DECO3008

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DECO3008
Design Computing Preparatory Honours Research
Mike Rosenman Rm 279 mike_at_arch.usyd.edu.au http//
www.arch.usyd.edu.au/mike
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Aim of Unit

• present overview of
• design computing research
• explain what is research
• explain how to write a research proposal

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Research

• what is research
• components of research
• types of research

Fekete A. (2008). INFO4990 Information
Technology Research Methods, Overview of
Research Definition and Process http//www.cs.usy
d.edu.au/info4990/2007s1/lectures/ResearchOvervie
w.pdf
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What is Research
an ORGANIZED and SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING
ANSWERS to QUESTIONS
http//linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsenl/Res
earchMethods/RM_1_01.html

• systematic
• because there is a definite set of procedures
  and steps which you will follow
• organized
• there is a structure or method in going about
  doing research
• finding answers
• is the end of all research
• questions
• are central to research. If there is no
  question,
• then the answer is of no use

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What is Research
http//www.ag.ohio-state.edu/aged885/Glossary/GLO
SSARY.htmR
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What is Research
Research is a human activity based on
intellectual investigation and aimed at
discovering, interpreting, and revising human
knowledge on different aspects of the
world. Research can use the scientific method,
but need not do so.
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research
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Academic Research

• question must be new / interesting
• community of researchers
• must advance collective knowledge of this
  community
• existing literature
• critical understanding
• evaluation by peers

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Scope of Research

• Honours / M.Phil / PhD
• attempting too much
• not Nobel Prize
• limit scope
• according to degree
• what is achievable

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Research Questions

• all research must address questions
• relevant to a particular area
• each area has own questions
• what happens?
• why does it happen?
• how can this be done?
• how can it be done better?

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Claims

• all research makes claims
• re contribution / significance
• depends on area

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Claims and Argument

• this system/approach leads to better performance
• this behaviour is explained by this theory
• this is what happens

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Common Mistakes

• collecting data
• this is not research
• no questions
• no evaluation
• development is not research
• the BIG questions

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Common Mistakes

• generalising from simple examples
• generalising from too few examples
• using ones own perceptions as facts
• not providing evidence / references
• the method is NOT the research

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Negative Results

• happens
• doesnt do what claimed
• doesnt reveal anything
• may still be able to claim something
• disprove hypothesis
• difficult to publish
• may have little impact

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Components of Research

• Aim
• objectives
• research questions
• Motivation
• why doing this
• significance
• Background
• what the field is
• scope
• state-of-the-art/
• literature review

• Method / Approach
• which method / technology
• why / what gives you
• Implementation / Results
• case studies
• Conclusions / Future Work
• how claims validated
• extensibility
• where to now
• References

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Components of Research

• Acknowledgements
• Summary
• Introduction
• Aim
• Motivation / Significance
• Scope
• Background
• Method / Approach
• Implementation
• Results
• Conclusions / Future work
• References
• (Appendices)

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Types of Research

• Qualitative
• to gain insight into areas of interest
• explore perceptions and attitudes
• gain an understanding
• may determine what will be measured
• in subsequent quantitative research
• Quantitative
• numerical data
• explain or predict
• doesnt yield reasons behind behaviour
• statistical

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Types of Research

• Descriptive
• describes what exists
• interpretation
• e.g. public opinion polls
• Relational
• looks at the relation between things
• e.g. relation between male female behaviour
• Causal
• whether something affects something

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Types of Research

• Basic / Fundamental / Pure
• theory generation
• implies that provides foundation for further
  research
• long-term
• no practical ends in mind
• Applied
• problems in real contexts
• often builds on basic research
• just as rigorous

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Research Process

• Select an area of interest
• Read the literature
• state-of-the-art
• Identify a question
• gap in current knowledge
• hypothesis / claims
• Envisage the outcome
• create a scenario case study
• Choose appropriate methods
• approach
• algorithms / systems
• evaluation
• Write up the report
• argument

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Research Questions

• Selecting
• curiosity
• new technology affords new possibilities
• Suitability
• can the question be answered?
• suitable scope
• in time
• Refinement
• may start broad then narrow

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Robust Planning

• Risk-driven planning
• dont make plan where if something goes wrong
• you end up with failure
• e.g. cant get software / doesnt work
• check early
• Safe goals
• start simple then expand
• Plan to finish early