PLANNING YOUR

RESEARCH

Prepared by: Jonah Lee I. Bas, MSCE

 INTRODUCTION
Cognitive Skills Role of Supervisor Writing Skills Information and Technology Skills
COGNITIVE SKILLS
Students embarking on a
research project are expected to
have gained sufficient knowledge
in their field of study.
ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR
While carrying out the research project,
the student will be working under a
supervisor whose role is to advise the
student on the technical content of the
research project and to assess the
performance of the student.
WRITING SKILLS
To complete a research project
successfully, students also need
good language and technical
writing skills.
IT SKILLS
Research projects require the
use of a certain degree of office
productivity software.
 CHOOSING A
RESEARCH PROJECT
 How much do I
What are the already know
resources about the
available to me research topic?

What type of for carrying out

research work the project? 4
would I like to
conduct? 3
Which field in
my discipline
appeals to me?
2
1 BASIC CONSIDERATIONS
 RESEARCHING
A TOPIC
Keywords Sources of Information Types of Information
“ There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and
time, which is all we have, must be paid for their acquiring.

Ernest Hemingway
Death in the Afternoon, 1932
The best way to learn about a
topic is to read other
researchers’ publications.
KEYWORDS
To search for relevant
information in any sources, you
will first need to identify the
keywords that define your
project.
SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
The Internet is the most popular source of
information. Be systematic when searching for
information on the Internet and record your searches.
A more reliable way of seeking information on your
topic is to use library resources. Books and published
theses are excellent publications to start your
research on a topic. Besides hardcopy publications,
libraries subscribe to electronic databases as well.
TYPES OF INFORMATION

1 How relevant is the information to your research topic?

2 If the information is relevant, what is its significance?

3 If the information is related to research method, is the

research method clearly explained?
TYPES OF INFORMATION

4 If the information is related to materials and methods, what

were the materials and methods used?

5 If the information is related to results and discussions, how

did the author analyse and interpret the data?

How does the information contribute to your understanding of

6 the research topic? What are the strengths and limitations of
the information?
 WRITING A
RESEARCH PROJECT
PROPOSAL
“ Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
knowledge is limited to all that we now know and
understand, while imagination embraces the entire world,
and all there ever will be to know and understand.

Albert Einstein
Proposals in engineering and the
technical sciences require not just
knowledge of the field but also
imagination to apply that
knowledge to solve problems.
STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Title

Here are three guidelines for writing an effective title:

1. Indicate clearly the content and focus of the research project.

2. Make it clear and concise. The primary function of a title is to provide a
precise summary of the paper’s content so avoid unnecessary details. A
good title should be no more than 15 to 20 words.
3. Make it descriptive; include keywords that describe the proposal.
STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Theoretical Background

Possible format :
• Introduce the area of research
• Review key research papers
• Identify any gap in knowledge or questions that needs to be answered
• Your hypotheses or research objectives
• Scope of your research project
STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Significance and Contribution

Include in the proposal a paragraph or two on the importance of your

research and state how it will contribute to knowledge and
understanding of certain issues. Relate the expected outcomes of your
research to the objectives stated in the Introduction, so that the
significance of your study and the contribution to knowledge is apparent.
STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Methodology

Include a description and rationale for the methods of data collection and analysis,
and the materials used. Typically, this section uses subheadings and is written using
the future tense.

In deciding on the subheadings to use, think of the kind of research you are proposing:
• Experimental—equipment, materials, method
• Modelling—assumptions, mathematical tools, method
• Computational—inputs, computational tools, method
STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
List of References

List all the sources cited in your research proposal by using a referencing
format appropriate to your institution or department. Do not list
references that are not referred to in your proposal.
TIPS ON WRITING
1 2 3 4

Follow the Revise and Avoid overly

three C’s edit your Use hesitant or
rule: CLEAR, writing transitions. tentative
CONCISE, thoroughly. language.
COHERENT.
MAINTAIN INTEREST IN YOUR RESEARCH
a Read in-depth in your topic

b Meet your supervisor regularly

c Switch among your research activities

d Work regular hours

e Have a support group

f Schedule breaks
“ He who fails to plan is planning to fail.

Benjamin Franklin
END OF TOPIC