Week 1: Research Dr Scott Turner

PhD Successful PhD students Professional researcher Published Why Me? PhD Successful PhD students Professional researcher Published

Module Assessment 1: Proposal (15%) Due within the next six weeks. Assessment 2: Dissertation (85%) Due September. Due January with written agreement of Peter Leadbetter.

Today Introduction Activities Library

Questions, Questions

Do Something you are interested in

...But Consider others AS Well.

Question Refine the Question

SO WHAT? Principles

Why is this work interesting? So What? Why is this work interesting?

So What? What is new?

What is going to impress? So What? What is going to impress?

Why is it going to impress? So What? Why is it going to impress?

So What? Could it be published?

When do You Start? ...NOW

Time IS No EXCUSE

What is the Semantic Web? (1 ½ Hours with break) Activity 1 What is the Semantic Web? (1 ½ Hours with break)

Supervisors

Your first point of contact for your project.

Get one as soon as possible!

Project is your responsibility not theirs.

It is expect you look at the course material for duties of each party.

Ultimate Two Aims To get an MSc

To convince people you are right! Ultimate Two Aims To convince people you are right!

All comes down to Evidence

Support from others work For example Experimental Support from others work

Planning and Preparation

Time Read around Write Test Build Design Refine

Resources What? Where? When? Why?

Methods What are the options?

Create a plan for a project that uses the Semantic Web (1/2 Hour) Activity 2 Create a plan for a project that uses the Semantic Web (1/2 Hour)

Aims and Objectives

Single general statement outlining the project. AIM Single general statement outlining the project.

Individual activities to reach the aim. Objectives Individual activities to reach the aim.

Objectives All most be... SMART

Be precise about what you are going to do. Specific Be precise about what you are going to do.

Use actions verbs – e.g. build, conduct, develop, design. Specific Use actions verbs – e.g. build, conduct, develop, design.

How is that objective going to be measured. Measurable How is that objective going to be measured.

Achievable Can it be done?

If it is not achievable/too big what use is it?

Objectives should motivate. Achievable Objectives should motivate.

Do you have the resources? Realistic Do you have the resources?

Can it be done in the time? Realistic Can it be done in the time?

When will the objective be achieved? Timely When will the objective be achieved?

Objectives should motivate

Activity 3: Background: To got into schools and deliver a series of workshops activities to year 7 to 10 students that combines engineering, computing and waste management.

Activity 3: Objective 1 To have delivered a minimum of six session sessions (12 hours) of the funded project to 120 students by March 2011. Is this SMART?

Activity 4 Go to the NILE sites and either Use the print/view version of the course material (pg 30) Self test on the learning objects under the aims and objectives section. Do this activity (starting now and bring back next week)

Activity 5 14:00-15:30 : IT room 1 in Avenue Library Session: Library and searches. To be lead by: Helena Beeson Helena can be there for guidance for the whole time if need be. Meet at the entrance to the library at 14:00.

Activities : outside class Complete activity 4 Meet potential supervisors Refine your research question Literature search for your project

Week 2: Planning and Sources

Sources Select a topic

Define your terms and terminology Sources Define your terms and terminology Not always as easy as it sounds

Not always as easy as it sounds Sources Not always as easy as it sounds

Define your parameters Information overloading Sources Define your parameters Information overloading

Sources Identify the sources

Sources What is a good source?

Thesis and Dissertations ‘Paper’ Sources Books Journals Thesis and Dissertations

Internet and electronic sources Google ? Google Scholar? What else? E-Journals/Electronic version of Journals

Reviewing Literature Why? What? How?

Not just reading Previous similar products

Basically knowing what others have done. Reading Basically knowing what others have done.

Become critical Look for relationships As you read... Become critical Look for relationships

Only present facts /figures Incoherent presenting pattern Not acceptable Only present facts /figures Incoherent presenting pattern

Only other people’s thoughts It is your work! Not acceptable Only other people’s thoughts It is your work!

Unnecessarily limited evidence of reading. Not acceptable Unnecessarily limited evidence of reading.

Activity 6:approx. ½ hour Why we reference? How we reference? How to be construct a reference? How do we use references with in the text? Go to http://www.glomaker.org/samples/GLOMaker_Ref_books/GLO_Player.html This can be found on page 41 of the notes or Exercise 1 on the Learning Object

Avoid getting bogged down Considerations Avoid getting bogged down

You can’t read everything Considerations You can’t read everything

Avoid getting distracted Considerations Avoid getting distracted

What has been published /produced lately Considerations What has been published /produced lately

Go to original documents when possible. Considerations Go to original documents when possible.

Referencing and Quotes Use Harvard Referencing at all times.

Referencing and Quotes Only use quotes ... if they add to your argument.

Referencing and Quotes Give authors credit for their work

Record everything ...throw nothing away

Example of what’s is to be recorded Author(s) Title of journal Volume number Date of issue Page numbers Publisher ISSN Number Your Comments

Why Plan and How?

Planning tools: Mind Maps

Planning tools: Activity Diagrams

Planning Tools: Gantt Chart

Activity 7: With your dissertation idea in mind. Do the following tasks. Find three references that relate to your dissertation idea. write a 250-500 word summary (not including the reference list) Add the reference list (using Harvard Referencing) as well at the end. Present a one minute verbal pitch on your project.

Activities : outside class Produce a plan for your work using Gantt chart and either Memory Map/Activity Diagram/other appropriate tool (UML?) Meet (potential) supervisors Refine your research question Literature search for your project

Week 3: Supervisors, Records and methods

Handling your Supervisor

Schedule should suit both of you. How time will you have with them. Contact Schedule should suit both of you. How time will you have with them.

What are the best ways to contact each other?

Be clear where you can expect help. Boundaries Be clear where you can expect help.

Two-way relationship - you work with them. There as a guide. What is different? Two-way relationship - you work with them. There as a guide.

Individuals Style is individual.

Understand the supervisor’s needs as a supervisor.

You should manage them . Stick to the appointments. Meetings You should manage them . Stick to the appointments.

Meetings Are there objectives? What is the outcome(s) of the meeting? What are the action points?

Meetings You need to plan for them. What do you want specifically : -to get out of the meeting? -to ask? -to know?

Think of the meeting time as a resource – have you just wasted it?

Meetings Have you kept a log of the meetings? It is your responsibility – not the supervisors.

Why Keep Records?

Why? You might want it later!

Why? Stops you repeat!

How much to you store depends on the project. Considerations How much to you store depends on the project.

Considerations Don’t throw it away!

Considerations Always record source.

How to store it. Log Book

Log Book Notebook

Log Book Loose-leaf folder

Approaches

Quantitative v Qualitative Research The Big Two Quantitative v Qualitative Research

Quantitive Objective . Factual data. Often in numeric form.

Opinions, perceptions and experiences. Often non-numeric. Qualitative Subjective Opinions, perceptions and experiences. Often non-numeric.

Which is Best?

Methods and Methodology

Methodology System of methods used?

Getting evidence to test a hypothesis. Empirical Experimental Getting evidence to test a hypothesis.

Examples Lab work Field Tests

Reporting expectation Objectives Theory Methods Results Analysis Conclusions

Can be concerned with a comparison between different groups of people Warning: still need to control the experimental conditions.

The information may be obtained in a number of ways: Surveys The information may be obtained in a number of ways: From a groups of people. Observation of events, From literature or documents.

The first two types involve some fieldwork third type is essentially deskwork.

The data obtained can be in numeric form and hence can be analysed statistically.

Ethics, collecting data, interviews

Collecting Data Methods and Evidence

Interviews Types and purpose

Ethics Issues and mediation

Work through the material on the learning material for the following: Activity 1 Work through the material on the learning material for the following: If you haven’t already done it, material upto collecting data.- Outside of the class. The material including exercises on collecting data, interviews and ethics.

Add to your proposal the following: Activity 2 Add to your proposal the following: Ethical, social and legal issues How are you going to evaluate the project? Explain why this particular approach(es) is/are to be used.

Bring to the next session Activity 3 Bring to the next session Draft copy of your proposal. 5 min only presentation on your project. Written answer to this question: What do you think is the difference between an MSc and BSc dissertation?

Data Interpreting and Presenting Week 5 Data Interpreting and Presenting