THIS is apropos letter ‘Peer review’ (March 11). It dilates upon the importance of peer review and how it relates to the quality of research which, according to the writer, is of low quality.
Peer review is important for improving the quality of research but there are other more potent reasons why the quality of research is poor in Pakistan.
As of now, and being part of academia, one major flaw with the research being carried out is that none of it, or at least very little of it, seems to be done to tackle our own problems.
Mostly, people try to choose topics in research that might be of interest to the scientific community in the US and Europe.
That raises their international profile and increases their chances of getting a post- doctorate there or even to get a job offer.
On the other hand, if we try to research local problems, it might not gain much international acclaim, and reduces any chances of landing a post-doc or a well-paid job in the developed world.
Our problems like loadshedding, terrorism, lack of basic health and other facilities find no solutions. Very few people seem to be interested in suggesting solutions these problems.
Having been part of research activities in both the United States and the United Kingdom, one can see that people there are mostly concerned with their own problems.
Some research areas are quite popular in the US, while others in Europe, which are based on the problems they are facing that they are trying to solve.
As most researchers need fund, their proposals must interest the people who approve funds.
For our quality of research to improve, we must have clearly-defined research problems at the national level. For instance, people at different universities might be asked to do research on terrorism, its probable causes, and their probable solutions.
The same goes for other problems we are facing as a nation. Such a strategy would make our researchers focus on our own problems.
Ahmad R. Shahid
(PhD) Islamabad
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