1. IA 494 - GRADUATION THESIS Asst. Prof. Dr. Deniz HASIRCI

2. W R I T I N G T H E T H E S I S

3. Why are issues such as, format, rules and regulations so important in academic writing? Selecting, narrowing down the Topic Setting up a Framework (Problem Statement, Literature Review, Methodology, Data Analysis, Findings, Conclusions) Avoiding Bias and Plagiarism

4. What is a thesis? Your thesis is a research report. The report concerns a problem or series of problems in an area of your subject. It should describe what was known about it previously, what you did towards solving it, what you think your results mean, and where or how further progress in the field can be made.

5. Thesis Requirements: New Knowledge Significant contribution to your field Critical judgement Testing ideas Worthy of publication

6. Thesis Mistakes: Poor reasoning Poor experimental design Repeating or confirming “established work” Insufficient analysis Sloppy presentation Errors or omissions in references

7. Requirement #1 New Knowledge

8. Originality The ways in which your work WILL be original The ways in which your work WON’T be original

9. Originality New work New interpretation New application New way of testing knowledge New connections

10. Requirement #2 Judging the context of your work

11. How do you link your work to your field? Be clear about how your work builds on existing research: Are you contesting a view? Are you strengthening existing theories with additional perspectives? Are you filling a gap? How are you adding value to your field?

12. Requirement #3 Critical Judgement and testing your ideas

13. Testing your own work Why did you use this method/approach Be clear on its advantages and limitations Is your interpretation the only possible explanation? Support from literature Confirmation from further work

14. Practical Issues Use key words – do not worry about constant repetition of terminology Make sure figures and tables are introduced and referred to - or omit them

15. Formatting – my thesis Chapter Headings18pt Bold Main Headings14 pt Bold Subheadings14pt Text12pt Bullets  MarginsLeft 40 mm. Right 25 mm. FontTimes New Roman

16. Formatting Decide on rules for all features e.g.Figure 4.2ii Annotation of a figure goes below the figure e.g. Table 4.2a Annotation of tables goes above the table References – what is the standard?

17. Checklist does the content match the title ? are important points emphasized enough ? is the content within each section appropriate ? is there a logical sequence ? are information sources acknowledged ? do the conclusions relate to the objectives ? have you followed the conventions and regulations ? is the meaning of each sentence clear - or open to interpretation ? can long sentences be broken down ?

18. A Dictionary of Useful Research Phrases Research Phrase It has long been known… A definite trend is evident… Of great theoretical and practical importance... While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to these questions… Translation I didn't look up the original reference. These data are are practically meaningless. Interesting to me An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hope to get it published

19. Three of the sample were chosen for detailed study... Typical results are shown… The most reliable results are those obtained by Jones... It is believed that… It is generally believed that… The results of the others didn't make any sense The best results are shown. My supervisor owes him a favor. I think. A couple of other people think so too.

20. A GOOD THESIS Has an appreciation of what came before Focuses on the interesting and important Is well-reasoned Has well-designed experiments (hypothesis-driven) Will change the way people think Has publishable results Is logical in presentation, analysis and argumentation Is well-illustrated with figures and graphs Is written without grammatical and spelling errors Has an appreciation of what comes next

21. A BAD THESIS Is not interesting Deals with small or badly described problems Reasons poorly Has badly-designed experiments Repeats or confirms well-established things Is inadequate in quantitative analysis Has poor presentation of graphs and illustrations Contains grammatical and typing errors

22. Homework 1: Two page report on clarification of initial ideas on the topic of research (Clarity, Bias, Strengths/ Weaknesses, Implications, Improvement etc.). Cite references

23. Basic Research Methods Asst. Prof. Dr. Deniz HASIRCI

24. Research Questions and Hypotheses Techniques, Methods Introduction: 1 st Chapter Development Chapters Conclusion Further Improvement Suggestions

25. What is research? We ask questions all the time Research is a formal way of going about asking questions Uses methodologies Many different kinds (e.g. market research, media research and social research) Basic research methods can be learned easily

26. First things first 1.Basics 2.Topic ideas 3.Typical methodologies 4.Common pitfalls 5.Getting started and putting it all together 6.Questions/discussion

27. Basic steps of a research project Find a topic  What, When Formulate questions  What, Why (Research Question) Assumptions, hunches (Hypotheses) Define population  Who, When (Sample group) Select design & measurement  How (Instruments) Gather evidence  How Interpret evidence  Why Tell about what you did and found out

28. Figuring out your study What? Who? When? Why? And How?

29. Step 1: What? What do I want to know? When developing your research question, keep in mind: Who your research is for; What decisions your research will inform; What kind of information is needed to inform those decisions. Conduct a local information scan Take another look at your research question

30. Step 2: How? Where? Who? How do I find out what I want to know? Where can I get the information I need? Who do I need to ask? Choose your methodology quantitative or numbers information qualitative in-depth explanatory information case studies site visits or observation participatory research

31. Step 3: When? When do all the different parts of the research need to be done? List all your research work areas Map them against a timeline Develop a work plan

32. Step 4: Why? Getting the answer Collect your data Keep returning to your research question Organize your research results to answer the question Keep in mind who you are doing the research for Focus on what research results do tell you Be creative, methodical and meticulous

33. Basic research methods Quantitative research (e.g. survey) Qualitative research (e.g. face-to-face interviews; focus groups; site visits) Case studies Participatory research

34. Quantitative research Involves information or data in the form of numbers Allows us to measure or to quantify things Respondents don’t necessarily give numbers as answers - answers are analyzed as numbers Good example of quantitative research is the survey

35. Surveys Think clearly about questions (need to constrain answers as much as possible) Make sure results will answer your research question Can use Internet for conducting surveys if need to cover wide geographic reach

36. Qualitative research Helps us flesh out the story and develop a deeper understanding of a topic Often contrasted to quantitative research Together they give us the ‘bigger picture’ Good examples of qualitative research are face-to- face interviews, focus groups and site visits

37. Face-to-face interviews Must prepare questions Good idea to record your interviews Interviews take up time, so plan for an hour or less (roughly 10 questions) Stick to your questions, but be flexible if relevant or interesting issues arise during the interview

38. Focus groups Take time to arrange, so prepare in advance (use an intermediary to help you if you can) Who will be in your focus group? (e.g. age, gender) Size of focus group (8-10 is typical) Consider whether or not to have separate focus groups for different ages or genders (e.g. discussing sex and sexuality)

39. Site visits and observation Site visits involve visiting an organization, community project etc. Consider using a guide Observation is when you visit a location and observe what is going on, drawing your own conclusions Both facilitate making your research more relevant and concrete

40. Case studies Method of capturing and presenting concrete details of real or fictional situations in a structured way Good for comparative analysis

41. Participatory research Allows participation of community being researched in research process (e.g. developing research question; choosing methodology; analyzing results) Good way to ensure research does not simply reinforce prejudices and presumptions of researcher (bias) Good for raising awareness in community and developing appropriate action plans

42. Planning your research: Key questions What do you want to know? How do you find out what you want to know? Where can you get the information? Who do you need to ask? When does your research need to be done? Why? (Getting the answer)

43. Keep In Mind That No study is perfect “All data is dirty is some way or another; research is what you do with that dirty data” (Manuel). Measurement involves making choices

44. Be Critical About Numbers “Every statistic is a way of summarizing complex information into relatively simple numbers” (Best). How did the researchers arrive at these numbers? Who produced the numbers and what is their bias? How can key terms be defined & in how many different ways?

45. Be Critical About Numbers How was the choice for the measurement made? What type of sample was gathered & how does that affect result? Is the statistical result interpreted correctly? If comparisons are made, are they appropriate? Are there competing statistics?

46. Getting Started Read to learn; read to analyze About research methodology Studies on similar topics Interesting studies Non-library studies

47. Getting Started Finding a topic needn’t be traumatic Work projects  Research studies Media Trends Technology Physical, Social Environment

48. Data collection involves agreement & consent Forge partnerships At some point you will need to leave the comfort zone of reading and literature gathering. Data Collection

49. Collect and present your ideas in an orderly and interesting way. Add figures, tables to enhance to clarify ideas and to enhance the reading experience. Finishing Up

50. Be very careful about spelling, rules & regulations, and references. Make someone else to check the report for you. Make sure your report is neat and tidy. Timing is everything. Do and submit everything on time. Finishing Up