1. MSc. Research Methods
Week 1- Introduction

2. Purpose of Module
to prepare postgraduate students for undertaking research
to introduce students to the discipline of research
to help lay the essential foundations for a dissertation of MSc quality
to help you define an area of study that could or will form the basis of your research project

3. Learning Outcomes Knowledge and understanding
Plan and document laboratory work in accordance with all legal and best - practice requirements for health, safety, risk minimalisation and management.
Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills
Critically evaluate complex issues from a variety of viewpoints and rigorously apply appropriate methodologies, techniques and practical strategies; being sensitive to the context.
Demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge and the scientific method to the solution of identified practical problem.
Devise an effective and practical research proposal for their dissertation.

4. Starting well Explore the literature
Shortlist possible subjects (‘cognitive domain’)
Select your preferred subject
Think about the methodology, time management and planning
The process is not sequential …
Introduction Introduction
Literature Review Previous work
Work done Experiment
Findings Result
Discussion Discussion
Conclusions Conclusion

5. Deciding on a theme Identify the options available to you
Identify your own personal research interests
of interest & relevance (novel and challenging for you, motivates you, experience (work, study or modules))
durability (still relevant on your CV)
breadth (deep enough for research)
topic adequacy (marking criteria)
resources (enough literature on your topic)

6. Six-stage process
Identify broad topic and academic area (reading, reading, reading)
Determine the scope
Brainstorm issues, puzzles and questions
Map and structure the issues (post-its!)
Conduct a reconnaissance (ask people, do further trawl of the literature)
Frame your research question
(Fisher, 2007)

7. Pressing business/IT problem When an opportunity arises
Purpose for Research
Simple Fact Finding
Pressing business/IT problem
Conduct Research
When an opportunity arises
Personal Experience

8. Discussion From your experience Can You identify some IT Issues?
Can you identify opportunities for the use of IT by your organization?

9. What is Research?
Research is defined “as something that people undertake in order to find out things in a systematic way thereby increasing their knowledge” Saunders et al (2007, pg. 5)

10. “The good researcher is not one who knows the right answer but one who is struggling to find out the what the right questions might be” Phillips and Pugh (2000, pg )

11. Key Points to Note Research: Is a process of inquiry and investigation
Is systematic and methodical
Has a clear purpose
Increases knowledge
Is original

12. Collis and Hussey (2003) summarize the purpose research as:
To investigate some existing situation or problem
To provide solutions to a problem
To construct or create a system
To explain a new phenomenon
To generate new knowledge
Essentially what all of this is saying to us is simply, our research must produce a meaningful OUTCOME

13. What to Research? Information Management/Systems Issue ICT Issues
Issues that requires a management decision
ICT Issues
Issues that can affect the competitiveness of an organization or industry
Internet Security issues
Issues that can impact the organization

14. Gartner Hype Cycle for India July 2012

15. Sample Topics from Anglia Ruskin
Natural human-computer interaction in learning and teaching - teaching astronomy with natural user interfaces.
A comparative investigation into the effectiveness of static and animated banners, and how web users respond to this mode of advertising.
An agile development comparison to waterfall method.
How usable is the interface of the WebCT discussion tool? An analysis from the perspective of an end user.
A comparison of the intelligibility of object-oriented and process-oriented diagrammatic representations in computer science students.

16. Sample Topics from Anglia Ruskin
How do we improve the usability and performance of an e-commerce website?
What is the perception of Internet shopping safety and security?
An investigation on how e-commerce websites utilise attractiveness on their sites as evaluated using an heuristic evaluation.
Power management in android devices.
Improving network security using cross domain authentication.
Collaboration integration modelling.
Data privacy and security in social networking sites.

17. Qualities of a Good Research
Purpose clearly defined
Research process detailed
Research Design thoroughly planned
High ethical standards applied
Limitations frankly revealed
Sound and comprehensive analysis
Findings presented unambiguously
Conclusion justified

18. Researcher qualities and Skill Collis and Hussey (2003)
Communication
Independence
Intellectual
Perseverance
IT Skill
Motivation
Organization Skill

19. Paradigm/Approach/Philosophy Theoretical Framework
Phenomenological
Positivistic
Paradigm/Approach/Philosophy
Theoretical Framework
Methodology
Researcher
Design
RESEARCH
Experience
Skill
Methods
Purpose
Data Collection
Research Question
Data Analysis
Process
Strategic Outcome
Exploratory
Analytical
Evaluation