Research Methodology for Research Methodology for Science and TechnologyScience and Technology

Rushdi ShamsRushdi ShamsDepartment of Computer Science and EngineeringDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering

Khulna University of Engineering & TechnologyKhulna University of Engineering & Technology

What is ResearchWhat is ResearchThe systematic process of collecting and

analyzing information in order to increase our understanding of the phenomenon with which we are concerned or interested. (Practical Research: Planning and Design by Paul Leedy)

It involves interpretation of data to draw conclusions

Research is not restating previous factsIt is not searching new knowledge for

information

What is ResearchWhat is ResearchAre you representing other peoples’ work in

a stylish well-understood manner?Then it is not a researchAre you seeking knowledge on the

architecture of cars by buying a car?Then it is not research

What is ResearchWhat is Research Originates with a question or problem. Requires a clear articulation of a goal. Follows a specific plan of procedure. Usually divides the principal problem into more

manageable sub-problems. Guided by the specific research problem, question, or

hypothesis. Accepts certain critical assumptions. Requires the collection and interpretation of data in

attempting to resolve the problem that initiated the research.

Builds on previous research.

Wallace’s ModelWallace’s Model

Research MethodologyResearch MethodologyPropose a research. In order to do that, you

will have to review literatures.Conduct a research. The ideas you generated

from the knowledge gathered in literature review should be carried out; analysis will be done; results will be produced

Document your work. This documentation will be the stem to produce Conference papers for sharing knowledge with

scholars Journal papers for archiving

Research Proposal

Documentation

PublicationConducting Research

Research Proposal

Documentation

PublicationConducting Research

Propose a ResearchPropose a ResearchA Formal way to propose a research is writing up a research proposal that will have precise indications

on your research and related work found from literature review

Why will you review LiteratureWhy will you review LiteratureThe literature review is a critical look at the

existing research that is significant to your project.  

You should evaluate what has already been done, show the relationships between different work, and show how it relates to your project.

It is not supposed to be just a summary of other people's work.

What should Literature Review answerWhat should Literature Review answerWhat do we already know in the area

concerned?What are the existing theories?Are there any inconsistencies or other

shortcomings?What views need to be (further) tested?What evidence is lacking, inconclusive,

contradictory or too limited?Why study (further) the research problem?

Literature Review ResourcesLiterature Review ResourcesThe ACM Portal

http://portal.acm.com Kluwer Online

http://www.kluweronline.com IEEExplore

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org CrossRef

http://www.crossref.org

Research ProposalResearch ProposalAfter reviewing the relevant literature, you should

begin thinking about your proposalYour proposal will communicate your intentions to

your committee, It will serve as a plan for yourself and the

committee, and Connects yourself with the committeeIt should indicate that- You have identified a problem You read enough literature to discuss the subject

intelligently, You developed a strategy for completing the research.

Research ProposalResearch ProposalA Research Proposal will generally contain

following sections-Problem Statement

Which area the problem belongs to What has been done so far What problems are still not solved Why are those problems need to be solved

Motivation What problem are you particularly interested of What is your motive to solve that Narrower description of your research

Research ProposalResearch ProposalApproach

Brief description of your research How will you solve the problems What are the steps to accomplish your goal? Are you aware of the upcoming problems?

Challenges Difference with other work How your research will contribute

Applications Where your findings can be applied

DocumentationDocumentationAfter completing the research you promised in your

research proposal, you have to document them.

ThesisThesisDocumentation is vital as A good researcher

should know the way to let other researchers know about his work

If you wrote a good proposal, it should serve as the basis for the beginning chapters for your thesis.

ThesisThesisYour thesis should meet the following

criteria-1.Evidence of an original investigation or the

testing of ideas.2.Competence in independent work or

experimentation.3.An understanding of appropriate techniques.4.Ability to make critical use of published work

and source material.5.Appreciation of the relationship of the special

theme to the wider field of knowledge.6.Originality as shown by the topic researched

or the methodology employed. 7.Distinct contribution to knowledge.

Scientific Writing: IMRADScientific Writing: IMRADEvery scientific writing generally will have

four sections having an acronym of IMRAD- Introduction Methods Results and Discussion

Now, let’s take a look at the very basic parts of a technical documentation

TitleTitleTitle is a label- not sentenceFewest possible words that adequately

describe the contents of the thesisIndexing and abstracting services depend

heavily on the accuracy of the titleAvoid abbreviations

Authors Authors Alphabetical order or order of importancePersons who actively contributed to the

overall design and execution of the experiments

First name, middle name, last nameAddress of institution where the research is

doneAddress in same serial to the authors

AbstractAbstractPrecise summary of the contentBrief summary of each of the sectionsShould not exceed 250 words though there is

no hard and fast ruleStates the principal objectives and scope of

the investigationDescribes the methodologies employedSummarize the resultsState the principal conclusions

IntroductionIntroductionEnough background information so that

reader can understand resultsReader should not need to refer to previous

publications on the topicIntroduction should describe

Nature and scope of the problem investigatedReview of related literatureMethod of the investigationPrincipal resultsPrincipal conclusions

MethodsMethodsDescribe the experimental designProvide enough detail so that others can

repeat the experimentUse past tense

ResultsResultsOverall description of experimentPresent the dataResults are presented in past tenseAvoid redundancy

DiscussionsDiscussionsTry to present principles, relationships, and

generalizations shown by the resultsPoint out any exceptions or any lack of

correlation and define unsettled pointsShow how your results and interpretations

agree with previously published workDon't be shy; discuss theoretical implication

of your work as well as practical applicationsState your conclusions as clearly as possibleSummarize your evidence for each conclusion

AcknowledgementAcknowledgementAcknowledge any significant technical help,

etc.Acknowledge any outside financial assistanceGrants, contracts, or fellowships

ReferencesReferences List only significant, published references Check all parts of every reference against

the original copy the publications You can find Reference styles1. http://www.computer.org/author/style/

refer.htm 2. http://www.apastyle.org/ 3. http://www.acm.org/pubs/submissions/

submission.htm

PublicationPublicationNihil simul inventum est et perfectum

meansNothing is invented and perfected at the same time

Why PublicationWhy PublicationIf you gather knowledge, apply it, invent

something new and do not share with scholars, the invention will not be useful for human race

To make your research useful, you can submit them to journals

In journals, your research will be archived and will be plentiful to conduct other researches

You can submit them to conferencesYou can share ideas with scholars that can

broaden your view and instil newer ideas

Things to consider during PublicationThings to consider during PublicationIf you intend to publish your research work,

then you need to know the nuts and bolts- Information on conferences Call for Papers Review Process Submitting your Research Work Feedback from Reviewers Preparing Final Version

Information on ConferencesInformation on ConferencesPersonal web pages

http://www.tml.hut.fi/~pv/conferences.html Public databases

http://www.papersinvited.com/ Organizations

http://webapps1.ieee.org/conferenceSearch/search.do http://campus.acm.org/calendar/

SIGshttp://www.sigmm.org/Events/events_page

Call for PapersCall for PapersWhen you find a suitable conference, just

don’t blindly submit your paper. Carefully, take a look at-

Title of the conference Where will it be held Date of conference Deadline of paper submission Topics of Interest Instructions for Authors

Review ProcessReview ProcessIn order to place your paper in journal or a

conference proceedings, your paper will be reviewed generally based on-

Originality of your research work Contribution to the knowledge-based society Organization of the writing Quality of Language References you used

Submitting your ResearchSubmitting your ResearchBefore submission ask comments from your

colleagues and supervisorWhen the paper is ready, prepare it according

to the Instructions for Authors Layout Format Number of pages Word count Figures

Submitting your ResearchSubmitting your ResearchMost conferences have electronic submission

web page Email

Otherwise you have to submit the paper either using normal or courier mail

Make sure that you get an acknowledgement from the submission

Feedback from ReviewersFeedback from ReviewersUsually, conferences announce beforehand

when the review results should be readyThe results are usually emailed to all authorsRead the results carefullyRemember that good conferences accept less

than half of the papersAcceptance ratio can be even below 20%

Feedback from ReviewersFeedback from ReviewersIf the paper is not accepted, consider

improving it according to the comments and submitting it to another conference

Usually, it pays of to cool down for couple of days or even weeks

Preparing Final VersionPreparing Final VersionMake the corrections suggested by the

reviewersFollow the instructions given the to the

authorsOften, the final layout is different than the

review versionSend the final version to the conference well

before the deadline

Research PresentationResearch PresentationIn conferences, you will have to present your research work which is as important as your

research and documentation

What to say and How to sayWhat to say and How to sayCommunicate the Key Ideas

Make sure that your talk emphasizes the key ideas and skips over what is standard, obvious, or merely complicated.

Don’t get Bogged Down in DetailsDetails are out of place in an oral presentation. This rule cannot be over-emphasized.

Structure Your TalkA good speaker always lets the audience know exactly where they are and where they are headed. Your presentation should be broken into several distinct parts, each with its own objectives and style. Each part should be dearly delineated.

What to say and How to sayWhat to say and How to sayUse an Organized Approach

A sample time-frame for presentation of a paper can be-

Introduction (5%) Proposal (15%) Theoretical basis, results and evaluations

(45%) Conclusion (15%) Discussion (20%)

Getting through AudienceGetting through AudiencePractise your talkUse RepetitionConvey Enthusiasm, Excitement, ConfidenceUse Humour but don’t over-runMaintain eye contactControl your voiceControl your motionTake care with your appearance Don’t start talking with apologies

Visual and Aural AidsVisual and Aural AidsOverhead projectorsDon’t overload transparenciesAvoid slide coveringUse colors effectivelyUse pictures and tablesBeware of the microphoneFamiliarize yourself with stage

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