An interesting mail from one RA of SBBU

“A modern philosopher who has never once suspected himself of being a charlatan must be such a shallow mind that his work is probably not worth reading.” ― Leszek Kołakowski, Metaphysical Horror Replace philosopher with RA and replace ‘work…reading’ with his mail…not worth reading.

(My first reaction was to snub the mail as i did not want to dignify it through my response. But i thought that no response might be taken as no answer and absence of an answer might be taken to justify objection.)

A mail I received is pasted below in Italics:        

‘You have sent formats related to thesis and project, 

Firstly, these formats are invalid due to differences in discipline the format which you had mentioned is related with Pharma, not social sciences. I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain. 

According to your format thesis require 38 credit hours while project requires 39, 

kindly tell me, for which academic level thesis require 38 credit hrs and project 39credit hrs. According to HEC policy, 24 credit hrs are required for M. Phil with research. 

therefore the format you have mentioned is totally invalid to implement’

Before I go for the dissection, I would like to explain few things: 

A format is always same but content can vary.

Variation will always be at work on the theme: Adaptation with in the parameters. For example, in a file/attachment  titled ‘format for a research project protocol’ there is a paragraph: ‘if applicable include any preliminary studies, pilot work, or preparatory work ……include summary data about your practice and or patient population..’ Definitely this cannot be the part of a project titled Bhit Shah; therefore  detail of visitors’ populations or some data of their practices instead can be included. This is ‘Adaptation with in the parameters’.

In a file/attachement  titled ‘format for a research project protocol’ the study design is controlled trial. This study design cannot be possible for project titled  Bhit Shah; therefore design, instead, can be ‘mixed design.

In short, content covered under Headings are always variable, vary but vary on theme; but themes never vary. Headings are format (always same) content below them varies. we; therefore can say: A format is always same but content can vary.

‘Firstly, these formats are invalid due to differences in discipline the format which you had mentioned is related with Pharma, not social sciences. I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain. ‘

Saying:  ‘Everyone can say anything’ is not applicable to academic talk. For academic questions, one needs to have the knowledge of fundamentals and basics of a thing he is questioning for.

It is a mere stupidity to conclude that as a format is applicable to pharmacy so it is inapplicable to social science.

If one thinks that because of the difference in discipline the format of one disciple is inapplicable to the format of other discipline, it means he knows nothing. Such thinking speaks of utter ignorance and a questioner instead of wasting time of others must read scholarly articles regarding enrichment of one discipline through borrowing from other discipline. He would then learn the innovativeness, and adaptability of one discipline to things of other discipline.

 ‘I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain’

First of all there is no “I believe” or “I think” in the domain of research until and unless whatever one believes or thinks is not substantiated by well-documented reasons and authentic references.

‘I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain’

There is no any clear demarcation between scientific research methodology and management or social science research methodologies. They are complementary and cannot be separable (Berntsen et al., 2004) because  research by definition is an art of scientific investigation; therefore research regardless of domain is ‘an art of scientific investigation’.- Kothari, C.R. (2004)

‘I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain. ‘

No doubt there is a difference of domain: Science is derived from different domains and uses the research methods such as experimental, theoretical and simulation (Freitas, 2009) but both domains have the same research process: revising theories, facts and applications; and both domains have the same goal: discovery and dissemination of knowledge and information and both domains have the same concentration: finding and developing knowledge on the unknowns. (Ibid)

‘I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain. ‘

Science uses the research methods such as experimental, theoretical and simulation; but there are many different research methodologies used in both scientific and social science research. Those methodologies include conceptual research, empirical research, model research methodology,  formal methodologies, build research methodology, process research methodology (Goparaju Purna Sudhakar)

‘I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain. ‘

There are differences, but fundementally both domains are same. For example, based on the results of the experiments and observation, the hypotheses are adjusted in scientific research. Where as, adjusting the hypotheses is not possible in management research after data analysis. In management or social sciences research, the hypotheses are either supported or not supported after data analysis. The hypothesis is consistent here. (Ibid)

There is not much difference in other things as well: The research methods followed in scientific research are mostly quantitative in nature (Warfield, 2010). Where as, research methods followed in social sciences are mostly qualitative in nature. There are cases that mixed methods are also followed in both scientific and social sciences research.

In management or social science research, conceptual models can be represented as written text or diagrams. Where as, in scientific research models are represented in the form of physical things.  But either in management research or in scientific research, modelling the research problem should be the first step. (Goparaju Purna Sudhakar, 2014)

‘I believe there is much difference in Pharmacia domain and social science domain’.

Difference in domain does not translate into any significant difference in approach, pattern, and format of research.

Difference of domain is the difference of subject matter. Social scientist can permit themselves to be electic and specialized, identifying sub-domains of interest; but this is not a case with scientific research as the world of scientists does not consist of a hodge-podge of motives nor scientist is to segment social phenomena into related groups of actions or entities.

Both researches; however, are directed to test ‘What if scanario’

 ‘According to your format thesis require 38 credit hours while project requires 39, 

kindly tell me, for which academic level thesis require 38 credit hrs and project 39credit hrs’

I would like to explain again a few basic facts.

Credit hour is the unit by which a university measures thesis/project. The number of credit hours assigned to a course quantitatively reflects the outcomes expected. A considerable variation exists from university to university and within a given university as well because credit hours differ as expectation of university of its students differs. There is no universal consensual definition or agreement on the number of hours. (Matthew Yim (2007). 

 University is an autonomous body and can decide or HEC dictates minimum or maximum number of hours in accordance to its expectation from students.

Whatever is the difference in number of credit hours; the purpose and aim of credit hours is always same: Allowing measure of the expected amount of work.  

It is important to know as well that one credit hour is not necessarily determined by the number of minutes. For example one hour does not always mean 60 minutes one Credit Hour Unit can be equivalent to one and one half scheduled hours of activity. Or one credit hour can be equivalent to a minimum of three hours of instructional activity as determined by the instructor or instructional supervisor or discipline specific accrediting body. (Alexandru Pop 2016)

‘According to your format thesis require 38 credit hours while project requires 39, 

kindly tell me, for which academic level thesis require 38 credit hrs and project 39credit hrs. According to HEC policy, 24 credit hrs are required for M. Phil with research’. 

Worth of credit hour is determined by different criteria as well.  Worth is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates approved criteria of the university.( Robert F. Szafran,2014).

Here, in our case institution is HEC and established equivalency is 24 not 38 credit hours; so we will reduce hours to meet approved criteria.

Increase in credit hours  or decrease in credit hours  is dictated by the expectation of a given institute or university.

Increase or decrease in credit hours occurs in two ways:

·        If university or institute for example, HEC wants to increase credit hours from 24 to 38; so to this end, it will instruct students to increase the breadth and depth of the endeaviour. Breadth is increased by exploring a topic from many more angles or by adding new areas of concern.

Depth is increased by elaborating further the issue under discussion.

·         If university wants to decrease credit hours from 38 to 24, so students will not be assessed for the  broad spectrum of topics, nor deep probing will be required.

My observation of a mailer:

Quote in English goes: If you do not know about something; do not speak about it. But pontification is a national disease anyhow and every “Tom, Dick and Harry" relishes it.

Objections are always welcome, but if they emanate from knowledge not from ignorance. One having 16 years education is certainly minus credentials to delve into the questions of research as he is never, in the real sense of a word, is committed to it.

one who does not know the basics must refrain from being arbiter of what is valid or invalid:

‘therefore the format you have mentioned is totally invalid to implement’