at 156th rank in the global ranking of research citations by the Thomson Institute of Scientific Research (ISI). It is a clear indicator of the lack of research in social and management sciences. This intellectual poverty is reflected in our social attitudes.

If HEC is really interested to develop a sustainable system of knowledge creating activities in the universities to originate a dynamic culture of inventions, innovations and creations, it has to focus on academic research.

The publication in well-reputed international journals is the only indicator to measure the quantum and standard of the research in a university. Before achieving the sustainability in producing of research scholars we will have to develop the resources, including availability of research journals, citation indexes, abstracts journals and latest editions of the books on contemporary issues in the university libraries.

We will have to induct the research faculty in the universities. One cannot be considered a research professor unless he/ she has a track record of research publications in well reputed research journals. The appointment of research supervisors or professors without genuine research experience will derail the system.

To ignore the research credentials of faculty, over sighting the research publications' authenticity, the integrity of the reviewers, examiners, panelists and referees of the journals being published by the local public and private sector universities and the dissertations/ thesis being completed in Pakistani universities is not simply negligence, it is a criminal negligence.

The financially poor nation and its taxpayers have been paying billion of rupees (and of course dignity and honor) to those who have been receiving the facilities in the name of quality research and scholastic activities. Under the circumstances, we will loose the trust and confidence of the nation and particularly of those who paying their hard-earning money in the form of high taxes for betterment of the nation.

Higher calibre research, innovations and creative activities are inseparable part of the university education. A university without research is like a college. It must not be granted a university status; while fabricated research activities mislead the nation. It is misuse of the national resources and shows a false picture of higher education to those students, who don't have any experience of higher learning.

As a result, the money that should have been invested on proper education to bring out 'comprehensive minds' is spent on the training and acquisition of clerical skills. If such intellectual corruption is not stopped, it will damage the academia and economy for a long term. It can collapse the system by creating uncertainties, ambiguities and directionless policies.

It is the sole responsibility of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to strictly monitor the quality, norms and academic activities in the universities. Students, parents and employers in Pakistan are not in a position to evaluate the quality and genuiness of the higher education.

The doctoral degrees are granted without implementation of international norms and practices. The doctoral degree holders do not have a single publication and even do not know the sources of literature or names of the abstracted/refereed journals. To check the quality and standard of dissertations and to assess the abilities of a doctoral degree holder, certain number of publications with certain magnitude of impact factor must be determined.

It is the only criterion, which has lesser chances to cheat the system. It may be applied simultaneously and uniformly for all local and foreign, private and public sectors, new and old PhDs. It will provide an unbiased and uniform benchmark.

The application of this criterion for selections, promotions and retentions of the faculty will provide unbiased and transparent results. It will also be helpful in the screening out of non-genuine researchers.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) must examine the research credentials of the research faculty, examiners, the referees and editors of the academic journals being published by Pakistani universities. Universities should not be allowed to offer research degree programs unless they have research faculty and facilities.

The most important aspect of converting the knowledge creating activities into economic development is the coordination between HEC, Planning Commission and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).

In the post communism regime, the entire part of socio-economic development directly or indirectly depends on the active participation of private sector. Private sector is not only the single largest contributor in the national exchequer to provide funds for development; it is also the largest provider of employment opportunities and the ultimate beneficiary of the research output.

FPCCI has completely restructured its Research and Development (R & D) Department and enhanced its activities. Several types of research work, including applied and policy research in the areas of business competitiveness, fiscal and monetary policies, and the globalization related issues have been carried out in the research department.

'University-industry linkage program' is one of the major agenda items of R&D department at FPCCI. FPCCI's 'R&D' cell is in the active process to establish the links with the institutions of higher education. FPCCI has been organizing joint seminars in collaboration with the institutions of higher educations.

To establish meaningful linkages with the academia and planning authorities, encouragement and necessary facilitation in terms of academic guidance, financial support, supply of data and information to the research scholars are the required areas of cooperation.

FPCCI is providing necessary facilitation in completing the PhD dissertations in different universities of Pakistan and abroad. Recently 7 PhD scholars are completing their PhD research with the help of R&D cell at FPCCI.

To develop a system for sustainable linkages between the industry and academia the quarterly FPCCI Economic Review will provide a list of ideas for preparation of concept papers for the research projects required in the industry. This list will be published on regular basis and help the researchers in choosing their topics for thesis/ dissertations or core research.

A summary of the available funding projects will also be published on quarterly basis. A section of the FPCCI Economic Review will cover the list of contemporary theories, new inventions, technologies and processes.

All those activities indicate that FPCCI feels its responsibility in the economic development of the country and contributes in the knowledge creating activities. Besides the R&D department, FPCCI's standing committees on R&D, Higher Education and Science and Technology are serving for a common objective to revolutionize the economic development of Pakistan through creation, dissemination, absorption and application of knowledge.

The learned members of those committees have sufficient background either in economic research or governance of higher education or industrial development process. Other than the standing committees, FPCCI is in process to establish the largest and important economic think tank of the country. In this scenario FPCCI can play a pivotal role in the successful implementation of the knowledge-based economic growth model.

(Concluded)

(The author is the Director General of Research & Development in FPCCI)

Business Recorder [Pakistan's First Financial Daily]