Different Aspects of Research Methodology in Engineering
Explore the objectives, motivations, and types of research in the field of engineering, including descriptive vs. analytical approaches, pure vs. applied research, and quantitative vs. qualitative methods. Delve into the significance of gaining insights, testing hypotheses, and contributing to society through research endeavors.
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Master of Engineering. 2017 Course Research Methodology
OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH : To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group
OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH : To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else To test a hypothesis of a casual relationship between variables
MOTIVATION IN RESEARCH : Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits; Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems, i.e., concern over practical problems initiates research; Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work; Desire to be of service to society; Desire to get respectability.
MOTIVATION IN RESEARCH : Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work; Desire to be of service to society; Desire to get respectability.
TYPES OF RESEARCH : Descriptive vs. Analytical: Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. In analytical research, the researcher has to use facts or information already available, and analyze these evaluation of the material. to make a critical
Pure or Basic Research Gathering knowledge for knowledge s sake is termed pure or basic research
TYPES OF RESEARCH : Applied vs. Fundamental: Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem facing a society or an industrial/business organization, Fundamental research is mainly concerned with generalizations and with the formulation of a theory.
Quantitative vs. Qualitative: Quantitative research is based on the measurement of quantity or amount. Qualitative research is specially important in the behavioral sciences where the aim is to discover the underlying motives of human behavior.
Conceptual vs. Empirical: Conceptual research is that related to some abstract idea(s) or theory. It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers. Empirical research relies on experience or observation alone, often without due regard for system and theory. It is data-based research, coming up with conclusions which are capable of being verified by observation or experiment.
Some Other Types of Research One-time research research Field-setting research research or simulation research Clinical or diagnostic research The research may be exploratory or it may be formalized. The objective of exploratory research development of hypotheses rather than their testing. or longitudinal or laboratory is the
Some Other Types of Research Historical research utilizes historical sources like documents, remains etc. Research can also be classified as conclusion-oriented and decision-oriented. Operation research is an example of decision oriented research.
Research Approaches: Two basic approaches to research: Quantitative approach Qualitative approach
Research Approaches: Quantitative approach involves the generation of data in quantitative form which can be subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion. Qualitative approach to research is concerned with subjective assessment of attitudes, opinions and behavior.
Research Approaches: Simulation approach involves the construction of an artificial environment within which relevant information and data can be generated Simulation approach can also be useful in building models for understanding future conditions.
Significance of Research: Research inductive thinking and it promotes the development of logical habits of thinking and organisation. The role of research in several fields applied economics, whether related to business or to the economy as a whole, has greatly increased in modern times. inculcates scientific and of
Significance of Research: Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies system. Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning problems of business and industry. in our economic
Significance of Research: Research is equally important for social scientists in relationships and in seeking answers to various social problems. studying social
Significance of research: To those students who are to write a master s Ph.D. thesis, research may mean a careerism or a way to attain high position in the social structure;
Significance of research: To professionals in research methodology, research may mean a source of livelihood; To philosophers and thinkers, research may outlet for new insights; mean ideas the and
Significance of research: To literary men and women, research may mean the development of new styles and creative work; To analysts and intllectuals, research may mean the generalization of new theories.
Messages Research: Should be about some problem that encourages enthusiasm (for you) and interest (for others) Is often generated from the thought what we ve got now/from the past isn t quite right/good enough we can do better Consists of work that leads to a meaningful contribution Generates, in some way, a better solution to the problem
What Is Research? 1 : careful or diligent search 2 : studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws 3 : the collecting of information about a particular subject
What Is Research? (2) A combination of investigation of past work and effort in the present that will help others in the future A set of opposites Fun and frustration Small steps and large insights Building on others work and contributing your own work Finding or developing something new that changes the world .
What is Research? (3) Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research Quantitative use of statistical, formulaic or numerical analysis to generate results Main approach: analysis; causal determination, prediction, generalization of findings Results: This solution is N% better Qualitative not quantitative; use of non- numeric techniques Main approach: discovery; illumination, understanding, extrapolation to similar circumstances Results: This is a new way of solving our problem
Scope of Research Varies by level of work Ph.D. students contribution expected at world level; e.g. background investigation on all past work make meaningful addition to world knowledge Undergraduate students contribution can be at local to national to world level; e.g. background investigation at university up to world level make meaningful addition to university up to world level of knowledge
What Isnt Research Playing with technology Book report Programming project Doing what others have already done However, each of these can be done as part of research
Who Does Research? Graduate Students Masters Degree (lower standard) Ph.D. Degree (higher standard) Researchers at universities Post-Doctoral students Faculty members Researchers in industry Research scientists Many other technical workers Undergraduate students (like BE )
Who Does Research? (2) Individuals Teams Teams almost always make the process easier Division of labor Feedback from team members Each member can work to own strengths
Research Process (Methodology) Initial Idea Background Investigation Refinement of Idea Core Work Investigation and Development Documentation Prototype (if appropriate) Evaluation Identification of Future Work Presentation
Research Process Initial Idea Stems from critical thinking Be on the lookout for and open to seeing problems Gaps in framework Repetitive behavior that s slightly different (and can be generalized) Manual solutions (that can be automated) Inelegant solutions Ask questions Is something missing here? Can this be done in a better way? Is there a need for a new approach? Should be an area you re interested in, as: You ll be spending a lot of time with it It won t always be easy/fun to continue
Research Process Background Investigation Given an idea, need to determine: Has this work been done previously? What similar work has been done leading up to this point? How is any previous work distinguished from what I m planning to do? What group of people will be positively impacted by the research? Tools Literature Review using library resources (e.g. online databases such as ACM and IEEE, popular magazines) WWW search
Research Process Refinement of Idea Based on background investigation, need to refine idea Issues: Precision focus on precisely identifying: Problem Possible solutions (plural!) Scope need to build fences What s an essential part of this work? (fence in) What s tangential, additional, or for any other reason best left for later/someone else? (fence out)
Research Process Core Work, Investigation and Development Provide yourself with infrastructure equipment / software additional knowledge ( get up to speed ) Do the work Experimentation (scientific process) Develop opinions Look for better ways of solving problem Can you generalize? Can you develop a framework? Discuss, brainstorm Reevaluate as you proceed Look for improvements, changes to your original ideas
Research Process Core Work, Investigation and Development (2) Process Work regularly Easier to keep going if have a commitment to a regular work time Helps you keep your past work in mind Allocate large block of time for research Takes time to get going/back to speed Make sure can do something significant each work session
Research Process Core Work, Documentation Need to document as you go Don t want to lose any information 1) Maintain a journal for day-to-day thoughts Can be paper, electronic, ... Keep it with you at all times Never know when good ideas will hit 2) Keep an updated task list Focus on accomplishing something each work session 3) Write up your work Periodically, write a few pages on a subset of your work Summarize work, accomplishments, problems At end, write up a summary document Can be based on steps discussed here
Research Process Core Work, Prototype Need to demonstrate the merit of your ideas If work is non-theoretical, do this through a developed system No need to build the entire system Just need to demonstrate the value of the core ideas
Research Process - Evaluation Perhaps the most difficult part . Best if can show others are already using your work Quantitative Test your prototype What improvements exist over currently available alternative? How much of an improvement do you see? Qualitative What can you do now that couldn t be done before? What are the benefits of your solution?
Research Process Identification of Future Work Helps you organize any future efforts Helps others build on your work Sources: What you excluded in your idea refinement New problems that have surfaced during your work
Research Process - Presentation It s not a contribution to the field if no one knows about it or can use it Presentation/Dissemination Conferences, Journals, Web e.g. National Undergraduate Research conference Papers, Talks, Poster Sessions e.g. Participaton in technical events, Engineers week, Attending Key note address, special sessions
Example Master s project an example for each of you choose a CS subject you re interested in think of a problem or issue you see in that area refine your interest to a possible project that involves one or more ways of solving that problem outline the steps you d take to do the project work and test your ideas what is your hypothetical conclusion? how would you evaluate the quality of your solution?
The Section covers the following areas Overview of the Research Process:- Formulating a Research Problem Identifying variables Constructing Hypotheses The Research design Selecting a method of data collection Collecting data using attitudinal scales Establish the validity & reliability of a Research instrument
Formulating a Research problem The first step in beginning a research project is to decide What is the Research Question ? A Research Question is a question about the problem to be addressed , it is therefore focused on the content of the topic of interest. First identifying & then specifying a research problem might seem like research tasks that ought to b easy & quality accomplished. However, such is often not the case (Yegidis & Weinback,1991,35) It is essential for the problem you formulate to b able to withstand scrutiny in terms of the procedures required to be undertaken. Always researcher should send a considerable time in thinking it through Researcher should always have a clear idea with regard to what is that want to find out about & not what they think they much find This is the most critical step in the Research
Sources of Research Problem If the Researcher has already selected the topic or question, next step is to identify the sources of Research Problem. Most research in the humanities resolves around four P s People - Study Population Problems Programs Phenomena Subject Area
Every Research study has 2 aspects, 1. The Study Population 2.The Subject Area Aspects of a study About Study of Remark Study Population People Individuals, organizations, groups, communities They provide with rte required information or collect information from or about them Subject area Problem Issues, Situations, Needs, Associations, Profiles etc Contents, Structure, outcomes, attributes, satisfaction, consumers Program Information that need to collect to find answers to the research question Phenomenon Cause and effect relationships
Considering in selecting a Research problem Interest should be the most important consideration in selecting a problem Magnitude Having sufficient knowledge about the research process Measurement of process- It the researcher is using a concept in th study should make sure to be very clear about its indicators & measurements Level of Expertise Having adequate level of expertise for the task which is proposed Relevance- Select a topic that is of relevance to as a professional Availability of data Ethical Issues- Formulating a research problem is the Ethical issues involved
Steps in the formulation of a Research Problem Step 1 Identify a broad field or subjects are of interest to you Step 2-Dissect the broad into a sub areas Step 3 Select what is of most interest to you Step 4-Raise research question Step 5 Formulate Objectives Step 6 Assess your objectives Step 7- Check and Confirm
The formulation of Objectives Objectives are the goals, Researcher set out to attain in the study Objectives should be listed under 2 headings 1.Min objectives An overall statement of the thrust of the study 2. Sub objectives Specific aspects of the topic should be listed numerically Characteristics of Objectives:- 1.Clear 2.Complete 3.Spcific 4.Identify the min variables to be correlated 5.Identify the directions of the relationship
Identifying Variables The Definition of a Variable An image , perception or concept that is capable of measurement , hence, capable of taking on different values is called a variable Or A concept that can be measured Eg : 1. This program is effective 2.We are providing a Quality service to our clients 3.This product is doing well
Concepts , indicators and Variables If a concept is used in a study , the researcher need to consider its operationalisation, that is , how it will be measured To operationlise a concept , first need to go through the process of identifying indicators, a set of criteria reflective of the concept which can then be converted into variables.
