INTERACTION WITH NEW LECTURERS OF GC UNIVERSITY, LAHORE HOW TO BE RESEARCH ORIENTED ? INTERACTION WITH NEW LECTURERS OF GC UNIVERSITY, LAHORE DECEMBER 15, 2007 Presentation by: Dr. Khalid Hamid Sheikh Professor Emeritus GC University, Lahore

1. DICTIONARY MEANING OF 'RESEARCH': “Careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles” To do research on or in: “to investigate thoroughly”

RESEARCH: to find solutions to unanswered questions 3. FUNCTIONS OF A UNIVERSITY   Transmission of existing knowledge through teaching Creation of new knowledge through research 4. A UNIVERSITY WITHOUT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WOULD ONLY BE A DIGNIFIED COLLEGE 5. GC ESTABLISHED IN 1864 BECAME GCU IN 2002

Tradition of research at GC and GCU GCU is publishing 13 research journals SR. # JOURNAL PUBLISHED BY STARTED IN ISSUED FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1 Biologia Biological Society of Pakistan, Biological Laboratories 1955 6-monthly 2 Journal of Natural Sciences & Mathematics Department of Physics 1961 3 The Journal of Prime Research in Mathematics Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences 2005 yearly

FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES SR. # JOURNAL PUBLISHED BY STARTED IN ISSUED FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 4 GC/GCU Economic Journal Department of Economics 1968 6-monthly 5 The Journal of Political Science Department of Political Science 1980 Yearly 6 Quest Department of Philosophy & Interdisciplinary Studies 1991 7 Journal of Statistics Department of Statistics 1994 8 Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology Department of Psychology 2003 9 The Historian Department of History              

FACULTY OF LANGUAGES, ISLAMIC & ORIENTAL LEARNING SR. # JOURNAL PUBLISHED BY STARTED IN ISSUED FACULTY OF LANGUAGES, ISLAMIC & ORIENTAL LEARNING 10 Explorations Department of English Language & Literature 1990 Yearly 11 Kawish Department of Persian Language & Literature 12 Tahqeeq Nama Department of Urdu 2003 13 Journal of Islamic Research Department of Islamic Studies 2006 6-monthly

7. RESEARCH PLANNING AND EXECUTION Defining a research question Applying creativity to develop new research ideas Ensuring that the proposed research has relevance to prior knowledge: through literature search (Internet access facilitates this now) Ensuring that the proposed research is technically feasible and can be completed with available resources and within allotted time Determining how conclusions can be drawn Collecting data Using statistics to interpret the results vi. Making a synthesis for drawing inference

8. WORKING IN THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY Writing a research paper for publication in a Journal (following the “Instructions for Authors” of the Journal to which paper is to be submitted) Peer review Problems of quantity and quality 9. RESEARCH FUNDING Preparing a convincing research proposal for funding 10. FRAUD AND MISCONDUCT IN RESEARCH Plagiarism

11. INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK FOR FINDING SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF THE GREAT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Borders between physics, chemistry and biology continuing to disappear Study of economics is touching on everything from psychology to ecology Global Warming: here physical sciences and social sciences are to work together Sustainable Development Study Centre at GCU

MY OWN RESEARCH INTERESTS: I am a student of Ecology which may be defined as study of what is found where and why! Soil-plant relationships: salinity & waterlogging Soils, plants and termites Cement dust pollution (worked in Turkey) Wastewater effluents from various industries and their effects on plants Conservation and Sustainable Development

READ, THINK AND CHALLENGE EPILOGUE: BE HONEST AND HUMBLE ---------------------------------