1. Research Methods Introduction to Research Methods www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/research/research_methods.html www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/research/research_methods.html Prof. Mark Levene Email: m.levene@dcs.bbk.ac.uk Home:www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/~markwww.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/~mark

2. Research Methods

3. Why are you Doing a PhD? There is no one answer, –there are many good reasons, but –there are also many bad reasons. You will have to be super motivated for a long time with no immediate reward !

4. Research Methods The PhD Programme www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/research/phdbbk_public.html Phase 1: Learn how to do research –Survey the field –Do a mini project Phase II: What will your contribution be? Phase III: Make the contribution Phase IV: Write-up the thesis

5. Research Methods Types of PhD in Computing Theoretical –The Nested Universal Relation Data Model Simulation and Experimentation based –Data Mining Model to Capture User Navigation Application based –Scheduled Planned Maintenance of the National Grid using Genetic Algorithms Implementation based –Extending SQL to Order Relations

6. Research Methods How to Get a PhD - Tips You will have to work hard but doing research is fun! You need to be realistic about your abilities! You need to keep the goal in mind at all times! Planning is important! Use the mechanisms we put in place!

7. Research Methods Relationship with Supervisors Supervision is a two-way relationship The supervisor has his/her responsibilities to you, but your supervisor is probably busy and overworked, so it helps to create a dialogue with him/her and get them involved ! Make use of your 2 nd supervisor to get additional feedback/advice

8. Research Methods Time Management There is a big difference between full-time and part-time study. FT – treat your PhD as a job ! PT – you must put aside time, as you now have two jobs ! Plan your week.

9. Research Methods Publishing You get writing practice. You get independent feedback. You get a chance to deliver your paper, meet researchers and get others excited. The amount you publish during your PhD depends on many factors, it is highly recommended !

10. Research Methods The Wider Community The research group you are in The school The research community within your area Get to know your fellow students Attend seminars Keep up-to-date with your research area

11. Research Methods Resources and Tools What tools do you need ? –E.g. Java, C#, Matlab, SPSS, Oracle … On-line resources –Much of the material you need can be downloaded. Good old-fashioned books ! Document production - Word or Latex ? Share information with your fellow students

12. Research Methods Having a Grounding in Computer Science Programming Data Structures and Algorithms Automata Theory and Logic Computational Complexity Statistics Artificial Intelligence

13. Research Methods Career Development – What Next? Teaching Research Software Management

14. Research Methods Recommended Book How to get a PhD by Phillips and Pugh See Amazon for similar books ! The rest of the lectures are more specific.