CMM507 / CMM533

Professional Development and

Research Skills
 Introduction
• Aims of Module
– To develop practical planning and communication skills
– Gain familiarity with research methods.
– To foster an awareness of ethical and legal implications
of IT.
– To develop collaborative skills.
 Module’s Outline
Week Date Lecturer Topic Lecture - Monday 9am - 11am (SB23, N309) Tutorial/Lab - Thursday 9am -
11am (N528/N529)
1 01.02.16 Hatem Research Skills Research Methods, Critical Reading and Reviewing a research paper +
Writing Study Skills Moodle quizzes
2 08.02.16 Hatem Project Project scope, plan and proposal Reviewing sample project
Management proposals
3 15.02.16 Hatem Prof. Skills Professional & Ethical Issues Reviewing coverage of Ethical
issues in sample projects
4 22.02.16 Iain Statistics Introduction + Descriptive Stats Minitab Lab1
5 29.02.16 Iain Statistics Estimation + Tests of significance Minitab Lab2
6 07.03.16 Iain Statistics Statistics (Comparison between k groups + Minitab Lab3
Experimental Design)
7 14.03.16 Iain Statistics Linear Regression + Correlation Minitab Lab4
8 21.03.16 Patrik Evaluation Usability Evaluation and Proof No Lab - Students can use the
session to work on CW
9 28.03.16 Assessment Week (No teaching)
(Statistics Lab Assessment scheduled this week)
10 04.04.16 April Break (No Teaching)
11 11.04.16 Patrik Evaluation Experimental Design Practical on Evaluation
12 18.04.16 Patrik Evaluation Aberdeen Holiday (Lecture moved to Lecture: Measurement + Data
Thursday) Parameters + Example Studies
13 25.04.16 Hatem Prof. Skills Group Oral presentations Group Oral presentations
 Assessment
• Module is assessed by 100% Coursework during the
semester (no exam in May).
• Coursework has 3 elements:
CW Elements Topic Weight Issue Date Submission Date

Group Report 29 Apr

Professional, Legal
40% 15 Feb
Group Presentation and Ethical issues 25 Apr & 28 Apr

Individual Report Evaluation 30% 21 Mar 22 Apr

Lab Assessment Statistics 30% Week of 28 March

• Check allocation of Groups on CampusMoodle

Professional Development and
Research Skills

What’s in the name?

 Professional Development
• Professional: Worthy of a professional person;
competent, skillful, or assured
• Professional Development: a life-long commitment to
the development of skills.
• Skills include the ability to:
 Work independently and in a team
 Think, read and write critically
 Use research methods and tools
 Plan and manage a sizeable project
 Communicate your work to others
 Behave responsibly and ethically in line with the
profession’s ethos
 Research Skills
• Research: a systematic investigation into and
study of an area, with the objective of
discovering or revising facts, theories,
applications etc., and reaching conclusions.
• Research Skills: the skills necessary to:
– formulating a hypothesis,
– collecting data,
– Undertaking experiments
– testing a hypothesis,
– interpreting results,
– and drawing conclusions
 Where do you need to demonstrate these
skills?
• In your MSc project.
• Although an MSc project is not necessarily intended as a
scientific contribution, what it has in common with
Research is the application of a structured process for
solving complex problems, formulated as research
questions.
• MSc projects would have a stronger emphasis on
developing your own learning. Your ability to:
– carry out a project systematically and independently,
– apply previously acquired knowledge,
– acquire new in-depth knowledge in the project area, and
– add to the body of knowledge (some original contribution).
• MSc Projects can be a stepping stone towards finding a job
in industry or academia.
 Research Methods
 Procedures for collecting data, formulating a
hypothesis, testing a hypothesis, interpreting
results, and drawing conclusions.
 Three main Methods:
 Quantitative
 Qualitative
 Mixed
 Quantitative Research
• Often called “the scientific method”.
• Have their origin in the natural sciences.
• Concern is with understanding of how something is constructed,
or how it works
– Goal is to express this understanding by means of simple models, or
theories
• Methods: typically collecting quantitative data by running
experiments, surveys… (formulate a hypothesis and test it),
– Repeatability of the experiments is vital to the reliability of the results
since they offer opportunity for scrutinising the findings
• Example: MSc Information and Network Security project:
“Evaluation of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs)”.
– Research Question: Are all IDSs equally effective in detecting intrusions?
– Experiments using 3 IDSs on different OSs and traffic conditions
Also known as Scientific Method

Cartoon image c/o Sheldon Comics

 Qualitative research
• Has its roots in the social sciences
• Concerned with increasing our understanding of an area, rather
than producing an explanation for it.
• Typically used in specific social contexts
– the researcher undertakes the analysis from a position close to the
subject under study (insider’s perspective)
• Methods: typically individual interviews, focus groups or
fieldwork
• In Computer Science: investigating and interpreting human or
organisational aspects in relation to technology
– Example: MSc IT Management project: “Gauging the level of
success of the implementation of an eHealth Strategy in NHS
Lanarkshire”.
• Project conducted by the Applications Manager at NHS Lanarkshire
• Interviews of IT staff and medical staff.
 Mixed Methods Research

• A mixture of Quantitative and Qualitative Research

• Typically used to confirm (or triangulate) findings
• Methods: typically combine survey questionnaires (numeric data)
and interviews (text)
• Example: MSc Information and Network Security project:
“Implementation of a Software Tool to strengthen Passwords”
– Quantitative method: A survey (followed by a statistical analysis) to find out
whether variables such as age, sex, education… have any bearing on how
people construct their passwords
– Qualitative method: Conducting interviews with a sample of users to gain
understanding of how they construct their passwords
Academic Reading & Writing
 Academic Reading and Review
• Three important skills to be demonstrated:
– Analysis: Examination of the elements or structure of
something
– Critique: A detailed analysis and assessment of
something
• pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the work of
others (and ourselves)
– Synthesis: Combination of components or elements to
form a connected whole
• Your review of the literature should add value to it.
 Example: Extract from MSc Project Investigation, 2014,
“Anomaly Detection in the Internet of Things (IoT)”

In their proposal for a Security Framework, Arabo, El-Moussa (2012) describe a

Home Security Hub and a Contextual Information lock. They suggest that each IoT
device should have personalised user interfaces controlled by an Identity Module. As
Analysis a user start to use a SMART device it will attempt to authenticate the user and then
customise the device with that users data and profile. Each users profile and data
will be controlled from the Home Security Hub. This will allow the administrator of
the home network to control access to devices, and the zone which the devices are
allowed to connect to.
Critique Whilst this approach would provide access control to the individual devices, and to
(Strength) where on the home network a device was allowed to access, it would not reveal
what traffic that device was sending to the wider Internet. It would also require an
Critique
(Weakness) expert user to define and control the user profiles for each device, the zones, and
permissions within each zone. As previously discussed, users may typically opt for
Synthesis the default settings when configuring and connecting devices. Potentially the
requirement for administration and configuration would prove too complicated, and
require too much user interaction in the home environment. However, the
Critique centralised hub between the internal network and the Internet does allow for some
(Strength) useful control and monitoring between internal and external traffic.
 How to Read a Scientific Article
• Most articles use an AIMRD structure: Abstract,
Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion.
• Suggested order of reading:
– Title and Abstract
• Purpose or rationale of study + methods used + results
– Visuals (Tables and Figures):
• Experiments done and results obtained
– Conclusion and Discussion
• Work in context of others’ + novelty and significance of
contribution
– Read the full paper
• Read with your critical hat on. Take notes of the
author’s main points and follow up on references.
 Features of a Good Article
• Features of Abstract: usually contain:
– purpose or rationale of study (why they did it)
– methodology (how they did it)
– results (what they found)
– conclusion (what it means)
• Features of Introduction:
– Creating readers’ interest in the subject: motivation of
study (why is this an important topic)
– Providing the readers with enough information to
understand the article: leading them from the broad to the
specific:
• authors describe previous work that led to current understanding
of the topic (the broad) and then situate their work (the specific)
within the field (what question the authors asked and answered).
 Features of a Good Article
• Features of Methods:
– what experiments were done to answer the question stated
in the Introduction. This section can be difficult to read,
because of the technical language used and a level of detail
sufficient for another researcher to repeat the experiments.
• Features of Results :
– statements of what was found, and reference to the data
shown in visuals (figures and tables)
• Features of Discussion:
– placing the work in context of the broader field by comparing
to others’ results.
– providing a clear answer to the question posed in the
Introduction and explaining how the results support that
conclusion → contribution and significance of the study
 Features of Academic Writing

• Complexity (sufficient breadth and depth)

• Precision (no ambiguity)
• Formality (no casual language / jargon)
• Objectivity (providing evidence for claims)
• Explicit (stating what may, or may not be
assumed)
• Accuracy (factually correct admitting margins of
error)
• Responsibility (honesty, intellectual integrity)
Precise and Explicit?
 Analytical (Critical) Writing
• When reading and reviewing the literature, you need to demonstrate
understanding of what you read by writing analytically.
• Descriptive vs. Analytical Writing:
Descriptive Writing Analytical (critical) writing
States what happened Identifies the significance of what happened
States what something is like Evaluate its strengths and weaknesses
Explains what a theory says Shows why a theory is suitable or relevant
Explains how something works Indicates why something will work (best) or wont
work under varying conditions
Notes the method used Examines whether the method was appropriate or
suitable
States the different components Weighs up the importance of component parts in
relation to each other
States options Gives reasons for selecting these particular
options (and why others were excluded)
Lists details Evaluates the relative significance of these details
 Useful phrases for Academic Writing
• Presenting your point of view
– There are many reasons why...
– It is important to point out that...
• Presenting another point of view
– In a study of X, Y claims that...
– It has been suggested that...
• Commenting on another point of view - negatively
– Reservations can be raised against this...
– One objection to this argument is...
• Commenting on another point of view - positively
– One of the main arguments in favour of X is that...
– Another point in favour of X is that...
• Indicating a lack of knowledge in a particular area
– Little research has been done...
– Research has focused on X; less attention has been paid to Y...
• Drawing conclusions
– In short...
– It may be concluded that...
• Comparing/contrasting
– Similarly
 Referencing
• Why Reference?
1. Credit and Respect: for others’ work and expertise
2. Support for your arguments: point your reader to the work of an
expert because:
– you have read their work, you agree with it, and you want to include it in your
discussion of a subject; or
– you have made your own point and you want to direct the reader to a reference
which supports what you are saying

3. Information for your reader: allow them to evaluate

for themselves the information that you have used.
4. Good impression: show that you have read around
the subject on which you are writing
 Harvard referencing (see Library Notes on Moodle)
• Harvard referencing consists of 2, or possibly 3,
elements:
– Citation: abbreviated text included in your
report that denotes an entry in the References
section
– Reference list: a list of references, ordered
alphabetically by Author, cited in the report
– Bibliography (Optional): Additional references
that were used during the preparation of the
report but not directly cited in it.
 When do I need to use a reference?
Question Answer Action
1. Is it an opinion or a fact? Opinion Reference required
Fact Go to next question

2. Is it a fact which I think any educated person Yes No reference required

might know (general knowledge)?
No Go to next question

3. Is it a fact which my lecturers would expect Yes No reference required

me to know without having to look it up
(common knowledge)? No Reference required

Always reference a direct quotation

Tip: Take a note of your references as you go along. Don’t leave it until the last minute.
 References
• Berndtsson, M., Hansson, J., Olsson, B., Lundell, B. (2008). Thesis
Projects: A Guide for Students in Computer Science and Information
Systems. Springer.
• Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research design: qualitative, quantitative,
and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Islands, CA: Sage
• Purugganan, M., Hewitt, J. (2004). How to Read a Scientific Article.
[Online]. Available from:
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj/courses/HowToReadSciArticle.pdf
[Accessed 12/01/16].