RESEARCH

An Introduction
Research Definitions
• Online Oxford Dictionaries.
• In the noun form:
• the systematic investigation into and study of materials and
sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
• In the verb form:
• investigate systematically.
• Origin:
• late 16th century: from obsolete French recerche (noun),
recercher (verb), from Old French re-(expressing intensive
force) + cerchier ’to search’.
• Wikipedia.
• Research can be defined as the search for knowledge, or as
any systematic investigation, with an open mind, to establish
novel facts, usually using a scientific method.
Research Definitions
• Wikipedia (extracts).
• Method can be defined as a systematic and orderly
procedure or
• process for attaining some objective.
• Methodology specifies several processes that need to be
followed.
• These processes constitute a generic framework.
• Methodology may refer to the rationale and the
philosophical assumptions that underlie a particular study
relative to the scientific method.
Purpose of the Course
• To familiarise students with the different aspects of
research.
• To provide an understanding of philosophical questions
behind scientific research.
• To focus on research in social and engineering sciences.
• To provide an idea of good scientific writing and proper
presentation skills.
Motivation for Research
• The broad division consists of two aspects: internal and
external.
External motivating factors would include the following factors:
• Easiest or the only way to earn a living.
• Publishing one (and more and more) papers is important for
• progressing in an academic career.
• Obtaining patents is a good way to become rich and famous.
• Peer prestige: my friends are all doing research and so should
I,
• or, a person that I dislike is doing well and I want to do better.
• Looking up to someone or trying to be like someone.
Motivation for Research
Internal motivating factors would include the following
factors:
• Inner beauty of the subject.
• Challenge of the subject.
• Intellectual pleasure/bliss.
• Spiritual/religious state of mind.
• Inherent human spirit of adventure and curiosity.
Motivation for Research
The following factors would be a mix of external and
internal aspects of psychology:
• Competitive spirit. Wanting to do better than what has
been achieved in the world.
• Improve the state-of-the-art in technology.
• Contribute to the improvement of society.
• Fulfilment of the historical legacy in the immediate socio-
cultural context.
De-Motivation for Research
The external factors would include the following:
• Surroundings is non-appreciative.
• Inadequate infrastructure to carry out the work.
• Non-availability of books, journals and sophisticated
laboratories.
• Peer-pressure.
De-Motivation for Research
Factors for internal de-motivation would be the following:
• Gap between expectations and effort.
• Non-fulfilment of short-term objectives.
• Getting stuck on a specific problem and being
intellectually drained out.
• Lowering of self-esteem.
Preparedness of the Mind
• Motivation and de-motivation refer to psychology.
• The issues of motivation and de-motivation are inter-
related.
• The state of the mind at any point of time is usually a
complex mixture of the above factors.
• May combine different kinds of both motivation and de-
motivation.
• Successful phases of research would indicate a surge in
the positive elements.
• Understanding the different issues is helpful in providing
self-guidance.
Building a Background
• Understanding versus information acquisition.
• General preparation versus preparing for a particular
work.
• Passive learning versus active learning.
• Classroom learning versus learning on one’s own.
• How is preparatory reading for research different from
preparatory reading for an examination?
• How to read a text book? How many problems in the
exercises should one solve?
• Different levels of depth in a book.
• Reading different viewpoints of the same topic is helpful.
Building a Background …contd.
• How to read a paper? How to read a group of papers?
• Learning curve.
• Ability to look at the broad issues.
• Use of judgemental approach while reading.
• Boldness in making judgements.
• Flexibility to discard previous erroneous judgements.
• Form strong opinions and beliefs and at the same time be
open to constructive criticisms. Apparently a self-
contradiction; requires striking a right balance.
Time Management: General Notions
• Performing an activity requires a certain amount of time.
• Usually many activities are required to be performed.
Goal: management of available time of one or more
persons for effective/efficient/creative/proper/... execution
of one or more tasks.
• Management of personal time.
• Social network.
• Time management by other persons affect your time management.
• Your time management affects time management of other persons.
Aspects of Time Management
• Reasonable estimates of time required for each activity.
• Involves taking into account “other” issues.
• Planning and allocation.
• Neither too tight nor too loose.
• Robust: should be able to recover from minor disruptions.
• Prioritizing (rocks-in-container story).
• Relation ‘is more important than’ is usually a partial order.
• But, the order of execution imposes a linear order.
• Personal and external priorities need not match and has to be
balanced.
• More than one plan.
• Long-term: first six months, then three months, then three months,
• ...
• Short-term: for the next months.
• Up to a deadline.
Multi Tasking
• Each broad task can usually be divided into sub-tasks.
• In many cases, there are inherent delays between sub-
tasks.
• Makes sense to interleave the sub-tasks of different tasks.
• Task1: sub-task1a, sub-task1b, sub-task1c;
• Task2: sub-task2a, sub-task2b.
• sub-task1a, sub-task2a, sub-task1b, sub-task2b, sub-task1c.
• Ordering strategies:
• Based on priorities.
• Shortest job first; round-robin; queue; stack; ...
• Multi-tasking versus Sequential.
• Pros: more efficient utilisation of available time.
• Cons: complicated and could be more fragile.