Introduction to Research Methods

Understanding Research

• Research is the pursuit of new knowledge through systematic inquiry, involving learning, searching, and discovering
• Research, unlike structured undergraduate coursework, involves open-ended exploration contributing to new knowledge
• Textbooks summarize established knowledge, while research papers aim to expand the boundaries of understanding
• Research often starts unclearly, requiring passion, persistence, and the acceptance of failure

Analogy for Research

• Research is like exploring a new city without a map
• Initially, everything seems unclear, but systematic inquiry reveals landmarks and contributes to one's understanding of the space

Research Degrees vs. Taught Degrees

• Undergraduate & Master's degrees (B.Tech, MSc) involve structured coursework, learning existing knowledge, and understanding evaluated through exams and assignments
• Research degrees (MPhil, MS, PhD) focus on independent inquiry and discovery, requiring deep investigation, to produce unique work

Selecting a Research Area and Advisor

• The research area should be based on genuine interest and curiosity
• Research requires a long-term commitment and deep engagement
• Advisor compatibility is key, with the advisor's approach and personality aligning with the student's working style
• Advisors provide guidance, but students take initiative in defining and solving problems

Role of the Researcher and the Advisor

• Research students must take responsibility for their work, setting their research agenda and driving their projects forward
• Self-motivation and persistence are crucial for students overcoming challenges
• Advisors act as guides, refining research questions, interpreting data, and ensuring research relevance
• Some advisors are hands-on, while others allow more independent work

Inquiry and Asking Questions

• Research is driven by formulating the right questions, unlike coursework that provides fixed answers
• Researchers must learn to ask meaningful questions that can be systematically explored
• Generating hypotheses involves making educated guesses and testing them

Challenges of Research and Failure

• Research involves setbacks, unexpected results, and failed experiments
• Experiments require repeated trials and revisions
• Handling feedback and revising work is essential when research papers face peer review
• Adaptation and learning, rather than avoiding failure, is the goal

Key Insights

• Research can be a random walk, leading to unexpected discoveries
• Essential to keep a long-term goal in mind while working steadily on daily tasks
• Persistence and patience are crucial for success

Importance of Note-Taking and Organization

• A research notebook is essential for tracking progress and ideas
• Systematic documentation helps maintain clarity in the long-term research process
• Discoveries happen through repeated cycles of testing, failing, and refining

Reading and Writing Research Papers

• Papers present findings in a structured format; however an actual research process is messy
• Extract key takeaways from papers without being overwhelmed by the details
• Good research papers highlight key results, clarify thoughts and refine arguments
• Peer review is an essential part of the publication process

The Research Mindset

• Research requires a mindset open to questioning everything, embracing ambiguity, and changing direction
• The true reward for a researcher is the moment of discovery
• Breakthroughs need dedication, like an athlete training for years before winning

Importance of a Literature Survey

• Involves accessing authoritative sources like journal databases and includes journal databases, conference proceedings, and research reports
• Helps researchers understand prior work and to identify research gaps and avoid duplication
• Used to develop a research problem based on existing knowledge, and stay updated on recent advancements

Sources of Literature

• Primary sources are Journals, Conference proceedings and Technical reports and patents
• Secondary Sources include review papers, handbooks, textbooks and monographs
• Tertiary Sources consist of dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies

Databases

• ISI Web of Science and Scopus are widely used, but require institutional access
• Google Scholar is an open-access alternative, though not as reliable as the Web of Science
• ResearchGate and Academia.edu allow access to some full-text articles

Conducting a Literature Survey Using Web of Science & Scopus

• Web of Science requires institutional access via IP authentication or roaming login, provides citation data, research trends, and impact factors
• Scopus is another subscription-based database with search filters by author, institution, and keywords used to find highly cited papers in their field and allows saving searches, and tracking updates in personal profiles

Steps to Use These Databases

• Check for institutional access and register and create a profile
• Use advanced search features and refine search results

Managing Resources

• Tools allow automatic formatting and help avoid typographical errors
• APA, MLA, IEEE, and Chicago/Turabian are the different styles of citations

Writing References

• Using LaTeX (BibTeX) stores references in .bib files, where multiple complilation is required to work "LaTeX → BibTeX → LaTeX"
• Using Microsoft Word for References allows converting references to XML format to insert citations

Ethical Skills and Research

• Experiments must be reproducible and well-documented.
• Data must be stored securely and analyzed systematically
• Ethical guidelines must be followed in citing sources and avoiding plagiarism

Introduction to Data Analysis

• Definition: It is the process of extracting insights from raw data to validate hypotheses, build models, and make informed decisions
• Importance is essential for all fields of research and theoretical
• Objective : To convert raw data into meaningful patterns and conclusions
• Common Mistake happens with data analysis if it is just about using software

Objectives and Types of Data Analysis

• Serve as research purposes, which are to Summarize data trends
• Creating predictive models using historical data
• Identifying critical characteristics in signals, image recognition
• Categorizing data into groups and checking whether a research assumption is statistically valid

Data Analysis

• Data Visualization involves distribution check, correlation check and outliers detection
• Data Quality Check is identifying missing values and incorrect formats
• Data Preprocessing involves cleaning the data set
• Choosing the right analysis method (time, frequency, joint)

Statistical Methods

• Statistical Methods are Descriptive Statistics, Inferential Statistics, and Regression Analysis
• Choose the right method depends on data type, research objective, and available computational resources

Challenges in Data Analysis

• Iterative Nature for researchers to reprocess data multiple times
• Errors in Data Collection affects accuracy, such as Bias in Sampling

Tools

• A COVID-19 vaccine trial must include all age groups; otherwise, it will be biased
• Tools include R, Python, MATLAB, SPSS and Excel

Handling Research Data Ethically

• Ensure reproducibility by documenting data processing steps
• Giving proper citations and avoiding outliers
• Securing data storage by using cloud backups

Key Differences

• A Journal paper is a structured, peer-reviewed document that provides detailed research findings. It is non-interactive
• A technical presentation is an event where researchers communicate their work verbally and visually, which is interactive, allowing real-time audience engagement and flexibility

Technical Presentation

• Constraint involves Adapting to the audience background
• Effective Communication Strategies such as keeping the slides simple
• Structuring a Technical Presentation of Clearly stating the problem and stating a "Thank you" is a cultural norm in India

Technical Writing

• The goal is to inform and persuade efficiently
• Challenges in Technical Writing New researchers struggle with clarity and structure, where multiple revisions are necessary before publication
• A well written journal paper includes the Abstract,Introduction and Cites relevant literature

Efficiency in Technical Writing

• Experienced researchers is to revise multiple times and rarely publish first drafts