CHAPTER 1

CPE 404D – CPE Practice and Design 1

 Chapter 1
The Problem and its Background
 Introduction
 Statement of the Problem
 Significance of the Study
 Scope and Delimitation
 Title

 Your paper should begin with a Title briefly describes the

contents of the paper.
 The title is not a section but is necessary and important.
 It should be short and unambiguous, yet be an adequate
description of work.
 The general rule-of-thumb is that the title should contain
the key words describing the work presented.
Example

 VitaBand: Health Monitoring System for Home Quarantine COVID-19

Patient using Internet-of Things and LORAWAN Technology
 IOT-Powered Vehicle Safety System with Automated Accident
Detection and Emergency Alert Integration
 SenseEase: An Innovative System for early Intervention in Sensory
Overload among Individuals with Autism
 Introduction
 Start with your own statement. The introduction gives the
background of the project and the rationale for
conducting the study.
 The first sentences should be common about the general
topic and then you should add some details about your
topic. This is called an inverted triangle when you start
with the broad theme and then narrow it down.
 You should explain key terms and concepts in the
introduction to avoid reader confusion later. Make your
investigation clear and understandable. You should find
your own ideal length for the introduction.
 Introduction

 It should be short enough to be readable and gain the

attention of the reader and long enough to explain all the
main features of your essay. You should be consistent in
writing. Logical links between sentences will make your
text coherent.
 The research question or questions generally come
towards the end of the introduction, and should be
concise and closely focused. This paragraph can be used
to introduce the next section, the Statement of the
Problem.
Example
 Statement of the Problem
 The statement of the problem must meet the following criteria:
 It should focus on only one problem.
 It should be one or two sentences long.
 It should not suggest a solution.
 The statement of the problem/dilemma is the core of any research.
 Research starts with a question in the researchers mind. It is this
question which usually leads to a researchable problem.
 Explain which dilemma of problems leads to the research, as well as
the stance you intend to take.
 The topic or first statement of the (first) paragraph must state the
problem you are intending to solve. The succeeding sentences (or
paragraphs) are to explain or elaborate the topic sentence.
Example
 Significance of the Study
 One of the primary considerations in undertaking a research is the
immediate or long-term benefit accruing to the end-user.
 Refer to the statement of the problem - Your problem statement can
guide you in identifying the specific contribution of your study.
 You can do this by observing a one-to-one correspondence between
the statement of the problem and the significance of the study.
 Write from general to specific contribution - Write the significance of
the study by looking into the general contribution of your study, such
as its importance to society as a whole, then proceed downwards—
towards its contribution to individuals and that may include yourself
as a researcher.
 You start broadly then gradually to a specific group or person.
Significance of the Study
Example
 Scope and Delimitation
 The scope identifies what topic the researcher intends to cover. The
scope names the information or subject matter that the individual
plans to evaluate.
 For instance, a person might choose to study the impact of
deforestation on species loss in the Amazon. However, it is not
possible for the researcher to cover every aspect of the chosen
subject.
 In this case, the scope might be narrowed down to a select group of
species or an evaluation of population decline over a certain period of
time.
 Delimitations define what factors the researcher consciously controls
for and why they have been eliminated from the study.
 Scope and Delimitation
 Delimitations are parameters that the researcher makes to narrow his or her scope
of research.
 Delimitations are a conscious choice to control for certain factors in the study.
 Since the study cannot address all relevant elements, delimitations narrow the
scope and purpose to focus on certain aspects.
 Common delimitations are population or sample size, the setting in which the
study takes place, and the design or setup of the study, along with an explanation
for its structure.
 An individual might also choose to use some research tools and methodologies to
collect data but not others. The researcher might impose delimitations for
practical reasons, such as lack of time or financial resources to carry out a more
thorough investigation.
 For each delimiting factor, the researcher discusses why he or she made those
exclusions and explains how they might affect the outcome of the research.
 Delimitations should be stated clearly so that the audience understands why
certain elements were excluded from the study.
 Limitation vs. Delimitation

 Limitations are those conditions beyond the control of the researcher

that may place restrictions on the conclusions of the study and their
application to other situations.
 Delimitations are boundaries beyond which the study is not
concerned.

 Common mistakes in this section:

 Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research.
 Failure to cite landmark studies.
 Failure to cite the intended user of the proposed study
Example