BICT (HONS)
AUX3212
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND
SCIENTIFIC WRITING
2.0 – INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
Ms. N. Lojenaa
Department of ICT
FTS / UoV
OVERVIEW
• Almost everything we see around us (except for natural creations) is the result of research and
innovation.
• Examples include computers, light bulbs, fans, vehicles, roads, and buildings.
• Some research outcomes are so advanced that they rival natural creations:
• such as artificial light, synthetic oil, artificial sweeteners, urea, and perfumes.
• Throughout history, great minds like Galileo, Newton, Archimedes, Einstein, Volta, and
Maxwell have contributed groundbreaking research that shaped the world we live in today.
• However, research is no longer limited to great scientists
• Today, it is an activity that everyone can engage in, across all fields of study.
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INTRODUCTION
• The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts
and reach new conclusions.
• Research can be defined as the search for knowledge or as any systematic investigation to
establish facts.
• Research is the art of scientific investigation.
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REASON FOR RESEARCH
• It derives innovation
• It answers questions
• It improves lives
• Discover new facts
• Verify and test important facts
• Overcome problems of day-to-day life
• Identify the cause and its effects
• Identifying relationships
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WHAT IS RESEARCH?
• Research is a Process (steps are more important than the output)
• Research is solving an unsolved problem (drug for cancer)
• Solving a solved problem in a better way (better cars, computers, drugs)
• Discovering something (DNA, Virus, Drugs, chemicals in polluted water)
• Inventing something (wheel, radio, telephone, CT scanner, oven)
• Integrating known solutions (hybrid vehicles, fusion techniques)
• Addressing a concern/curiosity (poverty, unemployability)
• Investigating trends/patterns (COVID-19, market trends)
• Research should generate a knowledge that is experimentally justifiable
• Research work are documents in various forms
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RESEARCH DOCUMENTS
• Writing is an integral part of the Research process
• Many documents are produced in the research process
• Proposals, Progress Reports, Portfolio, Papers/Articles, Thesis
• These documents have a common structure
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Literature Review (previous work)
• Methodology (how the current work is done here)
• Conclusion
• Methodology is dependent on the area of research
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IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH
Unexpected Complex
New problems Difficulties
issues problem
Data collection errors Involve multiple variables Lack of resources
Changes in environmental Interrelated factors Limited access to data
Gaps / unexplored area in conditions Multidisciplinary aspects Ethical concerns
existing study
Uncooperative participants Cannot address using Time constraints
Technical failure single method or theory Lack of expertise
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PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESEARCH
Primary Research Secondary Research
Research that involves collecting new, Research that uses existing data collected
original data directly from sources. by others.
Specific data from a single source. Overview of multiple primary sources.
Results and observations in their original Information about trends, themes, or
context. background.
New findings. Well-established facts.
More detail about few things. Less detail about many things.
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RESEARCH METHODS VS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methods: - used to collect data
Methodology: Rationale – How Survey
you analyze your results Focus Group
Systematically looks at a problem and tries Interview
various solutions
Controlled Experiments
Algorithms
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RESEARCH METHODS
ALL METHODS AND PROCEDURES ALGORITHMS STEPS
TECHNIQUES USED IN
RESEARCH
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
• A Systematic way to solve a problem
• Science of doing research
Research
Perform
Research
Systematic Get Results Patents Copy rights
Investigation Articles
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METHODOLOGY IN DIFFERENT AREAS
• In Science, Medicine, Social Sciences, etc.
• Experimental design (material and methods)
• Sampling
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• In Engineering, Computing, Technology, etc.
• Approach
• Design
• Implementation
• Evaluation
• Research papers in your area shows the structure for your methodology
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TYPES OF RESEARCH
• Pure and Applied Research • Experimental Research
• Exploratory or Formulative Research • Simulations
• Descriptive Research • Theoretical
• Diagnostic Study • Analytical study or statistical Method
• Evaluation Studies • Historical Research
• Action Research • Surveys
• Case Study
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IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS
Systematic Logical Empirical
Innovative Replicable
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QUALITATIVE VS QUANTITATIVE
Qualitative Quantitative
Explore a question – no hypothesis set Having a Hypothesis
Gaining deep insight How much? How Often?
Empirical Generalization Difference? Or the number of changes?
Relationship between X and Y
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RESEARCH PROCESS
Final
Formatting
Editing , and
Correcting Submission
Writing
Analysis
findings
Proposal and
Approval
Methodology
& Methods
Gap
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RESEARCH PROCESS – GETTING STARTED
Research could be based on Identify your area of research
Self-motivation Forecasting trends in covid pandemic
Curiosity Post-covid economic development
Interest Building a hospital assistant robot
News/event (COVID-19) Discovering a drug for covid
Suggestion by supervisor
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FAMILIARIZING WITH RESEARCH ARTICLES
Types of articles Structure and contents
Original research articles Major sections
Review articles Contents
Short review Citations
Invited articles Reference
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RESEARCH PROCESS - LITERATURE REVIEW
• Identify researchers in your area of research
• kind of problems that have already been solved by them
• Technologies/methodologies already used
• Journals that publish papers in your area of research
• Conference where you can present/publish your research
• Identified issues, future directions, challenges in your area of research
• Major institutes conducing research in your area of research
• Two major output from literature review
• Research problem
• Methodology used
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SYSTEMATIC WAY TO DO A LITERATURE REVIEW
• First read following sections in a research paper
• Name of Journal, Title, Authors, Affiliations
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Conclusion
• Underline the key concepts in the above three sections
• Read rest of the paper (literature review, methodology, results and discussions) by looking for details
for underlined concepts
• Underline more concepts from the whole paper (literature review methodology, results and
discussions) as required
• Write a summary in your own words for each paper, with citations, and references
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RESEARCH PROCESS - RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Research problem could be a problem as name implies
• Not having a drug for COVID-19
• Security in cloud computing environments
• Research problem could also be a concern, interest or curiosity
• Sun rises from one side and sun sets in the opposite side (Copernicus)
• An apple falls (Newton)
• Applicability of AI for distributed problem solving
• A Research problem must be derived from (supported by) Literature
• If supervisor gives a research problem, still you should find supporting literature
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RESEARCH PROCESS - METHODOLOGIES USED
• Literature reveals methodologies/theories/technologies already used
• This is yet another output from a literature survey
• Used methodologies/theories give insight to develop your solution too
• We solve problems by getting insight about solutions to similar problems
• Insight also come from nature, examples,
• Wright brothers (aircraft)
• George Stephenson (steam engine)
• For months, if you have no ideas about a solution
• do more literature review
• be sensitive to nature
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RESEARCH PROCESS - HYPOTHESIZE A SOLUTION
• Conceptualize a solution in terms of
• Hypothesis (problem X can be solved by technology/theory Y)
• In Sciences - Methodology
• experimental design, sampling, data collection, data analysis, conclusion
• In Design oriented –Methodology
• Approach (users, input, output, process, features)
• Design (modules, roles and connections)
• Implementation (H/W, S/W, Algorithms, codes, platforms, frameworks)
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• When you can conceptualize a solution then you can write a proposal
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TEST THE SOLUTION
• To test the hypothesized solution, you need an experimental environment
• Collect data from the experimental environment and analyse data
• Conclude whether your hypothesized solution can be established
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DOCUMENTATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Documentation Presentation
Proposal
Proposal Presentation
Interim Interim
Report Presentation
Thesis or Viva Voce
Dissertation
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THESIS
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PLANNING FOR A RESEARCH PAPER
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NOTE MAKING AND REFERENCE MANAGEMENT
TOOLS
• There are reference management tools that can organize your entire research process including
writing of proposals, progress review reports, thesis and research papers
• BibTex with LaTex
• Mendeley
• Evernote
• EndNote
• citethisforme
• Zotero
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