Research Methodology and

Scientific Communication
CSCI 32032

W. A. Chinthanie Weerakoon
Department of Statistics & Computer Science
Course Structure

■ 2 Credits
■ Lecture - Thursday 8:00 am - 10:00 am
■ Forum Discussions, Assignments and In-class Tests
Evaluation

■ During the course;

– Assignments
■ Literature Review and summarization
■ Project Proposal/ Presentation
■ Reports
■ Conference Paper
– Forum Discussions
– Contribution make during the class
– Punctual

■ At the end of the semester;

– Theory Examination
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course module the student should be able to;
1. describe the principles of Research Methods
2. select research topics
3. conduct research projects.
Resources
Asoka S Karunananda (2007), How to write your Thesis

Asoka S Karunananda (2006), How to do Research

:
Research Methodology and
Scientific Communication
CSCI 32032
Lesson 1: Introduction to Research

W. A. Chinthanie Weerakoon
Department of Statistics & Computer Science
Introduction
to
Research
What is a Research?
1) Research is a Process.
2) Discover and Disseminate new knowledge: e.g. New method
3) Invent new thing
4) Solving an unsolved problem or solving a problem that is not successfully solved or Solving a solved
problem in a better way
5) Doing the same thing differently
6) Explaining why something happens
7) Integrate several existing solutions
8) Find why one thing is better than others
■ Value and amount of the problem and Area dependency.
Motivation

■ Why do you want to become a graduate?

■ Is that the only goal?

■ Know Your Strength.

SOUP
■ Research is a SOUP
■ Sustainability
– Fair amount of work
– Worth addressing
■ Originality
– Original approach
■ Usability
– Usability of what emerges from the research
■ Presentability
– Present by showing its importance
Research

■ Problem/ Research Gap/ Curiosity

■ Method
■ Theme
■ Scope
■ Objective
■ Hypothesis
Why people do Researches?
1) Solve a certain problem
2) In finding alternative or cost effective ways
3) Discover knowledge
4) Invent something
5) Gain skills to do researches (students)
6) Interest in doing researches
7) Curious about something
8) Career developments (Researchers, Lecturers)
9) As a business
10) To disprove/prove something
Search Vs Research
■ Search – looking for some thing already known
1) Your telephone
2) Car key
3) Route from hear to Kandy
■ Research - looking for some thing unknown
1) Buying a laptop
2) Finding a vegetarian food centre in a specific area
3) Investigating chemicals in machine-made tea/coffee
4) Checking whether rice contains arsenic
■ We do more Research than Search in daily life
Projects Vs Research
■ Applications of already known theories/technologies/methodologies
– Undergraduate Projects (B.Sc.)
– Postgraduate Projects (M.Sc.)

■ Discovering a new theories/technologies/methodologies

– MPhil – Master of Philosophy Research
– PhD (DPhil)– Doctor of philosophy Research
– Post doctoral Research
Types of Research
■ Fundamental researches
– Highly conceptual/abstract researches
– Building the body of Knowledge
– Applicable to all subject areas
– These researches do not happen regularly
– These are Nobel prize wining researches
■ Empirical Science researches
– Based on experiments
– Mostly used in area like Physics, Chemistry, etc.
– Special equipments are required for such researches
Types of Research…
■ Design and innovations
– Engineering and Technological researches
– Involve design, prototyping, simulations, etc
– Rather costly and heavy
– Computer-based simulations have set a new trend
■ Applied Researches
– Use of available theories in a novel way
– Very much used in engineering and technology
– They are motivated by today’s need
– Does not come under Nobel prize wining category
Types of Research…
■ Survey-based researches
– Studies based on readings
– Surveys/feedbacks
– Applicable to many areas
– Use statistical techniques for conclusions
■ Observation-based research
– Rather unstructured
– Need to live in certain communities to gather data
– Studies about beggars, vaddas, fishermen, crew, troop
– Ethnographic interviews
 Some Stakeholders of Research
■ Research are done in complex environments.
■ There are interested parties who are affected by the research outcomes or
affect the outcomes.
■ They may be supportive, less supportive or critical.
■ For example:
– Co-workers, Supervisors, Academic institutes, Research institutes,
Industry, Funding organizations, Managers, Examiners, Reviewers,
……..
Student-supervisor relationship
■ Students do research under supervision of a person who has a research
experience.
– Both parties should be able to work together
– It’s a win-win relationship
– This is a sensitive relationship
– Both should demonstrate abilities than inabilities
– Both should not bring politics into research
– Supervisors have their ideologies
– Dealing with more than one supervisors is difficult
– Changing a supervisor leads to political issues
– Student should not expect too much from supervisors
Qualities of good research students
A researcher must never give the second priority for the research,
must give the first priority.
■ Personal Skills
– Drive and determination
■ have a liking to move
– Well organized
■ All the research activities must be organized well.
■ For Example:
– Organize literature survey
– Plan for each step in the research process like supervisor meetings, when
to write a paper, when to conduct survey, and when to give a research
presentation,
– Curiosity
■ It is like willingness or eagerness to learn
– Good Communication
■ Verbal and Written communication skills
Qualities of good research students…
A researcher should never give the second priority for the research,
should give the first priority.
■ Interpersonal Skills
– Coping with others
■ Intelligence
– Inbuilt capacity
– “Imagination is more important than knowledge” (Einstein)
Qualities of good supervisors
One who can guide your in research
■ Achiever in Research
– Knows the value of research
■ Busy
– Won others
■ Caring
– Lots of concerns, and encouragements
■ Done it before
– Know how to do it
■ Enquiring
– Train to defend
■ Full of Ideas
– It’s a wealth
Meeting with supervisors
■ Remember - supervisors are busy
■ Before the meeting plan what to discuss during the meeting
■ Brief the supervisor before the meeting
■ Ability to meet the supervisor is also a training
■ Supervisors expect proposed solution, not problems
■ You think that supervisor is bad because he does not want another person
to say you are bad
■ Keep notes/Journal on supervisor meetings
■ Most difficult person to convince
Threat to Researches
Are these threats?

■ Supervisors (you think sometimes)

■ Researchers
■ Non-researchers
■ Reviewers
■ Editors
■ Administrators
■ Managers
■ People at conferences
Ethics in Research

■ Respect the difference

– Use the difference
■ Be mindful on quality not the quantity
– Einstein had 5 papers, we have hundreds
■ Avoid Plagiarism (Copyrights)
– Rephrase in your own words
■ Give due credits to previous researchers
– Citations, Quotations, Reference
■ Acknowledgements
– They might support you again
■ Authorships
– About coworkers, supervisor, student
■ Do not operate beyond your territory
– Every researcher wishes to have a territory
Politics in Research
■ A researcher belongs to a school of thought
■ Researcher always has what he promotes and does
not promote
■ This is a fundamental to everything
■ You cannot even watch a movie without taking a party
■ A good researcher may be suitable for politics
■ Newton did this at the latter stage!
 What can researchers add to their life

■ Problem identification skills ▪ Training to listen without entertaining

■ Planning skills ▪ Knowing what not to say
■ Learn to go through hardships ▪ Working under pressure and disturbances
■ Time management skills ▪ Use of enemies to collect data for you
■ Interpersonal skills ▪ Use of treats as fuel
■ Verbal or written communication skills ▪ Learning the art of ignoring
■ …….. ▪ Do things when others think you are stopped
■ Lots of other benefits too…. ▪ Communication and convincing others
Research in a Nutshell

Start the Research

Conduct the Research

Presenting the Discovery

Major Philosophies in the world

■ According to Bertrand Russell, there has been three major philosophies in the
world
• Chinese – Believe in power of human resource
• Indian – Believe in spiritual (mind) power
• Western – Believe in power of physical things
■ What kind of research may be better for us?
■ It must be with our genes
■ Let us exploit that
Factors driving a Research mind
■ Enthusiasm
– uninterruptable motivation/eager
■ Effort
– constant attempt until reaching the goal
■ Thoughtfulness
– mind never gives it up until reaching the goal
■ Investigation
– analyzing the achievements time to time
■ Curiosity
■ Determination
Research Presentations
■ Should be well structured
■ Reduce animations/colours etc
■ Begin with an introduction to the filed
■ What has been done, unsolved problem
■ Clearly state what you solve
■ Present your solution with details (core of presentation)
■ Align the presentation with your paper/thesis
■ You give to audience as you want to get from them
■ Do not create (but use) enemies
Viva
■ Supervisor wants (it’s a credit) you to pass the viva
■ Examiner wants to make sure some points to pass you
■ Therefore, help the examiner to pass you
■ He thinks he knows better than you and the supervisor
■ Examiner is the boss, otherwise why was he appointed
■ You should defend (attack intellectually) but not fight
■ Show that you are confident
■ Pass the viva, do future research, the way you want
■ Do not try to teach the examiner
■ Towards the end don’t bring examiner to the beginning
Types of Writings

■ Project Proposal
■ Interim Reports
■ Conference Papers
■ Journal Papers
■ Dissertation/ Thesis
Milestones with Corresponding Write-ups

Formulating a Project Project Proposal

Review of Others’ Work

Problem Definition
Towards New Solution Interim Report 1

Your Approach
Analysis & Design
Implementation Interim Report 2

Evaluation
Interim Report 3 Conclusion

Dissertation/ Thesis
 Project
Proposal
▪ Introduction
▪ Aim & Objectives
▪ Background & Motivation
▪ Problem Definition/ Curiosity
▪ Proposed Solution if brief
▪ Resource Requirements
▪ Deliverables
▪ Plan of Actions
▪ References