How to Do Research: Seven Steps to Successful Research

How To Do Research

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Outline


Outline

What is research?


Outline

What is research?Seven Stages to Successful research


Outline


Making Technical Presentations


Outline



Writing Grant Proposals


Outline




Ethics & Professional Conduct in Research


What is Research?


What is Research?

Search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, with an open mind, to establish novel facts, usually using a scientific method. [Wikipedia]


What is Research?

Studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws [Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition]



What is Research?

Studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws [Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition]


Research is an organized and systematic way of finding answers to questions


In Computer Science Context


In Computer Science Context

Discovery of new knowledge of computing through mathematical analysis, modeling, and experimental evaluation of algorithms and computer software.


Why Do Research?


Why Do Research?

• To contribute to knowledge


Why Do Research?

• To contribute to knowledge• To satisfy intellectual curiosity


Why Do Research?

• To contribute to knowledge• To satisfy intellectual curiosity• For enjoyment you derive from posing your

own problems and solving them


Why Do Research?


own problems and solving them• To help career growth (Promotion & Tenure)


Why Do Research?


own problems and solving them• To help career growth (Promotion & Tenure)• To see places and meet interesting people

from all over the world at subsidized expenses


Knowledge Sources or Ways of Knowing



• Intuition: Takes forms such as belief, faith, intuition, etc. Based on feelings rather than hard, cold "facts.“

• In research we often use this knowledge source for coming up with an initial idea for research





• Authority: Information received from experts, books, etc. Its strength depends on the strength of these sources.

• We use this kind of source for literature review







• Logic: Gained by reasoning• We rely on this when analyzing/modifying/improving an algorithm







• Logic: Gained by reasoning• We rely on this when analyzing/modifying/improving an algorithm

• Empirical: Based on demonstrable, objective facts ,determined through observation and/or experimentation.

• Used when we want to study the behavior of a complex piece of software or the accuracy of an algorithm using benchmark data sets.


Seven Steps to Successful Research



• Defining the Research Question



• Defining the Research Question• Information Gathering



• Defining the Research Question• Information Gathering• Forming a Hypothesis/Algorithm Outline



• Defining the Research Question• Information Gathering• Forming a Hypothesis/Algorithm Outline• Implementation/Simulation/Analysis



• Defining the Research Question• Information Gathering• Forming a Hypothesis/Algorithm Outline• Implementation/Simulation/Analysis• Organizing and Interpreting Results



• Defining the Research Question• Information Gathering• Forming a Hypothesis/Algorithm Outline• Implementation/Simulation/Analysis• Organizing and Interpreting Results• Writing and Communicating Results



• Defining the Research Question• Information Gathering• Forming a Hypothesis/Algorithm Outline• Implementation/Simulation/Analysis• Organizing and Interpreting Results• Writing and Communicating Results• Revising, Resubmitting, and Publication


Nonlinear Nature of Research












Defining the Research Question



• What subfield of CS/IT interests me?



• What subfield of CS/IT interests me?• Within the subfield, what interests me more?



• What subfield of CS/IT interests me?• Within the subfield, what interests me more?• What is my chief strength?– Mathematical abstraction– Implementation/Experimentation– Problem solving



• What subfield of CS/IT interests me?• Within the subfield, what interests me more?• What is my chief strength?– Mathematical abstraction– Implementation/Experimentation– Problem solving

• What would be the outcome?– A better model– A better algorithm– A new application





• Is the topic timely?



• Is the topic timely?• Does it have potential for further

research/jobs?




research/jobs?• Are there good prior works to build upon?




research/jobs?• Are there good prior works to build upon?• How big is the research community?




research/jobs?• Are there good prior works to build upon?• How big is the research community?• Who are the major players?


Information Gathering



• Locating prior published work



• Locating prior published work– Make sure to check the homepages of prominent

active researchers for their most recent work




active researchers for their most recent work– Use ACM/IEEE digital libraries, Google and

CiteSeer to locate important papers





CiteSeer to locate important papers– Make sure to look through the recent proceedings

of the prestigious conferences in your area





CiteSeer to locate important papers– Make sure to look through the recent proceedings

of the prestigious conferences in your area– Try to locate review papers of your’s and related

fields


Reading Papers


Reading Papers

• Do paper reading in two or three passes. Ignore the technical details in the first pass


Reading Papers

• Do paper reading in two or three passes. Ignore the technical details in the first pass

• Generally, reading the abstract, introduction, and summary and conclusion sections is good enough to determine whether a given paper should be read in detail or not.


First Pass of Reading

• The first pass reading should be done to answer the following questions:



• The first pass reading should be done to answer the following questions:– What is the research problem the paper attempts to

address?




address? – What is the motivation of the research work?




address? – What is the motivation of the research work? – Is the research work attempting to overcome the

weaknesses of existing approaches?





weaknesses of existing approaches? – What is new in this paper?





weaknesses of existing approaches? – What is new in this paper?– How are the research claims substantiated?





weaknesses of existing approaches? – What is new in this paper?– How are the research claims substantiated?– Conclusions and pointers to future work


What to Take Away from a Paper after Reading

• Once you have read a paper in depth, try to answer the following questions to yourself:



• Once you have read a paper in depth, try to answer the following questions to yourself:– What is the core of the research problem addressed in the

paper?




paper?– Are there some alternative approaches to address the

research problem?





research problem? – Are there some good arguments to be made against the

assumptions/approach taken by the authors?






assumptions/approach taken by the authors? – How can the research results be improved?






assumptions/approach taken by the authors? – How can the research results be improved?– Can the research results be applied to another context?






assumptions/approach taken by the authors? – How can the research results be improved?– Can the research results be applied to another context? – Are there some gaps in the work?


Organizing ReferencesMake use of software tools to organize your notes and references as you do literature review. This will help you later in writing your own paper.
















Forming a Hypothesis/Algorithm Outline



• Develop an outline of your solution– If possible, work through simple scenarios




• Think about complexity. Is your solution going to scale well?





• What is the chief strength of your solution?– This will be your main selling point in your papers





• What is the chief strength of your solution?– This will be your main selling point in your papers

• Weaknesses of your solution?– Any major weakness is likely to hinder your paper. So

avoid any major weakness by reformulating or reworking your solution


Some Pointers on Developing a Solution



• Try to map your problem into a framework with known approaches for solutions– Optimization– Graph theory– Probabilistic– Divide and conquer




• Strive for simplicity and avoid complex solutions




• Strive for simplicity and avoid complex solutions

• Sit on your solution for few days and then come back to it– This helps in locating weaknesses/flaws

that generally get overlooked in the initial excitement


Implementation/Simulation/Analysis



• Test your implementation/simulation with test cases of known results to ensure there are no bugs/mistakes




• Whenever possible, use the platform or the environment popular in your area of research




• Whenever possible, use the platform or the environment popular in your area of research

• Make sure to perform comparative study with standard datasets or benchmarks


Organizing and Interpreting Results



• It is not enough to just present the results. You must do a careful analysis to show that the results justify your solution




• If there are some parameters in your solution, then make sure that you have results for a range of parameter values to infer a trend




• If there are some parameters in your solution, then make sure that you have results for a range of parameter values to infer a trend

• Make sure your graphs are labeled properly. Do not overcrowd graphs by putting too much information


Writing and Communicating Results



• Select some papers from your field as model papers and use them as guides to write your paper




• Use your own words and phrases. Use quote marks if you are using sentences from other papers.





• Go over your writing several times. Generally writing consumes 50% of the research effort.





• Go over your writing several times. Generally writing consumes 50% of the research effort.

• Don’t worry about the length of the initial draft. Make sure you don’t miss any point. It is much easier to trim a paper later on to meet the length requirements.


Some Useful Tips for Paper Writing



• Begin by preparing an outline of your paper by noting down the important points you want to cover in each section of your manuscript



• Begin by preparing an outline of your paper by noting down the important points you want to cover in each section of your manuscript

• Remember, you are trying to “sell” your work to reviewers who will determine the fate of your paper. Make a compelling case in the introduction section of your paper because by the time a reviewer has finished this section, she has already made an initial decision about whether to accept or reject the paper. She will read the rest of the paper looking for evidence to support her decision.


Some Useful Tips for Paper Writing• Begin by preparing an outline of your paper by noting down the

important points you want to cover in each section of your manuscript• Remember, you are trying to “sell” your work to reviewers who will

determine the fate of your paper. Make a compelling case in the introduction section of your paper because by the time a reviewer has finished this section, she has already made an initial decision about whether to accept or reject the paper. She will read the rest of the paper looking for evidence to support her decision.

• The introduction section must have:– What is the problem? Why is it interesting and important? Weaknesses

of the previous proposed solutions? How does the proposed solution overcomes all or some of the limitations of the existing approaches? What are the key components of the suggested approach and results?


More Tips for Paper Writing


More Tips for Paper Writing• Read some well-known works on writing and

communication:– The Elements of Style (Fourth Edition), William

Strunk Jr., E.B. White, Roger Angell, Longman. – Handbook of Technical Writing (Ninth Edition),

Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oilu, St. Martin’s Press

– Use active voice and simple, clear, direct phrasing


More Tips for Paper Writing• Read some well-known works on writing and

communication:– The Elements of Style (Fourth Edition), William

Strunk Jr., E.B. White, Roger Angell, Longman. – Handbook of Technical Writing (Ninth Edition), Gerald

J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oilu, St. Martin’s Press

– Use active voice and simple, clear, direct phrasing• Avoid value judgments. Give the facts and let the readers

judge.


More Tips for Paper Writing• Read some well-known works on writing and communication:

– The Elements of Style (Fourth Edition), William Strunk Jr., E.B. White, Roger Angell, Longman.

– Handbook of Technical Writing (Ninth Edition), Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oilu, St. Martin’s Press

– Use active voice and simple, clear, direct phrasing• Avoid value judgments. Give the facts and let the readers

judge.• Run a spell checker and have someone who is particular about

grammar read your paper


More Tips for Paper Writing• Read some well-known works on writing and communication:

– The Elements of Style (Fourth Edition), William Strunk Jr., E.B. White, Roger Angell, Longman.

– Handbook of Technical Writing (Ninth Edition), Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oilu, St. Martin’s Press

– Use active voice and simple, clear, direct phrasing• Avoid value judgments. Give the facts and let the readers judge.• Run a spell checker and have someone who is particular about

grammar read your paper• Make sure to acknowledge the persons/organizations who have

helped you in your research


Revising, Resubmitting, and Publication



• A paper is rarely accepted as it is. So be prepared for one or more revisions of your manuscript.




• The best outcome you can hope is “Accept with a minor Revision.” Celebrate it because it is rare.





• Pay careful attention to the comments/suggestions of the reviewers. Try to incorporate them as much as possible and revise your paper for resubmission.






• Include a cover letter thanking the reviewers and explaining point by point how you have accommodated most of their concerns






• Include a cover letter thanking the reviewers and explaining point by point how you have accommodated most of their concerns

• In the event your paper is not accepted at your publication of first choice, don’t lose heart. Browse through next tier list of publications and submit there.





• Three main elements of a technical presentation– Organization– Visual aids– Delivery and style



• Three main elements of a technical presentation– Organization– Visual aids– Delivery and style

• Before you prepare your presentation– Prepare an outline– Think about your audience and their background


Some Tips on Presentations



• Never read from slides or from your notes. Prepare by practicing as many times as you can




• Check out the room and the equipment beforehand




• Check out the room and the equipment beforehand• Be confident. Remember, you are the foremost expert on your

own research





own research• Speak clearly and loud enough. Modulate your voice Look at your audience and make eye contact.





own research• Speak clearly and loud enough. Modulate your voice Look at your audience and make eye contact. • Watch for audience’s non-verbal feedback and adjust your

delivery





own research• Speak clearly and loud enough. Modulate your voice Look at your audience and make eye contact. • Watch for audience’s non-verbal feedback and adjust your

delivery• Always carry a backup presentation file on a USB or through

email/cloud





• Choose a problem/idea you wish to pursue




• Prepare a brief concept paper




• Prepare a brief concept paper• Identify the potential funding sources– NSF/NIH/DOE/DHS– Foundations and industry consortia,

e.g. EPRI




• Prepare a brief concept paper• Identify the potential funding sources

– NSF/NIH/DOE/DHS– Foundations and industry consortia, e.g. EPRI

• Contact the program officers and discuss your idea with them


What Should be in a Proposal?



• It should answer the following questions:– What are you going to do?– Why is it important to do?– Novelty of your approach and expected contributions– Your unique qualifications to do the project




• Most funding agencies have templates for different kinds of proposals, follow the pertinent template





• Stay within the page limits and strictly follow the guidelines for submission





• Stay within the page limits and strictly follow the guidelines for submission

• Seek help from your sponsored research office for preparing budget


Ethics in CS Research



• Authorship and the order of listing



• Authorship and the order of listing• Plagiarism



• Authorship and the order of listing• Plagiarism• Multiple submissions



• Authorship and the order of listing• Plagiarism• Multiple submissions• Data fudging and fabrication



• Authorship and the order of listing• Plagiarism• Multiple submissions• Data fudging and fabrication• Conflict of interest


Authorship and Listing Order


Authorship and Listing Order

• Each person listed as an author should have made direct and substantial contribution to the work. All listed authors must be prepared to accept full responsibility for the content of the research article.–David Baltimore (Nobel laureate) case


Authorship and Listing Order• Each person listed as an author should have made direct and

substantial contribution to the work. All listed authors must be prepared to accept full responsibility for the content of the research article.– David Baltimore (Nobel laureate) case

• Ordering conventions are discipline/culture specific– In CS, the ordering generally indicates the relative contributions

of different authors with the first author having made the most contribution

– In mathematics and theoretical CS research, the names are generally listed alphabetically


Authorship and Listing Order• Each person listed as an author should have made direct and substantial

contribution to the work. All listed authors must be prepared to accept full responsibility for the content of the research article.– David Baltimore (Nobel laureate) case

• Ordering conventions are discipline/culture specific– In CS, the ordering generally indicates the relative contributions of

different authors with the first author having made the most contribution– In mathematics and theoretical CS research, the names are generally

listed alphabetically• Acknowledgement

– Include anyone who has made some contribution, for example in editing, loaning an equipment, providing some financial support


Plagiarism

http://www.acm.org/publications/policies/plagiarism_policy


http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/plagiarism.html




Plagiarism

• The American Heritage Dictionary (2nd College Ed.) defines plagiarize as "to take and use as one's own the writings or ideas of another."







Plagiarism


• Always make sure you give proper credit to your sources and any verbatim material is used with quotes







Plagiarism


• Always make sure you give proper credit to your sources and any verbatim material is used with quotes

• See IEEE and ACM guidelines– http://www.acm.org/publications/policies/p

lagiarism_policy










Self-Plagiarism


Self-Plagiarism

• ACM defines it as the verbatim or near-verbatim reuse of significant portions of one's own copyrighted work without citing the original source.


Self-Plagiarism

• ACM defines it as the verbatim or near-verbatim reuse of significant portions of one's own copyrighted work without citing the original source . – Self-plagiarism does not apply to publications based on

the author's own previously copyrighted work (e.g., appearing in a conference proceedings) where an explicit reference is made to the prior publication. Such reuse does not require quotation marks to delineate the reused text but does require that the source be cited.


Multiple Submissions



• LPUs (Least Publishable Units) are common although not desirable



• LPUs (Least Publishable Units) are common although not desirable• It is okay to have one or two

conference papers and a journal paper on the same research topic as long as each paper makes its own significant contribution



• LPUs (Least Publishable Units) are common although not desirable

• It is okay to have one or two conference papers and a journal paper on the same research topic as long as each paper makes its own significant contribution

• Never submit the same work to two places at same time to expedite publication


Data Fudging and Fabrication



• Avoid temptations to:– Do data smoothing to remove

irregularities to make the data appear extremely accurate and precise





– Retain only those results that fit the theory and discarding others





– Retain only those results that fit the theory and discarding others

– Create/invent some or all of the research data to substantiate your research


Conflict of Interest

• Avoid conflict of interest situations by proper disclosure. Examples of conflict of interests situations are:



• Avoid conflict of interest situations by proper disclosure. Examples of conflict of interests situations are:– Reviewing a paper/proposal

of a friend/company where you have a stake



• Avoid conflict of interest situations by proper disclosure. Examples of conflict of interests situations are:– Reviewing a paper/proposal of a

friend/company where you have a stake

– Writing a book review published by a friend



• Avoid conflict of interest situations by proper disclosure. Examples of conflict of interests situations are:– Reviewing a paper/proposal of a

friend/company where you have a stake

– Writing a book review published by a friend

– Hiring your relatives on funded projects


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How to Do Research: Seven Steps to Successful Research