Process in Conducting Research

(The Research Process)

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Describe the Logical Research
Process?

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 Topics - The Research Process
 Step 1 -Problem- Selection (title) & formulation of Research Problem
 Step 2 - Literature survey

(Development of objectives and working hypotheses)

 Step 3 -Research design

( Pilot (quick) study ) (Step 4- Developing Instruments)

 Research Execution
 Step 5- Data collection, Processing & analysis of data
 Step 6- Testing hypotheses, solution design, Interpretation & generalisation
 Step 7- Preparation & writing of the report.
 NOTE: The above steps are not exhaustive, nor mutually exclusive, but a
series of closely related, continuously overlapping and interdependent
nonlinear steps/ actions.

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Research Process (general)

Problem

Liter., Theory Data

Interpretation/
solution design

Research
Design Data Collection
(Qnt./Qlt./ & Analysis
Design sc.
Develop
Instrument/
procedure
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5
 Design Research Process

Metrics, Analysis
How to Knowledge
Identify Define Design & Demonstration Evaluation Communicati

Knowledge
Problem & Objectives of Development Find Suitable on

Disciplinary
Inference

Motivate a Solution context Observe How

Knowledge
Effective, Scholarly
Theory

Define Problem What would a Artifact Use Artifact to efficient Publications

Show Better Artifact Solve problem
Importance/ Accomplish? Iterate Back to Professional
supported by lit. design Publications

Process Iterations

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Where can we get a research problem – topic?
From supermarket?

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Step 1: Problems/Questions- Topic
 A question/problem occurs or is posed to the researcher for which that researcher has no and can find no answer(s).

 Example ;
 Some mobiles are being used widely? Sentiment analysis
 While we search on the web there are a number of junks responded?
 In some places accidents are prevalent than others?

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 Selecting a topic
– All writing begins with a topic.
– Look for a subject
• that interests you and will maintain your interest
throughout the various stages of research
• that will help you to obtain the maximum self-
development from the research project. /It
should be related with your career.
– Some preliminary reading will help to determine the
extent of your interest.
– Keep in mind the time allotted to you and the
expected length of the research paper.

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 Selecting a topic … cont’d
– You Commonly begin with fairly general topic and
then refine it by research and thought into a more
specific one.
– Try to narrow your topic by focusing on a particular
aspect of a particular approach.
– Be original as much as you can, to avoid duplicate
work on a specific topic
– Review as much Literature as possible to avoid
duplication.
– The eventual successful completion of a research
study will be seen to have depended on the selection
of an appropriate topic.
– Before beginning the project, make sure you
understand the amount and depth of research
required and the type of paper expected.
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 Identify broad area of study

Supervisor agreed

Initial selection of topic

yes
Is the research feasible? No Can topic be
appropriately refined?
yes
Has research sufficient value? No

yes
Is there sufficient scope? No

yes
Acceptable topic
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Problem cont…

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Feasibility Study: Here is a new idea, is
it possible ?
 • Is it possible to solve a specific kind of problem … effectively ?
 + computer science perspective (Turing test, …)
 + engineering perspective (build efficiently; fast — small)
 + economic perspective (cost effective; profitable)
 • Is the technique new / novel / innovative ?
 + compare against alternatives
 • Proof by construction
 + build a prototype
 + often by applying on a “CASE”
 • Conclusions
 + primarily qualitative; "lessons learned“,
 + quantitative: - economic perspective: cost – benefit, engineering
perspective: speed - memory footprint

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 SIX guidelines to pick and
formulate an important and
useful research problem

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6 Guidelines to Formulate Research Problems
1. Look Around You
 Everywhere, Concentrate on smaller problems

2. Read the Literature

 Gap, State-of-the-art research Methodologies, Approaches

3. Attend Professional Conferences

 Learn “what is hot and what is not” in their field

4. Seek the Advice of Experts

5. Choose a Topic that Intrigues and Motivates You

6. Choose a Topic That Others Will Find Interesting

and Worthy of Attention

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 Formulating the Research Problem
• The task of formulating, or defining a research problem is
a step of greatest importance in the entire research
process.

• It is important because,
– (1) It determines the data to be collected,
– (2) It determines the characteristic of the data which
are relevant,
– (3) it determines the choice of techniques to be used.,
– (4) It determines the form of the final report.

• Therefore, the researcher must single out the problem

he/she wants to study.

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 Formulating the Research Problem ….cont’d
Some general principles in problem formulation
– Be sure the problem exists
– Learn as much as possible about the problem
to be solved
– Consider alternative formulations in case this is
not feasible;
– Be aware that the problem formulation may
influence the phenomena being studied;

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Thus
 After identifying a research problem, therefore, you must
articulate it in such a way that it is carefully phrased and
represents the single goal of the total research effort.
 So once you’ve identified a research problem:
 •State that problem clearly and completely.
 •Determine the feasibility of the research.
 Identify subproblems:
 •Completely researchable units.
 •Small in number.
 •Add up to the total problem.
 •Must be clearly tied to the interpretation of the data.

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The Problem Statement
 Bad habits – try to state a research problem by jotting
down meaningless groups of words, verbal fragments - no
help in seeing the problem clearly
 Examples of half-statements, mere verbal blobs that only
hint at the problem but do not state it
 A) Software metrics and the quality of software
 B) Subsidise ICT industry
 C) ICT promotes English in school
 D) QoS in computer network

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Cont…
 The fragments demonstrate that the researcher either
cannot or will not think in terms of specific, researchable
goals

 But must limit the area of study to a manageable size

 Example, metric and quality, must limit what metrics?
which quality attribute? and more importantly what
domain of the software you want to investigate? By
specifying the domain you are narrowing down the metric
and the quality attribute

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Example: Metric and Quality
 What effect does module size has on the understandability
of program for a Science subject educational software?
 The metric: module size
 The quality attribute: understandability
 The domain: program, Science subject, educational
software

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Example : describe the basic problem of
your research?

 The purpose of this ___________(survey, historical,

experimental, ethnographic, case) study ____(is, was, will
be) to ________ (understand, describe, develop, discover)
the ________(central focus) for _______(unit of analysis:
person, process, groups, site).
 At this stage in the research, the _______(central focus)
will generally be defined as ________(provide a general
research questions of the central focus).

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Research Questions
 In cases where you don’t have hypothesis you may need
to formulate research questions representing the problem
in a form of question. Here is example;

 Very weak (in an empirical sense): Is the new technique any

good?
 Weak : Is the new technique better than our competitors?
 Better : Is the new technique faster than our competitors?
 Better still: Is the new technique faster than our competitors
within one hour of use?
 Even better : If error rates are kept under 2%, is the new
technique faster than our competitors within one hour of use?

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 Formulating the Research Problem ….cont’d
Evaluation of a research problem (some questions to ask):
– Is the problem in line with my goal/expectations and
the expectation of others?
– Will the solution of the problem advance knowledge?
– What is the value of potential outcome? (who are the
beneficiaries?)
– Do I possess or can I acquire the necessary skills,
abilities and background knowledge to study the
problem? (Researcher’s capability and interest)
– Will data be accessible?
– Do I have access to the necessary resources (time,
money, tools, equipments, laboratory, subjects, etc)
to conduct the investigation?

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Step 2: Literature, Theory, Logic
 What is the purpose of literature review?

 Available literature/theory is reviewed to determine if

there is already a solution to the problem.

 Existing solutions do not always explain new conditions.

 The existing solution might require some revision or even

be discarded.

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Literature Review (LR)
 In general, students don’t understand the purpose of
investigating the literature
 Its function – the more one knows the more knowledgeably one
can approach the problems
 Re+view = look again at what others have done in areas that are
similar, though not necessarily identical to, one’s own area of
investigation
 As a researcher, you should know the literature about your topic
very, very well
 Many benefits from review

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Benefits of Literature Review
 It can offer new ideas, perspectives, and approaches that may
not have occurred to you
 It can inform you about other researchers who conduct work in
this area – individuals whom you may wish to contact for
advice or feedback
 It can show you how others have handled methodological and
design issues in studies similar to your own
 It can reveal sources of data that you may not have known
existed
 It can introduce you to measurement tools that other
researchers have developed and used effectively

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Benefits of Literature Review
 It can reveal methods of dealing with problematic
situations that may be similar to difficulties you are facing
 It can help you interpret and make sense of your findings
and, ultimately, help you tie your results to the work of
those who have preceded you
 It will bolster your confidence that your topic is one worth
studying, because you will find that others have invested
considerable time, effort, and resources in studying it

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The researcher should also examine all available literature to
Literature
get Review
himself acquainted with the selected problem.

– May continue from beginning to end;

– It is important in defining problems and hypotheses
formulation as well as selection of methods;
– Extensive review is required to know:
• What others have done in the area?
• How did they do it?
• What were the research variables?
• How were the variables measured?
• What were the constraints?
• What could possibly be modified?

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 Literature Survey ….cont’d
• The researcher may review two types of literature
– Conceptual literature
Concerning the concepts and theories.
– Empirical literature
Consisting of studies made earlier which are
similar to the one proposed.

Basic Outcome of the review

– To understand what data and other materials are
available for operational purposes which will enable
the researcher to specify his own research problem in
a meaningful context.

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 Literature Survey ….cont’d

• Literature survey and Formulating the problem are

interrelated, since the problem will be specifically defined if
extensive literature survey is done.

• Journals, published or unpublished bibliographies Conference

proceedings, Government Reports are the 1st places to go

Remember – One Source leads to another

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 Literature Survey ….Cont’d
• The researcher has to look into the following
factors in his/her judgment on point of literature
concentration;
–Style of research;
–The overall strategy of research;
–Objectives of the proposed study;
The
– nature of the substantive problem and how much
is known about it;
The
– development of the literature in the area;
The
– degree of desire of the study to follow the
directions established by the literature;
T–he knowledge the researcher already has;

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Writing LR - Guidelines
1. Get the proper psychological orientation
2. Have a plan
3. Emphasise relatedness
4. Give credit where credit is due
5. Review the literature. Don’t reproduce it!
6. Summarise what you have read
7. Remember that your first draft will almost certainly
NOT be your last draft
8. Ask others for advice and feedback

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 Development of Objectives,
Research Questions and working
Hypotheses

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 Developing objectives and
Working Hypothesis
– Objectives:
• Statements that indicate what a researcher intends
to accomplish in a more specific term;
– Hypothesis:
• An assertion about the relationship between two or
more concepts.
• Important bridges between empirical inquiry and
theory
• They indirectly determine the quality of data which
is required for the analysis.

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Developing objectives and Working Hypothesis …cont’d

Some guidelines in developing objectives:

– Objectives must be specific, concrete and
achievable statements;
– The objectives should clearly fit to the
statement of the problem
– The objectives must propose to do things as
per the capability of the design of the study.
– Objectives should be in their approximate
order of importance.

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Developing objectives and Working Hypothesis …cont’d

A hypothesis must be
– Specific
– Conceptually clear in terms of common definitions
– Testable (verification or rejection) by available
techniques and resources;
– Related to a body of theory;
– Stated to provide direction for the research;
– Formulated as causal relationships;

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Developing objectives and Working Hypothesis …cont’d

• Some examples of hypothesis

– Improved training provision will create a more productive
reliable and satisfied workforce
– Smoking and lung cancer are independent
– Income and consumption are not related

As a general rule a working hypothesis is another

basic step of the research process in most research
problems --- but may not be always necessary

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Step 3: Research Design
 It is the entire design of the research project
 It is said as the research proposal
 It involves deciding on all aspects of the research process,
of course focusing on methodology
 That includes
 Philosophical assumption
 General Research method
 Data collection techniques
 Data analysis, and solution development
 Publication outlet if possible
 It matters to get your proposal accepted or rejected

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 Thus.. Design of the Research
• Once the research problem is formulated and working
hypothesis developed, the researcher will be required to
prepare a research design.

• Research design refers to the arrangement of the

conditions for collection and analysis of data in a
manner that will satisfy or achieve the objectives of a
research undertaking.
• It is intended to enable the researcher to answer
questions as validly, objectively, accurately and
economically as possible;
• It provides for the collection of relevant data with
minimum effort, time and money.
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Cont…
 Research methodologies reflect high-level approaches to
conducting research.
 The individual steps within the methodology might vary
based on the research problem being performed.
 There are three broad approaches to be used in research design
 Quantitative.
 Qualitative.
 Design science

 More on chapter 3

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 Design of research …cont’d
• The preparation of the research design,
appropriate for a particular research problem,
involves usually the consideration of the
following.

• The time available for research

• the finance available for the purpose
• the availability and skills of the researcher and his
staff (if any)
• Identifying the study variables
• Identifying study subjects / experimental units,
• Planning the means of obtaining the information
and reasoning leading to selection.
• Sampling

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Step 4: Develop
Instruments/procedures
There are different data collection Methods
1. Questionnaire
2. Interview (structured and unstructured interview)
3. Observation
4. Computer log files
5. Web files
6. Daily transaction records
7. Camera (for security, face recognition etc…

 More on Chapter 3

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Instrument …
 Develop your instrument to measure your variables
 You can get some instrument from published articles
 One variable can be measured by multiple questions
 Check the instrument if it is useful for your context: add
new questions or remove irrelevant ones
 Use statistical tools to check instrument validity
 Undertake pilot testing before you use your instrument in
the actual survey
 Statistical tools can be used like Cronbach Alpha and
Reliability Tests

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Step 5: Data Collection and Analysis
 Follow and adhere to the research design
 Train your data collectors if you use data collectors
 Monitor data collection in the field
 Wrong data will result wrong conclusions
 Check your data if it is taken from databases for reliability

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Cont…
The data that were gathered are analyzed in
ascertaining their meaning.
Involves statistical analyses, for the most part.
 The specific statistical tests and procedures depend
on the nature of the underlying data.
 Machine learning approaches
 Design and evaluate
 Qualitative researchers used words to understand
and describe the phenomena

More on Chapter 5
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Step 6: Data
Interpretation/Solution Design
The researcher interprets the newly analyzed data and
suggests a conclusion.
 Interpretation means identifying relationship
between variables to draw conclusions
 Provide lessons from design a solution
 Testing hypothesis if any – Reject or Accept
 Provide explanations for accepting or rejecting
 The Data for SW success shows low figures, below
our expectation. What it tells us! Does it mean the
SW failed? What causes the Failure? How do we
overcome those Failures?
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Cont…
 The data will either support the propositions
and hypotheses or they won’t.
 This may lead the researcher to cycle back to
an earlier step in the process and begin again
with a new hypothesis.
 This is one of the self-correcting mechanisms
associated with the scientific method.

 More details in Chapter 4

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Step 7 - Proposal /Report writing
 Last step?????????
 There are basically two main documents in the process of
a research.
 A proposal
 A final report (conference paper, journal article, thesis,
dissertation…)
 Slight tolerable difference on the format content and
structure.

 Will be covered in the Chapter 5

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 …Cont’d

THE END!

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