SE 611710: Scientific Research Methodologies

Dr. Aysh Alhroob

First Semester, 2014 /2015

Course Description

This unit covers the Principles of the Scientific Method: Theory and Measurement ,Principles of the Scientific Method:

Validity and Control ,Ethical Issues in a Scientific Research ,Non-Experimental Research: Observational, Archival,

and Case-Study Research, Non-Experimental Research: Survey Research, Single-Subject Experimental Research,

Group Experimental Research: Single-Factor Designs ,Group Experimental Research: Factorial Designs, Quasi

Experimentation, Reporting Research Results, Conclusions: Bias and Limitations of Experimental Scientifically

(Epilogue).

Course Objectives

The overall objectives of this course are:

1) To help students develop a thorough understanding of the fundamental theoretical ideas and logic of research.

These fundamental ideas underpin the approach to research, the vast range of research methods available and the

researcher’s choice of methods.

2) To help students develop a thorough understanding of the issues involved in planning, designing, executing,

evaluating and reporting research.

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

• Understand some basic concepts of research and its methodologies

• Identify appropriate research topics

• Select and define appropriate research problem and its parameters

• Prepare and defend a research proposal

• Organize and conduct a scientific research in a more appropriate manner

• Write and defend a research thesis

Assignments: To be decided.

Textbook

Kathleen M and Jonathan W (2011). How to Write Dissertations and Project Reports. Harlow UK: Pearson Education Ltd. Peter Bock, Getting It Right: R&D Methods for Science and Engineering, Academic Press; 1 edition (September 13, 2001),

406 pages, ISBN-10: 0121088529, ISBN-13: 978-0121088521

Research Methodology, Methods and technique. Second Edition, C.R.Kothari. 2006.

Justin Zobel, Writing for Computer Science, Springer; 2nd edition (April 27, 2004), paperback: 280 pages, ISBN-10:

1852338024, ISBN-13: 978-1852338022; web page for the book

Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research, 2nd edition (Chicago Guides to

Writing, Editing, and Publishing), University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (March 2003), paperback: 336 pages, ISBN-10:

0226065685, ISBN-13: 978-0226065687.

Time Topics Further reading

Week 1 Unit: 1 INTRODUCTION

Preliminaries

Base concepts

Scientific research

Practical issues

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed

Method Approaches.

Dodig-Crnkovic, G. (2002). COMPUTER SCIENCE IN A THEORY OF

SCIENCE DISCOURSE. Master Thesis in Computer Science.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=664AECAC339E0C2AD

06D8BAF52BCDD0E?doi=10.1.1.12.5766&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Hong, L. Y. (2006). RESEARCH METHODS IN ENGINEERING AND

SCIENCE.

http://www.wabri.org.au/postgrads/documents/RM%20sci_eng_notes/Eng_Leung.

pdf

Kumar, R. (2005). Research methodology – A step-by-step guide for beginners.

SAGE.

Liles, D.; Johnson, M.; Meade, L.; Underdown, D. (1995). Enterprise Engineering:

A discipline?, Society for Enterprise Engineering (SEE) Conference, Orlando, FL,

http://www.webs.twsu.edu/enteng/ENTENG1.html

Week 2 Unit: 2 SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Base terminology

Overview of research methods

Steps of the scientific method

Feitelson, D.G. (2006). Experimental Computer Science: The Need for a Cultural

Change.http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~feit/papers/exp05.pdf

Hall, C.M.; McMullen, S.; Hall , D.L. (2006). Cognitive Engineering Research

Methodology: A Proposed Study ofVisualization Analysis Techniques. In

Visualising Network Information (pp. 10-1 – 10-10). Meeting Proceedings

RTOMP-IST-063, Paper 10. Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

ftp://ftp.rta.nato.int/PubFullText/RTO/MP/RTO-MP-IST-063/MP-IST-063-10.pdf

Hong, L. Y. (2005). RESEARCH METHODS IN ENGINEERING AND

SCIENCE.http://www.wabri.org.au/postgrads/documents/RM%20sci_eng_notes/

Eng_Leung.pdf

Mämmelä, A. (2006). HOW TO GET A PH.D.: Methods and Practical Hints.

http://www.infotech.oulu.fi/GraduateSchool/ICourses/2006/phd/lecture1-oulu.pdf

Muller, G. (2008). Systems Engineering Research Validation.

http://www.gaudisite.nl/SEresearchValidationSlides.pdf

Week 3 Unit: 3 LITERATURE REVIEW

Purpose

Sources

http://pareonline.net/pdf/v14n13.pdf

http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/findout/research/litrev.php

http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/litrev.html#lit1

http://www.learnerassociates.net/dissthes/

Synthesis and critical spirit

Other practical aspects

http://www.slideshare.net/engCETL/writing-a-literature-review-handout

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/graduateschools/coursehelpsheets/reviewingtheliterat

ure

Week 4 Unit: 4 PUBLICATION OF RESULTS

Publication channels

Writing scientific papers

Evaluation procedures

Indexing & citations

To be decided.

Week 5 Unit: 5 RESEARCH IN

COLLABORATION

Why in collaboration

Types of projects and partnerships

Requirements

Finding partners

Dewulf, A., G. François, C. Pahl-Wostl, and T. Taillieu. 2007. A framing approach

to cross-disciplinary research collaboration: experiences from a large-scale

research project on adaptive water management. Ecology and Society 12(2): 14.

[online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss2/art14/

L. Webber (2005). UNIVERSITY-BUSINESS RESEARCH COLLABORATION:

Towards a happy marriage.

ttp://www.weberfamily.ch/sites/weber/l/autres/2005_university_business_research

_collaboration_290805.pdf

Week 6: First Exam

Week 7 Unit: 6 PROJECT PROPOSAL

PREPARATION

Preliminaries

General structure

Detailed preparation

Proposal evaluation

http://www.txstate.edu/research/proposal_preparation/tutorials.php

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4165

http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/SponsPrg/grants/steps.htm

http://www.learnerassociates.net/proposal/hintsone.pdf

http://www.zbroz.cz/Publications/ICETA2007.pdf

http://www.migration4development.org/call-for-proposals/from-idea-to-proposal/

Week 8 Unit: 7 RESEARCH PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

To be decided.

Basics

Administrative management

Scientific coordination

Review preparation

Lifecycle

Tools

Week 9 Unit: 8 ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH

RESULTS

The need

Methods and their limits

Impact creation

Success criteria

Camarinha-Matos, L.M.; Afsarmanesh, H. (2007). Results assessment and impact

creation in collaborative research – An example from the ECOLEAD project. In

TECHNOVATION - International Journal of Technological Innovation,

Entrepreneurship and Technology Management (Elsevier), online version: Oct

2006, printed version: vol. 27(1-2), pp 65-77, 2007.

www.uninova.pt/~cam/Technovation.pdf

Week 10 Unit: 9 RESEARCH ETHICS

Basic concepts

Misconduct forms

Professional responsibility

Policies

Shrader-Frechette, K (1994). Ethics of Scientific Research. Lanham, MD:

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, p. 55.

Sutrop, M. (2008). Are European moral principles universal? International

Conference on Human Rights and Biomedicine, Rotterdam, 10-12 December 2008.

www.erasmusobservatoryonhealthlaw.nl/Uploads/Rotterdam_Sutrop_111208.ppt

Week 11 Second Exam

Week 12 Unit: 10 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

RIGHTS

Concepts

Protection mechanisms

Rights identification

IP exploitation

Kamiyama, S.; Sheehan, J.; Martinez, C. (2006). VALUATION AND

EXPLOITATION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STI WORKING

PAPER 2006/5 Statistical Analysis of Science, Technology and Industry,

OECD,http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/62/52/37031481.pdf

European Commission (2007) - Guide to Intellectual Property Rules for FP7

projects ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/ipr_en.pdf

Week 13 Unit: 11 ROADMAPPING AND FUTURE

PLANNING (I)

Futures research

Road mapping concept

Glen, J. C. (2008). Brief Overview of Some Futures Research

Methodshttp://www.clingendael.nl/cscp/events/20081216/20081216_presentati

e_glenn.ppt

Davis, G. (2002). Scenarios as a Tool for the 21st Century

www.casin.ch/web/bulletinboard/geddavisscenariosastool2002.pdf

Road mapping methodology

Muller, G. (2008). Roadmapping -

http://www.gaudisite.nl/RoadmappingPaper.pdf

Week 14: Unit: 12 ROADMAPPING AND FUTURE

PLANNING (II)

Baseline

Vision statement

Gap analysis

Plan of actions

Finalization

Verification

Active Aging with Collaborative Networks, L. M. Camarinha-Matos, H.

Afsarmanesh, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, Vol. 30, Nº 4, Winter

2011, pp 12-25.

Collaborative networks in active ageing – a roadmap contribution to demographic

sustainability, L. M. Camarinha-Matos, H. Afsarmanesh, Production

Planning & Control,Vol. 23, No 4, April 2012, 279–298.

Technological research plan for active ageing, H. Afsarmanesh, S. S. Msanjila, L.

M. Camarinha-Matos, to appear in Information Systems Frontiers. Available

online: 18 Feb 2011.

Week 15 : Unit: 13 THESIS ORGANIZATION AND

VALIDATION

Thesis plan

Thesis structure

The components

The writing process

C. Borcea. Career advice for PhD students: How to get the most out of your time

in the PhD program. http://web.njit.edu/~borcea/talks/phd-

advices.pptT.

Wals (2004). How to write a thesis.

http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~tw/thesis2.ppt

(Gauntlett (2001) - http://lange.himolde.no/lo-

kurs/lo904/Buvik/Assignment-2006.ppt

Week: Final Exam