Page 70 - Academic and Research Book_WEB

the appropriate conclusion. These rules should certainly be used as guidelines for research in any field.
This five-fold process is beneficial for tailoring the research topic with perfect measurements.

1. Raising a doubt, viśaya
2. Identifying a dubitable topic, visaya
.
3. Examining arguments of the opponent, purvapaksa
.
4. Posting one’s argument, uttarapaksa
.
4
5. Conclusion, nirnaya
.
Despite such guidelines from expert predecessors in the research field, the quality of language research,
barring some exceptions is declining day by day. If one agrees with this statement, one must find the
reasons for it. One of the reasons for language deficiency is discussed above, here is another about
the choice of the research topic. Research in Sanskrit-Language is a continuous process of at least
five thousand years. Research in Greek and Latin may come close to it but as far as the contemporary
Indian languages are concerned their history goes back to seven-to-eight hundred years. Now, in this
vast period, the popular compositions by well-known authors are worked on by many scholars from
different angles, therefore it is necessary to deal either with the contemporary composition or with any
serious problem, which the researcher has faced as a student or as a teacher in his or her early career.
The students bring the experience or issue of the day, concerning the topic of research, to the nominated
guide and select the suitable composition from what is available with the guide. The student’s entry into
the field of research may not be boosted by the proper aptitude but there are many other reasons to enter
into the field. If the research is linked with any benefit other than the acquisition of pure knowledge
then it is difficult to perceive the expected outcome. An important point must be noted here. If the
research degree, be it M. Phil. or Ph.D. or any other degree awarded for research is utilized for getting a
promotion, increment, or appointment, then the very purpose of research is questionable. The pursuit of
the degree becomes a ritual to be completed in a maximum of four years even with the device of ‘copy-
paste’. With many other interventions and interferences, if the research work is to be completed within
the stipulated time then unethical practices are sure to creep in.
From the titles of research projects or dissertations, it is very clear that the scope of research in the
language is narrowed and is perhaps limited to the literary compositions of renowned authors or
poets. Three words have become the keywords of research in language: a critical evaluation of a book,
comparative study of two books of the same author or different authors, or the study of one literary
form as presented through two books or analytical study of a particular work. No doubt, this is a good
literary approach to research in the field of language but the contents of the thesis do not support the
title. A stale and repetitive format has come into existence of Ph.D. thesis and students enjoy adding
flesh and blood to the skeleton with their limited skills and with the data that they collect. They don’t
have time to go to the original books and therefore seek help from secondary sources or even from the
incomplete data available on the concerned websites. Sometimes, even the websites caution about the
dubious information and request us to judge the authenticity but ignoring this, students’ lives matter
and hurriedly quote the sources. Furthermore, although ample data is collected from the library or
websites, the activity of the human brain is very much required to analyse the data, to work on it
to reach a logical conclusion and verify it. The argument to support the conclusion is an important
part of any research and without it, no one can leap from a hypothesis to a proven theory. This is
not possible without research acumen and the academic discipline. Therefore, there seems a dearth of
fresh fundamental research as an addition to the original fund of knowledge.

It is a new trend to accept a creative work (say a novel or composition of Mahakavya, epic poetry
in Classical Sanskrit, or a publication of a Kavyasangraha, an anthology of Sanskrit poems) as the

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND RESEARCH QUALITY | 59