Rukhsana Ali | NED University of Engineering and Technology (original) (raw)

Papers by Rukhsana Ali

Accountability in Research

Predatory publishing has recently emerged as a menace in academia. University professors and rese... more Predatory publishing has recently emerged as a menace in academia. University professors and researchers often exploit this practice for their economic gains and institutional prestige. The present study investigates such existing predatory publishing practices in Pakistani public sector universities using Bourdieu's (1991) concept of symbolic violence. For this purpose, we analyzed 495 articles published by 50 university professors in the social sciences and humanities over the period 2017-2021. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 postgraduate students to gather their perspectives on publishing practices. The study shows that 69% of the sample papers were published in predatory journals, as identified in Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission's (HEC) online journal recognition system (HJRS). Postgraduate students' insights inform the study that the students misrecognize these malpractices in academia as a problem what Bourdieu (1991) calls ‘symbolic violence’. Consequently, they engage in the process to increase their publications. Such publications enable both the university professors and the students to achieve the desired benefit, such as promotions, tenure, and academic degrees. We recommend that this practice must be altered at the policy level since it not only violates the HEC's standards for quality research but also damages the researchers’ credibility and country's scientific reputation.

2019 2nd International Conference on Computing, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies (iCoMET)

Social media has a great influence on how information reaches us and how we form an opinion based... more Social media has a great influence on how information reaches us and how we form an opinion based on it. For many users, social media increases the variety of information and ensure its accessibility across different platforms. However, recent years have seen an exponential increase in the power of social media. Most often, the forwarding and sharing of journalistic articles serve the recommendation from the user's point of view, but recently, these platforms have been developed into an echo chamber to transport additional information or even a critical attitude. In addition, the uncontrolled influx of social media in different parts of the world favors phenomena such as fake news and social bots. These threaten the exchange of views sought by mutual understanding and sincerity that democratic societies need. Motivated by these observations, this article aims to paint a realistic picture of the impact of social media. To do so, we discuss the recent developments and social changes and provide analysis of the global impact of the connected audience. Next, we shed light on some of the opinion formulation procedures and its key enablers. Finally, we present an explanatory discussion on the Facebook algorithms and provide two case studies in the wake of recent global events.

2020 3rd International Conference on Computing, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies (iCoMET), 2020

This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original... more This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details.

2019 2nd International Conference on Communication, Computing and Digital systems (C-CODE), 2019

In a modern and big city, the security system is not a single layered single module system. Inste... more In a modern and big city, the security system is not a single layered single module system. Instead, it consists of many layers with autonomous subsystems which are capable of interfacing reciprocally in an efficient and coordinated way horizontally and vertically. The design of such indigenous subsystems and ensuring tight interaction between them taking into account high usability and resource utilization is not a simple task. In this regard, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the security systems in smart cities. We begin by introducing trends and key stakeholders in smart cities. Next, we provide examples of mass surveillance systems in developed countries like USA, UK, and China. Finally, we highlight some of the major challenges in complete realization of smart cities. The security aspects discussed in this study can be beneficial in designing future smart cities.

Education in Medicine Journal, 2014

Accountability in Research

Predatory publishing has recently emerged as a menace in academia. University professors and rese... more Predatory publishing has recently emerged as a menace in academia. University professors and researchers often exploit this practice for their economic gains and institutional prestige. The present study investigates such existing predatory publishing practices in Pakistani public sector universities using Bourdieu's (1991) concept of symbolic violence. For this purpose, we analyzed 495 articles published by 50 university professors in the social sciences and humanities over the period 2017-2021. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 postgraduate students to gather their perspectives on publishing practices. The study shows that 69% of the sample papers were published in predatory journals, as identified in Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission's (HEC) online journal recognition system (HJRS). Postgraduate students' insights inform the study that the students misrecognize these malpractices in academia as a problem what Bourdieu (1991) calls ‘symbolic violence’. Consequently, they engage in the process to increase their publications. Such publications enable both the university professors and the students to achieve the desired benefit, such as promotions, tenure, and academic degrees. We recommend that this practice must be altered at the policy level since it not only violates the HEC's standards for quality research but also damages the researchers’ credibility and country's scientific reputation.

2019 2nd International Conference on Computing, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies (iCoMET)

Social media has a great influence on how information reaches us and how we form an opinion based... more Social media has a great influence on how information reaches us and how we form an opinion based on it. For many users, social media increases the variety of information and ensure its accessibility across different platforms. However, recent years have seen an exponential increase in the power of social media. Most often, the forwarding and sharing of journalistic articles serve the recommendation from the user's point of view, but recently, these platforms have been developed into an echo chamber to transport additional information or even a critical attitude. In addition, the uncontrolled influx of social media in different parts of the world favors phenomena such as fake news and social bots. These threaten the exchange of views sought by mutual understanding and sincerity that democratic societies need. Motivated by these observations, this article aims to paint a realistic picture of the impact of social media. To do so, we discuss the recent developments and social changes and provide analysis of the global impact of the connected audience. Next, we shed light on some of the opinion formulation procedures and its key enablers. Finally, we present an explanatory discussion on the Facebook algorithms and provide two case studies in the wake of recent global events.

2020 3rd International Conference on Computing, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies (iCoMET), 2020

This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original... more This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details.

2019 2nd International Conference on Communication, Computing and Digital systems (C-CODE), 2019

In a modern and big city, the security system is not a single layered single module system. Inste... more In a modern and big city, the security system is not a single layered single module system. Instead, it consists of many layers with autonomous subsystems which are capable of interfacing reciprocally in an efficient and coordinated way horizontally and vertically. The design of such indigenous subsystems and ensuring tight interaction between them taking into account high usability and resource utilization is not a simple task. In this regard, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the security systems in smart cities. We begin by introducing trends and key stakeholders in smart cities. Next, we provide examples of mass surveillance systems in developed countries like USA, UK, and China. Finally, we highlight some of the major challenges in complete realization of smart cities. The security aspects discussed in this study can be beneficial in designing future smart cities.

Education in Medicine Journal, 2014