RESEARH PROBLEM DEFINITION

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RESEARH PROBLEM DEFINITION

• SA Prathapar
• Research Methodology

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Why define the Research Problem?

• Defining your destination before beginning a
  journey.
• It determines,
• what you will do,
• will it withstand scientific scrutiny,
• how you will do it, and
• what you may achieve!

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How is a research problem selected?

• Researchers interest in a topic
• National or agency priorities
• Urgency of an issue
• Availability of research funds
• Availability of supervision

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Steps in defining research problems

• Identify a broad topic
• Identify a narrow topic within the broad topic
• Raise questions
• Formulate objectives
• Use action-oriented words - To demonstrate To
  evaluate To measure

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Identifying Broad Topics

• Think of the BIG PICTURE
• What is the problem you are trying to solve?
• Think of something you like to learn more about
• Consult text books, journal or your supervisor
• Pick one based on
• Interest and relevance
• Magnitude of work involved
• Level of expertise
• yours and your advisors

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Examples of Broad Topics

• Optimizing productivity of land and water
  resources
• Ensuring Food Safety Security
• Sustaining Agricultural Marine Environments

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From Broad Topic to Narrow Topic

• Examples of a narrow topic
• Liver disease in Goat
• Greenhouse Agriculture
• Milk Quality
• Greywater reuse potential in Oman
• When selecting a narrow topic think how it can
  contribute towards solving the BIG PROBLEM!

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Problem Tree Keep asking Why?
Inefficient Irrigation
Unskilled Labor
Low Labor Productivity
Unsuitable Climate
Inefficient Water harvesting
Water Scarcity
Lack of crop varieties adapted to climate
Food Insecurity
Unsuitable Crops
Farming Patterns do not Return nutrients
Low Land Productivity
Farmers cant afford fertilizers
Farmers unaware of best practices
Poor Soil
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Proposal Writing
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Sections

• Title
• Introduction
• additional sub sections if necessary
• Objectives
• Materials Methods
• additional sub sections if necessary
• A tentative time table
• A budget .

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Title

• Specific Short
• This forms the first impression about your
  research
• If vague Reader will be cynical

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Introduction

• Convince the reader that you have identified a
  research problem, worthy of investigating.
• Start very general Broad Topic
• Highlight
• the concept
• Practical significance
• Reduce it to a narrow topic by
• Raising questions, and
• Stating answers from literature for most.
• Establish Rationale
• Research is necessary questions for which there
  is no answer yet.

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Objectives

• Provide a clear statement of the overall
  question- General objective
• Follow it with action oriented tasks - Specific
  objectives.
• If more than one specific objective state them
  sequentially

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Methodology

• State it explicitly
• Enough detail for the reader to follow
• First give an overall summary of your study
  design and methodological approach.
• Then provide the methodology for each specific
  objective.
• Describe
• the specific design (what will you do and how,
  number of replicates, etc.),
• the materials and techniques that will be used,
  and
• the feasibility of these techniques.
• Use literature to support design, materials
  techniques
• Need not repeat standard procedures but give a
  reference.

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References

• List all references
• In alphabetical order

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GANTT Chart (Time line)
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Budget