Quality in science means quality, not quantity

In recent years, a sense of urgency, or rather a fierce competition, has begun in universities: to be included in world university rankings (Times Higher Education – THE). To achieve this, increasing the number of publications and citations in journals indexed in internationally reputable databases has become important. The employment of academics at universities, their job titles, and their staff grades are also planned accordingly.

Implementing certain criteria to increase academic quality and encourage scientific work in universities is, of course, very important. Although it is thought that there is an intrinsic energy in human nature toward working and producing, it is also known that activating this depends on the environment and conditions. For this reason, instead of leaving the process to its own devices, a planned and programmed approach is important for ensuring quality and a qualified operation.

YÖKAK (Higher Education Quality Council), established under the umbrella of YÖK (Council of Higher Education), and the accreditation bodies operating within it demonstrate that quality is valued in universities in Turkey. It cannot be ignored that important steps have been taken in this direction and serious regulations have been introduced.

Recently, we had the opportunity to meet with YÖKAK President Prof. Dr. Ümit Kocabıçak to evaluate these developments in detail. Efforts to bring our universities to world standards through a quality-oriented approach are extremely important. Quality is also important to break free from the colonial space that the West has maintained in the scientific and academic field for centuries.

When it comes to Western imperialism, discussions naturally heat up. Some hold the view that one should compete with the West using the West's own tools, while others believe in differentiating completely. In my opinion, focusing the discussions on this point and the resulting polarization do not provide any benefit. The problem is not about emulating the West or distancing oneself from it; the problem is to correctly grasp and convey the meaning of the university and science.

A university is not only an educational institution but also an environment for scientific production. Academics within the university, on one hand, train human resources for various sectors in line with the needs of society, and on the other hand, are obligated to engage in scientific production to move humanity forward. The quality of the scientist and intellectual becomes important precisely at this point.

A qualified academic must first correctly understand and analyze the society in which they live, and therefore correctly identify the needs of that society. Indeed, they must train the human resources they will send to society accordingly.

On the other hand, a scientist must have a vision and be able to perceive and make sense of the world they are in as a whole. A qualified scientist must be able to analyze the journey of humanity from the past to the present and into the future, identify problematic areas, and produce solution proposals accordingly. This is possible only if the scientist can first establish a meaningful intellectual connection with their own reality. Grasping one's own reality is the beginning of establishing a meaningful intellectual connection with the reality outside oneself. In other words, the scientist and intellectual starts by knowing themselves and expands the field of comprehension and meaning from there to the external environment.

Being an academic is not just a profession or a field of endeavor; it is also a lifestyle. An academic is someone who, starting with themselves, constantly asks questions, questions things, identifies problems, takes each problem as a personal concern, and tries to find a solution. Therefore, every academic is primarily a scientist and an intellectual. They think to provide a remedy for human suffering and to give direction to the course of humanity, and they transform their thoughts into systematic scientific production.

In that case, the scientist and intellectual, just like the artist, is unique and special. A scientist and intellectual can be inspired by the thoughts of others, and indeed should be; they can benefit from the scientific production of others, and indeed should do so, but they can only contribute by creating a difference in their own scientific and intellectual production. It is originality and innovation, not imitation and repetition, that constitute the true character of the scientist and intellectual.

However, there is a strange rush among our universities and academics to enter rankings, earn points, get promoted in title, etc. The concern for increasing quantity leads to ignoring quality. Quantitative development is certainly important, but unqualified quantity has no value or meaning.

When one takes a rough look at what is presented in the name of scientific production, publications, etc., it is possible to see that most of them are similar to each other, or even copies. Articles that are repetitions of one another to increase numbers, unqualified books printed using publisher names in exchange for money, projects that cost high amounts of money despite having no correspondence in social reality, etc.

Therefore, when we talk about quality, our universities and our scientific and intellectual life must be put on the table in all their aspects, the route must be determined correctly, and the path must be taken accordingly. While it is promising that an understanding in this direction has begun to form to a certain extent, it is important that the process be continued in line with an uninterrupted program and plan.

Quantity is important, but only if it is synthesized with quality. But for this, first of all, what it means to be a scientist and an intellectual, their reason for existence in society and human life, their function, mission, and character must be correctly understood and explained. The route of universities must also be shaped according to this understanding.