Research

Introduction
Introduction
Rationale for conducting a dissertation
The rationale for including a dissertation as a
major component of the BSc course is that it
provides for the development of intellectual
skills of a kind that are not fully facilitated on
the other components of the teaching course.
The dissertation requirement accords with the
educational philosophy of the BSc course in
that it requires students to take responsibility
for their own learning, specifying and defining
the task, and defining the learning outcomes.
Originality
At a conference in 1992 E. M. Phillips
presented a compilation of 21 definitions
of 'Originality" in a thesis. She had
compiled these definitions from her own
studies of supervisors and students.
Removing three cases of equivalent
definitions in these three sources, there
remain 18 fairly distinct definitions. These
are:
 Originality
1. Saying something nobody has said before.
2. Carrying out empirical work that has not been done before.
3. Making a synthesis of things that have not been put
together before.
4. Making a new interpretation of someone else’s material or
ideas.
5. Trying out something in this country that has previously
been done only elsewhere.
6. Taking a new technique and applying it to a new area.
7. Being cross-disciplinary and using different methodologies.
8. Looking at topics that people in my discipline have not
looked at before.
Originality
9. Adding to knowledge in a way that has not been done
before.
10. Testing existing knowledge in an original way.
11. Writing down a new piece of information for the first time.
12. Giving a good exposition of another’s idea.
13. Continuing a previously original piece of work.
14. Carrying out original work designed by the supervisor.
15. Providing a single original technique, observation or result
in an otherwise unoriginal but competent piece of research.
16. Having followed instructions and understood the original
concepts.
17. Having many original ideas, methods and interpretations all
performed by others under the direction of the
postgraduate.
18. Bring a new evidence to bear on an old issue.
 Things to remember
⚫ Careful panning will make your dissertation
less daunting.
⚫ Talk about your dissertation with your
supervisor.
⚫ Find out what structure it should have and
choose a manageable topic which you can
handle in the time available
⚫ Start work early on your dissertation and
leave lots of time for corrections. you will
produce a better piece of work and will feel
more satisfied with it if you have enough
time to relax and enjoy working on the
project
Research Process
⚫ Selecting a topic and writing the dissertation
proposal
⚫ Reviewing the literature
⚫ Deciding on the research approach
⚫ Deciding on the research technique
⚫ Constructing the questionnaire or Designing
format for secondary data collection
⚫ Data measurement and coding
⚫ Analysis of the results
⚫ Structuring and writing the dissertation
⚫ Dissertation supervision and assessment
Selecting a topic and writing the
dissertation proposal
Choosing the topic
The choice of topic usually comes from your
interest in and value of a particular subject.
This interest and value will eventually be
developed into a series of questions which you
are keen to find answers to. If you are finding
difficulty in choosing a researchable topic, you
can consider the following:
1 Consult the library catalogue and inquire
about theses and dissertations, articles in
academic journals, reports, books and the like.
Selecting a topic
2 Using web searching to find area of
interest.
3 Talk about problems and possible topics
with your colleagues and/or with your
lecturers who are experts in the field.
4 Arrange an informal interview with
professionals in the industry and discuss
what you should emphasize and what are
the possible practical outcomes.
Selecting a topic

There are a number of criteria that need to be

considered when deciding on your research topic.
These are summarized below:
1 A dissertation topic should be realistic. You need
to identify a problem (supported by published
materials), investigate the causes and possible
solution.You might wish to investigate a problem on
site, for example the causes of variation orders and
its effect on the project outcome, or the problem of
material management on site. Alternatively, the
research subject might cover an office procedure or
the appraisal of a particular system. Here you will be
investigating what should be done and what is
actually done.
Selecting a topic

2 Your topic should be specific and narrow. For

example, if you are conducting a detailed case
study, do not investigate all the factors that
may influence site productivity as a topic, but
rather the influence of financial incentives on
productivity.You might be tempted to study job
satisfaction in the building industry, but this
again is too broad. A better way is to narrow it
down and investigate job satisfaction of
operatives who are working for small-size
firms.
Selecting a topic

3 Your topic should show individuality, i.e. your

personal contribution to the study.
What is new about your investigation? This can
take the form of case studies, a series of
interviews, postal questionnaires or analyzing
archival data
4 Accessibility of information.Your topic should
be in an area that you can have access to the
necessary data for the successful completion of
the dissertation.
Selecting a topic
5 Personal ability. The subject and extent of
the research should be within your
intellectual and physical resource ability.
6 Personal interest. Last but not least, you
should be interested in the subject of
research. It is of no use if you do not like or
enjoy the research subject.
 The Proposal
The dissertation proposal
After deciding on a topic for research, your
dissertation proposal should contain the
following:
⚫Working title
⚫Introduction and Background
⚫Problem statement
⚫Research questions
⚫Aim
⚫Objectives
The Proposal
⚫ Hypothesis/Assumption (or key
questions)
⚫ Justification
⚫ Outline methodology
⚫ Initial references.
Working title

Working title is a short line that gives your

research a ‘direction’ and the title might
slightly change at the final stages of
research. The title should give your research
an identity/name which reflects the focal
point and area of the research. It should
therefore be clear and to the point. There
are a number of questions to be borne in
mind when selecting a final title. These are:
Working title

1 Does the title identify precisely what is being

studied?
2 Is the title clear and concise and at the same
time sufficiently descriptive to allow for rapid
categorization?
3 Has the title been stripped of superfluous
words and redundancy? Phrases such as ‘A
contribution to …’ or ‘Towards a theory of …’
are nothing more than padding.
4 Are the key nouns correctly chosen and in
the proper order?
Introduction and Background
A brief introduction and background of
your area of study highlighting what has
been achieved thus far and what still
requires to be done, especially within your
environment
Introduction and Background
The background to the study can be
referred to as a ‘rough road’ to the
statement of problem. It provides the
description of the research problem from
an international, regional to national and
local perspective. It puts the problem in the
correct perspective in order to provide the
root or the genesis of the research
problem.
Introduction and Background
Background to the study should be detailed
enough so as to make the research
problem emerge clearly. There is also need
to contextualize it. For a research proposal,
it can be as short as one page or as long as
three pages. It should not be kept too long
as it can easily lose the reader!
Problem Statement
A researcher must find the problem and
formulate it so that it becomes susceptible
to research. A research problem refers to
some difficulty which the researcher
experiences in the context of either a
theoretical or practical situation and wants
to obtain a solution for the same. Usually it
is said that a research problem does exist if
the following conditions have been met:
Problem Statement
i. There must be an individual or group or organization to whom the
problem is attributed
ii. There must be some objective(s) to be attained. If one wants nothing,
one cannot have a problem
iii. There must be alternative means (or the courses of action)for obtaining
objectives one wishes to attain. This means that there must be at least
two means available to a researcher for if he has no choice of means he
cannot have a problem.
iv. There must be at least two possible outcomes of the course of action
of which one should be more preferable to the other
v. The courses of action available must provide some chance of obtaining
the objective, but they can not provide the same chance, otherwise the
choice would not matter
vi. There must be some environment to which the difficulty pertains
vii. Relevance and Significance-Highlight the relevance and significance of
the problem within the larger scope of the field of study. Why is it
important to address this particular issue?
 Problem Statement
Selecting the problem
The following points may be observed by a
researcher in selecting a research problem
or a subject for research:
⚫Subject which is overdone should not be
normally chosen, for it will be a difficult task
to throw any new light in such a case
⚫Controversial subject should not become
the choice of an average researcher
Problem Statement
⚫ Too narrow or too vague problems should be
avoided
⚫ The subject selected should be familiar and feasible so
that the related research material or sources are
within one’s reach
⚫ The researcher must ask him/herself if
a. Whether they are well equipped in terms of
background to carry out the research
b. Whether the study falls within the budget
c. Whether the necessary co-operation can be obtained
from those who must participate
⚫ The selection of the problem has to be preceded by a
preliminary study to find the research gap.
Problem Statement
Necessity of defining the problem
Defining a research problem properly is a
prerequisite for any study and is a step of the
highest importance. It is only on careful detailing the
research problem that we can work out the
research design and can smoothly carry out all the
consequential steps involved while doing research.
Hence the research problem should be defined in a
systematic manner, giving due weightage to all
relating points. The technique for the purpose
involves the undertaking of the following steps;
Problem Statement
⚫ When formulating a problem statement
the crucial part is identifying the research
gap.
⚫ A research gap refers to an area within a
field of study where there is a lack of
existing research or where the existing
research is insufficient to fully address a
particular question or issue.
Problem Statement
⚫ It signifies an unexplored or
underexplored aspect that warrants
further investigation to advance
knowledge or solve a problem.
⚫ Identifying research gaps is crucial for
researchers as it helps them define the
scope of their study, justify its significance,
and contribute meaningfully to the
existing body of knowledge.
Problem Statement
⚫ Researchers often uncover these gaps
through literature reviews, empirical
observations, or theoretical
considerations, highlighting opportunities
for new studies, hypotheses, or
methodologies to address unanswered
questions or emerging challenges within a
given discipline or topic area
Problem Statement
⚫ Statement of the problem in a general way-
The researcher must immerse himself
thoroughly in the subject matter concerning
which he wishes to pose a problem. A
problem stated in a broad general way may
contain ambiguities which must be resolved
by cool thinking and rethinking over the
problem. At the same time the feasibility of a
particular solution has to be considered and
the same should be kept in view while
stating the problem
Problem Statement
⚫ Understanding the nature of the problem- the next
step is to understand the origin and nature of the
problem clearly. Discussions with those who have a
good knowledge of the problem is encouraged.
⚫ Surveying the available literature- the researcher must
be well conversant with relevant theories in the field,
reports, records and relevant literature. He must
devote sufficient time in reviewing of research already
undertaken on related problems. This would also help
the researcher to know if there are certain gaps in
the theories, or whether existing theories applicable
to the study are inconsistent with each other, or
whether the findings of the different studies do not
follow a pattern consistent with the theoretical
expectations
Problem Statement
⚫ Developing the ideas through discussions-
Various new ideas can be developed
through such discussions with colleagues
and others who have enough experience
in the same area or in working on similar
problems
⚫ Rephrasing the research problem- Finally
the researcher must sit to rephrase the
research problem into a working
proposition (Statement of the problem).
Research Questions
⚫ These are the questions the researcher
seeks to find solutions through
undertaking the research
⚫ The research is sufficiently completed by
providing answers to these pertinent
questions and these are directly linked to
the objectives of the research
Aim

Ideally a ONE sentence aim should be provided,

highlighting your ultimate goal. here are some
specimens:
Example 1: To provide a professional guideline to
engineers who are required to undertake the role of
the project manager.
Example 2: To develop a conceptual model for
analyzing productivity barriers due to
subcontracting.
Example 3: To develop a theoretical model for
identifying the different factors that may influence
the behaviour and effectiveness of project managers.
Aim

Example 4: To construct a comparative table showing

the difference in performance between various
procurement methods.
Example 5: To design a health and safety
management system for small size contractors.
Note to students: Note that the above aims are
phrased as if the researcher is seeking to deliver
some kind of a product that would benefit the
industry and other future researchers, such as
providing a guideline, developing a conceptual
framework, constructing a comparative table and
designing a system.
Objectives

Ideally between three and five

single-sentence objectives should be
developed. Objectives are the breakdown of
your aim (sub-aims) which focuses on
finding out or establishing certain issues
while achieving your aim. The objectives will
then pose a number of questions which will
form your research questionnaire later in
the research process. As shown, try to
phrase each objective in the form of:
Objectives

⚫ To investigate …
⚫ To analyze …
⚫ To assess …
⚫ To examine …
⚫ To compare …
⚫ To test …
⚫ To critically appraise …
⚫ To find out …
⚫ To evaluate …
Hypothesis (or key questions)

If your research is designed to test/validate a

hypothesis or a conceptual theory, then a
one-sentence hypothesis needs to be
established which should clearly and specifically
state the position for the argument or
investigation. A hypothesis is a tentative
proposition which is a subject of verification
through your investigation.Your conclusion will
either support or reject your proposed
hypothesis, or support part and reject others.
Hypothesis (or key questions)

If your research is designed to develop a

theoretical framework (as in the case of
qualitative research or problem-solving
approach), then a number of ‘key questions’
need to be formulated which should state
the position for the argument or
investigation
Justification

Justify your research by considering

similar researches in the same area,
looking at their findings and how these
have influenced changes in that area
Requires the researcher to critic existing
literature with a view to support the
direction of his or her research
Outline methodology

⚫ In this part of the proposal you should

highlight your proposed methodology for
obtaining the information necessary for the
study. Research methods can take many
forms. At the proposal stage, however, all you
need to provide is an outline methodology,
for example, if you intend to interview
personnel, who will they be and
approximately how many of them you will
interview, what kind of sampling procedure
you will use and so on
Initial references

Details of the core sources of references,

particularly those which have been
consulted in order to provide the basis of
evidence and information necessary to
enable the dissertation proposal to be
developed, should be indicated. Each
reference should provide author, title,
publisher, edition and publication data
HARVARD STYLE OF
REFERENCING: A Guide
⚫ How to refer to writers in your texts
⚫ A formula for each type of resource, i.e.
video, book, journal, web page electronic
journal
⚫ How to create a proper bibliography
HARVARD REFERENCING
Why You Have to Use it
⚫ Evidence of background reading
⚫ Acknowledge the research of others
⚫ Avoid accusations of plagiarism
⚫ Makes you include complete information
⚫ Easy to trace the background research
used
⚫ Helps other researchers
HARVARD REFERENCING
Some language explained

⚫ CITING - acknowledging in the text

⚫ BIBLIOGRAPHY - list of sources

⚫ REFERENCE - detailed description of

works used
HARVARD
HOW DOES IT WORK?
There are 2 elements to referencing other
people’s work:
1. is in the body of the text or in the middle
of your essay or report, when you refer to
someone’s ideas
2.is at the back of your work when you list
everything you have referred to in full
REFERENCE & BIBLIOGRAPHY
⚫ Any item that has a citation in the text of
the paper must be included in the
reference list at the end of the paper.
The references should be arranged
alphabetically by their author or by title if
there is no specific author. If the list
includes sources not cited it should be
called a bibliography.
CITING IN THE TEXT
⚫ Authors surname and year of publication
in brackets
e.g.,

The work of Dee (1998), Sutcliffe (1999)

and Reid (2000) concludes that listening is
a learnt skill and not a natural skill.
CITING IN THE TEXT
DIRECT QUOTES
⚫ Name,Year & Page number appear in
brackets.e.g.,

⚫ Rawson states that “Learning to learn has

become a part of the skills agenda”
(Rawson 2000 p.12)
CITING IN THE TEXT
MULTIPLE AUTHORS
⚫ 2 authors: e.g.,
⚫ Cutler and Williams (1989)
• 3 authors e.g.,
• Graham, Ashworth & Tunbridge (2000)
⚫ 4 or more authors: e.g.,
⚫ Matlock et al. (1996)
REFERENCES AND
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WHAT IS IT ?
⚫ Alphabetical list at the end of your work
⚫ The bibliography gives the FULL reference
⚫ The following formulas are to make sure
that you do not miss out a crucial fact and
then fail to trace that work again
BOOKS
Include the following information:
⚫ Author(s) / Editor(s)
⚫ Year in brackets
⚫ Title and Subtitle (Underlined or
Italics)
⚫ Series ( if present)
⚫ Edition
⚫ Place of publication
⚫ Publisher’s name
BOOK CITATION
In the bibliography reference section
e.g.,
Spence, B. ed. (1993), “Secondary school
management in the 1990’s: challenge and
change”. Aspects of Education Series, 48.
London, Independent Publishers.
e.g.,
Mohr, L.B. (1996),“Impact for analysis for
program evaluation”. 2nd ed. London,
Sage.
EXAMPLE EXERCISE
You have read a book called ‘New
directions in action research’
It was published in 1996.
The location of the publisher is London.
The publisher’s name is Falmer Press and it
was edited by Ortrun Zuber-Skerrit.

Translate this into a Harvard Reference

Right order & punctuation
Zuber-Skerritt, O. ed. (1996), New
directions in action research. London,
Falmer Press.
CORRECT REFERENCE

⚫ Zuber-Skerritt, O. ed. (1996), “New

directions in action research”. London,
Falmer Press
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Include the following information:

⚫ AUTHOR(S) of article
⚫ YEAR in brackets
⚫ ARTICLE Title
⚫ JOURNAL Title (Underlined/Italics)
⚫ VOLUME, Part, Issue, Month/Season
⚫ PAGE numbers
JOURNAL ARTICLE
e.g.,
Lucas, K.B. & Lidstone, J.G. (2000),Ethical
Issues in Teaching About Research Ethics.
“Evaluation and Research in Education”,14
(1) pp.53-64
EXAMPLE EXERCISE
You have read in a journal called
‘Studies in Higher Education’
an article called: ‘Learning to Learn: more
than a skills set.’ by Mike Rawson.
It was published this year.
It is issue number 2
Pages 225 - 238 and is volume number 25
Translate this into Harvard style
Right order & punctuation

Rawson, M. (2000), Learning to Learn: more

that a skill set. “Studies in Higher
Education”. 25 (2) pp.225 - 238
CORRECT REFERENCE
Rawson, M. (2000), Learning to
Learn : more that a skill set. Studies in
Higher Education. 25 (2) pp.225 - 238.