By Maria Zafar
Research is to see what everybody else has seen and to think what nobody else has thought. Albert Einstein quoted “Imagination is the highest form of research.” After understanding what research actually means, many questions arises in my mind like while doing research, are we following our imagination? Is there any change in our thinking patterns? Is there any novelty in our research work? No there’s not!
There are so many limitations which create hindrance in producing quality research. Lot of factors contributes to lack of interest, lack of innovation in research and stagnant thinking patterns. First of all, students find it difficult to select a unique topic for research due to their narrow understanding. Supervisors should help students in this regard and they should always accept and support novelty. Secondly, students are encouraged to use particular research methods like surveys and they are discouraged to conduct research by using experimental methods.
Experimental method overrules survey method because it does not include social desirability factor and along with this advantage it also enlightened the causal relationship (what causes what?). So, students should be encouraged to conduct experimental research. Thirdly, area of interest and motivation plays a vital role in generating an eminent research because success depends more on energy and drive than it does on intelligence. Research is all about seeking truth and when you are interested and curious, you try harder to reach the truth.
Furthermore, Research study should seek to contextualize its findings within the larger body of research. Research must always be high quality in order to produce knowledge that is applicable outside of the research setting with implications that go beyond the group that has participated in the research. Ultimately, the key to a successful research project lies in iteration: the process of returning again and again to the research questions, methods, and data, which leads to new ideas, revisions and improvements. It is easy to think of research as a step-by-step process, but it is important to be fluid and open to change.
Lastly, it is very important to let student know that a scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his ideas will be readily taken up. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come and point the way.
(The writer is student of BS Applied Psychology in Punjab University, Lahore.)