Skill development sessions on modern research methods and approaches

A series of skill development sessions on modern research methods and approaches was organized with Abdullah Faizi, a member of IPS’ research faculty currently pursuing his doctorate from Malaysia, on November 2, 8 and 14, 2017 as part of the Institute’s team development program.

In the first session, the speaker presented the overview of his ongoing analytical study ‘Legal Analysis of Fair Trial under the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh’, whereas the second session titled ‘Paper Writing: From Conception to Submission’ enlightened the participants over different stages of dissertation preparation as per the standards followed internationally.

In the third session, the researcher shed light on ‘Modern Research Methods’ highlighting modern referencing/citation styles and search engine optimized (SEO) keyword generation. He also pointed out some of the most sought-after online databases and authentic resources needed to be explored by every researcher. Practical tips to draft an open-ended qualitative research questionnaire were also shared by the researcher. In the end, he reviewed the IPS flagship journal Policy Perspectives and gave viable suggestions to contemporize its research and make it follow the modern research lines.

While maintaining that research is a never-ending process where a margin for improvement always remains existent, Faizi, also shared his experience of conducting research work in Malaysia stating that the research culture in the country demands professionalism and lays stress on using strong references to back your findings, conclusions or recommendations. Alongside getting it published in reputed journals, he shared, the other parameters of good research work in Malaysia included the number of times the work was cited as a resource by other researchers as well as its impact on laws and policies of society at hand.