R ESEARCH. R ESEARCH M ODULES What is Research? Research Components Problem Statement Research Questions Literature Review Methods Experiments Results.

RESEARCH

RESEARCH MODULES

What is Research? Research Components

Problem Statement Research Questions Literature Review Methods Experiments Results and Discussion Limitations and Conclusion Putting it All Together: Abstract and Summary

WHAT IS RESEARCH? (1/2)

Research is….

“A carefully planned and performed investigation”

http://www.spaceday.org/index.php/Glossary-of-Aeronautics-Terms.htmlhttp://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/a-participants-guide-to-mental-health-clinical-research/glossary.shtmlwww.usg.edu/galileo/skills/ollc_glossary.phtml http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_leedy_practical_8/0,9599,1569572-,00.html

“A study done to answer a question”

“Inquiry into a topic to discover or revise facts”

Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that understanding to others.

WHAT IS RESEARCH? (2/2)Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that understanding to others.

Methods

Questions, Problem Statement, and Lit Review

Experiments

Results and Discussion

Limitations and Conclusions; Abstract and Summary

Systematic process

Collecting and analyzing information

Phenomenon under study

Researcher

Understanding of the phenomenon

Communicate that understanding

YOU!!

RESEARCH COMPONENTS

Problem Statement Research Questions Literature Review Methods Experiments Results and Discussion Limitations and Conclusion Putting it All Together: Abstract and Summary

PROBLEM STATEMENT

PROBLEM STATEMENT The study matter or topic that you will be

investigating.A problem statement must be …… specific.

Answer the questions: who, what, when, how and where is the problem?

… directive. State the effect or what is wrong (gap analysis)

… measureable. Data from experiments can assist with the investigation.PROBLEM STATEMENT EXAMPLE

During the 2011 (when) NFL Superbowl (where), 400 ticketholders with seats (who) were not able to enter into

the Cowboy’s Stadium (what), making the actual attendance of 103,219 fans 0.7% percentage points short of the current attendance record of 103,985 fans (gap).

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

A formal statement of the goal of the study that will help further understand the problem

A research question must be …… written as a question… try to answer unknown… requires validation

RESEARCH QUESTIONS EXAMPLES•Why were the temporary seats not ready on time?•Where did the ticketholders who did not enter the stadium watch the Superbowl instead?•How many fans accepted the compensation package (free tickets to the next Superbowl, hotel, air included)?

EXPERIMENTATION

EXPERIMENT

Experiment is a collection of research designs which use manipulation and controlled testing to understand causal processes. Variables are manipulated in the experiment

Independent variable are manipulated Dependent variable are measured to see the effect of

the manipulation

Experiments typically use some type of sampling YOU CAN’T TEST YOUR THEORIES ON EVERYONE!

Types of Experiments: Pretest-Posttest Design Control Group Randomized Controlled Trials

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Now, that the experiments is completed…

ASK the question “Why did you do the research in the first place?”

Helps in organizing your data Ex. Study of Employee Productivity in a Call Center

Call Times, Number of Calls per Day, Number of Call Resolutions, Average time between phone calls, etc.

Focus on your goals Ex. Productivity – “How Productive is the work site?”

Qualitative vs. Quantative Qualitative research seeks out the ‘why’, not the ‘how’ of its

topic through the analysis of unstructured information – things like interview transcripts, open ended survey responses, emails, notes, feedback forms, photos and videos

Quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships; its objective is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Interpreting your results Compare to what you expected Discuss observations and appropriate statistics Record conclusions Explore recommendations (if applicable)

Communicating Results Concise, concise, concise!!! Main question: “Who is your audience?”

Scientific community? – interested in scientific details Corporate Office? – interested in bottomline Students/Unaffiliated Parties? – simple overview

LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

LIMITATIONS

Access to information Access to resources Time management Access to experts for editing, proofreading,

and guidance Support from organizations and participants Bias by the researcher

CONCLUSIONS

Be concise. Keep good records. Know your background. Use your resources. Work together!

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:ABSTRACT AND SUMMARY

ABSTRACT… SHOULD BE WRITTEN LAST! Motivation:

Why do we care about t your problem and the results?

Why is this significant? Why is your problem important and what impact

will it have? Problem statement:

What problem are you trying to solve? What is the scope of your work?

Scope-(it is a generalized approach, or specific)

ABSTRACT

Approach: How did you solve this problem? Discuss your method of approach. What was the extent of your work? What are the important variables that were

controlled, ignored, or measured? Results:

What was the answer to your problem? Include numbers and units.

Conclusions: What do the results mean? Are they significant? Are they general, potentially generalizable, or

very specific.

SAMPLE ABSTRACT.. WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

Sample 1: This experiment will determine what will make enzymes effective and what will make them ineffective. We tested different samples of enzymes in a spectrophotometer and recorded their absorption rates. Six samples were placed in the spectrophotometer but two contained no enzyme; these acted as blanks for the other samples. The four remaining samples contained Catecholase ranging from 0.5 ml to 1.75 m. The second half of the experiment contained four test tubes with a constant amount of Catecholase, but the pH levels ranged from four to eight. It was found that if the enzyme was present in large amounts, then the absorption rate was high, and if the pH level ranged from 6 to eight then the absorption rate was high. Therefore it can be said that enzymes work well in neutral pH levels and in large amounts.

Sample 2: This experiment was performed to determine the factors that positively influence enzyme reaction rates in cellular activities since some enzymes seem to be more effective than others. Catecholase enzyme activity was measured through its absorption rate in a spectrophotometer, using light with a wavelength of 540 nm. We compared the absorbance rates in samples with varying enzyme concentrations and a constant pH of 7, and with samples with constant enzyme concentration and varying pH levels. The samples with the highest enzyme concentration had the greatest absorption rate of 95 percent compared to the sample with the lowest concentration and an absorption rate of 24 percent. This suggests that a higher concentration of enzymes leads to a greater product production rate. The samples with a pH between six and eight had the greatest absorption rate of 70 percent compared to an absorption rate of 15 percent with a pH of 4; this suggests that Catecholase is most effective in a neutral pH ranging from six to eight.

SUMMARY.. (ALSO WRITTEN LAST)

What is a summary? A record that hits the main points of your

writing. First steps to writing a summary

Read your paper and underline all important points

List the main ideas of the whole piece, the main supporting ideas, and the main evidence for each idea

What is a good summary? Should answer basic questions

Who, What, and When? What is the main idea of this paper? What are the main supporting points? What are the major pieces of evidence?

Use your own words. Don’t include too much detail. Include the main idea of each paragraph or

section of your paper. Should not simply rearrange words used in

the original, or substituting in words from your original.