Research Questions, Hypothesis,

Objectives, Scope and Project Plan

KKKF6013/8013 Research Methodology

Dr. Mohd Hairi Mohd Zaman

JKEES, FKAB, UKM
 Contents

Research Research Research Research Project plan

questions objectives hypothesis scope
Research Questions
How to formulate research questions?
• Research question interacts with research gap and hypothesis
• Research gap describes a void in scientific understanding, that tells us
what is unknown, by identifying unanswered questions in your field’s
literature
• Research hypothesis describes the best guess at what the research
gap will reveal

Research Research Research

gap question hypothesis
Good research question characteristics

Harness curiosity and Creates social and

interesting scientific values

Respects unique
Seeks broad application
research limitation
Characteristics of a strong research question
• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or
thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-questions/
Research Hypothesis
What is a research hypothesis?
• A hypothesis is a statement that introduces a research question and
proposes an expected result
• A specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in a
study
• Represents what the researchers think will happen in an experiment

https://www.enago.com/academy/how-to-develop-a-good-research-hypothesis/
Questions to ask yourself to formulate good
hypothesis
• Is the language clear and focused?
• What is the relationship between your hypothesis and your research
topic?
• Is your hypothesis testable? If yes, then how?
• What are the possible explanations that you might want to explore?
• Does your hypothesis include both an independent and dependent
variable?
• Can you manipulate your variables without hampering the ethical
standards?
Types of research hypothesis
• Simple hypothesis
• Complex hypothesis
• Directional hypothesis
• Non-directional hypothesis
• Associative and causal hypothesis
• Null hypothesis
• Alternative hypothesis
How to formulate an effective research
hypothesis?
• State the problem that you are trying to solve
• Make sure that the hypothesis clearly defines the topic and the focus of the
experiment.
• Try to write the hypothesis as an if-then statement
• Follow this template: If a specific action is taken, then a certain outcome is
expected.
• Define the variables
• Independent variables are the ones which are manipulated, controlled, or
changed. Independent variables are isolated from other factors of the study.
• Dependent variables, as name suggests are dependent on other factors of the
study. They are influenced by the change in independent variable.
Research Objectives
How to formulate the research objectives?
• Research objective is a statement of what the research is intended to
achieve
• To answer the research questions
• Write the research objectives in the SMART format:
• Specific: clear, focused and no room for confusion
• Measurable: create metrics to measure progress
• Achievable: can be realistically achieve
• Relevant: relevant to your research and overall goal
• Time-based: establish deadlines to keep on track
Research Scope
What is the research scope?
• Limitations or boundaries within which your research will be
conducted
• Areas to be covered by your work
• Gives depth to your research question
• Before any data collection and experimental works started
• Must be clear on the research parameters that you will and will not
consider
Project Plan
How to outline the project?

Conduct literature Synthesize the Identify the

review research gap research questions

Define what results Plan the

Outline the
would answer the experiment, step-
experiment
research question by-step
How to develop a project plan?
• Identify the project title
• Describe the background and motivation
• Identify overall goal and research objectives
• Outline the methods you will work with
• Setup the work plan by identifying the tasks required to complete the
research and achieve the objectives
• Estimate the time for each identified tasks
• Schedule the tasks, including milestones, in the Gantt chart
Example of Gantt chart
References
• Ridley, D. 2012. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for
Students. 2nd Edition. Los Angeles: Sage.
• Gratton, P. & Gratton, G. 2020. Achieving Success wih the Engineering
Dissertation. Switzerland: Springer.
• Deetjen, T. 2020. Published. Las Vegas. Thomas A. Deetjen.
• Bock, P. 2020. getting It Right: R&D Methods for Science &
Engineering. Amsterdam: Academic Press.
• Evans, D., Gruba, P. & Zobel, J. 2014. How to Write a Better Thesis.
Third Edition. Switzerland: Springer.