الأساليب البحثية وأثر الإعلام العنيف

Course Information

• Course Title: Writing & Presentation Skills - Part 2
• Course Code: GENG005
• Faculty: Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
• Department: Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering Department
• Lecture: 1 - Research and Information Gathering
• Date: Sunday, November 24, 2024

Educational Objectives

• Utilize effective research methods to gather relevant information for content generation.
• Ensure accuracy and credibility in technical writing.

Research Outline

• Understanding the Research Process
• Planning for the Research Process
• Researching a topic
• Choosing Appropriate Research Methods
• Conducting Secondary Research
• Conducting Primary Research
• Conducting Experimental Primary Research

Academic Research Goals

• Aims to answer scholarly questions.
• Example questions:
  • To what extent do standardized tests contribute to the success of public elementary schools?
  • What effects do violent media have on teenagers?
• Focus: Abstract principles and theories.
• Methodology: Extensive secondary research (literature review) before primary research.

Workplace Research Goals

• Aims to solve practical problems.
• Example questions:
  • Should we replace our sales staff's notebook computers with tablets?
  • What are the pros and cons of adopting a European-style privacy policy?
• Focus: Improving organizational processes and stakeholder needs.
• Methodology: Significant primary research.

Academic vs. Workplace Research

• Academic research focuses on abstract and theoretical questions, primarily using secondary research to understand principles.
• Workplace research focuses on practical and situational problems, primarily relying on primary research to improve organizational effectiveness.

Planning for the Research Process

• Eight steps to develop a research plan:
  • Analyze the audience
  • Analyze the purpose
  • Analyze the subject
  • Consider the document type
  • Work out a schedule and a budget for the project
  • Determine what information will need to be part of the document
  • Determine what information to acquire
  • Create questions to answer in the document

Choosing Appropriate Research Methods

• Question-based research methods to meet diverse research needs.
• Example methods:
  • Long-Term Predictions (e.g., outsourcing in computer support, using journal articles, reputable websites and blogs)
  • Product Evaluation (assessing product performance, using secondary research, observations, demonstrations, interviews, and experimental comparisons)

Research Question Types

• Examples of research questions:
  • What is the theory behind a process or technique?
  • What is the history of a phenomenon?
  • How is the current situation expected to change?
  • What products are available to perform a task or provide a service?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of competing products and services?

Conducting Secondary Research

• Objective: Gather insights from experts and scientists about a specific topic.
• Goal: Acquire the best available information (accurate, unbiased, comprehensive, and current).
• Resources:
  • Libraries (access to specialized handbooks and subscription services)
  • Online research (utilize the web for information gathering)
  • Organizational Information Centers (internal libraries for critical data)
  • Specialists for research inquiries and data retrieval

Understanding Research Tools

• Key resources:
  • Library Catalogs (electronic records of physical holdings like books and journals)
  • Online Databases (full-text articles and documents)
  • AI Tools (enhance research resources)

Conducting Primary Research

• Objective: Answering research questions.
• Goal: Obtain new, accurate, credible, reliable, and unbiased information for scientific community.
• Major categories:
  • Data Analysis
  • Observations and Demonstrations
  • Inspections
  • Experiments
  • Field research
  • Interviews
  • Inquiries
  • Questionnaires

Conducting Experimental Primary Research

• Experimental research phases:
  • Establishing a hypothesis
  • Testing the hypothesis
  • Analyzing the data
  • Reporting the data