Module Three (part 1)

Module 3Part 1

Course Title: Research MethodsCourse Credit Hrs.: 6 per weekLevel: A+B+CProgram: Joint Supervision -Graduate Partnerships ProgramTerm: Spring 2014/2015

Instructor: Dr. Noora Al-MalkiCredits of images and online content are to their original ownersCopyright (a) noora malki 2014

Presentation Content

- Learning Outcomes- Components of a proposal- Review of Literature- Quantitative Methods- Qualitative Methods- Questionnaire Design (e-

Questionnaires) - Components of a Research Paper- Research Web Apps (Diigo, etc)- NEXT Week

04/13/23 Dr. Noora Malki, al (c) all rights reserved 2

Learning OutcomesUpon completing this part of the module, students will be able to:

a.Identify the components of a proposal

b.locate and critically evaluate relevant literature.

c.engage in highly collaborative and communicative guided discussions and brain storming sessions about research activities (offline & online).


Components of a Proposal


A proposal is a an outline of your proposed research project that is designed to:1.Define a clear research question and a specific approach to addressing it.2.Highlight your research project’s originality and/or significance3.Explain how it adds to, develops (or challenges) existing literature in the field.4.Convince supervisors of the importance of your research.



1) a clear working title for your research project a. what will you call your project?b. what key words would describe your proposal?



2) a clear statement about what you want to work on and why it is important, interesting, relevant and realistic. a.what are your main research objectives? – these could be articulated as hypotheses, propositions, research questions, or problems to solve.b.what difference do you think your research will make? c.why does this research excite you?d.what research ‘gaps’ will you be filling by undertaking your project?e.how might your research ‘add value’ to the subject? f.is your research achievable in the time allocated? (e.g. 3 years full time)‐



3) some background knowledge and context of the area in which you wish to work, including key literature, key people, key research findings. a.how does your work link to the work of others in the same or related fields?b.would your work support or contest the work of others?c.how does your work relate to the expertise within the department you are applying to?



4) some consideration of the methods/approach you might usea.how will you conduct your research? b.will you use existing theories, new methods/approaches or develop new methods/approaches?c.how might you design your project to get the best results/findings?



5) some indication of the strategy and timetable for your research project and any research challenges you may facea.what would be the main stages of your project?b.what would you be expecting to do in each year of your PhD?c.what challenges might you encounter and how might you overcome these?



6. a list of the key references which support your research proposal a.references should be listed in the appropriate convention for your subject area (e.g. APA). Such references should be used throughout your research proposal to demonstrate that you have read and understood the work of others.

With a few modifications from Exeter Guide for Writing PhD Proposals



Sometimes, PhD candidates fail to be accepted because of weaknesses in their research proposal. To avoid this, keep the following points in mind:1. Make sure that your research idea, question or problem is very clearly stated, persuasive and addresses a demonstrable gap in the existing literature. Put time into formulating the questions- in the early stages of a project, they can be as important as the projected results.



2. Make sure that you have researched the departments to which you are applying to ensure that there are staff interested in your subject area and available to supervise your project. As mentioned above it is strongly advised that you contact potential supervisors in advance, and provide them with a polished version of your proposal for comment.3. Make sure that your proposal is well structured. Poorly formed or rambling proposals indicate that the proposed project may suffer the same fate.



4. Ensure that the scope of your project is reasonable, and remember that there are significant limits to the size and complexity of a project that can be completed and written up in three years. We will be assessing proposals not only for their intellectual ambition and significance, but also for the likelihood that the candidate can complete this project.5. Make sure that your passion for the subject matter shines through in the structure and arguments presented within your proposal. Remember that we may not be experts in your field – it is up to you to make your project and subject matter engaging to your readers!



4. Ensure that the scope of your project is reasonable, and remember that there are significant limits to the size and complexity of a project that can be completed and written up in three years. We will be assessing proposals not only for their intellectual ambition and significance, but also for the likelihood that the candidate can complete this project.5. Make sure that your passion for the subject matter shines through in the structure and arguments presented within your proposal. Remember that we may not be experts in your field – it is up to you to make your project and subject matter engaging to your readers!

Review of Literature


The aim of a literature review is to show your reader that you have read, and have a good grasp of, the main published work concerning a particular topic or question in your field. This work may be in any format, including online sources. In research writing, the review will be guided by your research objective or by the issue or thesis you are arguing and will provide the framework for your further work.



The purpose of a review is to analyze critically a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.



Why we do literature reviews?• to define and limit the problem you are working on• to place your study in an historical perspective• to avoid unnecessary duplication• to evaluate promising research methods• to relate your findings to previous knowledge and suggest further research



According to Caulley (1992) of La Trobe University, the literature review should:1.compare and contrast different authors' views on an issue2.group authors who draw similar conclusions3.criticise aspects of methodology4.note areas in which authors are in disagreement5.highlight exemplary studies6.highlight gaps in research7.show how your study relates to previous studies8.show how your study relates to the literature in general9.conclude by summarising what the literature says

Components of a Research Paper


A research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition.

From Online Writing Lab at Purdue University



a research paper is more than the sum of your sources, more than a collection of different pieces of information about a topic, and more than a review of the literature in a field. A research paper analyzes a perspective or argues a point. Regardless of the type of research paper you are writing, your finished research paper should present your own thinking backed up by others' ideas and information.State University of New York Website



Title. The title of the dissertation, like the title of the proposal, should summarize the project, should not generally exceed 15 words, and should not include unnecessary words such as “A Study of....”. It may be appropriate for the title to change from the proposal to the dissertation draft to account for major changes that occurred prior to the completion of the research or for other reasons suggested by the committee. A title change requires the consent of the committee. The title should include key terms that readily identify the scope and nature of the study.



Acknowledgments. Acknowledgments give credit for external support received throughout the dissertation process and recognize generally the contributions of committee members and others who made important contributions. Acknowledgments also express gratitude for the use of copyrighted or otherwise restricted materials, as appropriate. A doctoral candidate may choose to dedicate the dissertation to a person or persons who have had significant impact on the author’s work. This dedication, when included, should be brief and is best placed at the end of the acknowledgments section or on a separate page preceding the acknowledgments.



Abstract. The abstract, which must not exceed 350 words (or 2450 characters) for the final dissertation, is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the dissertation. Generally written after the dissertation is complete but building on the framework set forth in the proposal abstract, the dissertation abstract provides a summary of the dissertation's research question, methods, results, and conclusions.



Table of Contents. The table of contents should list in order of appearance all components of the dissertation, including all headings and subheadings, with the correct corresponding page numbers at the right margin, following a row of dots (a “dot leader”). Subheads should be indented below the inclusive heading above them to clarify how they fit into the organization of the document. The table of contents should be double-spaced between entries; entries longer than one line should be single-spaced. The page numbers for materials preceding Chapter I (Introduction) should be in lower-case roman numerals, while all subsequent materials should be listed with standard Arabic numerals.



List of tables and list of illustrations. Separate lists should be created for tables and illustrations that appear in the text of the document. Illustrations appropriate for use in dissertations include figures, maps, diagrams, photos, and plates. These lists should include the number and full name of each table or illustration, listed in order of appearance in the text, followed by the number of the page on which the table or illustration appears. Tables and illustrations are usually numbered sequentially in Arabic numerals, the first digit representing the chapter, followed by a decimal and the table or illustration’s number within that chapter, e.g. 4.12 (the twelfth table or illustration in chapter 4). The list of tables and the list of illustrations should be double-spaced.



Chapter I. Introduction, or Statement of the Problem. As in the proposal, the dissertation introduction presents the problem addressed by the research. The subject of the dissertation is described in such a way that readers will know in a general way the current status of research conclusions on the topic, as well as some theoretical implications associated with the results of previous research on the subject. As in the proposal, the introduction should describe the nature and purpose of the study and explain the significance of and justification for conducting the study. Terms likely to be used throughout the dissertation should be defined in this chapter. As an option, a brief summary of the introduction may appear at the end of the chapter. Summaries may also optionally be used to conclude the subsequent chapters.



Chapter II. Review of the Literature and Research Questions. The review of the literature in the dissertation places the present study in the context of previous research. The review should be similar to the review of literature in the proposal but should reflect any change of focus or direction that resulted from the research process. Again, this chapter should present the hypothesis or research questions and the relationship of these to previous findings.



Chapter III. Methodology. The methodology section of the dissertation should build on the description of methods outlined in the proposal. Labeled subsections similar to those in the proposal should be included. These may include a section describing participants or subjects, a section describing testing or other measurement procedures undertaken with the participants, and a section discussing limitations of the methodology.



Chapter IV. Results. The results section summarizes the data collected and details the statistical treatment of that data. After a brief statement of the main results or findings of the study, the data are reported in sufficient detail to justify the conclusions. Tables and illustrations (e.g., figures et al.) may be used to report data when these methods are seen to present the data more clearly and economically. All tables and illustrations used should be mentioned in the text, with appropriate titles or captions and enough explanation to make them readily identifiable.



Chapter V. Discussion. In the discussion section, the results are summarized, evaluated, and interpreted with respect to the original research questions and hypotheses. In this section, the investigator is free to examine, interpret, and qualify the results, as well as to draw inferences from them. Theoretical and practical consequences of the results and the validity of conclusions may appropriately be discussed in this section. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future work may also be included.



References. The reference list at the end of the dissertation should list all works cited in the dissertation, and all items listed as references must have been cited in the dissertation text. Special attention should be given to ensure appropriate citations of less common sources, such as unpublished manuscripts. Again, the APA Manual can provide guidance for ensuring accuracy in these details.



Appendices. Materials that document important components of the dissertation research process that would be too lengthy, awkward, or distracting to include within the text should be included as appendices in the final document. These materials may include pertinent raw data, consent forms, letters of introduction to subjects, questionnaires, survey forms, and the like. The word “APPENDIX” should appear in all capital letters.

Module Three Essential Readings

For this Module, you are supposed to read the following:Chapter 3 "Structuring the Research Project" from Walliman's Research Methods (pgs. 29-41) (checklists)

Purdue University writing Lab. “In-Text Citations APA Style”

How to write a Review of Literature (web checklist)



NEXT ModuleTopic

Research Methods (quantitative and qualitative), Questionnaire Design, web apps in research.


Have a super day….

Module Three (part 1)

Education

noora malki

research challenges

research questions

research proposala

research activities

research achievable

research idea

research projecta