PROF. BÜNYAMIN ŞAHIN ONDOKUZ MAYIS UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY, TURKİYE Tips of Subject Selection in Researches

OUTLINE 1)Source for ideas 2)Criteria for selecting a research problem 3)Delimiting the research problem 4)Research and value judgments 6

Introduction "It is really important to do the right research as well as to do the research right. You need to do 'wow' research, research that is compelling, not just interesting." – George Springer, chairman of the aeronautics and astronautics department at Stanford University Your decisions and the right research topic. Your career success will be determined by those two choices.

Research  Research is the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data to answer a certain question.

Steps of Scientific Research Ethical issues Question Identified Hypothesis Formed Research Plan Data Collection Analyze of the Results Conclusions

1)SOURCE FOR IDEAS  The problems encountered in your daily life... Experience + Observation + Needs + Interests = Research problem  Read professional literatures... Suggestions from investigators 10

Request comments of supervisor

2)CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH PROBLEM  Sustained motivation  Adequate training and personal preferences  Feasibility  Importance to your profession

Criteria for selecting a research problem Sustained motivation  Are you really interested in the topic which you have chosen?  Are you really excited about what you wish to study?  have some practical value in helping you in your future career? 13

Criteria for selecting a research problem Adequate training and personal preferences  Do you have enough training to undertake a certain study?  Research design  Manage most of your research study by yourself  Which type of research appeals to you?  Historical, descriptive, experimental research…  Observation, interview, questionnaire, test…  Are you impatient to get fairly immediate results or do you have patience to wait? 14

Criteria for selecting a research problem Feasibility Do you have sufficient time to carry it out?  Meet the deadlines at your school or job. Do you have access to subjects?  Available equipment and research tools  Institutional sponsorship and cooperation  The need to protect privacy of individual  A problem may be too complex 15

Criteria for selecting a research problem Importance to your profession  Is the proposed project has some value to your profession?  Original study  Make contribution by replicating a study  Does it add to our store of information?  Does it provide fresh insights for some of your colleagues?  The results may be helpful to guidance counselors. 16

3. DELIMITING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM 17

Delimiting the research problem The way to accomplish this task:  Read extensively in the literature related to your field of interest.  Seek assistance from your supervisor.  Notice the difference between delimitation and limitation. 18

Delimiting the research problem Categories of delimitations: 1)The number of observations, subjects or cases 2)Time and geographic location 3)The selection of sources (especially in historical-documentary research) 19

Delimiting the research problem The most successful research topics are narrowly focused and carefully defined, but are important parts of a broad- ranging, complex problem. 20

What is a “Literature Review”?  “…a literature review surveys scientific articles, books, medical journals, dissertations and other sources […].”

What is a “Literature Review”?

Literatures review  Problem formulation  Literature search  Data evaluation  Analysis and interpretation Literature review requires four stages:

WORKING WITH LITERATURE Working with Literature Literature Find it! Manage it! Use it! Review it! Knowing the literature types Knowing the literature types Reading efficiently Reading efficiently Choosing your research topic Understanding the lit review’s purpose Understanding the lit review’s purpose Using available resources Keeping track of references Keeping track of references Developing your question Ensuring adequate coverage Ensuring adequate coverage Honing your search skills Honing your search skills Writing relevant annotations Arguing your rationale Arguing your rationale Informing your work with theory Designing method Designing method Writing purposefully Writing purposefully Working on style and tone Working on style and tone

SOURCES OF LITERATURE Journal articles:  These are good sources, especially for up-to-date information.  Depending on the publication, these materials may be refereed materials.

Sources of literature Books: remember that books tend to be less up-to-date, as it takes longer for a book to be published than for a journal article.

Sources of literature Conference proceedings: These can be useful in providing the latest research, or research that has not been published.

Sources of literature Government/corporate reports: Many government departments and corporations commission carry out research.

Sources of literature Theses and dissertations:  These can be useful sources of information. However there are disadvantages:  They can be difficult to obtain since they are not published, but are generally only available from the library or interlibrary systems

Sources of literature Internet: the fastest- growing source of information is on the Internet. bear in mind that anyone can post information on the Internet so the quality may not be reliable

4. RESEARCH AND VALUE JUDGMENTS The reporting of findings  Researchers may choose whether or not to report their findings to fellow professionals and to laymen. Concern for the application of findings  Researchers may or may not feel responsible for the ultimate application of their findings. 31

Thank You