TOWARDS INCREASING RESEARCH OUTCOMES

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TOWARDS INCREASING RESEARCHOUTCOMES

• Dr. Bekir Sami Yilbas
• Professor of Mechanical Eng. Dept
• KFUPM, DHAHRAN
• SAUDI ARABIA

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Table of Contents

• Definitions and Considerations
• Researchers Role in Productive Research
• Specific Considerations
• Institutional and Environment Role in Research
  productivity

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DEFINITIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS

• Increasing Research Outcomes through publications
  and reports is the mission that requires active
  involvement of researchers, institution, and
  funding organizations.
• It requires continuous effort, steadiness and
  seriousness, hard work, commitment, cooperation
  and coordination
• It benefits for all once the mission is achieved.

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Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Setting the Research Priorities
• Setting the Research Goals
• Sharpen the Research Skills
• Establish Research Cooperation
• Set Research Schedule with Appropriate Timings
• Adjust Personal Attitudes for Research Integrity

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Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Setting the Research Priorities
• Identifying Research Areas of Interest
• (list them according to your fields of
  interest as well as current interest of
  international scientific bodies)
• Identifying Type of Research Applied or Basic
  Research or Both.

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Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Setting the Research Goals
• - Identify Goal Contents through answering how
  and why (with in the limit of abilities and
  skills)
• Setting Upper and Lower Level Goals. Upper level
  is associated with day to day current research
  activity while Upper level is involved with long
  period activities (five years and more)
• Establishing Integrity among the goals at the
  same level as well as different levels
• Remember Always Quantity with Quality should be
  achieved

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Sharpen the Research Skills
Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Improve Reading Levels and Develop innovative
  ideas through readings
• Learn new Research Techniques and Analytical
  Tools for Research
• Improve computational Skills
• Improve writing Skills

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Establish Research Cooperation
Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Remember Scientific Research requires a team
  work, (It is not a one man show anymore)
• Find the right match with active
  researchers/research groups
• Discuss Research Objectives and your Research
  Abilities and Skills
• Do not limit Type of Research (Could be Applied
  or Basic or both)
• Indicate your expectations as research outcomes
• Integrate good graduate students in cooperative
  research

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Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Research Cooperation Will provide the followings
• Tackling multi-disciplinary research problems via
  improving your research skills
• Enables you to learn new methods and approaches
  for (large/small scale) research problems
• Improves your research productivity
• Improves your cooperation and management skills
  in research related activities
• Apply what you learn in your own research

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Set Research Timing
Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Arrange Research Agenda that could fit a regular
  and steady timing of research
• Set realistic timing for each research activity
• Evaluate your performance and measure research
  outcomes after completion of each research task
• Balance your timing for your actual research work
  and disseminating your research outcome
• Balance the timing between your research and your
  other activities including teaching, university
  and community services, and family as well as
  other personal commitments

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Adjust Personal Attitudes for Research Integrity
Researchers Role in Productive Research

• Improve Work habits
• Be Honest
• Improve communication skills
• Be consistent and patient
• Never Yield, but strive for new findings
• Be kind and Cooperative with your environment
• Share the knowledge
• Open for criticism of your research activities
• Measure your output on regular bases and take
  necessary actions
• Remember your role in research and development of
  future scientists
• Keep morality high and create scenarios, which
  will motivate you

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Specific Considerations

• Can you publish any Research Work ?
• Remember The publishable research work must
  have and intellectual and scientific merit
• Can you publish your research work in any journal
  ?
• Remember Your published work must have
  broader impact, therefore, be selective with the
  journals.

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Specific Considerations

• Remember Good number of publications with good
  quality must be targeted
• Therefore, be selective with a journal
  (reputable), which publishes papers in your
  research area
• Prepare your manuscript according to the journal
  standards

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Specific Considerations

• During the manuscript preparation
• If necessary seek help from senior researchers in
  your research area around you or from
  international experts whom they know you
• Remember Discussing your achievements with
  other researchers will help you to excel in
  research. It also helps to establish the base for
  the cooperative research

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Specific Considerations

• Also Note the followings
• Being positive for your and other researchers
  activities
• Being determinist helps you to increase your
  research outcomes
• Be prompt in your research. Once you have the
  right idea record it and, if possible, do it now
  and never wait for tomorrow
• Strive for being current. Dedicate time for
  reading and analysis of new developments in your
  area.
• Keep your moral high. Remember your contribution
  adds value to International Scientific Body

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Specific Considerations

• What to do next
• Keep your specific research outcomes together and
  analyzed what you have achieved.
• Set the time frame for translating your results
  into publications
• Improve your writing even if it progresses
  gradually
• External Reviewers comments on your paper may be
  harsh, yet it may be useful to improve your paper
  
• Therefore, consider the comments being useful and
  amend your paper accordingly. If necessary,
  consult with seniors around you.
• Never give up, prepare a rebuttal and be
  specific in your response.

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Special Notes to be Remembered

• What to do next
• Give priority to topics that involve with
  multi-physics problem. Remember, most of
  industrial problems are involved with
  multi-physics problems.
• This will require joint effort with researchers
  from other disciplines. Do not hesitate to be
  part of a team.
• Use your pervious experiences and demonstrate
  your research ability to other researchers in the
  team. This strengthens the ties between team
  members
• Your research outcome may have a value for
  industry.

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Institutional Role in Research Productivity

• Setting Clear (measurable) Indicators for
  Research Expectations
• Setting Rules and Regulations for Promoting
  Research and Positive Research Environments
• Establishing Research Incentives and Increasing
  Internal Funding Resources
• Appreciation for Research Outcomes

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Indicators for Research Expectations

• Research indicators should include all expected
  research outcomes (Journal publications,
  conference presentations, funded research
  projects, etc) incorporating the quality
• Research indicator will be realistic.
• Research indicator should only be used to promote
  the research

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Setting Strategies, Rules and Regulations
Promoting Research

• Developing Research Strategies (Trends in funding
  and programs)
• Developing Research Activity Plan (Man Power,
  Technical Support, Labs)
• Professional Development (Training, creative
  activities, sabbatical leave programs)
• Incentive and Cooperation among faculty (Creating
  research positions such as post-docs, Reducing
  teaching load, research recognition and
  appreciation, incentives, conference, workshop,
  seminar attendance)
• Graduate Programs (Part-time programs oriented to
  industrial work force and Increase role of
  graduate students in funded research projects)

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Establishing Research Incentives and Increasing
Internal Research Funding Resources

• Realistic Incentives should be provided
  (comparable to those given in other institutes)
• Rules for funded projects should be made flexible
  and Research outcomes of each projects can be
  used for the next project assessment
• Easiness for Collaboration and Project Sharing
  with National and International Institutes

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THANK YOU