An Overview of Research and Methodologies.ppt

An Overview of Research
Methods and Methodologies
"It is the theory that decides what can be observed."
-Albert Einstein
19/05/2021
Research Methodology 1
Dr.M. Bala Theja,M.Tech,Ph.D
Associate Professor
Department of mechanical engineering

Why Do I Need to Know About Different
Methods?
• As a graduate student...
– To be able to read and understand the empirical literature in your
field; to become a critical consumer of information.
• As a graduate student preparing for a thesis or
dissertation…
– To be able to both design and implement your thesis or
dissertation as well as future studies that interest you.
• As a future practitioner…
– To be able to intelligently participate in research projects,
evaluations, and studies undertaken by your institution.
• As an educated citizen ...
– To understand the difference between scientifically acquired
knowledge and other kinds of information.
11/13/2023 Research Methodology 2

What’s the Difference Between “Method”
and “Methodology”?
Method:
• Techniques for gathering
evidence
• The various ways of
proceeding in gathering
information Methodology:
• The underlying theory
and analysis of how
research does or should
proceed, often influenced
by discipline

1. Introduction to Research & Research methodology
2. Selection and formulation of research problem
3. Research design and plan
4. Experimental designs
5. Sampling and sampling strategy or plan
6. Measurement and scaling techniques
7. Data collection methods and techniques
8. Testing of hypotheses
9. Statistical techniques for processing & analysis of data
10. Analysis, interpretation and drawing inferences
11. Report writing
Synopsis

Man coming to grips with his environment and to understand the nature
through experience, reasoning and research
1.EXPERIENCE
 Personal experience, i.e., body of knowledge and skills derived
from encounters and acquaintance with facts and events in his
environment.
 Experience of others.
 Sources beyond immediate circle, i.e., authoritative sources.
2.REASONING
 Deductive (Aristotle) –from general to particular (preserves the
truth)
 Inductive (Francis Bacon) –from particular to general (does not
necessary preserve the truth)
 Combined. Contd….
Background

Applications
(examples)
Principles
(theory)
Induction
Deduction
Concrete: "example sentences" Abstract: "grammar"
Professors teach
Students learn
CONFLICT!

Contd….
3.RESEARCH
Systematic, controlled, empirical & critical investigation of hypothetical
propositions about the presumed relations among natural phenomena,
I.e.,
 Systematic & controlled
 Empirical
 Self-correcting
Research is a combination of both experience & reasoning and must be
regarded as the most successful approach to the discovery of truth
(particularly in natural sciences)
Background

Introduction to Research & Research Methodology
• What is research and Why research ?
• Terms used
 Research Methodology
 Research Method
 Research Technique
• Research methodology
• Scientific method
• Benefits of research methodology
• Qualities of good research & researcher
• Research process
• Types of research

1. A voyage of discovery; A journey; An attitude; An experience; A
method of critical thinking; A careful critical enquiry in seeking facts for
principles
2. An art of scientific investigation
•Scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific
topic
•Process of arriving at dependable solutions to problems through the
planned and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data
3. An activity caused by instinct of inquisitiveness to gain fresh insight /
find answers to question / acquire knowledge.
Contd…
What is Research?

Contd…
• A systematized effort to gain new knowledge; A movement from the
known to the unknown
• Search for (new) knowledge/ facts through objective, systematic and
scientific method of finding solution to a problem
• Implicit question + Explicit answer + data to answer the question
• Not synonymous with commonsense, but systematic, objective
(purposeful), reproducible, relevant activity having control over some
factors
In a broad sense, everyone does research, but don’t write it up;
Without trustworthy and tested published research available we are
dangerously lost in the experience, opinions and hearsay
What is Research?

1. To get a degree
2. To get respectability
3. To face a challenge
4. To solve a problem
5. To get intellectual joy
6. To serve society
• By increasing standard of living in case of Science&Technology, and
• By showing right path to society in case of Social and Behavioral
Sciences.
Why Research?

1. RESEARCH TECHNIQUE- Behavior and instruments used in research
operations
Examples: Scales, recording techniques, content analysis, moving
average, longitudinal / cross sectional collection of data, etc.
2. RESEARCH METHOD - Behavior and instruments used in selecting
and constructing technique (a range of approaches used to gather data)
Examples: Observation, questionnaire, interview, analysis of records,
case study, etc. Methods are more general than techniques. Methods &
Techniques are used in performing research operations, i.e..,
 Collection of data
 Statistical processing & analysis (tests)
 To evaluate the accuracy of the results obtained
NOTE: Research techniques and research methods are almost interchangeably
used
Terms Used

• A science of studying how research is done scientifically.
• A way to systematically solve the research problem by
logically adopting various steps.
• Methodology helps to understand not only the products of
scientific inquiry but the process itself.
• Aims to describe and analyze methods, throw light on
their limitations and resources, clarify their presuppositions
and consequences, relating their potentialities to the
twilight zone at the ‘frontiers of knowledge’.
Research Methodology

1. Advancement of wealth of human knowledge
2. ‘Tools of the trade’ to carry out research; Provides tools to look at things
in life objectively
3. Develops a critical and scientific attitude, disciplined thinking or a ‘bent
of mind’ to observe objectively (scientific deduction & inductive thinking);
Skills of research will pay-off in long term particularly in the ‘age of
information’ (or too often of misinformation)
4. Enriches practitioner and his practices; Provides chance to study a
subject in depth; Enable us to make intelligent decisions; Understand the
material which no other kind of work can match
5. As consumers of research output helps to inculcate the ability to
evaluate and use results of earlier research with reasonable confidence
and take rational decisions
6. Doing research is the best way to learn to read and think critically.
Benefits of Research Methodology

1. Good assignments establish outcomes beyond a product to
be evaluated.
2. Good assignments help students to learn about their
audience.
3. Good assignments create scenarios that are rich in
contextual information.
4. Good assignments provide interim readers.
5. As with any real project, good assignments give students
time and a schedule of interim deadlines.
Benefits of Research Assignments to
Students

•The method of all logically trained minds.
•The pursuit of truth as determined by logical considerations.
•Classifies facts, sees their mutual relation through experimentation,
observation, logical arguments from accepted postulates.
•Tenets of scientific faith:
1. DETERMINISM: Events have causes that events are determined by
other circumstances (i.e.. Causal links can eventually be uncovered and
understood)
2. EMPIRICISM: Verifiable by observation and ‘evidence’ (data)
3. PRINCIPLES OFPARSIMONY: Phenomenon should be explained in the
most economical way possible
4. GENERALITY: More problematic in social & behavioral science than
natural science.
Scientific Method

1. Relies on empirical evidence (empiricism).
2. Utilizes relevant concepts.
3. Committed to only objective considerations.
4. Presupposes ethical neutrality.
5. Results into probabilistic predictions.
6. Methodology is made known to all for critical scrutiny and testing
through replication.
7. Aims at formulating most general axioms or scientific theories.
8. Encourages rigorous, impersonal mode of procedure dictated by the
demands of logic and objective procedure.
Basic Postulates of Scientific Method

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD EMPLOYED ENSURES:
1.Purpose/ objectives clearly defined in common concepts
2.Procedure enumerated to keep continuity
3.Carefully planned design leading to objective results
4.Complete frankness; flaws reported and their effect estimated
5.Adequate analysis of data with appropriate methods of analysis
6.Carefully checked data for validity & reliability
7.Conclusions confined to those justified by the data
8.Confidence, competence/ reputation, experience, honesty & integrity of
researcher
Note: 38% of papers in Nature and 25% of papers in BMJ contain one or
more statistical errors; 4% of errors caused non-significant findings to be
misrepresented as significant (The Economist, 5 June ’04, p 70-71)
Qualities of Good Research

contd..
1. SYSTEMATIC - Reject the use of guessing & intuition, but does not rule
out creative thinking
2. CONTROLLED – Variables are identified & controlled, wherever
possible
3. LOGICAL - Guided by rules of logical reasoning & logical process of
induction & deduction
4. EMPIRICAL - Provides a basis for external validity to results (validation)
5. REPLICABLE - Verified by replicating the study
6. SELF CORRECTING - Built in mechanism & open to public scrutiny by
fellow professionals contd..
Qualities of Good Research

ANALYTICAL
•Uses facts or information already
available and analyze to make a
critical evaluation
FUNDAMENTAL (Basic or Pure)
•Concerned with generalizations &
formulation of theory
•Knowledge for knowledge’s sake
(I.e., pure or basic research)
Contd….
Types of Research
1.DESCRIPTIVE/SURVEY
(EX-POST FACTO)
•Surveys & fact-finding enquiries
•State of affairs as it exists
•No control over variables
•Try to discover causes (I.e., ex-
post facto)
2. APPLIED
•Finding a solution for an
immediate problem & not rigorous/
flexible in application of the
conditions

3. QUANTITATIVE
•Measured & expressed in terms of
quantity
•Expression of a property or
quantity in numerical terms
•Quantitative research helps:
i.Precise measurement
ii.Knowing trends or changes
overtime
iii.Comparing trends or individual
libraries / units
4. CONCEPTUAL
• Related to some abstract idea or
theory (for thinkers & philosophers)
• Relies on literature.
Types of Research
QUALITATIVE
•Involves quality or kind
•Helps in having insight into
problems or cases
EMPIRICAL
•Relies on experience or
observation alone, i.e.,data based
research
•Capable of being verified by
observation or experiment
•Experimenter has control over
variables
Contd…

5.OTHER TYPES
i. One time/ Cross sectional vs Longitudinal/ Developmental & Trend or
prediction studies (the time domain)
ii. Field setting vs Lab / Simulation research
iii. Clinical vs diagnostic studies
iv. Exploratory vs Formulated (the degree of formulation of the problem) studies
v. Historical studies (Greater part of it is quantitative)
vi. Content Analysis is one such quantitative method –a multipurpose method
developed specifically for investigating a broad spectrum of problems in which the
contents of communication serve as a basis of inference. Example: word usage
rates, word counts, etc.
vii. Correlational research
viii. Conclusion oriented or decision oriented research
Types of Research

Ethics in Research
• Case studies
• Misconduct
Resource: “On being a Scientist:
responsible conduct in research”
www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/o
bas

Avoid conflicts of interest
• Science relies on professional judgement which can be
compromised by:
– Financial conflicts (e.g., undisclosed shares in a company with
interest in the outcome of research)
– Social and personal beliefs (e.g., Einstein’s “God does not play
dice”)
– Pressures of competition (e.g., reviewing a paper with similar
work)
• Solutions:
– Disclosure
– Self knowledge
– Peer review

Give credit where its due
• Authorship (and order of authors):
– Conventions can vary considerably
– Best to decide upfront
– Avoid “honorary” authors – must make a direct and substantial
contribution
– Establishes accountability as well as credit
• Acknowledgements:
– The place to give credit for less substantial assistance
• Citations:
– Part of the reward system – connected to funding and reputation

Case Study: Pulsars
• Credit is a sensitive issue when researchers are of
different seniority:
– In 1967 Jocelyn Bell, a 24-year-old graduate student, discovered
pulsars
– Supervised by Anthony Hewish she was in charge of operating
and analyzing data from a 4.5 acre radiotelescope
– One day Bell noticed "a bit of scruff" on the data chart
– Together Bell and Hewish analyzed the signal and found several
similar examples elsewhere in the sky
– With 3 others they published a paper announcing the discovery

Judgement on Pulsars?
• Hewish got a Nobel Prize, Bell
did not
• Against:
– Bell’s recognition of the signal was
the crucial act of discovery
• For:
– Bell didn’t deserve a Nobel Prize for
doing what is expected of a
graduate student in a project
conceived and set up by others

Shut Down the Paper Mill
• The publish or perish paper mill:
– Research careers seem to depend on quantity of publications
not quality
• Consequences:
1. Haste and negligence
– But progress relies on a trust in previous results
2. MPUs (minimum publishable units)
– But this dilutes contribution and forces wading through masses
of literature

Case Study: nanotechnology
• Jan Schön:
– Worked in condensed matter physics and nanotechnology
– Claimed he could replace silicone-based transistors with organic
dye molecules
– In 2001, averaged 1 paper every 8 days
– On track for a Nobel Prize
• Found Out:
– Results seemed suspiciously precise
– A researcher spotted identical graphs in two separate papers
– Whole constructed data sets reused in different experiments

Judgment on Nanotechnology
• Outcome:
– Schön was fired from his position at Bell Labs after an internal
investigation
– Many of his papers were rescinded
– He was banned from applying for funding in Germany
• Other Consequences:
– For his co-authors?
– For reviewers of his papers?

Misconduct
• Fabrication (making up results)
• Falsification (modifying results)
• Plagiarism (copying without credit)
• Suppression (not reporting negative results)
• Other deviations from accepted research practice:
– Covering up misconduct, misuse of research funds, etc.
• Consequences:
– Harm to individuals, squandering of public funds, attracts criticism
of Science
• But how can scientists expect to get away with it?

Case Study: Dealing with misconduct
• Francine is finishing her Ph.D. and Sylvia is a fellow grad
student. Both have the same supervisor.
• Francine realizes there are problems with Sylvia’s work,
she:
– Is rarely in the lab
– Never shows anyone her code
– Has performance results that seem too “clean” to be real
• Also:
– Francine needs a reference from her supervisor and Sylvia is
one of her favourites
– Both Francine and her supervisor are using Sylvia’s results for
their own research

Judgement on Misconduct
• Should Francine first try to talk with Sylvia, with
her supervisor, or with someone else entirely?
• Does she know enough to be able to raise
concerns?
• Where else can Francine go for information that
could help her decide what to do?

Final Do’s and Don’t’s
• Do:
– Get ethics clearance if your research is potentially
hazardous to human subjects
– respect:
• IP rights and confidentiality
• Patents
• The ACM code of ethics
• Don’t:
– Publish the same thing in more than one place
– Inform the media of results before peer-reviewed
publication

Pitfalls
• Source: “The Researcher’s Bible”
• Homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/bundy/how-tos/resbible.html

Solving the World
• Easy to pick research goals that are too ambitious
– Especially in Artificial Intelligence
• Instead:
– Allow the main burden of scoping to fall on your supervisor
– Find out where the state of the art lies
– Look to the future work section of papers
– Can also redo bad work, properly

Manna from Heaven
• Don’t expect inspiration to strike, staring at a blank piece
of paper
“Science is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration”
• Instead:
– Read the literature with a question in mind
– Talk to people - your project partner and supervisor - and explain
your ideas
– Tackle a simplified version of your problem
– Write down your ideas in a working form

Boondoggling
• The appearance of work without actual productivity
– Surprisingly seductive
– Coding for its own sake
– Writing Yet Another Programming Language (YAPL)
– Gathering unnecessary experimental data
• Instead:
– Make sure your programming and experimentation contributes
directly to the research

Ivory Tower
• Focus on your topic is good but don’t shut out the rest of
the world completely
– Because it prevents cross-pollenisation of ideas
• Instead:
– Keep in touch with the state of the art in related fields
– attend colloquia and talk to other students about their research
– Set aside a part of the week for reading abstracts and skimming
papers

Misunderstood Genius
• Easy to believe that no one understands your
ideas because you are a genius
• More likely:
– Love of jargon. Try to rephrase your ideas using ordinary English
– If I can do it, it's trivial. Once you have seen the solution to a
problem it appears simple
– Love of complexity. It’s not a virtue to make an unnecessarily
complicated program - it’s just a nuisance to other people.
Occam and Einstein were right!

1. Selection & formulation of Research Problem
2. Literature survey
3. Development of working hypotheses
4. Research design
5. Pilot (quick & dirty) study
6. Data collection, Processing & analysis of data
7. Testing hypotheses
8. Interpretation & generalization
9. Preparation of the report
NOTE: 1. Above steps are not exhaustive, nor mutually exclusive, but a series of
closely related, continuously overlapping and interdependent nonlinear steps/
actions
2. What lies ahead is hard work as well as pleasure of the hunt; some frustration,
but more of satisfaction; periods of confusion, but confidence that, at the end, it
will all come together
Research Process

Starting Research

• Selecting research problems-sources-criteria
• Grilling the problem
• Dos & don’ts
• Still can’t clearly formulate?
• Steps in formulating research problem
• Main steps in conducting research
Selecting & formulating research problem

Criteria
I.INTERNAL
1.Researcher’sinterest
2. Researcher’s competence
3. Researcher’s own resources, i.e.,
finance, time, etc.
II.EXTERNAL
1.Researchability, i.e., amenability
(problems having solutions)
2. Importance and Urgency, i.e., relative
importance & significance of problem
(utility of findings)
3. Novelty or originality
4. Feasibility-Availability of data-Suitable
methodology-Co-operation of
organizations & individuals-Available time
5.Facilities/ infrastructure
6.Usefulness and social relevance
7.Research personnel
Selecting Research Problem
Sources
1. Reading
2. Academic
experience
3. Daily experience
4. Exposure to field
situations
5. Consultations
6. Brainstorming
7. Research
8. Intuition

Questions to be asked
when an idea is born
1.Is the idea viable ?
2.Is it practicable ?
3.The time factor ?
4.Has it been done before ?
5.What result is expected ?
6.What do colleagues think ?
7.Will a statistician be needed ?
8.What will you personally do ?
(individual’s role in the study)
Grilling the problem
More questions while
formulating problem
The originating question - What
one wants to know
The rationale - Why
The specifying the question -
Possible answers to the originating
question

1.Research problems cannot be borrowed; researcher has to find his own
problem
2.Guide can only help to choose a subject / topic
3.Right question must be addressed; Having a topic to read about is different
from having a problem to solve. This leads to aimless and endless gathering of
data and no way of knowing when we have enough. Further, this leads to a
struggle to decide what to include in report
4.Have unbiased & unattached approach; No mother complex; Be objective
5.Be uncommitted (i.e., hanging loose) before selection
6.Have more than one problem to ponder, i.e., keep alternatives
7.Never settle initially itself on a particular approach
8.Interact with experts & practitioners
9.Avoid superficial & obvious problems
Selection of Research Problem
Do’s & Don’ts

10. Avoid overdone subjects & controversial subjects
11. Avoid too narrow or too vague problems (Avoid the risk of settling on a broad
topic with 4 or 5 words)
12. Have a preliminary study (quick & dirty study) and / or a brief feasibility study
(examine methodology, etc.)
13. Problems should suit your interest, competence & ability
14. Identify gaps through literature survey
15. Check availability of required data and co-operation of people concerned
16. Problem should be novel, significant and useful to practitioners; utility of the
expected findings should be judged
17. Spend lot of time in writing and note taking to understand
18. Make preliminary outlines, disagree with what is read, draw diagrams to
connect disparate facts, summarisesources, record random thoughts, discard later
if necessary, start writing at the very beginning as you go to encourage critical
thinking, to understand sources better and draft more effectively
Do’s & Don’ts

 Begin early thinking to save time and later panic.
 Ask for help: Discuss with others, but then not restrict or limit your research;
Examine whether a smaller part of bigger part be selected
 Look for problems as you read:Gap, error, misunderstanding, contradictions,
inconsistencies, incomplete explanations; Do more than just pointing out
 Look for the problem that your claim solves;work backward to formulate a
better, more interesting problem than the one that is started
Tip: Most common way research problem is discovered is by disagreeing with
sources; There are standard contradictions (Booth, 2003)
Still can’t clearly formulate?

Research Proposal: Preparation
• Ask yourself:
– Am I familiar with related research in this area
– Do I have a good understanding of the steps that will be involved
in achieving these goals
– Do I have the ability to successfully conduct each of these steps
– Am I sufficiently motivated and enthusiastic about all the steps in
this project
– Am I convinced that the results of this research will be useful to
others

Research Proposal: Structure
• Honours proposal structure:
– Project Description
– Related Work
– Outcomes (system, questions tackled, expected impact, key
success factors)
– Work Detail (timeline, resources required, deliverables,
milestones, work allocation)
– References
• More general proposals might include:
– Budget, CV, Dissemination plan

Research Proposal: Evaluation
• Have you answered these questions:
– What you are planning to do ?
– Why ?
– What the difficulties are?
– Is it feasible for you ?
– Do you have a plan of how to do it ?
– Have you done your homework ?

1. Stating problem in a general way (& developing a title)
2. Understanding the nature of problem (& building a
conceptual model)
3. Surveying available literature & past studies
4. Developing ideas through discussion - experience survey
(setting investigative questions)
5. Rephrasing the problem
 Objectives and/ or hypotheses
 Title
 Terms & concepts
 Assumptions & postulates
Contd…
Steps in Formulating Research Problem

Contd…
 Significance & value
 Suitability in terms of ability, time, money, data, etc.
 Scope & limitations-Time & space co-ordinates -Unit of analysis-
Environmental conditions
6.Methodology
Note: Formulation has all the benefits of a good research plan or design
and hence can be considered as part of it
Steps in Formulating Research Problem

Literature Reviews

What is a Literature Review?
• As a process:
– Reading, taking notes, organising, documenting
– Start with general, broad, textbook works
– Move toward specialised, recent papers
• As a document:
– Not just a string of article summaries
– Rather a coherent discussion of previous related work
– Includes intro, conclusion, references
• Don’t confuse the document and process

The Literature Review Process
Broad
Narrow
Understand
the Field
Find a Survey
Find Focused
Research
Back Chain
to References
Forward Chain
to Citations
• Lecture Notes
• Text Books
• Text Books
• Survey Papers
• Theses
• Research Papers

Literature (knowledge)
Researchers
Peer review
Editor
KNOWLEDGE AND LITERATURE

Literature
reviews
Own
papers
Monographs
Textbooks
reviews
Review papers
Tutorial papers
Original journal papers
Other original papers
- conferences
- symposia
- workshops
Reports
High reliability, low newness
Low reliability, high newness
Encyclopedias
Publications

Resources
• Experts: lecturers, supervisors, librarians
• ACM Digital Library
– http://portal.acm.org/dl.cfm
– Includes most ACM pubs (but not IEEE)
– UCT has a subscription
• Google Scholar
– http://scholar.google.com/
– Good all-round resource
• Science Direct
www. Science direct.com
• CiteSeer
– http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/
– Digital library and search engine
– Heavily linked meta-data allows chaining through citations

1. Bibliographies
• Best way to find knowledge if available, no separate data bases
• See Science Citation Index, General Search, Document type: Review or
Bibliography
2. Digital libraries (whole papers included as .pdf files)
• IEEE/IEE Digital Library (IEL) (IEEE Xplore, ieeexplore.ieee.org),
from 1950 (complete from 1988)
• ACM Digital Library, portal.acm.org/dl.cfm
• SPIE Digital Library, spiedl.org
3. Abstracts data bases
• INSPEC (www.engineeringvillage2.org)
• From 1969, 7 million abstracts, 400000 new abstracts/year
4. Citation data bases
• Science Citation Index (SCI) (isi01.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi,
included in Web of Science or ISI Web of Science), from 1986
• See also IEEE Xplore, AbstractPlus, Citing Documents
Data bases (1)

• data bases are located at Helsinki University of Technology, lib.hut.fi
• other useful data bases include
– CrossRef, ieeexplore.ieee.org/search/crefsearch.jsp
– Google Scholar, scholar.google.com
– Scientific Literature Digital Library (CiteSeer),
citeseer.ist.psu.edu/cs
– Google Print, print.google.com (books)
– Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org (books)
• new but in general unreliable information can be found by using
ordinary search robots, for example
– Google, www.google.com
Data bases (2)

1. Non-profit scientific societies
• publish best journal and conference papers and some good books,
examples
• Association for Computing Machinery, ACM (www.acm.org)
• American Physical Society, APS (www.aps.org)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE
(www.ieee.org)
• International Society for Optical Engineering, SPIE
(www.spie.org)
2. Commercial publishers
• publish good books, examples
• McGraw-Hill (www.mhhe.com)
• Prentice-Hall (vig.prenhall.com)
• John Wiley & Sons (www.wiley.com)
Publishers

• bibliographies are very useful for finding landmark
references, they are for example in (1) textbooks, (2) review
and tutorial papers, (3) some IEEE Press Books, (4) the
introductions of original journal papers, (5) Science Citation
Index, General Search, Document type: Bibliography
• books can be found from (1) library databases
(www.kirjasto.oulu.fi), (2) Internet bookstores (for example
www.suomalainen.fi/sk or www.amazon.com) and (3) book
publishers (for example vig.prenhall.org, www.mmhe,
www.wiley.org)
• review and tutorial papers are for example in Proceedings
of the IEEE (usually the best reviews) and in IEEE Magazines,
for example IEEE Communications Magazine, see IEEE Xplore,
and Science Citation Index, General Search, Document type:
Review
Search according to the publication category (1)

• original journal and conference papers can be found from
databases (1) IEEE Xplore (IEEE/IEE papers as PDF files,
note also the tool ”Citing Documents” in AbstractPlus), (2)
INSPEC (abstracts of most papers), (3) ISI Web of Science
(citation index), www.kirjasto.oulu.fi,
intranet.vtt.fi/siniset/tietpalv/kirjasto/
• standards are a good source for state-of-the art system
knowledge, sold by standardization organizations, for example
IEC, IEEE, ISO, ITU, and ETSI, you must be an active member
in standardization groups to have the newest knowledge
(usually through the industry)
Search according to the publication category (2)

Critical Reading Required
• Being able to read rapidly and critically is a vital skill
• First Skim:
– Abstract, section headings and figures
• Then Dive into Detail:
– May require reading references for a full understanding
• Take Notes:
– Complete citation
– Main research question & conclusions
– Research methodology
– Key ideas or results relevant to your research
– Future work
– Gaps/problems

Orders: The Classics
• LIT  WORK  WRITE
– Don’t know when to stop the literature search
– Can inhibit innovation
• WORK  LIT  WRITE
– Might get a nasty shock (someone else beat you to
it)
• CONCLUSION: safe options

Orders: quick and dirty
• WORK  WRITE  [LIT]
– Gamble that the referees (examiners) know less than you
• WRITE  WORK  [LIT]
– Suits speculative work
– Sometimes used to drag the referees in as unwitting
collaborators
• CONCLUSION: living on the edge

Orders: paper chasers
• WRITE  LIT  WORK
– Writing serves as a plan of work focused to produce a
single publication
• LIT  WRITE  WORK
– Good for an idea out of your normal line of research
• CONCLUSION: unconventional

Presentations

Communication of Ideas
• Feedback is important:
– To learn of new developments
– To share responsibility
– To get support and advice
– To develop communication skills
• Teamwork is important:
– As a forum for feedback
– To tackle larger problems
– To learn interpersonal skills
• Modern Science is advanced by sharing ideas and
working in teams

Presentations
• Present your main idea & its significance
• Omit complicated & old ideas
• Structure:
– Intro, context, body, some detail, conclude
• Know your audiences’ background
• Make sure that both non- & experts benefit
• Don’t gloss over problems with your ideas
• Anticipate questions

Slide Layout
• Allow about 2-3 minutes per slide
• Avoid too much text
– Just cues
– About 7-15 bullet points at most
• Include graphs/charts/pictures
• Avoid code/maths

Nervous ?
• Prepare well, run through with your
supervisor
• Time yourself
• Contract stomach muscles & breathe out hard
• Speaking Skills:
– A pause is better than an interjection
– Speak more slowly than you think necessary
– Repeat questions if they are inaudible

Postgraduate Research
• Masters (MSc):
– Must demonstrate that you are familiar with the state of the art in
the field and are capable of working at that level
• Doctorate (PhD):
– A PhD additionally requires that you are able to contribute new
knowledge
– Need not be a major contribution

Examiner’s Instructions
• A Candidate must demonstrate that he/she:
– Principles: Understands the nature, objectives and scientific
principles underlying the investigation
– Literature: Is adequately acquainted with the relevant literature
– Methodology: Has mastered appropriate techniques and
analytical methods
– Findings: Assesses the significance of findings in a thorough
and logically coherent manner
– Independence: Shows evidence of critical and independent
thought
– Writing: Reports on the study in an acceptable scientific format
that is satisfactory in both presentation and literary style

• Researchers never move in a straight line from finding a topic to stating
a thesis to filling in note cards to drafting and revision
• Real research loops back and forth, moving forward a step or two, going
back and moving ahead again, anticipating stages not yet begun
• However carefully you plan, research follows a crooked path, taking
unexpected turns, even looping back on itself; Work through step-by-step;
When you can manage the parts, you can manage the whole
• Research is not like going a well marked path to a familiar destination; it
is more like struggling through overgrown woods,searching for something
you won’t know until you find it
• No one can solve the world’s great problems in a tiny project, but
choosing smaller questions, knowing answers can lead to great solutions.
A good researchers takes us one step further in understanding great
problem by making us better understanding the problem
Research is not a simple linear activity

It also involves many implicit mysterious creative processes
 Turning a vague interest into a problem worth posing and solving
 Building an argument that motivates readers to accept your claim
 Anticipating the reservations of thoughtful but critical readers and then
responding appropriately
 Creating an introduction and conclusion that answer the toughest of
questions, So what?
 Reading your own writing as others may, and thereby learn when and
how to revise it
Research is a complex process

1. Anderson, Janathan, et. al. Thesis and assignment writing. New Delhi: Wiley,
1970. 2.
Best, Joel. Damned lies and statistics.California: University of California Press,
2001.
3. Best, Joel. More damned lies and statistics; how numbers confuse public
issues.Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004
4. Body, Harper W Jr. et.al. Marketing research: text and cases.Delhi: All India
Traveler Bookseller, 1985.
5. Booth, Wayne C, et. al. The craft of research.2 ed. Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, 2003. 6.
Chicago guide to preparing electronic manuscripts: For authors and
publishers.Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987.
7. Cohen, Louis and Manion, Lawrence. Research methods in education. London:
Routledge, 1980.
8. Goode, William J and Hatt, Paul K. Methods on social research.London; Mc
GrawHill, 1981.
9. Gopal, M.H. An introduction to research procedures in social sciences.Bombay:
Asia Publishing House, 1970.
10. Koosis, Donald J. Business statistics.New York: John Wiley,1972.
11. Kothari, C.R. Research methodology: methods and techniques.
References

12. Miller, Jane E. The Chicago guide to writing about numbers.Chicago: the
University of Chicago Press, 2004. 13.
Rodger, Leslie W. Statistics for marketing.London: Mc-GrawHill, 1984.
14. Salvatoe, Dominick. Theory and problems of statistics and econometrics
(Schaum’soutline series).New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982. 15.
Spiegel, Murray R. Schauim’soutline of theory and problems of statistics in SI
units.Singapore: Mc GrawHill , 1981. 16.
Simpson, I. S. How to interpret statistical data: a guide for librarians and
information scientists.London: Library Association, 1990.
17. Slater, Margaret ed. Research method in library and information
studies.London: Library Association, 1990.
18. Turabian, Kate L. A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and
dissertations.6 ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1996.
19. Young, Pauline V. Scientific social surveys and research.New Delhi: Prentice-
Hall of India Ltd., 1984.
20. Walizer, Michael H and Wienir, Paul L. Research methods and analysis:
searching for relationships. New York: Harper & Row, 1978.
21. Williams, Joseph M. Style: towards clarity and grace.Chicago: The University
of Chicago Press, 1995.
22 James Gain, Research Methods:Introduction
References, contd.,

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