Dear friends, these 2 obstacles and challenges have been with me all this while.

No funding - so just be innovative to get all that I need on my own.

Not encouraged to travel overseas - so just attend national and international conferences in the country; and submit to journals; after getting permission from the Matriculation Division, (Ministry of Education).

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/international/research.html

Fear of Failure, other than than its only hard work which can make things through.

Meticulous search and concentrated effort will never fail, provided you hit at the right door and aim it with perfection.

Dear friends, these 2 obstacles and challenges have been with me all this while.

No funding - so just be innovative to get all that I need on my own.

Not encouraged to travel overseas - so just attend national and international conferences in the country; and submit to journals; after getting permission from the Matriculation Division, (Ministry of Education).

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/international/research.html

Research scientists face major problems when conducting a research. Obstacles to scientific research deserve serious consideration of governments, universities, and of RG members. 

At Shiraz University, six types of obstacle were considered: financial, facility-related, occupational, managerial-organizational, scientific and personal.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23301377

I also agree with above points. 

No funding/ financial support

Malfunction of tools which was not expected

Building a mechanism for a new finding

Lack of literature

Lost of response in follow up  etc...

Potential Obstacles of Scientific Research:

Here are my views on this topic:

That's all - friends! Have a great day.

Best wishes

Sundar

I would say, in my country the following are the issues:

--Funding issues

--Lack of facilitating environment in the institutions concerned

--If earning money is an alternative to doing research, some academics get distracted to that.

--Lack of good libraries

--General tendency on the part of industries/managers not to share information

--Lower priorities of the government to fund research

--Bureaucratic attitude of the support staff

In mathematical research the obstacles are:

• Conceptual understanding. Due to algebraic abstraction and the divorse from real Geometry, the intuition and understanding have bees n lost. So either one can following Bourbaki, and pay no attention to conceptual understanding, and just learn without deep understanding, just generalising known results, or try to gain an intuitive deep understanding before embark to research.  A grate help towards this are the software like, Mathematica and Maple, which transform mathematics in a kind of "science" (experimentation and observation as a preliminary to rigorous proof).
• Another obstacle is historical origination of mathematical concepts. Usually the books do not include a sufficient covering of the historiacal origins of the concepts.  
• Hard work. Focusing in the above two obstacles, with hard work, I think one can overcome many of the obstacles.

See also:

Overcoming Post-Secondary

Mathematics Obstacles with ALEKS

http://www.mhhe.com/success/math/pdf_files/Full%20ALEKS%20Case%20Study%20Report.pdf

LEARNING IN MATHEMATICALLY -BASED DOMAINS:

UNDERSTANDING AND GENERALIZING

OBSTACLE CANCELLATIONS

http://research.cs.wisc.edu/techreports/1989/TR837.pdf

In most universities, lack of time, in many, lack of financing and in some, lack of infrastructure (databases, materials...) and, unfortunately, also lack of proper education and in case of some people, lack of interest and ideas.

Dear @Mahfuz,  there  are many potential obstacles of scientific research. It depends on the field of research; the following article entitled:"“Mainstreaming” content analysis in social science: Methodological advantages, obstacles, and solutions"  by Eric Woodrum that discusses this issue for the social sciences.  Abstract: The history of content analysis is reviewed and reasons for its continuing underutilization are identified. The technique's isolation from mainstream social science results in low-quality studies and methodological underdevelopment. Still, advantages of the method indicate it has great potential for social science. Specific suggestions are made for applying established research techniques to content analysis. Sampling, research design, reliability and validity assessment, concept operationalization, and related principles and techniques are illustrated with a content analysis study of religious belief popularization. The relative merits of coding manifest content versus latent, thematic analysis are assessed. Manifest characteristics can be coded more reliably but thematic indicators provide greater measurement efficiency in the example. Implications for computerized coding are discussed. Inference from communication texts and the value of empirically studying communication patterns for social scientific objectives are presented as complementing research on individuals and social structures. See the whole article at the page: 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0049089X84900012

Dear Abedallah,

I agree with you in that the potential obstacles of scientific research depend on the field of research. Thank you for the link you attached, it was interesting.

The question is very interesting and actual. Of course the response for different countries, different cultures and different areas of investigation should be different. Speaking about basic sciences and so called developed countries I am very pessimistic. For a young talented person there is no motivation to dedicate himself to a profession which demands enormous sacrifices and talent if one is honest and after all senseless criteria for evaluating his job. I mean the number of publications, factor numbers of the journals etc.

I think financial support and funds are the major issues .....

Scientist has to take risk in research and development work to achieve something great. 

First of all is the hierarchy in financial funding, since the criteria are most in the cases either political or guided by a small set of strong lobbies in each area (yes lobbies exist also in natural sciences!)

A second obstacle is the barriers that Publishing Industry has raised at every field: You do not start a project if you know a priori that nobody will publish your results...

In my humble judgement, a quality research output is the resultant of a combination of factors (like a combination lock) such as, an internationally reputed highly motivated mentor with a huge experience of top-tier publications. But the mentor alone cannot produce the final quality output. The mentor needs to be strongly supported by high quality research students (preferably Ph.D.), research assistants, latest data availability, modern library with access to top-tier journals, and IT support (on top of other equipments).

If any of the above elements are missing, the final quality output would be either delayed or not produced at all.

This advice is based on my own experience of over forty years at different Universities in different countries of the world (Bangladesh,  UK,  Australia,  Saudi Arabia,  and now Malaysia).

Thanks.

Best wishes,

Mansur Masih

_____________

Lack of resources (e.g. softwares, labs, financial supports) is the main problem, I noticed. 

Dear Ra`ed, 

You mean that the infrastructure and finantioal support are the main obstacles.

Absence of money and peace of the mind!

Dear Demetris, I agree with you. Your last phrase I understand in the following way: that to publish in a high ranked journal even if your article has high quality is almost impossible. I can add that the probability to get a stupid report on your paper is high so the process of publishing in high ranked journals is sometimes humiliating. It will be a good idea to have an opportunity to publish some reports in RG. They are anonymous but in many cases one knows who has produced them.

I respect the previous opinion. Time consuming is additional obstacle that make research dedication more difficult. Secondly is the barrier of language.  Many good researchers lack the skills of writing and publishing in English.  Others still live 100 years before and conduct the classical redundant research without theoretical framework. So not only the infrastructure and resources but the intelligence idea of quality research innovation. 

Thank you for this highly significant question.

In my opinion, the potential obstacles that hinder scientific researchers from performing their best involve absence of a collaborative team that contains an experienced leader, lack of funding bodies, absence of a good research environment, lack of access to full-text journal articles, and lack of incentives for outstanding researchers to keep their motivation. If these obstacles are resolved, then I believe competent researchers can flourish everywhere.

Best regards,

Iman

Dear Miranda,

You indicated two factors which are the same: no funding. I think that lack of encouragement to go to overseas has but material reasons.

Dear Krishnan,

I have never had a fear of failure. Has it anybody of you?

The main ingredients for research are:

• Capability of the person, 
• research infrastructure, 
• good set of interested students, 
• institutional support, and 
• research budget. 

Any of these could form an obstacle if not available.

Yes my dear Nageswara. Any or all of what you have mentioned could be an obstacle.

In addition to what you all said, one plausible reason that I can add for young scientists not to publish their findings is probably being tired of moving from journal to journal and  becoming a salesperson for their results - pushed and shoved around and rejected by journal editors and reviewers alike. Old guards of journal editors indiscriminately reject results from an unknown intruder in to " their intellectual space of luxury and comfort". 

Dear Nageswara,

You are right but what you mentioned matters only at individual level.

Dear Nageswara,

I cannot see the role of students in the results of a researcher. Generally, my students do not work for me and do not give me ideas.

Dear All,

I think the research has but two obstacles: funding and facilities as many mentioned them and the imagination of the researcher(s).

Dear Costas Drossos - I agree with you about the "conceptual understanding" in Mathematics, which could be a potential obstacle in research. Many of the things, Dr. Byrnes, taught me on algebraic / differential geometry are not to be found in the library books. Once I showed him a book by Agoston and he was very glad that the author wrote along similar lines and he encouraged me to read it. Still, I found a block in devising global control design for "Morse-Smale vector fields". I have no intention to get back to this problem, but I plan to do some research in differential geometry, just for fun. Time is a big constraint for me!

Best wishes

Sundar

I am entering this discussion when almost everything has been already said. The obstacles in the research were all listed and especially the lack of funds seems to be a common evil. Another consideration that emerges from the discussion is characterized by the different conditions and needs of different geographical areas. I would like to add it a very important one for my country: a young man has no longer incentives to do research because a researcher has no future at the moment. And that is why we are becoming again, as a few centuries ago, a population of emigrants. The difference is that then "arms" were exported, now we are exporting "brains".

Dear Ierardi,

We are exporting brains, may be because there are less obstacles (or may be there are no obstacles) in the developed countries.

Brains are the tools for research. If the structure of the brain causes perception constraints (e.g. illusions), there is an obstacle for scientific research.  

@Mahfuz, brain export is due to the lack of obstacles to "form" them and a lot of obstacles to "let they work". That's the problem.

Dear Ierardi,

I completely agree with your last post. Then what is the problem with brain export? Science is universal and researchers should look for conditions where they can realise themselves in the best form.

In developed countries, I have not noticed big obstacles in front of scientific research, e.g. I once needed for my research an expensive chemical (the price of a gram of it was higher than the price of a gram of gold) and the university brought 10 grams of that chemical within few days. Also, I once needed an Italian patent and the university brought it to me & one of the kind professors explained it to me.

In developing countries, there are potential obstacles in front of scientific research. Examples are: 1) Politics & political affiliation: a very sensitive issue upon which I cannot elaborate in an open forum. 2) Lack of adequate infrastructure for quality research in industrial-related fields. 3) The presence of "those" who decide which scholars are to be supported & which scholars are to be "marginalized". 4) The negative attitudes of "some" who want to be seen as top researchers while others are kept down in a lower class.

The 4 factors are condensed by saying that the environment is not forthcoming for many scholars to carry out real research. I do not think that unavailability of financial resources for research is a major obstacle since there are persons around the world who are ready to support good research ideas, financially.

I strongly agree with you Nizar, I know what you are talking about!!

@ Nizar. I agree with you in that In the developed countries, there are no big obstacles in front of scientific research. That means there are minimum obstacles comparing with the developing countries.

Dear All, 

I do agree with those opinions that raise the issue of insufficient funds, it's sometimes frustrating and a bit humiliating to be forced to apply wherever possible for some money ...without funds we cannot develop, but sometimes our universities and countries seem to forget about this simple relation....

lack of ideas and self - confidence is also quite common...

what I can add to this topic is maybe not the obstacle, but a kind of hesistation i have whenever i plan to "drown myself in some research" - I ask myself then if it will be useful and worth this time, effort and money i could devote to sth else more productive (like cooking for friends or simply digging the soil  to plant sth in my garden...)  in other words, will this research put anything forward and produce sth really useful, some practical value added.... sometimes I feel, that for my own sake I should not answer:)) 

best regards 

Dear Nizar,

There is possible other interpretation of your example. Maybe you were working for a powerful guy?

Dear Beata,

I believe that lack of ideas and self-confidence are also from the obstacles in front of scientific research.

of course, they are obstacles, I agree,

i wanted to add to obstacles a new category - hesitations :)

Dear Beata,

I completely agree with you. Hesitation is an individual obstacle to scientific research.

Dear Beata & Mahfuz - I fully agree with you. Hesitation or dilemma - this is also a big obstacle in research.

We may call this "Hamlet" category!

"To be, or not to be:  that is the question!"

Best wishes

Sundar

In my opinion, some of the potential obstacles to scientific research are:

- A lack of scientific culture in the specific field of the research.

- The lack of the existence of a clear research policy in force in the field of the research

- Poor of inadequate composition of the scientific team.

- Poor prior experience of the team on the type of scientific research to be carried out.

- Inappropriate methodology used to carry out the scientific research.

- Lack of a validation tool of the results obtained as an outcome of the scientific research.

- Poor management of the scientific team.

- Insufficient financial support

- Lack of institutional support of the scientific research.

- Lack of a clear identification of the objectives and the outcomes of the research.

- Lack of good references to be used for the support of the scientific research.

Dear Andras

In my case most of the research that I am doing involves carrying out long experimentation that requires continuous time spent in the laboratory with machines. That needs physical help which will be provided by the students as part of their research assistantship, or thesis/dissertation work.

In my view, motivation helps a lot for the young researchers to start their research. They need not aim for high-impact journals to start their research. Starting from taking part in IEEE Conferences, they may gradually start in research.

In the next Tunisia conference (2015) or in 2016, I shall give a special lecture on this.

With best wishes

Sundar

Dear Nageswara Rao :

Thanks for your views. In my research, I don't need to use any engineering lab to carry out or validate research. I use stability theory to prove results involving my dynamical (control) models and I use software like MATLAB or SCILAB to illustrate results. For chaos modelling, I find software very useful.

Best wishes

Sundar

Dear Dejenie A. Lakew - I agree with you about young researchers being tired of "rejection" from journals after journals. This is exploited by many "open-access" journals, and they publish such papers with publishing charges. If this is covered by research grants, it may be OK, but sometimes I have seen people paying in big amount to publish their papers in journals indexed by Scopus / SCI.

Professors / faculty can play a big role in motivating young researchers and post-docs in collaborating as well as publishing research in good journals.

Failure of rejection is very hard - I have gone though this when I started research - so I thought of adding this.

Perseverance is one of the keys to success.

Best wishes

Sundar

Dear Sundar,

Nicely said. (Perseverance is one of the keys to success). No one started as a professional researcher.

    I agree that the main difficulties for being a established researcher are hesitation: financial (low wages disguised as scholarships), lack of clear career of merits (publications are not the only conditions to know the potential value of the researcher and over all the interesting tries that they need more time than the grant has. Many interesting ideas are lost because it is needed to have extraordinary people instead of normal citizens devoted to make excellent science  

I would suggest organizing a conference on how to overcome the obstacles in front of scientific research, in the next two or so years.

In the same conference, we can also discuss how to encourage scientific research, as suggested by Dr.Erasmus Chirume,in the last question.

1. Financial problems

2. Lack of research guides

3. Time constrain

4. Institutional conflicts

Dear Dhara,

I believe time pressure or time constrain is the most significant obstacle of the four obstacles you post. 

Dear Mahfuz Judeh - Finding time to do research may be agreeable as time constraint. However, as an author, as long as I have a good idea to write a paper, the time constraint (deadline) does not bother me to submit! Sometimes, conferences or journal issues receive good papers a few days past deadline for review. So, it is OK.

With best wishes

Sundar

Dear Sundar,

I agree with you when a faculty staff is only giving lectures and doing researches. But some of us has, in addition to that, a lot of administrative duties which make some kind of time pressure on her/him.

Dear Roland :

 Thanks for your views. Institutional conflicts are obstacles to growth and they must be minimized as much as possible. Healthy environment, where professionals acknowledge works of others, is a good environment to work peacefully.

Regarding administrative duties, Dr. Byrnes used to say - "You will get busier and busier as you climb up the ladder". This is a part of our professional lives.

With best wishes

Sundar

Dear Sundar and Roland, Nice quotes.

Can role ambiguity or role conflict be one of the obstacles to scientific research.

Conflict of interests!

Period!

The brief answer of  Dr. Tobias Ntuli is brilliant. Conflict of interests can mean many thing,e.g. a powerful country which sees research in other countries as threat  to its supremacy, an authoritarian administration which divides the staff into "haves" & "havenots" ; the second's progress being seen to conflict  with its interest in seeing the first only climbing the ladder, and some "tough guys" who see their interest in putting all the obstacles in front  of  some researchers who may surpass them.

Dear Nizar and Tobias, 

This is a new type of obstacles to scientific research. Yes, conflict of interest man be one of these significant obstacles.

Dear Roland,

I agree with you in that "modern scientists are doing too much trusting and not enough verifying—to the detriment of the whole of science, and of humanity.

Dear Roland, Thank you. Your comments and ideas are very respected and appreciated.

Dear Roland:

I second your views! I shall elaborate further based on my personal experience.

After publishing a few papers on some problem, I requested a new doctorate student to read them (as literature survey). Interestingly, he tried to implement the results using FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). He called me and politely asked a few questions. This got me thinking hard and I concurred with him that my results need some minor alterations for implementation. From that time onwards, in my subsequent research, I kept the implementation point in mind, and presented control solutions accordingly. I am glad that the student tried to verify and not just trust my results! Roland and Mahfuz are correct in this aspect.

Have a great day, friends!

With best wishes

Sundar

Dear Roland, the problem you show is universal. We all learn from our faults and foibles, if we are mentally open. Why not the supervisors?

Dear Hanno and Roland, I believe most of the supervisors are open-minded and try to be helpful. Rarely, you find supervisors with close-minded or unhelpful.

Dear Mahfuz - If we are allowed to edit your answer - We will modify it as

"most of the supervisors are supposed to be open-minded and try to be helpful.."

(Kindly note the modifier - "supposed to be")

Best wishes,

Sundar

Dear Mahfuz,

Those cases are rare because only in rare cases one can overcome obstacles created by a supervisor. Usually in those successful cases they prefer not to speak about the past.

Of course it is much bigger the number of the mediocre students who explain their failure or even not bigger success by supervisors less attention or intrigues. My opinion is based on my experience in mathematics. I can admit that in other areas the situation can be completely different.

Dear All, 

supervisors differ in their devotion to help to overcome the obstacles, sometimes they can even create them,  the lightest version of this is being passive...

sth has swallowed the rest of my answer...

I just wanted to say, whatever obstacles we encounter (lack of money, time constraints, hesitations, institutional problems etc.) they can either kill our passion or make us stronger and teach us sth.

Even the most ridicoulous situations, vicious human behaviour or administrative madness is sth we can learn from and eventually win, by simply developing some distance to this, learn the rules and find the smart, yet morally accepted  solutions to overcome these fences...

let's stay optimistic and do our job, in spite of anything;)

best regards

Beata 

Dear Beata,

I agree with you in that "whatever obstacles we encounter, they can either kill our passion or make us stronger and teach us something. 

Hanno Krieger asked Roland as follows:

"We all learn from our faults and foibles, if we are mentally open. Why not the supervisors?"

The answer is self-contained in your reply!

With best wishes

Sundar

Dear Roland - Thanks!  It is clear now.

Best wishes, Sundar

Sometimes, close-minded reviewers can be an obstacle in this regard.

Very rightly worded @Mahfuz on the "close-minded reviewers", they do not think anything out of the box and also prevent others to innovate.

Dear Mahfuz - not "Sometimes", but "All the times"! Roland may agree on this too!

Best wishes

Sundar

Agree with Mahfuz!

The author of the following letter is not happy with reviewers.

http://astro.berkeley.edu/~mwhite/referee_funny.html

@Kazaros,

Thank you, it is a fantastic and funny letter. Obviously the paper deserves an urgent publication (by the referees and editor?)!

Greetings, Daniel