Research mentorship in graduate programs in a developing country: An ethical perspective

Avoidance of research misconduct, authorship conflict, and adequate research training, including research ethics, is essential for high-quality research outcomes. This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire to evaluate graduate students' perceptions about the adequacy of graduate supervision in various academic institutions. The sample comprised 251 participants (64.5 % females) from public and private institutions. The majority were master's students (88.8 %) and were satisfied with their primary supervisor (70.9 %) and co-supervisor (50.5 %). Most of the students were satisfied with the different aspects of supervision. However, some of the students were unsatisfied with guidance on data/statistical analyses (25.9 %), potential ethical issues (27.7 %), and supervision for thesis/manuscript writing (29.5 %). Authorship order was discussed in the early stages of research in only 31.1 % of instances. In addition, 59.4 % of students were satisfied with their author order placement. Gender differences in satisfaction with guidance on manuscript writing and potential ethical issues have been reported. In addition, students who had prior research experience were significantly more likely to report greater satisfaction with research proposal writing supervision. In conclusion, moderately acceptable satisfaction with the supervision of graduate students was reported. The students' supervision process can be further enhanced by having clear supervision regulations and training faculty members. Dissatisfaction with thesis writing and data and statistical analysis requires better guidelines for supervision and training for graduate students and their supervisors.