Chapter One: Overview of the research

What is a Science?
Science: is the systematic observation of natural events and conditions
in order to discover facts about them and to formulate laws and
principles based on these facts. It is the organized body of knowledge
that is derived from such observations and that can be verified or
tested by further investigation.
Engineering: is an application of science to the design, building and
use of machines, construction etc.

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What is Research?
Formally: advance state of art
Informally: tell people something new

Research is an Organized and Systematic way of finding answers to

questions.

It is the systematic investigation into and study of materials, sources,

etc., in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

It is also an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc. by the
scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation.
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Continued…
Research is systematic, because it follows certain steps/procedure that
are logical in order. These steps are:
Understanding the nature of problem to be studied and identifying the
related area of knowledge.
Reviewing literature to understand how others have approached or
dealt with the problem.
Collecting data in an organized and controlled manner so as to arrive
at valid decisions.
Analyzing data appropriate to the problem.
Drawing conclusions and making generalizations.
• Research is scientific b/c it is just a search for knowledge through
recognized methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. 3
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Continued
 Finding Answers : is the end of all research. Whether it is the answer
to a hypothesis or even a simple question, research is successful when
we find answers. Sometimes the answer is no, but it is still an answer.
 Questions : are central to research. If there is no question, then the
answer is of no use. Research is focused on relevant, useful, and
important questions. Without a question, research has no focus,
drive, or purpose.

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Continued
Research is an academic activity
Search for knowledge

An art of scientific investigation

Research comprises
defining and redefining problems.

formulating hypothesis

collecting, organizing and evaluating data

making deductions and reaching conclusions

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Major Purposes of Research
A research can be undertaken for two different
purposes:
1. To solve a currently existing problem (applied research)

2. To contribute to the general body of knowledge in a

particular area of interest (basic/fundamental research)

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Objectives of Research
To discover answers to questions through the application of scientific
procedures.
To find out the truth which is hidden which has not been discovered as
yet.
To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it;

To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation

or a group;

To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it
is associated with something else;

To test a hypothesis of a casual relationship between variables;

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Motivation in Research
What makes people undertake research?
 Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits.

 Desire to solve a challenge in solving the unsolved problems.

 Desire to design appropriate policies.

 Desire to contribute to the existing knowledge.

 Desire to get intellectual joy(discoveries) of doing some creative work.

 Desire to be of service to society.

 Directives of government.

 Interest about new things.

 To investigate laws of nature.

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Significance of research
Increased amount of research make progress possible.

Research inculcates scientific thinking and promotes the development of

logical habits of thinking and organization.

Complexity in business and governing that is increasing.

There is more information and knowledge to understand the world than

before.

Multi disciplinary professions have become common.

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 Significance of research cont’d

Research Knowledge

Information

Development

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Significance of research cont’d
 Necessary in allocation of resources.
 A means of livelihood
 The outlet for new ideas and insights;
 The development of new styles and creative work;
 The generalizations of new theories;
 Source of knowledge;
 Important source of providing guidelines for solving different problems; etc.

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What Research is not!!
Research:
Should not be related with activities substantially removed from day-to-day
life.
Is not pursued only by outstandingly gifted persons.
Research isn’t information gathering:
Gathering information from resources such as books or magazines isn’t
research.
No contribution to new knowledge.
Research isn’t the transportation of facts:
Merely transporting facts from one resource to another doesn’t constitute
research.
No contribution to new knowledge although this might make existing knowledge
more accessible.
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What Research is?

Research is:

Attempt to achieve systematically and with the support of data the

answer to a question, the resolution to a problem, or the greater
understanding of a phenomenon.

Generation of new information and testing of ideas.

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Non-research
• My advisor gave me this mpeg decoding algorithm
• I learned about mpeg decoding
• I implemented it
• And it worked

Research
• I took two existing mpeg decoders
• I took some sample movies
• I studied the decoders qualitatively
• I measured them quantitatively
• I concluded why one is better
Discussion question:
• Is A computer scientist wants to develop a face recognition system
Research or non-research?
• Why research:
• analysis + comparison = something new

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EIGHT distinct characteristics of Research:

1. Originates with a question.

2. Demands a clear articulation of a goal.
3. Requires a specific plan of procedure.
4. Usually divides the principal problem into more manageable
subproblems.
5. Is tentatively guided by research questions, or hypotheses.
6. Accepts certain critical assumptions.
7. Will countenance only hard, measurable data in attempting to
resolve the problem that initiated the research.
8. By its nature, circular; or, more exactly, helical.

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Qualities of a good research measured by:
 Good research is systematic: It means that research is structured with specified steps to be
taken in a specified sequence in accordance with the well defined set of rules. Systematic
characteristic of the research does not rule out creative thinking but it certainly does reject the
use of guessing and intuition in arriving at conclusions.

Good research is logical: This implies that research is guided by the rules of logical reasoning
and the logical process of induction and deduction are of great value in carrying out research.
Induction is the process of reasoning from a part to the whole whereas deduction is the process
of reasoning from some premise to a conclusion which follows from that very premise. In fact,
logical reasoning makes research more meaningful in the context of decision making.

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 Qualities… cont’d

Good research is empirical: It implies that research is related basically to

one or more aspects of a real situation and deals with actual data that
provides a basis for external validity to research results.

Good research is replicable: This characteristic allows research results to

be verified by replicating the study and thereby building a sound basis for
decisions.

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Information System Research
Information systems specialists focus on integrating IT solutions and
business processes to meet the information needs of businesses and
other enterprises, enabling them to achieve their objectives in an
effective, efficient way.
This discipline’s perspective on “information technology” emphasizes
information, and sees technology as an instrument to enable the
generation, processing and distribution of needed information.
Professionals in this discipline are primarily concerned with the
information that computer systems can provide to aid an enterprise in
defining and achieving its goals, and the processes that an enterprise
can implement and improve using IT.

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Computing Landscape

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 Computing… cont’d

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• Research Issues in Information System

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 Research Vs Project
Research:
• is scientific and systematic investigation of on the specific topic to establish
facts and deduce conclusions.
• is wider than project.
• its output/result is not known.
Project:
• is a process to achieve to a particular result.
• is part of research.
• its result is known.
Research Project:
• Investigation and use outcome for implementation of project
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Questions for Assignment from chapter one:
• Background History of Researches of computing up to now.
• Behavioral and Design science studies.

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Chapter Two: Nature and Scope of Research

Theory:

Formalized set of concepts that summarizes and organizes observations and inferences, provides tentative
explanations for phenomena, and provides the basis for making predictions.

For a theory to be scientific, it must

 Be testable
 Make predictions that can be tested
• Predictions can be contradicted by empirical evidence

A good theory demands:

 A solid empirical base
 A set of carefully developed constructs – elements that make up theory (This is not created easily)

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Theories are carefully constructed from:
Empirical observations
Hypotheses
Inductive and deductive logic
Deduction: the process of deriving specific conclusions from general principles.

Example:
 Major premise: All men are mortal

 Minor premise: Socrates is a man

 Conclusion: Socrates is mortal

Induction: the process of establishing general principles from specific observations.

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Major goal of a researcher could be to develop adequate theories that organize, predict
and explain phenomena.

On the other hand, it could be to test existing theories

Example:

 Improved training provision will create a more productive, reliable and satisfied
workforce.
(An attempt to explain observations, from those explanations, predictions and expectations are
generated.)

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Theory may enter into research in the following way:
Suggesting a problem for study
Providing a hypothesis to be tested
Providing conceptual model for limiting scope of the study
Selection of variables, classes of data
Making research findings intelligible
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General principles regarding the use of theory in research

Knowledge of existing theory in an area of research is essential;

Crucial components in theory: concepts (abstractions that allow us to select and order our
impressions and clear definitions are important)

Theories are hypothetical propositions not conclusive facts

 More alert to observations/data that challenge the theory

Pay close attention to all odds (unusual observations)

Unusual observations are sources of new theoretical approaches
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Theory helps a researcher in planning and directing his/her lines of study.

However, he/she should rely on empirical observations to test and refine the
theoretical prepositions.

Good theories have:

 Coherence

 Logic

 Internal consistency

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The scientific method is one and same in the branches (of science) and
that method is the method of all logically trained minds. the unity of
all sciences consists alone in its methods, not its material; the man
who classifies facts of any kind whatever, who sees their mutual
relation and describes their sequences, is applying the Scientific
Method and is a man of science.

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Research and Scientific Method

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