Page 57 - The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand Vol.XIII-2021

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XIII – 2021
Volume XII, 2020

So, how can these conditions which would enable an Asian country to
• The paper should be submitted to the Editorial Board in three copies
develop its scientific and technological capabilities be developed? How can the
and an electronic file as a text file (e.g. doc).
creativity, certainly one of these conditions, be developed? Perhaps a necessary

• Figures should be numbered and stored in separate files with legends
condition is freedom for the practitioners and scholars to pursue their visions
included in the main text file.
unhindered. This is most certainly what happened at Nalanda, and is something
• Either English or American spelling can be used but should be

that Thai universities and research institutions must learn from as well. It must be
consistent for the entire article.
possible for scholars and scientists to pursue their vision freely without fear of
Article Structure
being suppressed or punished. All questions must be able to be asked, even though
Each article should contain the following :
some questions could result in an unsettling of traditional practices and beliefs.
• Title
Supported by generations of kings, the scholar-monks at Nalanda were given
• Short title for page headings
freedom to develop their own unique ways of thinking. They were able to read,
• Authors and their affiliations
write, and teach everything they saw fit; there was apparently no injunctions
• A concise abstract (not more than 300 words)
against the kind of subject matter they could investigate. Thus, if we are to search
• Key words
for a way in which the Nalanda tradition of creative, daring thinking to be implanted

• Main text divided into sections e.g. Introduction, Materials and
here in contemporary Asia, we need first of all to ensure that the scholars and
Methods, Results and Conclusion
scientists are given total freedom to pursue their visions.
• References (of all articles cited in the text)

However, providing freedom alone is not enough. It is not the case that
• Table and Figure captions (numbered in sequence as they appear in
the text)
once freedom is given to a group of people then they will suddenly become
creative. Perhaps one of the most outstanding features of Nalanda was its tradition
Abstract
of excellence. Those who aspired to enter its vaunted gate needed to pass an
The abstract should be concise and informative, not more than 300 words.

It should not only indicate the general scope of the article but also state the main
“entrance examination” set by the “gatekeepers” who asked the aspirants a
results and conclusions.
number of questions. Only those whose answers satisfied the gatekeepers were
allowed to enter. Once inside, the scholars also needed to prove themselves
Ethical Guidelines
continually, as we have seen in the case of Shantideva. We could regard this as an
Experimental investigation papers must state in the Materials and
ancient system of peer review or quality control. This was the absolute necessity
Methods section that
for Nalanda to maintain its reputation as the world’s premier academic center, and
1) informed consent was obtained from all adult participants and from
if its tradition is to be emulated then this aspect has to be taken into consideration.

parents or legal guardians of minors, including the name of the appropriate
institutional review board having approved the project;
Another necessary factor is material endowment. Nalanda was able to

2) the maintenance and care of experimental animals comply with the
maintain its reputation because it had received generous support and endowments
Thai National Institute of Health Guidelines for the humane use of laboratory
from generations of kings who were themselves devout Buddhists. It is also very
animals or the equivalent country authority or agency;
plausible that the laypeople at the time were benefactors. This material support
acted as a magnet to attract talents from all corners to come to the university in
3) approval is obtained from the relevant ethical committee.
order to learn and to share their thoughts and findings. Nalanda was a very rich
institution, and it is undeniable that if we are to build an institution of higher

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