STPD6014 Kaedah Penyelidikan

(Research Methodology)

Tajuk: Peranan Penyelidik

Topic: (The Role of the Graduate Student)
by
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Baharudin Bin Yatim
B. Sc.(Hons.), Ph. D. (Kent)
DSNS, DNS, JSM, KMN, PPT, PMC
FIOP, FIFM, MInTeM, MISES
 The Graduate Program
The graduate program in the faculty of science and
technology (FST) are:
• Masters by Research
• Masters by Coursework and Research
• Doctor of Philosophy by Research
 All programs involve research
 A student must be
 Mindful of factors contributing to success in
research
 Aware of and practice the proper role of a graduate
researcher
 Factors Contributing to the
Success of Research
 Academic ability*
 Research competency
 Managerial skill
 Interpersonal skill
 Financial stability*
 Emotional Stability*
 Commitment to the program*
 Hard work*
* Factors marked will not be discussed
 Research Competency
This include (among others):
 Literature search and review
 Writing the research proposal
 Keeping of research records
 Writing progress reports
 Writing the thesis
 Writing papers for journals/conferences
 Theoretical competence
 Experimental competence
 The student has to develop these competencies
mostly through own initiative
 Managerial Aspects of Graduate
Studentship
 Pertaining to the regulations
 Registration, suspension and extension of study
 Payment of fees
 Minimum grade of B to proceed
 Conversion from masters to Ph.D. program
 Permission to write the thesis in English
 Notice of submission of thesis
 Defense of thesis
 Submission of bound thesis
 Managerial Aspects of Graduate
Studentship
 Pertaining to procedures
 Submission of research proposal
 Presentation and defense of research proposal
 Procedure for working in the laboratory outside
normal working hours
 Monthly progress reports
 Progress report for the semester
 Participation in Graduate Seminars
 Managerial Aspects of Graduate
Studentship
 Pertaining to the research
 Planning the research
 Acquiring theoretical & experimental skills
 Executing the research plan
 Monitoring the research progress
 Keeping the research log book
 Submission of Progress reports
 Preparation of the thesis
 Care of the laboratory and equipment
 Interpersonal Aspects of
Research
A graduate student in carrying out his research will
interact with:
 The supervisor or supervisory committee
 Graduate students in his group
 Graduate students in other groups in same program/school
 Groups in other schools/institutions
 Undergraduate students working under the same supervisor or group
 Technical support personnel
 Administrative support personnel
The graduate student adept at interpersonal skills will
find his path less bumpy
 The Student and the Supervisor
 Know who your supervisor or research committee members is/are
 Familiarize yourself with the work of your supervisor
 Ascertain with the supervisor how the routine meeting is to be carried
out. The student is to see to its implementation
 Make notes of all meetings with the supervisor and give him a copy
 Keep your supervisor informed of progress and activities
 Submit report/manuscript to your supervisor on which you have put
your best efforts – not rough outlines
 Allow your supervisor sufficient time to read your report or manuscript
 Ask your supervisor how he likes to see the manuscript for your thesis
 See your supervisor if you face any problems, don’t disappear and let
him summon you
 The Student and the Group
 Each student in a research group may be working on a
specific topic within a larger research program
 Each student has his own research plan which will
inevitably affect the research plans of others in the group,
e.g in the use of equipment
 The keyword is cooperation. If you cannot fit in the group
consider transferring
 The students among themselves must set up a management
team, appoint a coordinator, have regular meetings, etc.
 A well organized group can provide strong support to
every member
 The Student and Technical
Personnel
 The technical personnel assigned to a research group either
on a full or part time basis is to assist the group, but not a
slave to the group
 Instructions or requests for his services are to be given in
a diplomatic manner
 It is suggested that requests be put down in writing
 Allow sufficient time for him to deliver any services
 Any complaints against a personnel must be made in a
constructive way – the success of your research depends
on his cooperation
 The Student and Administrative
Personnel
 Administrative personnel either in FST or Graduate School
administers Regulations and Procedures. To a limited
extent they can also give counsel
 The student has to deal with the administrative personnel
on matters of registration, semester report, notice of
submission of thesis, request to write the thesis in English,
notice of viva voce, the viva voce, final submission of
thesis, notification of results, testimonials – all for the
benefit of the student
 It is normal practice to be diplomatic in all exchanges
 PLAGIARISM

TO PLAGIARIZE
• TO STEAL AND PASS OFF (THE IDEAS OR WORDS
OF ANOTHER) AS ONE’S OWN.
• TO PRESENT AS NEW AND ORIGINAL AN IDEA OR
PRODUCT DERIVED FROM AN EXISTING SOURCE.
(WEBSTER’S COLLEGE DICTIONARY)

• PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL (HARAM).

The following guidelines on plagiarism were taken from Ronald B. Standler, 200.
Plagiarism in Colleges in USA, http://www.rbs2.com/plag.htm

When using another person's words, to avoid

plagiarism one must always do both of the following:

1. Provide a citation in the text AND reference list or in a

footnote, and

2. Either enclose their words inside quotation marks or put

their words in a block of indented, single-spaced text.
Paraphrasing without a citation is plagiarism

Suppose one reads a book by Smith and encounters the short

sentence:
If the solution turns pink, it is worthless, and should be
discarded.

It is plagiarism to paraphrase this sentence as:

When the liquid becomes light red, it is spoiled, and should

be poured down the sink.
The proper way to avoid such plagiarism is to cite the source
in the text, or in a footnote, as in:

Smith [citation/footnote number] has reported that when

the liquid becomes light red, it is spoiled, and should be
poured down the sink.

No quotation marks are needed, because these are not Smith's

exact words, but only a paraphrase.

But a citation to Smith is still required.

 SOURCES OF PLAGIARISM

A student
1. Copied paragraphs from various scholarly
journals or books in the library, or
2. Removed an old term paper from the files
in his fraternity and copied some, or all, of
it.
3. Downloaded whole or part of report from
the internet.
 REPORTED
CASES OF PLAGIARISM IN USA

quoted by

Ronald. B. Standler
Napolitano
In January 1982, Gabrielle Napolitano, then in her senior year
at Princeton University, plagiarized the majority of her 12-
page term paper in a Spanish class from a book in the library.
While she did cite the book in five footnotes, she did not
include citations in the text for some paraphrased material and
she did not include the indicia of quotations for "numerous"
verbatim quotations.
The professor was familiar with the book and immediately
recognized the plagiarism.
The Princeton University Committee on Discipline in
February 1982 unanimously found Napolitano had plagiarized
and recommended punishment of delaying her bachelor's
degree for one year.
Lamberis
Anthony Lamberis, an attorney in Illinois, was enrolled in
classes in an LL.M. program in Law at Northwestern
University during 1970-71.
In 1977, he submitted a thesis that was rejected as
unsatisfactory.
In 1978, he submitted a 93-page thesis, of which 47 pages
were "substantially verbatim" from two sources that Lamberis
did not cite.
His professors detected the plagiarism in June 1979.

Lamberis attempted to resign from the law school, but

Northwestern University expelled him, then reported him to
the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
The court held that Lamberis violated a provision in the Code
of Professional Responsibility for attorneys.
The court continued:
The respondent violated this provision when he plagiarized
the two sources. The essence of plagiarism is deceit. In this
case, the deceit is aggravated by the level on which it
occurred. Academic forums have a long and well-known
tradition of evaluating each individual on his own
performance. The respondent attempted to exploit this
tradition to his own benefit; the purpose of his deceitful
conduct was to obtain a valuable consideration, an
advanced law degree, that would have undoubtedly
improved his prospects for employment, reputation and
advancement in the legal profession.
Alsabti
The license of a physician to practice medicine in
Massachusetts was revoked, because – as a student in 1978,
two years prior to earning his M.D. degree – he submitted four
plagiarized articles for publication. The Board of Registration
in Medicine found in 1988 that this plagiarism demonstrated a
"lack of good moral character which is required to practice
medicine." The Supreme Court of Massachusetts affirmed this
revocation.

Alsabti v. Board of Registration in Medicine, 536 N.E.2d 357

(Mass. 1989).
Hand
Michael Hand "earned" a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at
New Mexico State University in 1982.

In the Fall of 1987 an anonymous tipster sent to the University

a copy two scholarly sources that Hand had plagiarized in his
dissertation.

In April 1988, the University rescinded the Ph.D. it had

awarded to Hand. Hand v. Matchett, 957 F.2d 791 (10thCir.
1992).
 Summary

TO AVOID PLAGIARISM:

One should provide a citation for all substantial information

that is taken from another source:
•to give credit to the person who supplied the information
or who first made the discovery,
•to relieve the writer from the responsibility for the
accuracy or truth of the information,
•to lead the reader to a source of more detailed or complete
information, or
•to give the reader a sense of the historical evolution of
ideas in the field.
 Closing Remarks
 The path of the research student is very challenging and
full of portholes, but this is what makes it exciting
 A student intending to take this path will fare better if he is
well prepared
 A large number of major contributions in the progress of
science were the results of the work of graduate students
 The prospect of making meaningful contribution to human
knowledge is the greatest incentive
Have a nice trip!!