1. Research Methods
Designing a research project:
Getting started

2. A research process

3. Designing a research project
Other people’s
research
Research question, aims and objectives
Practical constraints: resources, access, ethics
Approach, method and instruments

4. Choosing a topic Your first task to get you started on your assignment
Your proposed research MUST be concerned with an area of computing, relevant to your Module
As you are writing a proposal for research which you do not have to carry out you have fewer real-world constraints ...
but it might be helpful to build some in to your proposal
availability of quality literature about your topic is important – web must not be the only source
Your first step is to think of some areas of interest ...
... Is there a computing topic you have wanted to find out more about for some time?

5. Choosing a topic “Computing” research now covers a huge field ...
Computer science, new technologies, opensource software, extreme programming, 3D-graphics, wireless networks
Humans using computers – for work, leisure, sociability, education and learning
Mobile and ubiquitous (non-desktop) computing – phones, cameras, music, gaming, TV
Legality and ethics of computer use – piracy, downloading, security, biometrics, identity theft, plagiarism
Attitudes to computers, access to technology, digital divide

6. Formulating a research question
Start with an area in which you are interested ...
... then look for previous research on that subject
New knowledge
Should be (a little bit) original
But build on what is already known
Create some questions about topic e.g. PLAGIARISM
What …?
Who …?
Why …?
How far …?
How many …?
In what way …?
To what extent …?

7. For example: Plagiarism and the Web
Possible to ask different questions about the same topic, and investigate in different ways
Do staff and students have different attitudes to plagiarism? Survey of the two groups by questionnaire:
“Attitudes to student plagiarism amongst academic staff and students: a comparative study”
Where do students draw the line on acceptable and unacceptable plagiarism? – show students case studies in a focus group and record their reactions
Are student attitudes to plagiarism different according to their nationality and culture?
“Attitudes to student plagiarism amongst students in Computing: a cross-cultural study.”

8. Another example, Phone cams
What do people use them for? User diary study, focus groups
“Use of camera facility on mobile phones among young people in Hastings aged ”
Who buys them? Internet study collating information from market research companies and phone companies “Development of markets for phonecams - comparative
study of UK, US, Finland and Japan”
Misuse of phone cams, is it a problem? – bullying, happy slapping, stalking. Case studies? Survey of people’s perceptions of risk?

9. Write a research question
Music or video downloading
Learning programming
Identity cards

10. Formulating a research question
Once you have identified your research question
Think of a title for your proposal
A good title should tell prospective readers exactly what the research (report, proposal) is about – so that they can decide whether or not to read it
Ask if other people will be interested in your research question? Is it relevant to people other than yourself?
“How to research”, by Blaxter, Hughes and Tight gives some useful advice about choosing a topic – and how to kick start the process if you cannot think of a topic – see Chapter 2, page 21-52

11. Planning - what resources do you have to investigate your research question?
Time?
As you are writing a proposal you can decide how long you have for the research
Funding
What is the budget?
Access
Risks – what problems might prevent you getting access to the information you need?
Technology
Any specialist equipment? Recording equipment?
Games consoles?

12. Research method
Think seriously about your own preferences both for topic
Do you want to learn something about the research topic you are proposing? Will you be interested in reading papers etc for your literature review?
And also method –
How feasible would it be to investigate your research topic?
Will it require one or more methods to come to some sound and justifiable conclusions?
Do you have the knowledge and skills to carry out the investigation?
Back this up by reading about research methods

13. Research methods
Approaches = different ways of designing research program
Action/participant research
Students last year studied themselves as they learned how to play multiplayer games, e.g.
Everquest
Another group did a street survey in a shopping centre to find out if people new about the security risks of wireless networks
Experiments
Information seeking with 4 different search engines - relevance of returned results

14. Research methods Surveys - via questionnaire, interview
Questionnaire study of people’s planning behaviour for TV
Internet research
Research into history, technology and use of SMS
Observation of behaviour
Home study of families with interactive TV

15. Summary
We have investigated some ways of arriving at a research question bearing in mind constraints.
We have identified that the designing of a research question and its aims and objectives cannot be achieved in isolation. Remember we will be looking at topics that help with the research question over the next few weeks.

16. Questions?

17. Task 1 (Part 1)
01 Developing a Research Question
Exercise (Individual & Group based):
1. Read this web page. (Individual task)
2. Complete Exercise 1 "Can this topic be Researched?" (Group task: In your group discuss and note down your reasons why before checking the answers).
3. Complete Exercise 2 "Is this question too broad or Narrow?" note down your reasons why before checking the answers. (Group task: In your group discuss and note down your reasons why before checking the answers).
4. Complete Exercise 3 "Evaluate your own research question" (Individual task)

18. Task 1 (Part 2) 02 Research Question Types
research/documents/step2.pdf
Exercise (Individual):
1. Read this web page.
2. Identify the type of question you are proposing as your research question.
3. Create a table to show how your research question will be SMART.

19. Task 2
Think about a research question and then write a brief research proposal and a plan (first ideas, not a finished product).
Download from the Wiki and complete the ‘Research Question’ form with rough ideas for next week. Complete 2 of these with a different research question for each.