Methods of Scientific Research and Writing (GEN909) Lecture Notes PDF

1 Methods of Scientific Research and Writing (GEN909) Research Methods Technical Writing Dr. Abobakr Mohamed Dr. Andro Nabil Weighting of Assessments Semester work Final Term Exam (30) (30)...

1 Methods of Scientific Research and Writing (GEN909) Research Methods Technical Writing Dr. Abobakr Mohamed Dr. Andro Nabil Weighting of Assessments Semester work Final Term Exam (30) (30) 60  2 Lecture Elements 1) What is Research? 2) Inductive and Deductive Methods of Reasoning in Research 3) The Scientific Method in Research  3 1) What is Research? In popular usage, research is a systematic search for:  answering a particular question  solving a problem  gathering information, especially for a project or literary work. In academic fields, research is used to denote activities such as:  defining, redefining, and solving problems.  observing facts and their interpretation benefit of people  formulation of hypotheses and their testing through experiments  revision of existing theories  practical application of information already generated  4 1) What is Research? Characteristics of Good Research:  Research is based on the work of others  Research is a blend of logic and imagination  Research tries to identify and avoid bias  Repeatability  Research must be generalizable to other settings  Research is systematic  Research generates new questions  Research is an apolitical activity Solving problems affecting the society  5 2) Inductive and Deductive Methods of Reasoning in Research Method of Deduction: is a systematic approach to reasoning from a general assumption to a specific application. the major premise is based on a theory, rule, law, principle, or general understanding.  This method was highly successful in mathematics Method of Induction:  Starts with specific observations Induction involves  Detect patterns and regularities a bottom up approach  Formulate a tentative hypothesis  Develop some general conclusions when the sample size is small,  which may eventually become a the generalized statement theory or law according to the may not be reliable strength of evidences  6 2) Inductive and Deductive Methods of Reasoning in Research A combination of induction and deduction is practiced in science now. The researcher proposes a hypothesis through induction and then tries to deduce the probability that it is false through empirical evidences. This is what is commonly known as inductive-deductive method. This as inductive-deductive method is now recognized as equivalent to Scientific method.  7 3) The Scientific Method in Research Comprises the following main actions: 1) Make observations or gather information 2) Develop a hypothesis 3) Predict results 4) Design an experiment 5) Conduct the experiment and collect data 6) Evaluation and conclusion 7) Acceptance, modification, or rejection of the hypothesis  8 3) The Scientific Method in Research 1) Make observations or gather information Information about a defined problem may be gathered in many ways:  from books and journal articles in a library  from information on the Internet  from discussions with experts and colleagues who are also interested in the problem  by preliminary observations by the researcher  9 3) The Scientific Method in Research 2) Develop a hypothesis:  Hypotheses are possible explanations for the phenomenon under study. Explanations must be ‘falsifiable’.  Hypothesis is expected to contain the least possible number of unproven assumptions.  Based on his observations and past experiences, researcher selects hypotheses which are likely to be fruitful.  10 3) The Scientific Method in Research 3) Predict results: The prediction is a formal way to put a hypothesis to test. Suppose you want to find out whether giving protein rich feed increases milk yield in cattle, you can make a hypothesis and do a prediction like this: If protein rich feed increases milk yield in cattle, then all these cows fed on protein rich diet will give more milk yield than the control group. If this prediction holds, then you should accept the hypothesis. After the experiment, if you find that this prediction does not hold well, you will reject your hypothesis.  11 3) The Scientific Method in Research 4) Design an experiment to falsify the hypothesis: Every hypothesis must be tested by performing appropriate experiments and evaluating the results 5) Conduct the experiment and collect data Usually, two groups are identified for the test:  the control group  the experimental group  12 3) The Scientific Method in Research 6) Evaluation and conclusion: Once the experiment is over:  subject the data to proper analysis  summarize the results  arrive at conclusions  go back to your observations, data, and original hypothesis for consistency.  13 3) The Scientific Method in Research 7) Accept, modify, or reject the hypothesis  If the data supports the hypothesis, it is accepted.  If the data does not support the hypothesis, then we reject it.  Sometimes, the data may partly support the hypothesis. Then we modify the hypothesis and repeat the whole process by a new set of experiments.