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ENGINEERING
RESEARCH PROCESS
VICKNESWARI DURAIRAJAH
9 STEPS IN ENGINEERING
RESEARCH PROCESS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
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Choose a problem/question
Review the literature
Define the research problem/question
Develop a hypothesis [or objectives]
Choose a method not as big an issue in
engineering
Carry out the research
Analyse your data
Write up your results AND conclusions
Identify significance, limitations & future research
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1. CHOOSE A
PROBLEM/QUESTION
Pick a problem/question youre interested in and to
which you have some access.
Many researchers try to study problems / questions that
are fascinating, but cannot really be researched due to a
variety of concerns.
Sometimes equipment expenses are too high, or the
researcher cannot gain access to the materials or
resources required e.g. can YOU really get weapons
grade plutonium?
A broad research area is NOT a research question
E.g. I want to research solar power
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Access to information
Access to resources
Theoretical background
Value of research does it make a
contribution
Researchers skills
Is question big enough AND small enough
Overall probability of successful
completion
Interest of the researcher
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2. REVIEW THE
LITERATURE
Any problem/question that is worthwhile solving has,
at least, been thought about by other people
Read existing research to see if there are identified
problems that you are interested in.
Also, theres no point doing research if someone
else has ALREADY done exactly the same thing.
You need to ensure that there is a gap in the
literature. A gap may be a problem that has not
been solved, a question that has not been answered
etc.
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4. DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS
[OR OBJECTIVES]
In engineering/scientific research, this is the next step.
A hypothesis is: a statement of the relationships among the
variables that a researcher intends to study.
Hypotheses are testable you should be able to gather data that
either confirms or rejects the hypothesis. It may not be possible
to do this in practice
e.g. H1:an explosion in the earths core will rupture the planet.
In exploratory research, we do not know enough about the
variables involved to formulate a hypothesis.
In such a case: do NOT state a hypothesis in your research.
Once you state a hypothesis, you MUST test it.
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5. CHOOSE A METHOD
AND METRICS
Once you have a clear hypotheses or clear objectives, decide
which method(s) will allow you to test the hypotheses or
achieve the objectives
Methods include:
Formal experiments and quasi experiments
System, method or model building
etc.
Field studies
Surveys: questionnaires and interviews
Observational studies
Case studies
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9. SIGNIFICANCE,
LIMITATIONS & FUTURE
DIRECTIONS
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ABSTRACT
Write this last. It is an overview of your
whole thesis, and is between 200-300
words.
It tells the whole story of your research so
a reader can decide if it is worth reading or
not
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INTRODUCTION
Usually longer than an abstract, and provides
the following:
background to the topic;
brief review of current knowledge (can include
the literature review);
indicates a gap in knowledge, states the aim of
your research and how it fits into the gap;
can include hypotheses;
can include an outline of the following chapters.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Often part of the Introduction, but can be a separate
section.
It is an evaluation of previous research on your topic,
where you show that there is a gap in the knowledge
that your research will attempt to fill.
The key word here is evaluation.
Other authors use the expression an analysis and
synthesis of the literature. Analysis allows you to
critically assess the literature in relation to YOUR
research. Synthesis organises the literature to make
it easy for your examiner/readers to understand
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METHODS
Often the easiest part of the thesis to
write.
It outlines which method you chose and
why (your methodology);
What is you project about and how it will
work
what, when, where, how and why you did
what you did to get your results.
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RESULTS
Outlines what you found out in relation to your
research questions or hypotheses, presented in
figures and in written text.
Results contain the facts of your research. Often
you will include a brief comment on the
significance of key results, with the expectation
that more generalised comments about results will
be made in the Discussion section. Sometimes
Results and Discussion are combined:
check with your supervisor and with highly rated
past theses in your School.
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DISCUSSION
comments on your results;
explains what your results mean;
interprets your results in a wider context; indicates
which results were expected or unexpected;
provides explanations for unexpected results.
The Discussion should also relate your specific
results to previous research or theory. You should
point out what the limitations were of your study,
and note any questions that remain unanswered.
The
Discussion
CAN
also
include
Conclusions/Future Research.
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CONCLUSIONS
Very important! This is where you
emphasise
that
your
research
aims/objectives have been achieved.
You also emphasise the most significant
results, note the limitations and make
suggestions for further research.
Conclusions
CAN
include
Future
Directions
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