Research Methods

Presentation by
Dr. Asma Ali Budalal
 Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Define Research Problems
 Formulate clear research questions and hypotheses.
 Conduct literature reviews using engineering databases
 Design robust research methodologies (experimental, simulation, case studies).
 Apply ethical principles in engineering research
 Analyze data using statistical/engineering tools (e.g., MATLAB, Excel).
 Communicate findings through technical reports and presentations.
Week_3
Step-by-step guide to help you choose a meaningful and feasible research topic:

Step-by-Step Research Process

Research Formulation and Literature Review:

Problem Definition and Formulation; finding and validating academic sources.
Literature
Review; Characteristics of Good Research Question; Literature Review Process
Expected Outcomes
✅ Students learn to identify research
gaps.
✅ They practice finding and validating
academic sources.
✅ They gain skills to avoid unreliable
references.
✅ Step-by-Step Research Process
How to Select a Research
Topic?
* Personal interest
‫العنوان البحثي هو اول ما يطلع عليه القارئ وهو‬
* Social problem ‫المفتاح األساسي لفهم موضوع الدراسة ويمثل‬
* Testing theory ‫هوية الباحث‬
* Prior research
* Program evaluation
* Human service practice
* Minorities in research
Step-by-step guide to help
you choose a meaningful and
feasible research topic:
1. Identify Your Interests
What engineering fields excite you the most? (e.g., AI, Robotics, Renewable Energy,
Structural Engineering, IoT, etc.)
Think about courses or projects you enjoyed in college.
Consider real-world problems that intrigue you.
2. Explore Current Trends
Read recent research papers (Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect).

Follow industry trends (e.g., AI in healthcare, sustainable construction, smart grids).

Check funded research projects at your university or government initiatives.

3. Consult Faculty & Peers

Talk to professors in your department—they often have ongoing projects.

Join research groups or engineering clubs.

Discuss ideas with seniors who have done research before.

4. Assess Feasibility
Do you have access to labs, equipment, or software (e.g., MATLAB, CAD tools)?
Is the topic manageable within your timeline (semester/year-long project)?
Can you find enough literature and data to support your research?

5. Narrow Down the Scope

A good research topic should be specific, not too broad.
Example: Instead of "Renewable Energy," focus on "Efficiency Improvement in Solar Panels Using AI-Based Tracking
Systems.“

6. Check for Originality

Avoid overly repeated topics unless you have a new approach.
Look for gaps in existing research (read literature reviews in journals).

7. Align with Career Goals

If you plan to pursue higher studies, pick a topic relevant to your desired field.
If aiming for industry, choose applied research with practical applications.
8. Get Approval & Feedback
Present your topic to a professor or mentor for refinement.
Ensure it meets departmental guidelines.
• Example Research Topics (Engineering & Tech)
1. 5G & Beyond (6G) Networks
Energy-Efficient 5G Networks: Optimizing power consumption in 5G base stations.

Terahertz (THz) Communication for 6G: Challenges and opportunities.

Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) Propagation in urban environments.
3. Network Security & Encryption
AI/ML: "Predictive Maintenance in Manufacturing Using Machine Learning"
Civil Eng: "Sustainable Concrete Using Recycled Plastic Fibers"
Electrical Eng: "Design of a Low-Cost Smart Grid for Rural Areas"
Mechanical Eng: "Optimization of Drone Propulsion Systems"
Computer Eng: "Blockchain-Based Security for IoT Devices"
Biomedical Eng: "3D-Printed Prosthetics for Affordable Healthcare"
Trusted Reference
Sources
1. Academic Journals & Conference Papers (Most Credible)

These are peer-reviewed, meaning experts have validated the research.

• IEEE Xplore (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/) – Best for engineering, telecom,

cybersecurity.

• ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/) – Covers computer science,

AI, networking.

• SpringerLink (https://link.springer.com/) – Good for algorithms, security, and

telecom.

• ACM Digital Library (https://dl.acm.org/) – Focus on computing, AI, and

networking.
How to use advanced search filters (e.g., "Since 2020," "Peer-
reviewed").

Check citation count (high citations = influential paper).

Look for survey/review papers to understand the field.

2. University & Government Publications
arXiv (https://arxiv.org/) – Preprint papers (not peer-
reviewed but often high-quality).
ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/) –
Connects researchers (ask authors for PDFs).
NIST Publications (https://www.nist.gov/publications)
– Trusted cybersecurity & telecom standards.
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) (
https://www.itu.int/) – Telecom regulations & reports.
3. Books & Theses
Springer, CRC Press, Wiley – Reliable textbooks
(e.g., Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach).
ProQuest Dissertations (https://www.proquest.com/) –
PhD/Master’s theses (great for literature reviews).
Google Books (https://books.google.com/) – Preview chapters
before buying.
4. Standards & Industry Reports

IEEE Standards (https://standards.ieee.org/) – E.g., 802.11

(Wi-Fi), security protocols.
3GPP (https://www.3gpp.org/) – 5G/6G telecom standards.
OWASP (https://owasp.org/) – Cybersecurity best practices.
Gartner, Forrester – Industry trends (useful for problem
motivation).
Tools to Organize References

Zotero (Free) – Best for citation management.

Mendeley – PDF organizer + citation generator.
EndNote (Paid) – Used in many universities.
Steps in Research Process

The following are the main steps in social or business research process.
1. Select a Research Topic
2. Selection of Research Problem
3. Extensive Literature Survey
4. Making Hypothesis
5. Preparing the Research Design
6. Sampling
7. Data collection
8. Data Analysis
9. Hypothesis Testing
10. Generalization and Interpretation
11. Preparation of Report
*Step-by-Step Research
Process that LIMU students can
follow for their Final Year Project
(FYP) in engineering fields
(Mechatronics, Computer Networks,
AI, etc.).
1. Topic Selection & Proposal

Objective: Identify a feasible, research-worthy topic.

Steps:
✔ Brainstorm ideas (based on interests, industry trends, or faculty
suggestions).
✔ Conduct preliminary literature review (Google Scholar, IEEE
Xplore).
✔ Refine scope (avoid overly broad/narrow topics).
✔ Write a proposal (problem statement, objectives, methodology).
🔹 2. Literature Review
Objective: Understand existing work and identify gaps.
Steps:
✔ Search academic databases (IEEE, Springer,
ScienceDirect).
✔ Summarize key papers (compare methods, findings,
limitations).
✔ Identify research gaps (what’s missing in current
solutions?).
📌 Deliverable: Literature review chapter (with citations).
🔹 3. Research Design & Methodology
Objective: Plan how to answer the research
question.
Steps:
✔ Choose methodology (experimental,
simulation, theoretical, case study).
✔ Define variables (independent/dependent
variables for experiments).
✔ Select tools/languages (e.g., MATLAB, Python,
NS-3, CAD software).
📌 Deliverable: Methodology flowchart/description.
🔹 4. Implementation/Experimentation
Objective: Build, simulate, or test the solution.
Steps:
✔ Develop prototypes/code (e.g., AI model,
network simulation).
✔ Collect data (experiments, surveys, datasets
like Kaggle).
✔ Document challenges & fixes.
📌 Deliverable: Working prototype/simulation
results.
🔹 5. Data Analysis & Results
Objective: Interpret findings and validate
hypotheses.
Steps:
✔ Analyze data (statistics, graphs, tables).
✔ Compare with existing work (Is your solution
better? Why?).
✔ Discuss limitations (e.g., small dataset,
assumptions).
📌 Deliverable: Results chapter with visualizations.
🔹 6. Conclusion & Future Work
Objective: Summarize contributions and suggest
improvements.
Steps:
✔ Restate key findings (Did you achieve
objectives?).
✔ Propose future enhancements (e.g., larger
dataset, hybrid models).
📌 Deliverable: Conclusion chapter (1–2 pages).
🔹 7. Thesis Writing & Formatting
Objective: Produce a polished, well-structured report.
Steps:
✔ Follow university guidelines (font, margins, citation
style).
✔ Proofread (grammar, clarity, coherence).
✔ Include all sections:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Conclusion
References
📌 Deliverable: Final thesis draft (PDF).
🔹 8. Presentation & Defense
Objective: Communicate findings effectively.
Steps:
✔ Prepare slides (10–15 mins: problem, methods,
results).
✔ Practice Q&A (anticipate questions on
limitations/contributions).
📌 Deliverable: Presentation slides + live demo (if
applicable).
📌 Sample Timeline (16-Week FYP)
Week Task
1–2 Topic finalization & proposal
3–5 Literature review
6–8 Methodology design
9–12 Implementation/Experiments
13–14 Data analysis & writing
15 Proofreading & submission
16 Presentation & defense
 Assignment

Deadline Tuesday, 30\4\2025

Exercise: Finding FYP Topics & Reliable References
Objective:
Identify 3 potential FYP topics in their field.
Find 2 credible references (journal/conference papers) for each topic
 ‫خلفية المشكلة (خاتمة ببيان المشكلة) ‪ -‬ما أهمية دراستها؟ ما‬
‫هي المشكلة قيد البحث؟‬
‫مراجعة األدبيات ‪ -‬ما الذي نعرفه مسبًقا عن هذه المشكلة أو‬
‫الموضع؟‬
‫المنهجية (المشاركون‪ ،‬األدوات‪ ،‬اإلجراءات) ‪ -‬كيف ُأجريت‬
‫الدراسة؟ من هم المشاركون؟ ما البيانات التي ُج معت وكيف؟‬
‫التحليل ‪ -‬ما هي النتائج؟ إلى ماذا أشارت البيانات؟‬
‫النتائج ‪ -‬ما هي آثار هذه النتائج؟ كيف تتفق أو تختلف مع األبحاث‬
‫السابقة؟ ما الذي ال يزال يتعين علينا تعلمه؟ ما هي حدود هذه‬
‫الدراسة؟‬
1. Define Your Problem And Purpose

The first step is to clearly define the problem that you want to solve or the
opportunity that you want to explore with your engineering project.

Why Define Your Problem And Purpose??

This will help you narrow down your scope, identify your stakeholders, and
formulate your research questions.
You also need to define the purpose of your research, whether it is to
explore, describe, explain, or evaluate something. This will help you decide
what kind of data you need and how to measure it.
2. Key Characteristics of a Good Research
Problem
A well-formulated research problem should be:
Clear and Specific: Avoid vague language (e.g.,
"Why do people behave badly?" → "What factors
influence workplace incivility among remote
employees?").
Relevant: Addresses a meaningful issue in
academia, industry, or society.
Feasible: Can be investigated within available
time, resources, and expertise.
Original: Adds new insights rather than duplicating
existing work.
Researchable: Can be answered through
2. Review existing literature and knowledge

The second step is to review the existing literature and knowledge on your topic, such as
books, journals, reports, databases, and online sources.

Why Review existing literature and knowledge?

This will help you gain a deeper understanding of the background, context, and gaps in your
field.
You can also learn from the research methods that others have used in similar or related
projects, and see what worked well and what did not.
You can also identify the best practices, standards, and ethical issues that you need to
consider in your research.
 Hands-On Activity (15 minutes) .
#chatgpt #literaturereview #ai #consensus

‫ أداة ذكاء اصطناعي ممتازة للبحث و‬Consensus ‫تعرف على‬

‫ و تجميع المقاالت‬Literature Review ‫عمل‬

:Case Study Analysis

Choose Your Research Design And Strategy
The third step is to choose your research design and strategy, which are the
overall plans and approaches that you use to conduct your research. Your
research design should align with your purpose, questions, and data needs.
There are different types of research designs, such as experimental, quasi-
experimental, observational, case study, survey, and action research. Your
research strategy should specify how you will collect, analyze, and interpret your
data. There are different types of research strategies, such as quantitative,
qualitative, mixed methods, or participatory.
4. Select your research methods and techniques

The fourth step is to select your research methods and techniques, which
are the specific tools and procedures that you use to implement your
research design and strategy. Your research methods and techniques
should be appropriate, reliable, valid, and feasible for your project. There
are different types of research methods and techniques, such as
interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments, surveys,
questionnaires, tests, simulations, models, prototypes, and software.
5. Evaluate your research methods and outcomes

The fifth step is to evaluate your research methods and outcomes, which
are the results and findings that you obtain from your data collection
and analysis.
How to Evaluate your research methods and outcomes?
• You should evaluate your research methods and outcomes based on the
criteria of relevance, accuracy, completeness, clarity, and usefulness.
You should also check for any errors, biases, limitations, or ethical issues that
may affect your research quality and credibility.
• You should also reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of your research
methods and outcomes, and how they can be improved or applied in future
projects.
6. Communicate your research methods and outcomes
The sixth step is to communicate your research methods and outcomes, which are the ways that you
present and share your data, findings, and recommendations with your stakeholders and audiences.

You should communicate your research methods and outcomes in a clear, concise, and engaging
manner, using appropriate formats, languages, and media.
You should also provide evidence, explanations, and arguments to support your claims and conclusions.
You should also acknowledge your sources, references, and contributions, and invite feedback and
suggestions for your research.
 Research Cycle
To be aware of the problems/issues explore
Do information search of the problem explore/gather
Formulate the research question identify
Generate ideas for hypothesis (solution) create
Test the hypothesis (implement solution) create
Verify, validate, benchmark generalize results gather/create
‫التحقق من صحة النتائج وإثبات صحتها وتعميمها‬

Disseminate the newly found knowledge share

‫نشر المعرفة المكتشفة حديًثا‬
Can do it better? Lesson learned? reflect
 What is Research Methodology ?
 A systematically methodical study in order to
prove a hypothesis or to answer a specific
question (research question).
 It follows a series of standard/designed
procedures and protocols.
 Executed using organized plans to achieve the
desired goals.
 Type of research
methodology
 Overview of key research methodologies used in engineering

● Overview of key research methodologies used in

engineering
● Common Research Approaches in Engineering
1. Experimental Research:
● Conducting experiments and simulations in
laboratories
● Collecting data and measurements
● Testing engineering models and systems
2. Theoretical Research:

● Developing mathematical models and theories

● Analyzing the behavior of engineering systems
● Simulating phenomena using computational
methods
3. Applied Research:

● Designing and developing new engineering

products and systems
● Improving the efficiency and performance of
existing technologies
● Focusing on practical solutions to engineering
problems
4. Interdisciplinary Research:
● Collaboration across different engineering
disciplines
● Integrating knowledge from fundamental
and applied sciences
● Addressing complex engineering problems
Research Tools and Techniques

● Laboratory experiments and field

observations
● Computer simulations and mathematical
modeling
● Statistical analysis and big data techniques
● Experimental design and data analysis
methods
 Communicating Research Findings:
Key Considerations in Engineering
Presenting Research
the research in a clear and concise manner
Defining the Research Problem: the results to the scientific community
Effectively disseminating
Identifying the research question or hypothesis
Understanding the context and significance of the problem
Research Design:
Selecting appropriate research methods and techniques
Ensuring the validity and reliability of the research
Data Collection and Analysis:
Gathering relevant data through various means
Applying appropriate data analysis techniques
Case Studies and Examples

Showcase successful engineering research projects

Highlight the impact and implications of the research findings
1. Define Your Problem And Purpose

The first step is to clearly define the problem that you want to solve or the
opportunity that you want to explore with your engineering project.

Why Define Your Problem And Purpose??

This will help you narrow down your scope, identify your stakeholders, and
formulate your research questions.
You also need to define the purpose of your research, whether it is to
explore, describe, explain, or evaluate something. This will help you decide
what kind of data you need and how to measure it.
2. Review existing literature and knowledge

The second step is to review the existing literature and knowledge on your topic, such as
books, journals, reports, databases, and online sources.

Why Review existing literature and knowledge?

This will help you gain a deeper understanding of the background, context, and gaps in your
field.
You can also learn from the research methods that others have used in similar or related
projects, and see what worked well and what did not.
You can also identify the best practices, standards, and ethical issues that you need to
consider in your research.
Choose Your Research Design And Strategy
The third step is to choose your research design and strategy, which are the
overall plans and approaches that you use to conduct your research. Your
research design should align with your purpose, questions, and data needs.
There are different types of research designs, such as experimental, quasi-
experimental, observational, case study, survey, and action research. Your
research strategy should specify how you will collect, analyze, and interpret your
data. There are different types of research strategies, such as quantitative,
qualitative, mixed methods, or participatory.
4. Select your research methods and techniques

The fourth step is to select your research methods and techniques, which
are the specific tools and procedures that you use to implement your
research design and strategy. Your research methods and techniques
should be appropriate, reliable, valid, and feasible for your project. There
are different types of research methods and techniques, such as
interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments, surveys,
questionnaires, tests, simulations, models, prototypes, and software.
5. Evaluate your research methods and outcomes

The fifth step is to evaluate your research methods and outcomes, which
are the results and findings that you obtain from your data collection
and analysis.
How to Evaluate your research methods and outcomes?
• You should evaluate your research methods and outcomes based on the
criteria of relevance, accuracy, completeness, clarity, and usefulness.
You should also check for any errors, biases, limitations, or ethical issues that
may affect your research quality and credibility.
• You should also reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of your research
methods and outcomes, and how they can be improved or applied in future
projects.
6. Communicate your research methods and outcomes
The sixth step is to communicate your research methods and outcomes, which are the ways that you
present and share your data, findings, and recommendations with your stakeholders and audiences.

You should communicate your research methods and outcomes in a clear, concise, and engaging
manner, using appropriate formats, languages, and media.
You should also provide evidence, explanations, and arguments to support your claims and conclusions.
You should also acknowledge your sources, references, and contributions, and invite feedback and
suggestions for your research.
 The Engineering
Detective

Starter
Conclusion
Engineering research requires a combination of
experimental, theoretical, and applied approaches
Interdisciplinary collaboration enhances the
effectiveness of engineering research
Utilizing modern tools and techniques can improve the
rigor and efficiency of engineering research
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=yplWZs3dqNQ

YouTube link
 Key Vocabulary

hypothesis, variables, data

collection, analysis, quantitative,
qualitative, experimental design,
validity, reliability, literature
review
 1 Method Selection
Maze

Main Activity 1
 2 Evaluating Case
Studies

Main Activity 2
 Reflect and Share

Plenary
 Key Vocabulary recap

hypothesis, variables, data

collection, analysis, quantitative,
qualitative, experimental design,
validity, reliability, literature
review
 {{image}}
Research
Methodology for
Engineering
Perspective
Objectives
1 Understand the fundamental concepts
of research methodology in engineering
contexts.
2 Identify and apply suitable research
methods for engineering projects.
3 Critically evaluate the effectiveness of
various research methodologies.