1. Week 1: Research
Dr Scott Turner

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

3. 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.

4. Today
Introduction
Activities
Library

5. Questions, Questions

6. Do Something you are interested in

7. ...But Consider others AS Well.

8. Question
Refine the Question

9. SO WHAT? Principles

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

11. So What?
What is new?

12. What is going to impress?
So What?
What is going to impress?

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

14. So What?
Could it be published?

15. When do You Start? ...NOW

16. Time IS No EXCUSE

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

18. Supervisors

19. Your first point of contact for your project.

20. Get one as soon as possible!

21. Project is your responsibility not theirs.

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

23. Ultimate Two Aims
To get an MSc

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

25. All comes down to Evidence

26. Support from others work
For example
Experimental
Support from others work

27. Planning and Preparation

28. Time
Read around
Write
Test
Build
Design
Refine

29. Resources
What?
Where?
When?
Why?

30. Methods
What are the options?

31. 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)

32. Aims and Objectives

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

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

35. Objectives
All most be... SMART

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

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

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

39. Achievable
Can it be done?

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

41. Objectives should motivate.
Achievable
Objectives should motivate.

42. Do you have the resources?
Realistic
Do you have the resources?

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

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

45. Objectives should motivate

46. 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.

47. 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?

48. 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)

49. 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.

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

51. Week 2: Planning and Sources

52. Sources
Select a topic

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

54. Not always as easy as it sounds
Sources
Not always as easy as it sounds

55. Define your parameters Information overloading
Sources
Define your parameters
Information overloading

56. Sources
Identify the sources

57. Sources
What is a good source?

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

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

60. Reviewing Literature
Why?
What?
How?

61. Not just reading Previous similar products

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

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

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

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

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

67. 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
This can be found on page 41 of the notes or Exercise 1 on the Learning Object

68. Avoid getting bogged down
Considerations
Avoid getting bogged down

69. You can’t read everything
Considerations
You can’t read everything

70. Avoid getting distracted
Considerations
Avoid getting distracted

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

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

73. Referencing and Quotes
Use Harvard Referencing at all times.

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

75. Referencing and Quotes
Give authors credit for their work

76. Record everything
...throw nothing away

77. 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

78. Why Plan and How?

79. Planning tools: Mind Maps

80. Planning tools: Activity Diagrams

81. Planning Tools: Gantt Chart

82. Activity 7: With your dissertation idea in mind.
Do the following tasks.
Find three references that relate to your dissertation idea.
write a 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.

83. 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

84. Week 3: Supervisors, Records and methods

85. Handling your Supervisor

86. 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.

87. What are the best ways to contact each other?

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

89. 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.

90. Individuals
Style is individual.

91. Understand the supervisor’s needs as a supervisor.

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

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

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

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

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

97. Why Keep Records?

98. Why?
You might want it later!

99. Why?
Stops you repeat!

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

101. Considerations
Don’t throw it away!

102. Considerations
Always record source.

103. How to store it.
Log Book

104. Log Book
Notebook

105. Log Book
Loose-leaf folder

106. Approaches

107. Quantitative v Qualitative Research
The Big Two
Quantitative v Qualitative Research

108. Quantitive
Objective .
Factual data.
Often in numeric form.

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

110. Which is Best?

111. Methods and Methodology

112. Methodology
System of methods used?

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

114. Examples
Lab work
Field Tests

115. Reporting expectation
Objectives
Theory
Methods
Results
Analysis
Conclusions

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

117. 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.

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

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

120. Ethics, collecting data, interviews

121. Collecting Data
Methods and Evidence

122. Interviews
Types and purpose

123. Ethics
Issues and mediation

124. 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.

125. 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.

126. 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?

127. Data Interpreting and Presenting
Week 5
Data Interpreting and Presenting