Introduction to Research

Introduction Research
Phases of Research/Research Process
Phase of Research/Research Process (1)
Phase of Research/Research Process (2)

• General research process include:

• Selection of domain
• Formulating a research problem (rough) and identification of keywords
• Literature review
• Redefining research problem, objectives (final) and outcomes /
formulating hypothesis
• Preparing research proposal
• Identifying variable/parameters
• Data collection and representation
• Testing of proposed design on collected data / hypothesis testing
• Writing and comparing results
• Research report writing
Selection Domain
• Selection of domain/area of research is the very first step in the
process of research.
• There are different purposes behind undertaking particular research.
If it is getting the degree, there is a high possibility to select the
domain of the research guide or the guide may suggest selection of
the particular domain.
• Otherwise, research domain can be selected from area of interest,
identified gap in the literature and individual skill set
• Selection of brand new topic / domain for research is not required, in
each field thereare some topics that are old but still there is scope for
research.
• There are different parameters for selection of domain, one should
go with an area of his/her interest and current and future market
trends.
Formulating a Research Problem and
Identification of Keywords (1)
• For an in-depth literature survey researcher has to first define
tentative research problem definition and identify the related
keywords for literature search
• Researcher should be equipped with all the tools and domain
knowledge required for research
• Discussion of the state-of-the-art with colleague and domain expert
is very important and helps a lot to finalize research problem.
• Attending workshops, conferences and or short term training
programs is integral part of research work right from conception of
problem to completion of work.
• Research statement should be clearly defined and its objectives
should be SMART(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and
Time-bound).
Formulating a Research Problem and
Identification of Keywords (2)
• Research Plan
Literature Review (1)
• The literature survey is a comprehensive study of technical and
authorised content related to research keywords.
• Literature survey provide details of research progress of particular
domain. It helps the researcher to understand the approaches,
methodologies, algorithms, and datasets used by other scientists.
• It helps the researcher to understand the progress of domain and
state of the art in the domain.
• Literature survey also helps to avoid duplication of work.
• Open Access journals are one of the good sources of research
articles, one can also access articles from library subscription, some
university libraries etc.
Literature Review (2)
• During the literature survey process, researchers should able to
identify the top 10 researchers in his/her domain.
• Researchers should provide main focus on comparing the
approaches, Identifying the weaknesses and strengths in recent
research articles in the subject.
• Literature surveys can be done with respect to following points:
• What
• How (process schematic)/standard procedure (system block
schematics)
• Discussion on major steps involved
• Design criteria and performance measures
• Techniques currently in use
• Comparative analysis (table or any suitable tool to discover and list pros
and cons/strength/weakness/future scope of existing techniques)
• Scope for research/gap in research
Redefining Research Problem, Objectives (Final)
and Outcome/Formulating Hypothesis

• Problem definitions should be unambiguous, clear

statement that states the major objective of the research.
• There should be generally three to six subobjectives
defined for research work.
• There should be a clear indication of the research work
which should not be the recurrence of the same research.
• There should also be an outcome which has be initialized
while mentioning the research objective.
Research Proposal
• Researchers should able to convince people for selected topic and
objectives through the research proposal.
• It is very important document that is reviewed by different
committees.
• Research proposal is mandatory document to be submitted to the
university or research organisation during the registration for a PhD
degree.
• Research proposal formats generally include the following sections:
• Introduction (Proposed Topic of Research/Rational and Significance of
the Study),
• Literature Survey (Background of the Proposed Research/Study of
Research Work Done in the Area and Need for More Research),
• Motivation,
• Research Statement,
Research Proposal (2)
• Research proposal formats generally include the
following sections:
• Objectives of the Research Proposed,
• Probable Methodologies/Techniques to be Used,
• Expected Outcome(s) (the kinds of conclusions expected and
their possible value),
• Plan of Research Work, References/Bibliography.
Identifying Variable/Parameters
and Research Design
• Variable is basic quality or attribute that differs in value under
different circumstances.
• Researcher should identify all related variables or parameters.
• Parameters can be identified during literature survey and it may vary
depending on the proposed hypothesis
• Research design should be carefully planned and checked for
feasibility
• Good research design provides maximum outcome with minimum
efforts
• Researcher can revisit the literature review step again to check with
state of the art design methodologies used by other researchers and
can come up with methodology suitable for his/her own research
hypothesis.
Data Collection and Representation (1)

• Data can be either directly collected afresh known as

primary data or already collected and used data is known
as secondary data
• Data can be represented in simple text, tables, graphs,
audio, video, or images.
• Collected raw data should be first examined for errors,
this is called editing of data
• Kind of data collection :
• Selection of appropriate method for data collection
• Selection of appropriate method for data representation
Data Collection and Representation (2)

• Selection of appropriate method for data collection

• Funding availability decides the method for collection of data
and the disposal of the research in a limited version.
• Selecting a cheaper method may not be efficient and effective but
as to act within its limitation.
• Time availability is also needed to be taken into account for
deciding the method of collecting the data and takes more time
when compared with shorter duration methods.
• The reliability can be tested by finding out the following:
• Who collected the data?
• What were the sources of the data?
• Were they collected by using proper methods?
• At what time were they selected?
• What level of accuracy was desired?
• Was accuracy achieved?
Data Collection and Representation (3)

• Selection of appropriate method for data representation

• Tabulation is a process that conserves space and reduces
explanatory and descriptive statement and also provides the
comparison from one state to another.
• Tabulation also provides various statistical computational
information, which facilitates the summation of items and
detection of errors and omission.
• lmportance of Tabulation
• Each table will give a clear title that does not require an
explanation
• Each table will be provided with a separate number that will be
easy for referring
Testing of Proposed Design on
Collected Data/Hypothesis Testing (1)
• Researcher defines the hypothesis and he/she needs to
test that hypothesis to prove or disprove.
• Hypothesis testing is expressed as either a null
hypothesis or alternative hypothesis
• The various steps involved in hypothesis testing are as
follows:
• Setting up of hypothesis consists of the data that makes the
statement of a null hypothesis, which should clearly state the
nature of the research problem
• Particular expression of the hypothesis is an important aspect
while considering a goal or purpose of the considered problem
• Hypothesis can be validated when the values are decided in
advance for the significance of the work when they are
directional and nondirectional
Testing of Proposed Design on
Collected Data/Hypothesis Testing (2)
• The various steps involved in hypothesis testing are as
follows:
• Test statistics will be conducting hypothesis test for means and
variance. The formula for test statistics and their distributions
are discussed depending on the value of test statistics using
observations selected by the researcher and the parametrical
value stated under null hypothesis
• Using different type of critical value for test statistic, level of
significance, and the type of test we obtain a critical value
• The null hypothesis is rejected or accepted by comparing the
distribution of test statistics
Testing of Proposed Design on
Collected Data/Hypothesis Testing (3)
• Some of the important limitations of the discussed test
are
• Results cannot be expressed with full certainty; they are
probabilistic
• Testing is not a decision-making activity in itself, the researcher
should not use it in a mechanical way
• Tests don’t explain the reason why the dissimilar result has been
obtained due to fluctuation
• Significance of the results is been validated on the basis of the
probabilistic conditions which cannot be explained fully
• Inference the statistical data cannot provide the evidence for the
truth of the hypothesis
Result and Analysis
• The result is an important section of the research.
• The hypothesis should be tested with multiple
approaches and that results can be compared.
• Results should be represented in the visual format using
tables, figures and or graphs.
• Results properly labelled, clear and easy to understand
• Carefully choose the type of graph taken for result
representation. The relationship between the data in
tables/graphs should be explained along with
observations.
• Result section may include the problems faced during
collection of data and complete analysis of results.
Research Report Writing (1)
• There are different purposes for writing the research
report.
• The research report is a medium to convey research
outcomes, contributions, findings and results to the
outside world.
• Publication of research in open, referred international
journal is very important aspect of the research.
• It can be research papers written for publication through
different agencies like IEEE, Springer, Elsevier, T&F,
Research Report Writing (2)
• General guidelines suggested for novice researchers and not hard
and fast rule. These may include the following sections:
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Review of Literature
• Problem Definition and Objectives
• Methodology
• Observations and Results
• Discussion
• Summary
• Conclusion
• Publications
• Bibliography/References
• Appendixes
Question & Answers