Guwahati, Oct 3: An idea is more important than filling up pages that take you nowhere. This was stated by Dr Ashwini Kumar Sharma, Professor, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) while addressing scholars at a PhD orientation programme organised here today by the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM).
The orientation was also addressed by Dr Rita Rani Talukdar, Professor and Head, Department of Psychology Gauhati University, apart from Prof GD Sharma, Vice Chancellor and Dr BK Das, Pro Vice Chancellor of USTM, according to a Press release.
Addressing a gathering of more than 40 PhD Scholars, Prof Ashwini Kumar Sharma said, “Unavailability of technology should not deter us from our research objective”. He said that a researcher must know the laboratory, must have academic interaction with senior researchers and do a detailed literature survey. The scholar must be aware of the origin of the concept, recent developments or unsolved problems, gaps in the literature and application-based research that can benefit the society. They must participate and present their work in conferences and follow work ethics, discipline and protocols, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rita Rani Talukdar emphasised on research methodology and said that a robust methodology is the backbone of any credible social science research. “Researchers should carefully choose and justify their research methods, whether quantitative, qualitative or a combination of the both. Good quality research provides evidence that is robust, ethical, stands up to scrutiny and can be used to inform policy making. It should adhere to professionalism, transparency, accountability and auditability adopting a good design and proper data collection”, she said.
In the second session of the orientation programme, Dr A.H. Barbhuiyan, Academic Registrar USTM presented the opening remarks. This was followed by an address by Dr RK Sharma, Advisor USTM. Dr Nurujjaman Laskar, Controller of Examination and Admissions made a brief presentation on “PhD Examination, Rules and Regulations”. The respective Deans of various schools also made introductory notes to the scholars.