Professional Documents
Culture Documents
RM Chapter - One
RM Chapter - One
What is a Science?
Science: is the systematic observation of natural events and conditions
in order to discover facts about them and to formulate laws and
principles based on these facts. It is the organized body of knowledge
that is derived from such observations and that can be verified or
tested by further investigation.
Engineering: is an application of science to the design, building and
use of machines, construction etc.
02/03/2020 1
What is Research?
Formally: advance state of art
Informally: tell people something new
Research is an Organized and Systematic way of finding answers
to questions.
It is also an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc. by the
scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation.
02/03/2020 2
Continued…
Research is systematic, because it follows certain steps/procedure that
are logical in order. These steps are:
Understanding the nature of problem to be studied and identifying the
related area of knowledge.
Reviewing literature to understand how others have approached or
dealt with the problem.
Collecting data in an organized and controlled manner so as to arrive
at valid decisions.
Analyzing data appropriate to the problem.
Drawing conclusions and making generalizations.
• Research is scientific b/c it is just a search for knowledge through
recognized methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. 3
02/03/2020
Continued
Finding Answers : is the end of all research. Whether it is the
answer to a hypothesis or even a simple question, research is
successful when we find answers. Sometimes the answer is no, but
it is still an answer.
Questions : are central to research. If there is no question, then the
answer is of no use. Research is focused on relevant, useful, and
important questions. Without a question, research has no focus,
drive, or purpose.
02/03/2020 4
Continued
Research is an academic activity
Search for knowledge
An art of scientific investigation
Research comprises
defining and redefining problems.
formulating hypothesis
collecting, organizing and evaluating data
making deductions and reaching conclusions
02/03/2020 5
Major Purposes of Research
A research can be undertaken for two different
purposes:
1. To solve a currently existing problem (applied research)
02/03/2020 6
Objectives of Research
To discover answers to questions through the application of scientific
procedures.
To find out the truth which is hidden which has not been discovered as
yet.
To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it;
To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it
is associated with something else;
There is more information and knowledge to understand the world than before.
02/03/2020 9
Significance of research cont’d
Research Knowledge
Information
Development
02/03/2020 10
Significance of research cont’d
Necessary in allocation of resources.
A means of livelihood
The outlet for new ideas and insights;
The development of new styles and creative work;
The generalizations of new theories;
Source of knowledge;
Important source of providing guidelines for solving different problems;
etc.
02/03/2020 11
What Research is not!!
Research:
Should not be related with activities substantially removed from day-to-day
life.
02/03/2020 13
Non-research
• My advisor gave me this mpeg decoding algorithm
• I learned about mpeg decoding
• I implemented it
• And it worked
Research
• I took two existing mpeg decoders
• I took some sample movies
• I studied the decoders qualitatively
• I measured them quantitatively
• I concluded why one is better
Discussion question:
• Is A computer scientist wants to develop a face recognition system
Research or non-research?
• Why research:
• analysis + comparison = something new
02/03/2020 14
02/03/2020 15
EIGHT distinct characteristics of Research:
1. Originates with a question.
2. Demands a clear articulation of a goal.
3. Requires a specific plan of procedure.
4. Usually divides the principal problem into more manageable
subproblems.
5. Is tentatively guided by research questions, or hypotheses.
6. Accepts certain critical assumptions.
7. Will countenance only hard, measurable data in attempting to
resolve the problem that initiated the research.
8. By its nature, circular; or, more exactly, helical.
02/03/2020 16
Qualities of a good research measured by:
Good research is systematic: It means that research is structured with specified steps to
be taken in a specified sequence in accordance with the well defined set of rules.
Systematic characteristic of the research does not rule out creative thinking but it certainly
does reject the use of guessing and intuition in arriving at conclusions.
Good research is logical: This implies that research is guided by the rules of logical
reasoning and the logical process of induction and deduction are of great value in carrying
out research. Induction is the process of reasoning from a part to the whole whereas
deduction is the process of reasoning from some premise to a conclusion which follows
from that very premise. In fact, logical reasoning makes research more meaningful in the
context of decision making.
02/03/2020 17
Qualities… cont’d
02/03/2020 18
Information System Research
Information systems specialists focus on integrating IT solutions and
business processes to meet the information needs of businesses and
other enterprises, enabling them to achieve their objectives in an
effective, efficient way.
This discipline’s perspective on “information technology” emphasizes
information, and sees technology as an instrument to enable the
generation, processing and distribution of needed information.
Professionals in this discipline are primarily concerned with the
information that computer systems can provide to aid an enterprise in
defining and achieving its goals, and the processes that an enterprise
can implement and improve using IT.
02/03/2020 19
Computing Landscape
02/03/2020 20
Computing… cont’d
02/03/2020 21
• Research Issues in Information System
02/03/2020 22
02/03/2020 23
Research Vs Project
Research:
• is scientific and systematic investigation of on the specific topic to establish
facts and deduce conclusions.
• is wider than project.
• its output/result is not known.
Project:
• is a process to achieve to a particular result.
• is part of research.
• its result is known.
Research Project:
• Investigation and use outcome for implementation of project
02/03/2020 24
Questions for Assignment from chapter one:
• Background History of Researches of computing up to now.
• Behavioral and Design science studies.
02/03/2020 25
Chapter Two: Nature and Scope of Research
Theory:
Formalized set of concepts that summarizes and organizes observations and inferences, provides tentative
explanations for phenomena, and provides the basis for making predictions.
02/03/2020 26
Theories are carefully constructed from:
Empirical observations
Hypotheses
Inductive and deductive logic
Deduction: the process of deriving specific conclusions from general principles.
Example:
Major premise: All men are mortal
Minor premise: Socrates is a man
Conclusion: Socrates is mortal
02/03/2020 27
Major goal of a researcher could be to develop adequate theories that organize,
predict and explain phenomena.
On the other hand, it could be to test existing theories
Example:
Improved training provision will create a more productive, reliable and satisfied
workforce.
(An attempt to explain observations, from those explanations, predictions and expectations are
generated.)
02/03/2020 28
Theory may enter into research in the following way:
Suggesting a problem for study
Providing a hypothesis to be tested
Providing conceptual model for limiting scope of the study
Selection of variables, classes of data
Making research findings intelligible
02/03/2020 29
General principles regarding the use of theory in research
Crucial components in theory: concepts (abstractions that allow us to select and order our
impressions and clear definitions are important)
02/03/2020 30
Theory helps a researcher in planning and directing his/her lines of study.
However, he/she should rely on empirical observations to test and refine the
theoretical prepositions.
02/03/2020 31
The scientific method is one and same in the branches (of science) and
that method is the method of all logically trained minds. the unity of
all sciences consists alone in its methods, not its material; the man
who classifies facts of any kind whatever, who sees their mutual
relation and describes their sequences, is applying the Scientific
Method and is a man of science.
02/03/2020 32
Research and Scientific Method
02/03/2020 33