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PNG ranks low in scientific research
I WISH to call for a reform of the
quantitative assessment of scientific research which has hindered
research efforts as well as the development of the country.
In terms of research papers submitted, PNG is very much at the
bottom.
It also ranks poorly for its dissertation citation rates.
Although about 90% of the thousands of research findings every
year do not have any value for practical application, recent cases
of plagiarism and misconduct by professors is cause for worry.
It is therefore all the more bewilding when one Australian
professor commented that Papua New Guinean scientists may win a
Nobel Prize within 100 years.
After all, when PNG will grab the most prestigious award depends
on how much serious work our scientists will have done in
particular fields.
Even if one of our scientists could win in a hundred years, it
would not represent the overall prosperity of the nation’s
scientific research.
A Chinese saying goes: “bury oneself in the farming but never be
concerned too much about the harvest”.
It is high time we got a handle on the institutional defects in
scientific research so that our scientists can concentrate in
earnest on their research.
The striking contrast between the large quantity of dissertation
and very low rate of citation has revealed the double yardsticks
for the quality and quantity of research papers.
An extremely strict requirement is often set for the number of
research papers to be produced, but without a strict benchmark for
quality.
As had been the norm, the large quantity will help get higher
positions for relevant administrative officials, higher
professional titles for researchers and more opportunities to get
funding for more research projects.
As in response to the Australian professor’s claim, and perhaps
other foreign scientists who may also share his assertions, let me
say this; scientists are not workers on an assembly line.
They need a peaceful mind, time and perseverance to overcome the
frustrations of repeated failures in order to make meaningful
achievements.
But the present mechanism expects scientists to produce research
findings the way a hen lays eggs.
The Nobel Prize for natural science usually goes to those findings
that have over a comparatively long period of time, been proven to
have a significant impact on the development of a field.
So it cannot possibly fall on those who take fame and money as the
destination of their research.
Being carried away by assertions that Papua New Guinea research
will win a Nobel Prize within a century without getting down to
business in an earnest manner is like counting chickens before
they are hatched.
Dr Marcello Agen
Wuhan, China
 
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