A Descriptive Analysis of Research Culture in Pakistan

This study addresses evolution of research culture in Pakistan. The study is descriptive in nature. The primary analysis is related to 180 Pakistani universities and 13259 PhDs produced from these universities since 1947 till 2016 along with their different contextual ratios such as geography, gender, public, and private sectors, universities and number of produced PhDs, supervisor and number of produced PhDs ratios, era wise growth of number of universities and produced PhDs. The study accounts for benchmark changes in leadership and resources as impacting factors for change in number of universities and produced number of Doctoral Researches (PhDs). The primary source for data is HEC while respective websites of the universities (if available) are also explored for the missing data. The study documents relatively recent emergence of certain assets in terms of a research culture and anticipates an opportunity to build upon these assets in future. Public universities with more experience are taking lead in almost all domains such as increase in number of universities and PhDs produced, their geographic and gender diversity, and supervisor to PhDs ratio etc. and private and relevantly new universities lag behind. If these could also start contributing soon Pakistan could muster the fruit of a rich research culture.