Basics of Research

Dr. R. Sridharan
Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department
sreedhar@nitc.ac.in

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 Important Quotations
 "If I had my life to live again, I would still pursue an
academic career - there is no better choice."
- Adel Sedra

 “Research is great fun and hard work! (But not

always in that order).”
- Sorenson

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 Overview of Presentation

 Introduction

 Research Questions and Research Hypotheses

 Research Process

 Requirements of Research

 Qualities for Success in Research

 Conclusion
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 Definition of Research
 Research is a systematic, self-
self-critical enquiry.
 The enquiry is aimed at understanding a thing
or phenomenon or solving a probllem.
probllem.

 Types of Research
 Basic or Fundamental Research
 Applied Research
 Academic Research
 Sponsored Research
 Consultancy Research 4
 What Research is not
 Research is not information gathering:
• Gathering information from resources such as
books or magazines is not research.
 No contribution to new knowledge.

 Research is not the transportation of facts:

• Merely transporting facts from one resource to
another does not constitute research.
 No contribution to new knowledge although this
might make existing knowledge more
accessible.
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 Research Characteristics
 Originates with a question or problem.
 Requires clear articulation of a goal.
 Follows a specific plan or procedure.
 Often divides the main problem into subproblems
subproblems..
 Guided by specific problem, question, or
hypothesis.
 Accepts certain critical assumptions.
 Requires collection and interpretation of data.

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 Example:
Main Problem:
 How do I get from Town A to Town B?

Subproblems::
Subproblems
 What route appears to be the most direct one?

 Is the most direct one also the quickest one? If not,

what route might take the least amount of time?
 Which is more important to me: minimizing travel
time or minimizing energy consumption?
 At what critical junctions in the chosen route, must
I turn right or left? 7
 Examples of Research Questions
Example Research question ‘why?’
Why did the wind turbine fail in 100 kph winds?
 This question suggests a number of avenues of

investigation.
For example, the researchers might:
 Review the literature for previous failure reports,

 Assess the wind conditions at the time of failure,

 Undertake numerical modelling experiments,

 Review fatigue and possible points of weakness,

 Conduct inspections of other wind turbines located

in the area. 8
 Example Research question ‘what?’
What is the effect on the strength of concrete
when recycled concrete is used in the mix?
This question suggests a number of avenues of
investigation.
For example, the researchers might:
 Review the literature seeking results from previous
trials,
 Conduct compression and shear experiments using
different mixtures of concrete,
 Conduct strength calculations based on aggregate
strength theory. 9
 Example Research question ‘how?’
How can the braking system of a railway
carriage be self-activating when its velocity
exceeds a threshold value?
This question suggests a number of avenues of
investigation.
For example the researchers might:
 Review the literature and patents for automatic
braking systems, Calculate the braking power
required,
 Conduct model-based experiments on braking
systems. 10
 Example Research question ‘when?’
When will the roof bolts in an underground tunnel fail
through environmental degradation?
This question suggests a number of avenues of
investigation.
For example the researchers might:
 Review the literature for previous studies in different

rock types and environmental conditions,

 Review the types of roof bolts in common use,
 Conduct a survey of rock bolts in different tunnel
environments to assess degradation,
 Conduct experiments to measure the degradation of the
roof bolts under accelerated environmental conditions. 11
 Research Hypothesis
 A research hypothesis is a knowledgeable statement
that is tentatively advanced to account for particular
facts.
 It is a testable idea or testable question on some
phenomenon of interest.
 We call it a testable question because we believe that
the truth or falsity of it can be investigated by
recording facts (data) on the phenomenon of interest.
 If an experiment is used to investigate the question,
then the research / scientific hypothesis is referred to
as an experimental hypothesis.

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 Research process
•Expert opinion Research Research
•Initial observation problem problem
identification definition

 Literature review Development of

Identification
of variables hypothesis/
Theoretical framework model
Research problem formulation •Types of research
•Measurement design
Research
•Sampling design
Research design
•Data collection method
proposal •Analysis method
Conducting
research •Primary data collection
study
•Hypothesis testing
No Research •Model testing
problem Analysis
•Derivation of
solution? of data
relationship
Report of results and 13
inferences Yes
Acquiring knowledge
leading
to
Ph.D.

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Imagine a circle that contains all of
human knowledge

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By the time you finish elementary
school, you know a little

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By the time we finish high school, we
know a bit more

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With a bachelor's degree, we gain a
specialty

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A master's degree deepens that
specialty

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Reading research papers takes us to the
edge of human knowledge

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Once we are at the boundary, we focus

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We push at the boundary for a few years

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Until one day, the boundary gives way

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And, that dent we have made is called a Ph.D.

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So, don't forget the bigger picture

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Three Qualities for Success in Research

● Perseverance
Steadfastness of purpose, constant effort
● Tenacity
Stubborn determination
● Cogency
Ability to clearly and forcefully convince the
ideas – in person and in writing.
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 Success has little to do with qualifications, but
Ph.D. is essential.
 Ph.D. stands for Passion, Hunger and Discipline.

 In order to be successful in life, one needs to be

 Passionate about what one desires,

 have a Hunger to work for it, and

 Discipline to keep up the work in the face of adversity.

 Becoming a Passionate, Hungry and Disciplined person

can put one on the road to success.

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 Two Sets of Skills for Research

Technical Skills Soft Skills

 Understanding scientific  Time management abilities

method  Courses vs research
 In depth knowledge on the  Good communication skills
topic  Oral
 understanding of the issues  Written

 State-of
State- of--the
the--art  Problem solving
 Lab skills  Working under pressure
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 Six General Tools of Research

 The library and its resources

 Computer technology
 Measurement
 Statistics
 Language
 The human mind

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 References
• Cooper, D. R. and Schindler, P. S., (2009 2009),
), “Business Research
Methods”, Tata McGraw Hill, 9th Edition
Edition..
• Hair Jr, J. F., Celsi
Celsi,, M. W., Money, A. H., Samouel
Samouel,, P., and Page, M.
J., “Essentials of Business Research Methods”, Segment Books,
2011..
2011
• Krishnaswamy,, K.N., Sivakumar
Krishnaswamy Sivakumar,, A.I., and Mathirajan
Mathirajan,, M.,
Management Research Methodology, Pearson Education , 2006 2006..
• Prakash Iyer
Iyer,, “The Habit of Winning”, Penguin Books Ltd.,
Ltd., 2013
• Prakash Iyer
Iyer,, “The Secret of Leadership”, Penguin Books Ltd., 2013
2013..
• Santiago,, N.G., Research Methodology
Santiago Methodology:: An Overview, Technical
Report, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University
of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
Mayagüez,, Mayaguez, USA, 20092009..
• Thiel, D. V., Research Methods for Engineers, Cambridge University
Press, 2014
2014.. 30
 3 Qualities of Successful Ph.D. Students: Perseverance,
Tenacity and Cogency, available from
http://matt.might.net/articles/successful-phd-students/,
accessed on November 23, 2016.
 Dredze,, M and Wallach, H. M., “How
Dredze “ to Be a
Successful PhD Student”, ”, available from:
https://people.cs.umass.edu/~wallach/how_to_be_a_su
ccessful_phd_student.pdf accessed on November 23,
2016..
2016
 desJardins, M., “How to Be a Good Graduate Student”,
Available from:
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/how.2b/how.2b.html,
accessed on November 23, 2016.
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 Hamming, R., “You and Your Research”, Available
.
from: http://magic.aladdin.cs.cmu.edu/2005/07/26/you-
and-your-research/, accessed on accessed on November
23, 2016.
 “If I were starting over...” , Advice for EE Graduate
Students, Department of Electrical Engineering,
Stanford University, Available from:
www.stanford.edu/dept/physics/publications/StartingO
verBooklet.pdf, accessed on November 23, 2016.

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