10/3/2019

Engineering Research
Methodology

Dr. Harish Gupta

UGC-Assistant Professor
Dpet. Of Civil Engineering UCE OU

"Before you start some work, always

ask yourself three questions –
Why am I doing it?
What the results might be? and
Will I be successful?
Only when you think deeply and find
satisfactory answers to these
questions, go ahead." ~ Chanakya

1
 10/3/2019

Course Goals and Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
 Read, interpret, and critically evaluate research.
 Identify, explain, and apply the basic concepts of research, such as
variables, operationalization, sampling, reliability, and validity.
 Recognize the ethical issues involved in research, and practice ethical
research standards.
 Identify and explain the difference between quantitative, qualitative, and
mixed methods research and what types of research questions can be
answered with each method.
 Use theory and previous research to create research questions and
hypotheses and to identify and analyze the appropriate method and
variables needed for research questions.
 Use a variety of research methods through hands-on experience.
 Construct a coherent research proposal that includes an abstract,
introduction, literature review, research questions, ethical considerations,
and methodology.

Defination: Research Methodology

• It is the specific procedures or techniques used
to identify, select, process, and analyze
information about a topic.
• In a research paper, the methodology
section allows the reader to critically evaluate a
study’s overall validity and reliability.
• The methodology section answers two main
questions: How was the data collected or
generated? How was it analyzed?

2
 10/3/2019

Need of Research Methodology

• Most people first encounter research as part
of a school or college course.
• A piece of research is usually included in any
advanced degree course, and may also be
integral to an academic degrees.

Need of Research Methodology

• Research methodology is transformative and
central to an enhanced postgraduate research
experience.
• Research methods courses offer students the
opportunity to learn the various aspects of the
research process, framing useful research
questions, research design, data collection,
analysis, writing and presentation.
• High completion rates in postgraduate education
are linked to the quality of research methods
courses and postgraduate supervision.
• Many successful supervisors are also
knowledgeable about various research methods.

3
 10/3/2019

Need of Research Methodology

• Research methodology provides students with
the necessary knowledge to undertake better
research and conceivably become successful
career researchers.
• Moreover, teaching research methodology to
students has become more critical than ever
because of the changing nature of data.
• The growth in data generated by machines,
software applications, sensors and networks and
the associated complexity of the research
environment suggest that the ability to
understand and judiciously use data to make
useful decisions is becoming an essential
competency of the data-intensive society.

Need of Research Methodology

• Increasing volumes of data and an emphasis on the
data-intensive economy also require graduates to
acquire data and research literacy skills for future
employability.
• The current structure and content of many research
methods courses cannot adequately support
students to acquire the competencies they need to
deal with complex data and new analytical tools.
• What is more, those involved in the teaching of
research methods courses tend to teach the same
content for many years, in the same way, despite the
changing nature of data (for instance, big data,
analytics), and the complexity of the environment.

4
 10/3/2019

Need of Research Methodology

• Research methodology programmes need to be
redesigned to reflect the changing complexity of
data structures, analysis and presentation.
• It is quite conceivable that in the future, research
methodology will become an essential part of
data science.
• Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses
scientific methods, processes, algorithms and
systems to harvest and extract knowledge from
all forms of data using machine learning
techniques.

A Ph.D. is a research training degree

and in understanding or investigating
your specific research area you should
have learnt and further developed
the research skills, training and
expertise to carry out research in a
range of similar disciplines.

5
 10/3/2019

for a Researcher

The only way to do good research is

to get on with it
“There’s no point having really
good ideas if you don’t put them
into action,”.
“Write for grants, write papers.”

6
 10/3/2019

When opportunity knocks, open the

door

Be prepared to take
risks with new
ventures: “If there’s
an opportunity there
for you and it’s in
your interests to
pursue it, then get on
and do it.”

With good people you can do

anything
Having a good team is one of the most rewarding
aspects of work, and don’t be afraid of high
achievers around. “You should only take
someone on if they can do something you can’t,”
he says. “Your whole operation will only grow if
you’ve got people who are better than you are,
and you shouldn’t be ashamed or insecure about
that.”

7
 10/3/2019

It’s not about your knowledge – it’s

about imagination and ideas
Although a certain level of knowledge is
essential, however you can always look up
anything else you need to know – what you
should focus on is coming up with new ideas.
And as well as drawing on the talent in your
team, you should also turn to your peers for
inspiration. “Science is very much a social
activity – you’ve got to get out there,
network and have collaborators,”.

"I am enough of an artist to draw

freely upon my imagination.
Imagination is more important
than knowledge. Knowledge is
limited. Imagination encircles
the world"........Albert Einstein

8
 10/3/2019

Always bring something to the party

It takes two to
collaborate – if you
don’t have something
to contribute, your
partners will move on

It’s not the size of your gun, it’s when

you shoot
“It’s a popular misconception that
you just throw money and lots of
people at an idea and it will
work,”.
Not always true– you need to
shoot at the right time to hit the
target.

9
 10/3/2019

If the system doesn’t work for you, change

it, do something else or don’t complain

Fairly self-explanatory, this one – be

proactive and decisive, because
“nobody likes a whinger”.

Don’t ask why, ask why not

“If you’re a scientist, do not take

no for an answer, because every
no is one step closer to a yes,”.
Be persistent and find out what
you need to do to get that yes.

10
 10/3/2019

The journey is usually far more

rewarding than the destination
So remember to enjoy the ride:
“It’s such a wonderful thing,
being a scientist, because you’re
in the process of discovery, and
that’s a lot of fun.”

Be nice to people

Of all the commandments, this is

ultimately the most important –
not only because it’s the right
thing to do, but also because you
never know when someone will
have something that you want.

11
 10/3/2019

Things You are Doing Now will Decide

Your Future
• Think Logically
• Not be Narrow Minded and Look for Positive Aspects
• Help Others and Try to Learn
• Always Discuss
• Keep Looking for Opportunities
• Learn More Instruments, Techniques and Software
• Update your Library
• Read More, Present More, Write More
• Improve Language/English

DO NOT HESITATE And BE AMBITIOUS

Acknowledgment(s) and
Co-Authorship(s)

12
 10/3/2019

Important
• Types of publications
• SCI vs Open Access vs Paid / Predatory Journals
• Impact Factor
• H index
• i10 index
• Citation
• Citation Manager
• Google Earth
• Google Scholar
• Wikipedia
• Research Gate
• Academia.edu
• Sci-hub.tw

Types of journal manuscripts

There are several different types of journal manuscripts, including Rapid
Communications, Original Research, Review Articles, and Case Studies.
• Original Research:
This is the most common type of journal manuscript. It may be called an Original
Article, Research Article, or just Article, depending on the journal. The Original Research
format is suitable for many different fields and different types of studies. It includes full
Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.
• Rapid Communications:
These papers communicate findings that editors believe will be interesting to many
researchers, and that will likely stimulate further research in the field. Rapid
Communications are usually published soon after submission to the journal, so this
format is useful for scientists with results that are time sensitive (for example, those in
highly competitive or quickly-changing disciplines). This format often has strict length
limits, so some experimental details may not be published until the authors write a full
Original Research manuscript.
• Research Letters:
These are communications-length articles on major scientific advances in all major
disciplines. Papers and should have broad and immediate implications in their discipline
or across thefield.

13
 10/3/2019

Types of journal manuscripts

• Review Articles:
Review Articles provide a comprehensive summary of research on a certain topic, and
a perspective on the state of the field and where it is heading. They are often written
by leaders in a particular discipline after invitation from the editors of a journal.
Reviews are often widely read (for example, by researchers looking for a full
introduction to a field) and highly cited.Reviews commonly cite approximately 100
primary research articles.
• Commentaries
It provide reflections or context around a recent article in a journal, an emerging or
controversial topic in a specific scientific field, a scientific topic with societal
implications, or a recent meeting, session, or workshop.
• Comments
It elaborate, criticize, or correct papers previously published in AGU journals.
Comments are limited to the equivalent of 2 published pages.
• Replies
Replies are written by the authors of the paper being commented on. Replies are
limited to the equivalent of 2 published pages (about 5 publishing units).

Types of journal manuscripts

• Frontier Articles:
These are invited articles that present a review of recent cutting-edge advances in a
leading scientific field at the forefront of one or several AGU disciplines, if possible
including new results.
• Technical Reports: Data
Data papers describe important Earth and space science data sets and observations,
including those that support innovative research and theoretical developments
published elsewhere. The papers should provide an example of a relevant scientific
application to demonstrate the usefulness of the data. The data set may refer to
experimental studies, lab measurements, modeling output, or observations.
• Technical Reports: Methods
Methods papers describe new analytical or experimental methods and other technical
advances, including computer programs and instrumentation, that enable new
science.
• Case Studies:
These articles report specific instances of interesting phenomena. A goal of Case
Studies is to make other researchers aware of the possibility that a specific
phenomenon might occur. This type of study is often used in medicine to report the
occurrence of previously unknown or emerging pathologies.

14
 10/3/2019

Science Citation Index (SCI)

• The Science Citation Index (SCI) is a citation index
originally produced by the Institute for Scientific
Information (ISI) in 1964.
• It is now owned by Clarivate Analytics (previously the
Intellectual Property and Science business of Thomson
Reuters).
• The larger version (Science Citation Index Expanded)
covers more than 8,500 notable and significant journals,
across 150 disciplines, from 1900 to the present.
• These are alternatively described as the world's leading
journals of science and technology, because of a
rigorous selection process.
• The index is made available online through different
platforms, such as the Web of Science and SciSearch.

Open access
• Open access (OA) is a mechanism by which
research outputs are distributed online, free
of cost or other barriers, and, in its most
precise meaning, with the addition of an open
license that removes most restrictions on use
and reuse.
• The main focus of the open access movement
is "peer reviewed research literature.

15
 10/3/2019

Predatory publishing
• Predatory publishing, or more rarely write-only
publishing or deceptive publishing, is an exploitative,
and typically open-access, academic publishing
business model that involves charging publications fees
(also known as article processing charges, or APCs) to
authors without checking articles for quality and
legitimacy and without providing the other editorial
and publishing services associated with legitimate
journals (open access or not).
• The idea that they are "predatory" is based on the view
that academics are tricked into publishing with them,
though some authors may be aware that the journal is
poor quality or even fraudulent.
• New scholars from developing countries are said to be
especially at risk of being misled by predatory
practices.

Impact factor
• The impact factor (IF) or journal impact factor
(JIF) of an academic journal is a scientometric
index that reflects the yearly average number
of citations that recent articles published in a
given journal received.
• It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative
importance of a journal within its field;
journals with higher impact factors are often
deemed to be more important than those
with lower ones.

16
 10/3/2019

Research Methodology: Unit 1

• Meaning of Research
• Objectives of Research
• Motivation in Research
• Types of Research
• Research Approaches
• Significance of Research
• Research Methods versus Methodology
• Research and Scientific Method
• Importance of Knowing How Research is Done
• Research Process
• Criteria of Good Research
• Problems Encountered by Researchers in India

“Do not be afraid of small

beginnings, great things come
afterwards. Be courageous.”
..........Swami Vivekananda

17