SRBmagͲAnInterdisciplinaryOpenAccessJournal

http://www.srbmag.org 
ISSN:0975Ͳ0754
Volume1,Issue1,Pages3Ͳ6,2009 

Article
AResearcher’’sPerspective
K.J.Thomas,Member,SRB 
DepartmentofElectronicandElectricalEngineering,SungkyunkwanUniversity,Suwon440Ͳ746,
RepublicofKorea
EͲmail:kalarikad@skku.edu

This article is based on a seminar I gave in the Sungkyunkwan University to graduate students
who are venturing into a research career. I do not claim this is complete or indisputable. The
contents are based on my own experience as a researcher as well as by watching other
researchers around me.  Some of them were quite successful and some ran into difficult
situationsduetoonereasonoranother.Ihopethiswillbejustareadablearticletoanyonewho
wishestodoaPh.D.


Broadlyspeaking,anyeducationalsystemhasapyramidalstructure.Fromthedayweareborn,weareinpursuit
of knowledge.  Primary education lays the foundation of our education, which broadens in the secondary, from
thereonitdeepens.Finally,whenitreachestheresearchlevel,youwillhavechosenafineraspectofabroadarea
underasubjectfield.

There are several topics in research one can talk about. We can have a discussion on basic research, applied
research,modernresearch,orresearchinmedievaldays.Butmyplanhereistotalkfrommyownperspectiveasa
researchersomeyearsback,anddiscusswhatisinstoreforaresearchstudentinthepresentworld.Sothisisnot
forexperiencedresearchers,andIamnottryingtodefineamethodology.

It is difficult to say when the seed of research is laid in you. As we progress through our years of school and
universityeducation,sometimesomehowyoudevelopavagueinterestinsomething.Inthislongperiod,atopicor
a broad area has kindled some preferential interest in you, which grows and eventually leads us to take a finer
aspectofthatfieldandcarryoutadetailedstudy.Theseallsoundgood,butwhatmayactuallyhappenisoncewe
havechosenabroadarea,youmayencounterdifficultyinchoosingtheactualtopicofresearch.Thisisbecause,in
modern days,a student joins a particulargroup in adepartment, where there are sometimes limited choice, or
maybeaskedtodoaworkwhichyouhavenotactuallythoughtabout.Ishallreturntosuchissueslaterinthis
article,forthetimebeing,letusbeginassuminganidealcase.

Oncewehavecomeacrossatopicofinterestwithanurgetodofurtherstudies,lifeismucheasier.Ifresearchisa
passion,thenyouwillnotfeeltheburdenofit,ifnotIwouldnotrecommendanyonetotakeupresearch.WhatI
meanis,ifthemotivationiscleartoyouthingsareeasier.Aresearchdegreebringsinlotofrespectandpositionin
a society. Butif the motivations to do research are these aspects,then your research career wouldnot be very
enjoyable. Because nowyou are looking forward to thefuture, meansthe life after Ph. D., whereas if youhave
genuinecuriosityandpassiontodoresearch,youwillhaveanenjoyable3Ͳ4years,andwhatevercomesafterthat
willbejustabonus!

̹ƒ—–Š‘”•…‹‡–‹ˆ‹…‡˜‹‡™‘ƒ”† ƒ‰‡͵

K.J.ThomasSRBmag,Vol.1,Issue1,3Ͳ6(2009)


Thechoiceofplacetoconductyourresearchisimportanttoo.WhetheritisHarvardorDelhi,youwanttothink
aboutwhatisthebestforyourfieldofstudy,andwhattheambienceislike.Forexample,isthereanacademic
atmosphere,library,otherfacilitiesetc.,orisitinthemiddleofanindustrialestate,wherethereisnopeaceand
tranquillityrequiredforcontemplation.

Whatisyourlevelofcommitment?Doyouhaveotherinterestswhichdonotallow100%effortinresearch?Do
youhaveanailingrelativetotakecareof,orareyouarestrugglingfinanciallytomeetbothendsinyourfamily?
Thisisverycrucial,asoneshouldnotcarryanyfancynotionsaboutresearch,becauseitishardworkandafull
timejob!Thestudentshouldbearinmindthatthisisnotacoursestudy,mostofthetimes,youareyourmaster!
Therefore it is important to exhibit maturity and discipline, and self introspection time to time. Of course
interactions with the supervisor are very important, but remember supervisor is not a person teaching you
somethingthathe/shealreadyhasknown.Yoursupervisorisjustacompanioninyourresearchjourney.He/sheis
apersonwhohasmoreexperiencethanyou,thereforeyoucanseekadvice.Butdonotassumeyoursupervisor
hasmoreresponsibilitythanyouhave.Afterall,researchisdiscoveringyourowninventivemind,sobecreative
andlavishinimaginations!Donotbelikeaschoolkid,beproactive,donotwaitforyourteachertotellyouto
think.Duringinteractionswithyoursupervisororpeers,bebraveenoughtoputforwardsuggestions,evenifthey
looksillyfirsttime.Expressyourideas,andlaterlookatthefollyofthem,andrevisetheideas,beopenͲmindedto
suggestanddropthem!Thatishowyougrowintoaresearcher.Donotbealearnerstandingonthefringes,itis
importanttocometothecentrestageandperformyouract.

In research, one has to proceed through several stages. You will have small tasks, bigger tasks, and even bigger
tasksintherunupbeforeyoucompleteyourPh.D.Everylittletaskrequiresthinking,planning,andexecution.In
ordertoaccomplishanytask,bedisciplinedanddoittotheend.Oneshouldnotbetoorigid,butstillneedfirm
decisions.Ifyoufindyourlineofactionnotworking,behonestandacceptit.Iftheprojectisnotprogressingwell,
knowwhentodropit.Discusswithyoursupervisor,andiftheoverallplanisnotlookinggood,dropitassoonas
you are convinced. One has to carefully think how practical it is to switch between projects if something is not
goingwell.AfterallPh.Disnotalifelongaffair(butresearchis!),itistimebound.Sobepractical,anddonotwait
untilthethirdyeartochangeyourproject!

Keepingyoursupervisorinformedofanypracticaldifficultieswithyourresearchisveryimportant.Begenuineand
honest, do not make stories, this is not a joke; do not waste your time and the supervisor’’s time! If you have
personal problems, discuss with someone if not your supervisor. It is important that your mind is free of
preoccupations or personal problems. You cannot do good research if you are fighting with your girlfriend or
boyfriend.Personaloremotionalproblemsshouldbesortedoutfirstandlatercomeback,anddoresearch.

Interactionisakeyelementinresearch,discussyourresultswithyourpeers,giveatalkbeforeyourgroup,and
receivefeedbacksandsuggestions.Inresearch,openyourmindtoreceivenewideas.Beopentocriticismsand
feedbacks. If someone says your work lacks, think why he/she says so. Is there any genuine reason for the
comments?Ifthereisroomforimprovement,takeitaspositiveandacceptthem.Evenifyoudonotacceptthem
straight away, if those comments bother you, take it for granted they are useful to you, so consider them! If
someoneisattackingyouallthetime,andonacampaignagainstyou,youcaneasilyspotthat.Inthiscasethebest
wayistoignorethem!Ifthatdoesnotworkhaveaquietwordwiththeperson.

Gettingyourworkknowntothewiderpublicisimportant.Youhaveasocialcommitment,anditalsohelpsyour
work recognized by authorities. But one should learn how to judge oneself, and make amends as one progress.
SelfͲassessyourworkperiodically.

̹ƒ—–Š‘”•…‹‡–‹ˆ‹…‡˜‹‡™‘ƒ”† Page|4
K.J.ThomasSRBmag,Vol.1,Issue1,3Ͳ6(2009)


Youmaybeanewcomertotheresearchgroup,orthedepartmentyouhaveenrolledwith.Maybeyouarefamiliar
withtheplace,butonlyasanundergraduate.Nowyouhaveadifferentrole.Maybeyouarealonememberunder
yoursupervisor,oroneamongmanyinagroup.Howdoyoucopewiththebeginning?

Beginningisimportant,asalways.Donotgetoveranxious,orifyoucan,donotbeanxiousatall!Workyourway
inslowly.Mindyourselfifyouarearrivingintoagroup,therewillalwaysbesomeinstantwelcomeandinstant
rejections.Donotpaytoomuchattentiontoeitherextreme,takeyourtime.Interactionwilleasetheatmosphere.
Donotmakejudgments.Talkandbereadytolearnfromthem.Youdon’’tgainanythingbystandͲoffs!Acceptthat
youareheretolearn,andyouacceptthatyouareignorant!Thencanyoulearn.

Yourlabisyoursecondhome.Cometothelaboryourworkplaceregularly.Youlearnsomethingeveryday.Evenif
thereisnoworkonaparticularday,justcomeandinteractwithyoursenior/fellowstudents,talktothem.You
maythinkyouarewastingtime,butyoulearnalotbybeinginthere.

Attending seminars is important too. A seminar is not like a class room lecture. You may fail to understand
anythingfirsttime.Thisisnormal.Nevertheless,attendseminars,youmaygetoneidea,orapieceofinformation
fromit,theeffortisworthwhile.Alltheselittleeffortshelpenhanceyourintellectualcapabilities,andwidenyour
knowledgebase.

Takeyourworktoaconferenceandpresentitbeforeawideraudience.Takedownnotesonyourdiscussionwith
anybody.Keepalabbooktonotedownallideasandpoints.Donotthinkyouwillremembertheminthreeyears
time,sowritethemdownnow!

Donotjustsitdownwithloadsofpaperstoreadfirsttime.Youwon’’tunderstandathinginthebeginning!Thisis
OK,donotworry!Itwilltakesometimeforyoutounderstandthejargon.Alotofinformationisavailableonthe
internet. Old style of literature survey done spending hours in a library is no more required. Data bases on the
internetarequiteexhaustive.However,donotjustsurfontheinternetalwaysforreference.Gotothelibraryand
readsomeoftheoldtextbooksquietlywheneveryougettime.Youwillbeamazedtofindthatwhatyoulearnt
duringyourundergradyearswerereallyinteresting,andrediscoveryourinterestinatopicwhichyoudidn’’tlike
thatmuch!

Itisimportantforyoutokeeptrackofthenewdevelopmentinthefield.Ifyoucannotfollowthelatest,reada
recent review article. Knowing the field, do not try to start from the beginning. It won’’t be possible to read all
historyandcometothepresent.Itmaybemorepracticaltostartwiththecurrent,andgobackwardsasrequired.
Warning! Reading is important, but do not do it all day. Do some practical things, if you are a theoretical
researcher,engageinconversationsonthetopic.

Ifyouareaskedtodoatopicwhichyouhavenoparticularinterestin,whatdoyoudo?Oftenthesedays,youdo
not choose a topic independently. As it involves investment, your supervisor or group will have an interest in a
particularfield.Simpleansweris:Asfaraspossibletrytoagreeuponthebroadareabeforeyoujoin.Afteryou
startyourcourse,youmaybeaskedtostudyacertainaspect,asafeasibilitystudy.Thismaybeuninterestingto
youinitially.Butthereisscopeforthistoturnupintosomethingbetter.Sotakeitasanopportunity.Youare
askedmeansyouarecapable!Soacceptthatasanhonour,andmakeanefforthonestly.Notopicisadeadend,
there are several possibilities in it, and you will find something which will interest you! Of course if practical
difficultiesareinvolved,talktoyoursupervisor,andmakechangesaccordingly.Mostofthetimes,itisamental
blockandyoucanovercomethisifyoudecidetochangeyourmind!

̹ƒ—–Š‘”•…‹‡–‹ˆ‹…‡˜‹‡™‘ƒ”† Page|5
K.J.ThomasSRBmag,Vol.1,Issue1,3Ͳ6(2009)


Sometimesyoumayfindyoursupervisorisnotlisteningtoyou.Maybehe/sheisquiteunreasonable.First,think
whetherallwhatyouthinkabouthim/herappliestoyouaswell.Areyouunreasonable,areyoulisteningtothe
supervisor?Agoodrelationshipbetweenyouandyoursupervisorisabsolutelynecessary,becauseyoubothhave
toseeeachotherforthenext3Ͳ4years.Donotworryaboutindividualcharacteristicstoomuch.Acceptthatallare
different,andtrytofindgoodelementsinothers.Youwillbeamazedtofindyourselftoneddown,youwillbeless
agitated,andcalmnesswilldawnuponyoubygivingin!Andthisisagreatexperience.Youaredevelopingsome
socialskills.

Maintain a clean and orderly atmosphere in the lab. Be organized, but it doesn’’t mean you spend hours
redesigningyourlabeveryotherday!Acertainamountofdisorderwillbethere,thisisfineandgood!Sleepwell,
andmaintainsomehealthyroutine.Ifyouhavetospendhoursinthelaboccasionally,takeabreakandcatchup
onyoursleepetc..Justkeepacommonsenseapproachalways.

Writingpapers:Youarenewtothefield.Paperwritingisdifferentfromstorywriting.Presentationisimportant,
butwedon’’tneedfantasyhere!Writeadraft,anddonottakeimmediatelytoyourpeers.Yousitdownandread
it!Readagainatadifferentlocationandtimeofday!Locationisimportant!Evaluateyourwriting,andbinit!Do
thisseveraltimes,beforeyouhavecometoapointwhereyoucannotpossiblyimprovethewritinganymore.Then
takeityourseniorstudent,orsupervisor,anddiscusswithhimyourdifficulties.Hewillgiveyouadvicesonhowto
makefurtherprogress.Remember,youmaybeabletounderstandyourpaperwiththepreͲknowledgeofthefiner
aspects of your research, but a third person reading may not have enough information there, or too much
informationtheretomakeitcumbersome!Checkoutforrepetitions,trimdowntoessentialwordswhichconvey
themessage.Usescientificstyleofwriting,orwhateverisappropriateinthatfieldofwork,andimportantlydonot
claimnovelty!Thereisnothingnewinthisworldthatourpredecessorshaven’’tknown!Allyoucandoisdiscover,
andrediscover!

Scientifichonesty:Yourresearchisonlyasegmentofachainofactivity.Ithasnotstartedwithyou;neitherwillit
endwithyou!Inthislimitedtimewhatevercontributionyoumakeisrequiredtobehonest.Youwillhavetotake
allpossibleprecautionsnottomisleadyoursuccessors!If,afterpublicationofadata,yourealizesomethingwas
wrong,immediatelyretractthepaperfully,orpublishcorrections.

Research is not always about new discoveries. It is a time bound exercise where you study a topic in some
considerable depth. Maybe you will find a new result, maybe you prove an old result wrong, or you may just
confirmanoldresultandaddfewmoredetailstoit.Allthesearegoodresearch,sodonotjustworryaboutresults
andstartcomparingyouwithEinstein!Finally,donotexpectNobelPrize!Lettheworktakecareofitself.Havean
enjoyableresearchlife!

̹ƒ—–Š‘”•…‹‡–‹ˆ‹…‡˜‹‡™‘ƒ”† Page|6