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OENG1233: Doing Research for Engineering and

Computing
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Wominjeka

RMIT University acknowledges the people

of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung
language groups of the eastern Kulin
Nation on whose unceded lands we
conduct the business of the University.
RMIT University respectfully acknowledges
their Ancestors and Elders, past
and present. RMIT also acknowledges the
Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors
of the lands and waters across Australia
where we conduct our business.

Werribee River (Wyndham – Wadawurrung Land)

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OENG1233: Doing Research for

Engineering and Computing

Course Description
This course is designed to provide PhD and Masters by Research candidates
with advanced training in research methods which will help them to complete
their research milestones and complete their thesis in a timely manner.

The course will be delivered in block mode, with 3 Modules and 7 workshops
(each of 3 hours) spread over the semester. Workshops are offered. In addition,
there is a library skills component in one of the workshops.

Overview of Learning Resources

Information will be provided online using Canvas. Canvas will be used for
announcements; contact details, teaching schedules, assessment timelines and
teaching and learning materials. Canvas can be accessed through
http://www.rmit.edu.au/myrmit.

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Recommended reading
Ø Morrison, L. (n.d.) How to Come Up With a Thesis Topic.
https://www.gradschools.com/get-informed/student-guide/thesis-topics-
how-come-thesis-topic.

Ø 2) Mewburn, P.I. (2010) 5 ways to know you have the right thesis topic.
https://thesiswhisperer.com/2010/10/13/5-ways-to-know-you-have-the-
right-thesis-topic/.

Ø 3Anon (n.d.) Welcome to the NMBU Scientific Writing Resource Portal.

https://nmbu.instructure.com/courses/2280.

For something more in depth:

Ø A PhD is not enough – a guide to survival in science
Peter J. Feibelman, Basic Books, 2011.
http://www.basicbooks.com/full-details?isbn=9780465022229

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Workshop 1

1- Introduction to Course

2- Information for Higher Degree by

Research &

3- What is Research & Why do Research

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OENG1233 – Assessment Timeline

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Any questions?

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What is research?

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Why research?
Personally: Whether you love it or hate it, you need to do it.
Finding out the facts about your assignments, your job, or your life will allow
you to make better decisions and gain more/new knowledge.

What Why How

Research is Important, because

It Creates Knowledge
Re-accessing existing knowledge

1- what knowledge is (epistemology),

2- what exists and can be known
about (ontology), and
3- how knowledge is established
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(methodology). Indigenous
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Research

Impact
the contribution that research
makes to the economy, society,
environment or culture, beyond
the contribution to academic
research
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Why research?
The main purpose of research is to inform action, to prove a theory, and
contribute to developing new knowledge in a field or study.

1) A tool for building knowledge and for facilitating learning

2) Means to understand various issues and increase public awareness
3) An aid to business success
4) A way to prove lies and to support truths
5) Means to find, gauge, and seize opportunities
6) A seed to love reading, writing, analysing, and sharing valuable information
7) Nourishment and exercise for the mind

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Globally: Why does research matter?

Economic benefits
Rates of return has been estimated between 9-43% for a private company and 28% and
160% in the broader economy. However there is long time lag.

‘although its economic benefits are hard to quantify, basic research is crucial for the
strategic position of industrialised nations in the world economy, and for remaining at the
leading edge of technology’
(A J. Salter & B. R. Martin, The economic benefits of publicly funded basic research : a critical review, Research
Policy, 2001 509-522)

Societal benefits
• Better healthcare/medicine
• Better quality of life – housing, society, manufacturing
• Better food supplies

Intellectual stimulation – we want to know why

It is an approach to finding out the truth or maybe just what is not true.
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What research is not?

1. Research is not merely gathering information

• This is a Literature Survey/Review

2. …………rummaging around for hard-to-locate information

• Digging for information.
3. …………transporting facts from one location to another.
• Re(using/cycling)

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What research is?

1.Research originates with a question or problem
2.…………. requires clear articulation of a goal
3.…………. usually divides the principal problem into more manageable subproblems
4.…………. is guided by the specific research problem, question, or hypothesis
5.…………. requires a plan for proceeding

6. …………. rests on certain critical assumptions

7.………… requires the collection and interpretation of data in an attempt to resolve
the problem that initiated the research

8. …………. is, by its nature, cyclical or, more exactly, helical

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Research is – Curiosity in Action

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The Research Process

Research should not be a linear

process. It may begin with a
problem but as evidence is
found it may cause the problem
to be redefined.

Research is dynamic!

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The Research Process

Research should not be a linear

process. It may begin with a
problem but as evidence is
found it may cause the problem
to be redefined.

Research is dynamic!

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 RMIT Classification: Trusted

The Research Process

Research should not be a linear

process. It may begin with a
problem but as evidence is
found it may cause the problem
to be redefined.

Research is dynamic!

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 RMIT Classification: Trusted

The Research Process

Research should not be a linear

process. It may begin with a
problem but as evidence is
found it may cause the problem
to be redefined.

Research is dynamic!

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 RMIT Classification: Trusted

The Research Process

Research should not be a linear

process. It may begin with a
problem but as evidence is
found it may cause the problem
to be redefined.

Research is dynamic!

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The Research Process

Research should not be a linear

process. It may begin with a
problem but as evidence is
found it may cause the problem
to be redefined.

Research is dynamic!

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The Scientific Method

Literature Review

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The Scientific Method

Research Processes

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The research problem

‘The problem or question is the axis around which the whole
research effort revolves. The statement of the problem must first
be expressed with the utmost precision; it should then be divided
into more manageable sub-problems. Such an approach clarifies
the goals and directions of the entire research effort.’
Leedy & Ormond.

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Any questions?

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Research Methodologies and the

Scientific Method

What is Research? Some definitions

• The main goal of research is the gathering and interpreting of
information to answer questions.
(Hyllegard, Mood, and Morrow, 1996).
• Research is a systematic attempt to provide answers to questions.
(Tuckman, 1999).
• Research may be defined as the systematic and objective analysis
and recording of controlled observations that may lead to the
development of generalizations, principles, or theories, resulting in
prediction and possible control of events.
(Best and Kahn, 1998).
• Research is a systematic way of asking questions, a systematic
method of inquiry.
(Drew, Hardman, and Hart, 1996).

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What is Science? Some definitions

Science (from Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise
that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and
predictions about the universe (Wikipedia).
Scientific theories are experimentally verifiable (or falsifiable) and predictive.
They address how questions: How do stars form? How is a lunar eclipse
caused?
Science is (or should be) objective - not influenced by feelings, interests and
prejudices (not biased!)

http://www.pactiss.org/wp-
content/uploads/2011/08/Hypothesis.doc http://healthreadings.com/the-scientific-process/
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The Scientific Process/Method

1. Observation
Identify a phenomenon that can’t be explained by existing
knowledge. Collect information on it.
2. Construct an Hypothesis/Model/Theory
A hypothesis is a possible explanation for the phenomenon.
It takes into account existing knowledge.
• MUST be testable
• MUST be falsifiable
3. Test Hypothesis/Model
Does the hypothesis/model/theory correctly predict
observations? Design experiments to test it.
4. Analyse Results and Draw Conclusions
Does the Hypothesis/Model /Theory work?
Does it need to be modified?
5. Report the findings
Write up findings in a scientific paper for peer review
http://www.tomatosphere.org/teacher-
resources/teachers-guide/principal-
investigation/scientific-method.cfm

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The Scientific Process/Method

The scientific method made easy. by potholer54.

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Scientific Hypotheses
To be a valid hypothesis, it must satisfy the following questions:
• Can it make predictions?
• Is it testable?
• Is it falsifiable?
Examples:
Hypothesis: There are NO black wallabies.
Test: Look for a black wallaby
Can it be falsified? Yes – by finding a black wallaby
Status: False (there are black wallabies)

Hypothesis: There are flying pigs.

Test: Look for a flying pig.
Can it be falsified? No – you could search high and low, but if you look in once place, the flying
pigs could be in a different place. As you cannot observe the whole world at
the same time, you cannot prove that there are no flying pigs. It is not
possible to carry out this test.
Status: It appears to be false based on the evidence we have, but we can’t prove it.

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Hypothesis
It is one of the most powerful (and
important), but most often
misunderstood tools of research.
A hypothesis is a ‘logical supposition, a
reasonable guess, an educated
conjecture’ or a ‘proposed solution to a
problem’
A hypothesis can never be proven, only
‘supported’ or disproven.
http://withfriendship.com/images/b/9249/Hypothesis-pic.gif

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Scientific Hypotheses
To be a valid hypothesis, it must satisfy the following
questions:
• Can it make predictions?
• Is it testable?
• Is it falsifiable?

Other Examples:

1. Force is equal to mass times acceleration (F=ma).

2. If I raise the temperature of a cup of water, the amount of
sugar that can be dissolved will increase.
3. Right-handed people can stand on one foot longer than
left-handed people.
4. Eating chocolate will give you pimples.
5. There are other inhabited planets in the universe.
http://baymard.com/blog/ab-testing-
6. There is a monster in loch ness. problem-and-hypothesis

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Occam's Razor
What happens if two or more competing hypotheses both appear valid?
Enter “Occam’s Razor”.

Occam's razor is a principle of parsimony, economy, or succinctness used in problem-

solving devised by William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347). It states that among competing
hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. Other, more
complicated solutions may ultimately prove correct, but—in the absence of
certainty—the fewer assumptions that are made, the better.

If two hypotheses can’t be distinguished experimentally – choose the simpler one!

http://scienceonthesquares.blogs
pot.com.au/2012/10/occams-
razor-in-science-and-chess.html
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Inductive Reasoning

n Conclusions about events (general) are based

on information generated through many
individual and direct observations (specific).
n SPECIFIC -> GENERAL
n Researchers observe an individual or group of
individuals from a larger population
n based on these observations, generalizations are made
back to the larger population.

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Deductive vs Inductive Reasoning

n Deductive:
n Every mammal has lungs. All rabbits are
mammals. Therefore, every rabbit has
lungs.
n Inductive:
n Every rabbit that has been observed has
lungs. Therefore, every rabbit has lungs.

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Theory vs Hypothesis

n Hypothesis
n A belief or prediction of the eventual outcome of the
research
n A concrete, specific statement about the relationships
between phenomena
n Based on deductive reasoning
n Theory
n A belief or assumption about how things relate to
each other
n A theory establishes a cause-and-effect relationship
between variables with the purpose of explaining and
predicting phenomena
n Based on inductive reasoning
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In an ideal world…

Hypotheses

Theories

Laws
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The Scientific Method - Summary

n Systematic; cyclic; series of logical

steps.
n Identifying the problem
n Formulating a hypothesis
n Developing the research plan
n Collecting and analyzing the data
n Interpreting results and forming
conclusions

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New Questions Arise

Question Identified

Results Interpreted Hypotheses Formed

Data Collected Research Plan

Closed-loop conceptualization of the research process (Drew, Hardman, and

Hart, 1996)

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Any questions?

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