An Advisable Handbook for Boosting Research Skills

AUTHOR: RAGIB HASAN

REVIEWED BY: MAHFUZ UL HASIB CHOWDHURY

GOBESHONAY Hatekhori (Introduction to Research Methods) is one of the latest books by Ragib Hasan written in Bengali language on different strategies for carrying out research-oriented works. Ragib Hasan is a teacher in Department of Computer Science, University of Alabama, USA. This book, as written in Bengali, is expected to be highly beneficial for the students as well as teachers of Bangladesh who are currently involved in different research programs. At the beginning of the book, the author defines the word "research" in light of a few lines quoted from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, France which states that a research assignment is a "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications." So, according to the quoted words, research aims at innovating ideas and dimensions which are not so conventional and which will help the dissemination and growth of knowledge. All research works focus on certain questions and stumbling-blocks and finding answers to those questions and exploring the way those stumbling-blocks may be crossed are the goals of research initiatives.

The book may be split into three parts. In the first few chapters the author has interpreted the basic terminologies linked with research, addressed the necessity of research and research principles. In the middle chapters he has highlighted how one should start a research work, select a research field and how to screen the concerned texts, publications and sources which will be consulted in course of preparing a dissertation. In the concluding chapters, the writer has laid emphasis on different technicalities needed for reading, comprehending and executing a research work. Moreover, presentation and defence of research papers, current research-related trends and effective procedures for seeking financial aid for research endeavours have also been underscored in this book.

Lack of knowledge is responsible for malpractices like plagiarism, emulation and textual pilferage. Research candidates can avoid all these unethical things if they have adequate learning on the point they are willing to develop through their writing enterprise. So, before a research work is started, the concerned person should gather the required books and materials and peruse the procured stuff with utmost concentration.

While applying for a research program in a higher institution, research proposals are indispensable prerequisites. In this book the author has explained this point too. According to the author, a research proposal should contain the following portions: I) Summary II) Introduction III) Motivation IV) Related Works V) Approach VI) Benefits VII) Timeline VIII) Required finance IX) Evaluation Plan. If all these points are exquisitely illustrated, there are ample chances to obtain scholarships or financial support from the concerned institution, the author asserts.

While writing a research paper, in terms of the suggestions of the book's author, a student or teacher should keep his/her abstract restricted within 5/6 sentences. Abstracts should be terse but substantial with maximum thoughts expressed through minimum words. The focal points of the research paper should be briefly but precisely stated in the abstract. In the main part of the article, facts and figures will have to be accompanied with acknowledgments of sources wherefrom the citations have been borrowed. As far as in-text citations and bibliography are concerned, two styles are prominent in most of the countries: MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association). Mixtures of these two styles should be avoided. Footnotes and interpreted transliteration are allowed for referential purposes in required cases.

Lingual expertise is highly crucial for any research work. Language used in a piece of writing should be unambiguous, vivid, accurate and foolproof. Words and phrases should be selected very carefully so that they match the theme of the paper and don't appear to be out of context. On the other hand, the citations stated in the paper should be buttressed with the writer's own explanatory statements to show that the cited lines fit in with the chosen subject or title of the paper. Tautology should be avoided as far as possible. Tautology happens while using a foreign language where writers may use the same word over and over again and thus make their papers tedious and clumsy. So, a powerful vocabulary is a very big obligation for writing appreciable research papers. 

The habit of continuous writing is deeply helpful to research candidates. It should be remembered that, a person who doesn't write even a couple of lines in an entire year, will certainly find it too difficult to express his/her ideas convincingly when it comes to a research work. Writing pace and proficiency don't come up all on a sudden. It's a quality which can only be acquired through intensive and ceaseless practice. There is no detour to success. We have to run the full circle to achieve our aims. Patience, hard work, honesty and diligence are always needed for performing well in every task. Research is no exception. Another necessary point is to attach importance to everything that comes our way while writing a research paper because we never know what is profound or what is desultory unless the materials in hands are cautiously scrutinized. So, preconceived ideas about a text without meticulous absorption are detrimental to research efforts.

Individual thinking is required too. Jumping on the bandwagon or going with the flow is a widespread trend in our country. Research papers that reflect the writer's own thoughts and views always succeed to command respect from readers and editors. For that reason, going through and examining already published research papers are necessary so that a research aspirant doesn't refer to a discernment that has been meanwhile analysed by many other writers. In such cases, a research paper may lose its appeal of originality.

The writer is the Vice President, Chowdhury Philanthropic Trust, Sylhet.