Time Management in Research Degree

By

Dr. E. Saibaba Reddy

Professor of Civil Engineering
JNT University Hyderabad

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Things to be Managed During PhD
1. Time Management
2. Mind Management
3. Human Resource Management
4. Patience
5. Finance Management
6. Persistence
7. Technical Skills
and more ............
 Research Means
• Satyam
• Shivam
• Sundaram

• Knowing Everything about Nothing

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 Stages in Education
School

Intermediate

Ph.D

PG
UG

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5
 Purpose of Research
• Doing some work expecting something new may
come-out (without specific plan)
• To know why something is existing in a particular
form/mode
• To find some improvements over existing things:
may be to increase safety, reduce price, to add
more facility etc.
• To explore/search solutions for a problem of the
Humankind.
• And many more …..
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 Output of Research

• Research Publications
• Patents
• Solution to Society Problems
• Degree
• Good Thinking and Analysing Process for
a problem
• To do good quality research
• Good & Clear Teaching
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 Types of Research
• Experimental Work
- Model studies
- Basic Experimental studies (Material Properties etc)
(Ex. Material for Brick manufacturing)

• Analytical/Numerical work
– Analytical Modeling (Derived)
– Empirical Modeling

• Experimental cum Numerical Work

• Critical Review of Existing Concepts
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 Stages in Research
• Identify Specific Field of Research 0-6 Months
• Identify Research Problem and steps of Action 6-10 Months
• Basic Literature Review 0-6 Months
• Tentative plan of action 2-8 Months
• Critical Literature Review 6-36 Months
• Conduct of Research 12-26 Months
• Compare Project Goals with Results 18-20 Months
• Review of Research progress 15-26 Months
• Analysis of Results 15-30 Months
• Thesis Writing 28-36 Months
• Defining the Thesis 36th Month
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 Problem Identification (0-6)

Basic Literature Review (0-6)

Steps of Action (6-10)

Plan of Action
(2-8) Conduct of Research (10-26)

Review of Research Progress (15-26)

Compare Goal with Results (18-20)

Analysis of Results (15-30)

Literature
Review (6-36)
Thesis Writing (28-36)

Defining Thesis

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Time Planning

Year Wise Planning

Quarterly Planning

Monthly Planning

Weekly Planning

Daily Planning

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 Typical Experimental Work
• Literature Review
• Plan of Action of Research
• Identify the Parameters to be Investigated
• Apparatus Identification/Design of New One
• Calibration of Apparatus
• Conducting Preliminary Experiments
• Modification of Apparatus if required
• Conducting Experimental Programme
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 Typical Experimental Work
• Analysis of a set of Results
• Review of Experimental Programme
• Modify the Apparatus Design or Experimental
Programme if Required
• Complete the Experimental Work
• Analyse the Experimental Results
• Check whether you achieved what you wants to
Examine? If not design an additional tests to
complete the gap.
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 Typical Experimental Work
• Develop the Analytical Model if Proposed.
• Compare the Experimental Results with the
analytical prediction, the reported literature
and the Mechanism associated and explain
with reasoning.
• Conclusion

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 Analytical/Numerical Work
• Literature Review
• Plan of Action of Research
• Identify the Parameters to be Investigated
• Development of Broad Algorthim for Major Problem
• Splitting the Problem into a number of suitable
Subroutines
• Development of Detailed Algorithm to Each
subroutine
• Writing the Programme for Each subroutine

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 Analytical/Numerical Work
• Testing of Each subroutine
• Modify the algorithm and programme if required.
• After Completing the Testing of all subroutine Write
the Overall Programme and test it.
• Conduct the parametric Investigation
• Compare the results from other analytical models and
Experimental results if any.
• Conclusions

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 Methodology
• Tentative plan of action
– Monthly targets
– Yearly targets
– Review of Progress
• Literature Review

• Conduct of Research
• Review of Research progress
• Analysis of Results
• Thesis Writing
– Content List
– Introduction
– Literature Review
– Investigation Plan and Details
– Analysis and Discussion Results
– Conclusions
– Abstract
• Defining the Thesis
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 Problems associated with Research at..

• Identification of the broad area of Research

• Identification of Specific Field of Research
• Identification of Tentative Problem of Research
• Preparation of plan of action
• Review of literature
• Conducting of Research
• Analysis of Results
• Thesis Writing
• Defining the Thesis

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 My Experience of Research

• My PhD
• Interview at UGC
• What you want to do in UK?
• Why can't you do this in India?
• Offshore Structures are now Existing. What is that
you wants to do New?

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• Experience in England
• Mr. Reddy! What you want to do?
• Research in Offshore Pile foundation.
• How you want to do?
• You should Guide me.
• I don’t know any thing about Offshore piles,
how can I guide you?

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• Mr. Reddy Give your research Programme
for the Next 36 Months.
• Started with Numerical Work
• Worked for 6 months.
• There was no data to verify the model.
• So What? How you want to Proceed ?
• I Want to do Experimental work to get
Performance of Pile.
• So go ahead.

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• Literature Review
• Collect all the Literature that you feel they are related to
your work.
• Get the back literature from the references for the latest
papers.
• Group the Papers according to sub topics of your research
Ex: Experimental work, Analytical work etc.

• Literature Review is a Continuous Process Till the

End Project
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• Numerical Work Experimental Work
• Experimental Work: Developed a number of
apparatus and trials which did not Figure in the
Thesis.
• Work Culture in UK.
• Doing more Experimental work without Labour.
• Working Holidays.
• Thinking about a problem or the Results in leisure
even at Home.
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 Some Experiences
• On a Programme developed my guide said
• What is this? This can be written on back of a
Cigarette pack.
• On some Critical argument the same guide said
• You are right I am sorry, I will take back my words.
• A set of results are contradicting each other, Can you
guide me why?
• I don’t know it is your research. After your PhD you
will called Expert of Pile foundations not me.

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 Some Experiences
• I Designed and developed an apparatus, which was
being discouraged by my guide.

• The apparatus did not give the required values,

however – It provided with other useful data and
facts.

• Supervisor Said: “I told you that it will be of no use!

Keep the apparatus details in the appendix”.

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• Thesis Writing
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Apparatus and materials Used
• Experimental Programme
• Analysis and Discussion of Results
• Conclusions

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 Viva-voce Examination

• Examiner Dr. Rechard Jardine Prof. from Imperial

College London

• Critical Review of the Thesis (Each page, References etc)

• Your Good work is in Appendix

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 Post Doctoral Research – I
At Saint Maries University, Halifax Canada

• Contact of The Project is to develop Analytical Model and

to verify with the Experimental data available.
• Asked for literature.
• There is no literature we are the first researchers
investigating
• Development of Analytical Model (Not Accepted)
• After 5 Months Same progamme was well appreciated.

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• Post Doctoral Research -II
University of Birmingham UK
• Research that is needed for the Society.
• On Geo Environmental Engineering

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 Research Ethics
1. Do not claim some one’s work as yours
2. Do the research for the betterment of the society
3. Do not try/manipulate results to prove your theory.
4. Do not propose a theory with limited investigation.
5. Do not Publish the same material in different places.
6. No research work is failure.

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 My observations in RRMs and
Colloquiums
• Title of the thesis
• Abstract, Introduction
• Literature Review
• Objective of work
• Core of Research –
Experimental/Analytical/Both
• Analysis and Discussion of Results
• Conclusions
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State of Mind of Researcher During
Research
• Enthusiasm
• Appears very clear of objective
• Literature review creates confusion (No. of
thoughts)
• You may lose line of sight (May forget what you
intended to do)
• Frustration
• Physical, Mental, Psychological, Financial stress

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 Dos in Research
• Be clear about the subject around your Research
problem
• Be clear about the research problem
• Be a researcher but not a technical assistant to your
supervisor
• Be confident and but not Over Confident
• Give clear reference to researchers
• If you can't understand any results discuss with your
supervisor.
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 Don’ts in Research
• Do not modify the results to meet your ideas.
• Never say no one has worked in this area.
• Never claim some ones research as yours.
• Never publish the same research paper in more
than one place.
• Do not argue with your supervisor

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• Thank you very Much

• Welcome for Interaction

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