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Transcript of 1 First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna February 17, 2010 Proposal...
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Proposal Writing, Data Presentation and Report Writing: The Case of Computer Science
Sahalu [email protected]
Department of MathematicsAhmadu Bello University, Zaria
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Proposal Writing, Data Presentation & Report Writing
Introduction
Proposal Writing
Data Presentation
Report Writing
Conclusion
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Introduction Graduate studies can be challenging without adequate preparations
Prospective students should have sufficient grounding on All core areas of computing Writing and communication skills Presentation skills
This paper presents issues and tips on Writing research proposals Data collection and presentation Thesis report writing
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Proposal Writing: Readiness Check-list Motivation and drive to pursue the research project
Availability for the research work
Familiarity with research conducted in the proposal areas
Clear understanding of the steps to follow in conducting the research
Ability to get through each of the steps necessary to complete the research project
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Proposal Writing
Why write a research proposal? Demonstrate ability to define a research problem Demonstrate background knowledge in a chosen area Win potential supervisors Win studentship grants A good proposal provides a basis for the final thesis write-up
Your proposal conveys an initial impression to your potential supervisors about yourself It must be written well You may not have a second chance!
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Elements of a Good Proposal A precise topic from a specific area
An overview of the area
Relevant literature
Key research questions
Research rationale
Methodology
Research plan
Bibliography
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… Elements of a Good Proposal A precise topic from a specific area
A precise research topic helps to convey your proposed research area and intent clearly to your readers
helps potential supervisors to see if you are in their area of interest Avoid extremely broad topics that lack focus or understanding of the issue to
address “computer science”, “software engineering”, “programming languages”
An overview of the area Here goes an abstract about the topic and the area of computing within
which it falls Your exposition of the area should demonstrate your background knowledge
of the area. Mention previous work/publications you have in the area Outline major research issues, debates and research approaches in the area
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… Elements of a Good Proposal Relevant literature
You should read far and wide, collect relevant and up-to-date literature
Your potential supervisors can easily tell important references not cited
Key research questions A careful literature review helps to identify unanswered
questions, unsolved questions and to formulate a statement of inquiry
State clearly the research questions you plan to address Research questions should be precise and manageable and
their outcomes measurable
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… Elements of a Good Proposal Research rationale A Computer Science research proposal should explain the
worthiness of its intent Potential benefits that may accrue from the research output should
be highlighted Mention the stakeholders that will benefit from the research
outcomes Research methodology Highlights the approach to adopt to manage the research questions Alternative approaches within the various tasks of the research
should be mentioned and justified You should mention any specific hardware, software, etc., that are
necessary to accomplish your research
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… Elements of a Good Proposal Research plan
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail Design a timescale for each aspect of the research
Helps convey your consciousness of the need for planning Be conservative in your timings by adding extra time to your
end dates Factor risk analysis in your plan
Bibliography Lists the relevant literature you consulted in the course of
writing the proposal Ensure you obtain copies of these papers for further reference
during final write up
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Tips for a Good Proposal Review a couple of research proposals to gain insight
Use simple, plain and crystal clear language to express your ideas Do not use ambiguous language
Write formally, following stringent rules of grammar Ensure each question or objective may be atomically addressed, clearly and
indisputably using the findings, statistics and outcomes of your research
Organize your ideas logically with a coherent and sound progression
Avoid quoting literature second hand, without reading them yourself.
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Data Presentation A computer science research may involve experimentation, data
collection and analysis
Type of data to collect may be categorical, continuous or a matrix of these
Data analysis techniques to be used may depend on the type of data collected
There is a wide range of classical statistical methods and tools for data analysis
The essence of your data presentation and analyses is to provide evidence in support of your thesis
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Report Writing Writing a dissertation report is one of the most crucial and delicate tasks in
graduate studies
You are about to start documenting your findings and conclusions that substantiate your achievements
Your thesis writing should be enjoyable when the research proposal, data collection and analysis were done well
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
General Thesis Structure Introduction
Background information (optional)
Literature review
Research questions
Thesis contribution
Conclusions
References
Appendices
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… General Thesis Structure: Thesis Contribution
The first four parts derive heavily from the proposal
Thesis contribution This may be broken down into one, two or three chapters
The main purpose of these chapters is to convince your examiners that you answered the research questions
You should carefully document all the relevant things that you did and how you did them to arrive at the answers to your research
questions
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… General Thesis Structure: Thesis Conclusions The contributions summary, conclusions and future research
directions may be in a single or separate chapters
In the summary, you list the contributions of new knowledge that your thesis makes
which were substantiated in the main body of your thesis the list of contributions should be organized from most important to least
important
Conclusions should be short, concise statements of the inferences that you made because of your work
These statements should also be organized from most important to least important
Ensure these conclusions are directly related to your research questions
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… Thesis Conclusions
Highlight any limitations of your contributions or conclusions Have you provided complete answers? Are there assumptions that you made which limit
the generality of your answers? What can be done to improve your findings a step
further? What other approaches you discovered can be
followed to answer the same or similar questions?
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
… General Thesis Structure: References & Appendices
References All references given must be referred to in the main body of the thesis Organize your references according to the standard format adopted by
your graduate school Reread papers of your examiners that you cited in your work prior to
your thesis defense!
Appendices This is the place to put important supporting material that is bulky to be
placed in the body of the thesis because it can disturb the smooth flow of your write-up
Examples include computer programs, elaborate tables of data, lengthy mathematical proofs or derivations, etc.
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Tips for a Good Thesis Report Review a couple of well organized and presented dissertations Start writing your dissertation inside-out writing the core chapters that carry your contributions and then write the others
that complement them Ensure you number, title, introduce and explain all tables and figures in your
dissertation The distance between a figure or table and its explanation should not exceed one
page Be consistent in terminology use; do not overuse alternate words that mean
the same thing Do not write dissertation to dazzle or entertain readers Write formally, clearly, unambiguously and convincingly
Make sure that your Suggestions for Further Research and Recommendations emanate from the findings and experiences of your research work
Check that they could not have been made before conducting your research.
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
Conclusions
Presented issues related to Motivation for and proposal writing Data collection, analysis and presentation for a thesis Thesis write up
Provided tips to assist potential graduate students handle these issues appropriately
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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna
February 17, 2010
The End
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