Objectivity In Research Research Articles

Ego Involvement and the Law of Exercise: Memorization as a Function of Ego Involvement in Folklore Scholarship and Anthropology

The article is a component in my “Folkloric Behavior”, a total innovation within my “Folkloric Behavior” (1967), which introduced a theoretical system for analyzing a folkloric phenomenon in a cognitive verifiable context. The universal psychosocial principles constituting the system were applied to a real (live) community: the ethnic Arabs living in Brooklyn, N.Y., USA, with particular emphasis on the Egyptian component. This approach stood in sharp contrast to the dominant Freudian psychoanalytic and Jungian analytical psychology theories that dominate this field. Terms, concepts, and processes offered in this innovative work are currently being used—often in isolation of their academic home and systemic links-- in various folklore fields. Examples of current usage are: “ego-involvement”, “learning process”, “extinction”, “motivation”, “intervening stimuli/cues [(re-presented as) “negotiations”, etc.). Ironically, my founding work on “Folkloric Behavior” is hardly ever evaluated or even mentioned. It would be useful to afford students of folk traditions and other readers the benefits of research objectivity of tracking the temporal sequence in which these key issues appeared in folklore scholarship. This step would be required for also establishing the history of ideas in a discipline.

Symposium 3: Evocative writing and lived experience descriptions for networked learning research

The present paper introduces evocative writing, advocated by autoethnographies, as an effective research method to capture the subtleties of real-life networked learning experiences, enabling researchers to observe and make sense of both the beautiful and the ugly of the phenomenon. Evocative writing practice can liberate researchers from the established academic tradition that unnecessarily devalues their subjectivity and limits their creativity by imposing the problematic normality of research objectivity. Writing is a central research act that needs to be successfully performed throughout the entire research project—not only to present project outcomes but also to formulate research problems, collect data, and validate outcomes. Despite its aesthetic and communicative merits, however, evocative researchers as human beings cannot fully grasp the structural essence of the lived experiences of networked learning phenomena beyond their own frame of reference. Here, the author believes that lived experience descriptions and related methodological techniques devised by phenomenologists can provide evocative networked learning researchers with a possible breakthrough. Based on the author’s own experiences, the author will demonstrate the effective use of evocative writing complemented by lived experience descriptions for networked learning research.

Normative empirical concepts – a practical guiding tool for economists

ABSTRACT Economists use a variety of normative empirical concepts because the economy and morality are intertwined. Often, this normativity is intended and widely acknowledged, signaling the relevance and meaning of research. Sometimes, the objectivity of research and the findings obtained by using normative concepts is problematic. Written from the perspective of a practicing economist, the article offers a practical guiding tool to economists, suggesting how to be responsible in developing and using normative empirical concepts. It is based on valuable insights from the philosophy of science and codes of conduct. It illustrates the use of the guiding tool with the example of a normative empirical concept that is widely used in development economics: ‘ethnic fractionalization’. The conclusion is that applied economists should be more involved in being accountable for the normativity in our work and that we should ensure that, by using the tool, the normative concepts that we use are acceptable.

Who’s testing and who’s being tested: A cautionary tale of citizen science within applied animal behaviour science

Citizen science has become a popular means to collect data in many research fields, including animal behaviour science. Using this approach has numerous potential benefits (e.g. larger sample sizes, decreased strain on resources, increasing the public’s engagement in science), but there are also issues and assumptions relating to data quality that should be considered. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of a battery of game-like tests developed to assess behavioural flexibility in dogs. The battery was administered to samples of shelter dogs and owned dogs who had remained in homes long-term. From the two populations, four test groups were created: shelter dogs assessed by the principal investigator (n=85), shelter dogs assessed by shelter staff/volunteers (n=34), long-term owned dogs assessed by the principal investigator (n=21), and long-term dogs assessed by their owners (n=29). Shelter staff/volunteers and dog owners participated as “citizen scientists”. It is accepted that using less skilled “citizen” researchers increases the error within the data, but often claimed that this is offset by larger sample sizes. This implies that the increased error is random and not systematic. Whether who (citizen versus trained researcher) tested the group in a given context was associated with overall test item outcomes was evaluated. In two of the tests, the Alone Time Test and the Three-Toy Test, tester was found to be associated with outcomes. In the Alone Time Test, tester was associated with four items in the shelter dog samples and with three in the long-term owned dog samples. In the Three Toy Test, a series of subsequent items were contingent on the first, and the outcome of that initial item was related to tester. These results demonstrate that it is unwise to assume that the increased error from citizen science work is largely random and thus evened out by the use of a large sample of researchers. Unexpected systematic error might arise within citizen science projects so controls need to be introduced to test for these effects, so that unsound assumptions are not made. There may also be relatively unique factors, beyond researcher objectivity, to consider when using a citizen science approach to study domestic dogs, such as the bidirectional influence on behaviour of any emotional bond between the owner or shelter staff/volunteer and the dog being tested. These results highlight the need for quality checks and preliminary analysis to ensure the identification of any relevant tester effects.

Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values as an Object of Legal Research

Introduction. The article raises the problem of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values as an object for legal research. The starting point of any scientific research is to clarify the conceptual apparatus of the study, which determines the analysis of the question of the content of the category under consideration. The phenomenon of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values is a subject for interdisciplinary research, which requires borrowing a number of categories from philosophy and social sciences when conducting its theoretical and legal analysis. The legitimization of relations in the field of protection of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values requires primary attention from theoretical jurisprudence to the issue of defining the conceptual content and scope of this concept, which dictates the need for additional research in the field under consideration.Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the research is based on the following general scientific and special methods of cognition of legal phenomena and processes. Consideration of the nature of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values is carried out within the framework of an interdisciplinary approach, which is combined with the principles of consistency and objectivity of scientific research. The scope and content of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values are investigated through the use of formal-logical and inductive-deductive methods.Results of the study. As a result of the research, the author's understanding of the concept of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values as an object for legal research is proposed. The internal patterns of functioning of the phenomenon under consideration, as well as external threats that necessitate the use of legal remedies, are revealed.Discussion and conclusion. Under traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, it is proposed to understand the concentrated expression of the most significant for Russian society and the state, time-tested social practices that are the subject of broad-casting spiritual and moral experience from one generation to another, encroachments on which trigger an irreversible process of disintegration of social matter, degeneration of all social ties.

Picture naming test through the prism of cognitive neuroscience and linguistics: adapting the test for cerebellar tumor survivors-or pouring new wine in old sacks?

A picture naming test (PNT) has long been regarded as an integral part of neuropsychological assessment. In current research and clinical practice, it serves a variety of purposes. PNTs are used to assess the severity of speech impairment in aphasia, monitor possible cognitive decline in aging patients with or without age-related neurodegenerative disorders, track language development in children and map eloquent brain areas to be spared during surgery. In research settings, picture naming tests provide an insight into the process of lexical retrieval in monolingual and bilingual speakers. However, while numerous advances have occurred in linguistics and neuroscience since the classic, most widespread PNTs were developed, few of them have found their way into test design. Consequently, despite the popularity of PNTs in clinical and research practice, their relevance and objectivity remain questionable. The present study provides an overview of literature where relevant criticisms and concerns have been expressed over the recent decades. It aims to determine whether there is a significant gap between conventional test design and the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying lexical retrieval by focusing on the parameters that have been experimentally proven to influence picture naming. We discuss here the implications of these findings for improving and facilitating test design within the picture naming paradigm. Subsequently, we highlight the importance of designing specialized tests with a particular target group in mind, so that test variables could be selected for cerebellar tumor survivors.

Rational intuition: a study on semiotic subjectivity

Abstract Although scientific research usually emphasizes objectivity unaffected by any form of subjectivity, semiotic inquiries have to consider the role of subjectivity. In fact, social development, art, and literature always follow certain rules of objectivity, but these rules seem to be inescapably linked to the subjectivity of human beings. How can we avoid the subjectivity of research, or research biases caused by subjectivity, to ensure the objectivity of scientific research to the greatest possible extent? This paper answers the question through the cultural semiotics of jingshen, which is grounded in Chinese cultural traditions, especially the philosophies of Lao Tseu and Chuang Tzu. This line of inquiry seeks to identify objectivity in the constant transformation between the subject’s states of self and selflessness, while striving to avoid inductive and deductive biases caused by the “conceit” of rationality and to eliminate the constraints of specific concepts and images formed by existing knowledge as well as possible consequential “Verborgenheit.” The purpose is to achieve a state of “rational intuition,” returning to the natural mode of human existence and forging for semiotics a rationality-based path to the intuitive understanding of meaning.

Experimental study on the outburst potential energy caused by added water under stepwise depressurization

AbstractThe research on the mechanism of coal and gas outburst is still in the hypothesis stage, and exploration of the outburst mechanism fro m an energy perspective often focuses on the calculation of coal rock elastic energy and gas expansion energy. There are some studies on elastic energy and gas expansion energy of coal rock caused by added water during outburst, although hydr aulic measures not only improve the permeability of coal seam, but also increase the water content. For calculating the gas expansion energy, the atmospheric gas desorption characteristic is generally utilized, while the gas desorption is completed on the condition of dropping pressure in outburst, and the expansion energy research, based on that law, inevitably brings about errors, thus affecting the objectivity of the potential research. In this study, uniaxial cyclic loading experiments were carried out on briquette coal samples with water content of 0%, 1%, 2% and 4%, whose elastic energy density was analyzed, in addition to examining how the added water affected the mechanical properties and the elastic energy of coal. The pressure drop gradient of the experiment is set 2.5 –2 MPa, 1.5 –1 MPa, 0.5 MPa‐0 Pa. By stepwise depressurization desorption of coal samples after water injection, the gas expansion energy in different moisture is measured in each pressure drop stage, and the influence of moisture on gas expansion energy is quantitatively explored. Research has shown that the higher the water content, the lower the elastic energy density, while the higher the stress, the greater the elastic energy of coal. The gas expansion energy grows linearly with the increase of adsorption equilibrium pressure and diminishes in negative exponential law with the increasing moisture. Under the experimental conditions, the expansion energy decreases by 7%–9% and the elastic energy by 9.7% on average for every 1% increase in added water, and the influence gradually weakens when the moisture exceeds the critical value. This study innovatively simulates the pressure swing desorption when a coal and gas outburst occurs in the laboratory, confirms the critical moisture that affects the outburst potential, and is a useful exploration in the coal and gas outburst mechanism. Significantly the research results can guide the engineering practice when using hydraulic measures to prevent and control outburst disasters. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Navigating the Pitfalls in Research: Avoiding Common Errors While Writing a Paper

As a concept and a practice, research is extremely nuanced and requires scientific understanding and precision. However, it is possible that minuscule mistakes made may reduce the credibility of the research paper. This article meticulously examines common errors in research, with the aim of creating awareness amongst researchers. Its objective is to assist in the avoidance of these pitfalls, ultimately enhancing the polish of research papers. Moreover, practical strategies for rectifying these errors are provided, along with a discussion on the potential repercussions associated with each mistake. This article delves into all integral aspects of a research paper and highlights prevalent errors associated with the same. It covers topics from scratch such as, choosing an appropriate research topic, establishing the balance between the acknowledgement of objectivity in quantitative research and subjectivity in qualitative research. Additionally, it addressed trivial but prominent errors such as formatting, grammatical errors, and citation accuracy. Furthermore, the article also explores key considerations in data collection, interpretation and results. Lastly, keeping in line with recent developments, the article elucidates guidelines for navigating the use of artificial intelligence while writing a research paper.

THREATS TO OBJECTIVITY IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

Objectivity in scientific research have been a frequently discussed issue in the scientific community given that interpretivist scholars have resisted the crucial role of the positivist paradigm which dominates in social sciences as well. This paper seeks to critically consider the main criterion (or principle) of scientific knowledge – objectivity – from the standpoint of social science research. The conducted analysis shows that objectivity is not only the key tenet of quantitative research, but also is equally important in qualitative studies which are used in numerous disciplines. The main objective of this paper is, in order to avoid various threats to objective research, to conceptualize this leading sicentific principle that may enhance the methodological quality of science; for example, lack of bias, replicability, reproducibility, etc.

Şeydabəy Məmmədovun tədqiqatlarında M.F.Axundzadə: Sovetlər dövrünün kontekstində tənqidi təhlil

During the Soviet era, social sciences, especially philosophy, which was one of the most ideologically oriented fields, tried to follow the course of the ruling ideology. Ideologization has significantly undermined the objectivity of ongoing research in philosophy and the history of philosophy. In this sense, the studies of the Soviet historian of philosophy of the ХХ century, Sheydabek Mammadov, devoted to the analysis of the sociophilosophical views of Mirza Fatali Akhundzadeh, is distinguished by its ideological character. Sheydabek Mammadov is trying to show Akhundzadeh the way he wants to see him. Instead of studying the legacy of Akhundzadeh, his research is more focused on modernization and presentation of the great enlightener in the ideological format of the Soviet era. Of course, the ideologically veiled research of Sheydabek Mammadov make exaggerations and distortions inevitable when analyzing Akhundzadeh‟s sociophilosophical views. In all the studies of Sheydabek Mammadov, Akhundzadeh is presented as a militant materialist and a consistent atheist, in the spirit of the Soviet era. Although Sheydabek Mammadov connects Akhundzadeh‟s enlightenment with the French enlightenment, but he does not explain in what issues and how these relations manifest themselves. He is content to mention the role of the French enlighteners in the formation of Akhundzadeh as a “materialist” and an “atheist”. He also does not talk about the subsequent development of the Enlightenment and its criticism in the XX century. However, in the modern era, such moments leave research conducted in Soviet times about representatives of Azerbaijani culture out of relevance. In this sense, constructive criticism of Soviet-era studies, which are an integral part of our philosophical heritage, is important. In the article, when studying the works of Sheydabek Mammadov about Akhundzadeh, this method was applied. Constructive criticism gives new relevance to the research conducted in various fields of philosophy in the Soviet era.

Ontological modeling of the psychological field of a play

Ontological modeling of the psychological field of a play

Becoming an Accidental Activist: Researching religion in community

In this paper I reflect on my academic engagement with Sikh communities and on how my status as a Sikh academic scholar has led me to become a representative for Sikh communities to various statutory bodies including media, policy makers, RE teachers, community groups and the legal profession. I reflect on how different audiences have engaged with my research and how my status as an academic activist has impacted on my work. While some argue that academics should not engage in activism, claiming it compromises the objectivity of academic research (Wells, 2018) I follow Choudry (2020) who argues that academics should seek to challenge dominant processes of knowledge production that are not solely driven by higher-education models and practices, but which require academics and communities to work together in a mutually dependent relationship.

Artificial Intelligence in Acoustics of Library Functioning in Ukraine

The purpose of the study is to outline achievements, prospects for transformation and identify obstacles to the implementation of systems, elements of artificial intelligence (AI) and the algorithm for overcoming them in national library and information institutions. Research methodology: the principles of systematicity, generalisation, objectivity, and general methods of scientific research – analysis, synthesis, comparison, analytical monitoring of AI elements in libraries of the country – are applied. The scientific novelty of the work is to highlight, with an emphasis on key aspects, the obstacles to the addition of AI intellectual resources to the work of libraries in the realities of today. Conclusions. The article reflects the developments, main areas of use and reasons for limiting the intensive integration of AI systems and elements into library practice. Features of the application of AI components, practical potential of ultra-high-frequency technologies in national libraries. The above-mentioned practice in libraries is especially relevant during martial law and the times of profound changes. It will facilitate public access to information and self-education; access to advanced technological developments; allow further steps in the formation of a new digitalisation focus of libraries and modification of library activities; thoroughly form an approach to the vectors of the industry's influence on society; innovations in the model of library-user relations, taking into account civilisation challenges. The studied trends in the addition of intelligent systems and elements of artificial intelligence will contribute to the voluntarisation of technological proposals in library and information institutions. As a result of the study, the issue of compatibility of adding intellectual components to the work of the library industry with the realities of the country and the corresponding algorithm of actions for the long-term is considered. Key words: library, systems and elements of artificial intelligence, innovative technologies, transformation of intellectual resources, challenges of AI implementation in library practice.

Retrospective of five years research of school leadership in Asia (2018–2022): A scientometric paradigm

<span lang="EN-US">This research scrutinized the scientometric objectivity of school leadership research in Asia. Publication records between 2018 and 2022 were extracted from Scopus and the Web of Science, after which the bibliographic data set was administered using ScientoPy and VOSviewer. A total of 958 publications were issued over the last five years, with 2020 having the highest number of published articles. The International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change was the most productive source (26 papers), Hallinger was the most published author, and “Examining school leadership effects on student achievement: the role of contextual challenges and constraints” had the most significant impact with 33 citations. The top 10 keywords were “leadership,” “higher education,” “transformational leadership,” “principal,” “education,” “school principals,” “school leadership,” “instructional leadership,” “educational leadership,” and “organizational commitment.” With 240 publications, Indonesia was Asia’s leading contributor in this research domain. The results indicated that school leadership research is important. It is recommended that future researchers extend this research to other regions, such as Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia, to gain a fuller picture of school leadership studies across the world.</span>

Multi-scenario prediction and path optimization of industrial carbon unlocking in China

China's industry is facing a carbon lock-in (CLI) dilemma. Based on the complexity and dynamics of CLI, exploring diversified unlocking paths is an important way to achieve emission reduction goals. This paper innovatively applies system dynamics (SD) to the study of CLI prediction and unlocking path, and systematically constructs an industrial CLI SD model, trying to break the positive feedback mechanism of CLI through multiple causality and feedback chains. This paper simulates and predicts the changing trend of the CLI level of China's industry and 8 major subsectors from 2020 to 2050. At the same time, the random forest algorithm is used to select the regulatory variables of policy analysis. Compared with the previous research methods, the accuracy and objectivity of the selection of regulatory variables are improved, so as to test the effectiveness of the unlocking path under each scenario. The results show that (1) the whole industry faces a serious CLI problem and is still in a deep lock-in state. From the perspective of subsectors, the light, electromechanical, and textile industries have achieved unlocking; the oil and extractive industries are in a moderately lock-in state; the chemical, steel, and power industries are in a deep lock-in state; and the CLI situation is serious. (2) The results of the random forest algorithm show that R&D investment, the proportion of fixed asset investments in the energy industry, car sales, energy structure, and carbon emission industry structure are the most significant factors affecting CLI in each subsystem. (3) Compared with the existing economic development model, the technological, institutional, social, and comprehensive unlocking scenarios can all enable industry to achieve carbon peak and carbon unlocking in advance. However, the effect of each scenario is as follows: comprehensive unlocking scenario > technological unlocking scenario > institutional unlocking scenario > social unlocking scenario. (4) The unlocking times of the oil, chemical, steel, and power industries are relatively late in each scenario. To realize carbon unlocking in industry, these four areas should be focused on in the future. This study helps policymakers formulate reasonable policies to accelerate industrial carbon unlocking and promote the implementation of the “dual carbon” strategy.

THE CRIMINALIZATION OF COVERING MUSIC SONGS WITHOUT PERMISSION: EXPLORING THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS, PIRACY, TAX LAWS, AND ACTS OF CORRUPTION

Enforcement of criminal law within the Copyright Act alone is insufficient to effectively address acts of piracy, duplication, cover songs, distribution, and management of copyrighted music and songs. Offenders without a license/permit are subject to both criminal and civil sanctions. The Criminal Law No. 28 of 2014 on Copyright also imposes criminal sanctions for pirates, cover songs, and music rearrangement without permission from copyright holders or related rights. This study identifies two main issues. Firstly, there is a weak implementation of criminal sanctions in copyright law, particularly concerning juridical aspects in the formulation of criminal law provisions (penal policy). Secondly, there is a need for understanding among copyright holders, related rights, and offenders to operationalize law enforcement by employing other relevant laws outside copyright law. The use of criminal acts of corruption and taxation can be an effective effort to protect the law and ensure legal certainty. To address these issues, this research employs a socio-legal approach, which combines doctrinal studies with social studies. This integration is based on the belief that the rule of law cannot operate in isolation when dealing with copyright piracy of songs and music in Indonesia. The post-positivism paradigm underpins this study, acknowledging the reality based on experience while maintaining the researcher's objectivity towards the subject. Empirical verification, hypothesis testing, and maintaining a clear distinction between the researcher and the object under study are emphasized throughout this research.

Main trends in the development of transport infrastructure: Kazakhstan and international experience

The main and important element of infrastructure is transport, therefore, in order to increase the efficiency of public production, it is necessary to develop transport infrastructure, high-quality transport services in order to ensure the connectivity of the economic area. Currently, any country sets a goal – that is the formation of a modern highly efficient transport and logistics infrastructure. Transport needs to be viewed in a dynamic context in terms of its ability to contribute to the economy. The development of transport infrastructure is multidimensional, which depends on many factors. It has several directions, the evaluation of which requires a new approach to the development of new methods that would ensure the objectivity of research in modern conditions. The paper substantiates the need for effective interaction of railway, automobile, river and sea modes of transport in a balanced distribution of cargo flows, reducing transport costs in the price of goods, which will increase the competitiveness of domestic goods on the world market. The authors discuss the main trends in the development of foreign and domestic transport infrastructure. It is concluded that the development of transport infrastructure is possible due to the development, development of methods and methods of high-performance and efficient use of high-tech technologies, innovative forms and methods of organization, information, and digital technologies.

A Brief Introduction to Mixed Methods Systematic Review (MMSR)

Systematic reviews provide important empirical evidence for healthcare providers to make the best clinical decisions. While qualitative research provides subjective information on the human experience, quantitative research may be used to provide quantified evaluations of interventions. To overcome the lack of objectivity in qualitative research and of context considerations in quantitative research, recent efforts have focused on developing mixed-method approaches that combine meta-analysis (quantitative systematic reviews) and meta-synthesis (qualitative systematic reviews). This new idea may help conceptualize studied phenomena more thoroughly. However, the typology remains inconsistent and the currently proposed approaches lack unified guidance and principles. In this paper, "mixed methods systematic review", a term promoted by the Joanna Briggs Institute, is used to indicate the newly developed systematic review. The use of systematic review in quantitative research and in qualitative research and the use of mixed methods systematic review are introduced chronologically, with an emphasis on procedures, examples, and quality appraisal tools. The concepts and concrete procedures for integrating results from different research method are presented for researchers and healthcare providers to allow them to better understand this approach and explore related phenomena more thoroughly.

To Close is Impossible to Leave it: Where Should be Put a Comma?

The article is a response to the article by V. K. Stepanov “A great reduction in quantity of libraries: particular management errors or a general perspective for the field (analysis of the experience of the Moscow region)”, published in the previous issue of Bibliosphere. Three main theoretical and methodological contradictions that reduce the reliability of the results obtained by the author and the validity of the recommendations proposed by him for regional librarianship are identified and analyzed.The first of them concerns the departure from the principle of historicism, as well as the complexity of the consideration of the phenomenon under study, and as a result the social nature of librarianship is presented incorrectly by the author of the article. It is noted that the basic social function determining the vector of domestic library construction was the function of educating a Soviet person, his ideological, cultural, scientific and technical enlightenment through the guidance of book reading in a specially selected library fund. Intermediary functions were associated with the shortcomings of book publishing in the field of leisure literature and played a secondary role. Thus, automation and computerization of book publishing and bookselling affect librarianship only indirectly, since the material nature of book publishing does not affect the cultural and educational functions of libraries.The second contradiction is related to the correctness of the analysis and interpretation of statistical data reflecting the process of library development in the Moscow region. The analysis of statistics shows that the negative dynamics in regional library construction is caused by the process of reduction of settlements, its natural decline and aging of the population. The increase in the number of users of municipal libraries indicates that the reduction in the number of libraries does not lead to a decrease in the level of library services of the population.The third contradiction concerns following the principle of scientific objectivity of research. The author noted only negative trends, leaving regional library construction programs aimed at the development of model libraries outside the scope of his analysis.