Chapter 5

Engineering Research
 What is Engineering Research?
Engineering research, based on the principles of scientific research
and scientific methods, is directed toward the practical
application of science to products, services and infrastructure.

Engineering research is a very different endeavor than the

traditional coursework that you have taken up to this point in your
academic career.

Research is a process of discovery, which means that it has a very

open-ended quality as a result.
 What is Engineering Research?
The prior knowledge and the skills that you have developed thus
far are valuable and will help you contribute with your research.

Engineering design and research impacts nearly every aspect of

our lives.

As individuals within a broader community of researchers, we have

the obligation to be responsible and honest.

This is required in all aspects of the work, from the design of an

experiment to the publication of the results.
 What is Engineering Research?
• Our analysis must be conducted with an impartial eye;
• the results must be presented without manipulation; and,
• discussion of our research with the broader community of
scholars and the public must be done with integrity.

With these principles in mind, you will have the best opportunity
to;
- create new knowledge (unique contribution),
- advance understanding in your field, and
- become a respected member of your discipline.
 Identifying a Research Project
Identifying a research project that you can undertake usually
involves a very different process.

In some institutions, experienced researchers are often looking

for students to help them with new and ongoing research projects.

So, what a student is seeking is a match between his/her interests

and existing research projects that are available.

On the other hand, other institutions require you to present your

own research area.
 Identifying a Research Project
Here, whether you are an undergraduate student or a graduate
student, you should enter into a research project that meshes well
with your interests.

In both cases cast your net wide and look at variety of research
areas until you find the one that you are truly interested in.
It must be a good match for your personality and needs.

Finding and working with a research advisor or mentor is an

essential part of conducting a research.
 Identifying a Research Project
In order to identify research mentors that are a good fit, explore
your options by considering different factors like:
• Area of profession
• Years of experience
• Number of published papers
• Research work done so far
• How many students mentored so far?
• Talking to people who have experience with ongoing research
about their mentor/advisor
• Performance in the academic and research community
 Identifying a Research Project
Once you identify the potential person who is ideal to be your
research advisor try to engage with them either in face-to-face or
email conversations.

Some people stumble across the perfect research position and

mentor immediately.

But often students need to make some effort to both identify

potential research mentors and find ones who are willing to add
you to their research group.
 Getting Started
Research is inherently challenging, but it can also be fun and
exciting if you make the commitment and put in the effort.

It usually requires you to do a significant amount of learning and

skill building before you can make progress.

You need to have a basic plan in mind and list of tasks that need
to be accomplished

But you will also need to be flexible and adjust as the need arises
and obstacles pop up.
 Getting Started

Learning to work carefully and with intention is also a critical

research skill.

Mistakes will happen, things will break, and that will be forgiven
if you own up to the issue quickly and take action to prevent it
from happening again.

The following are some tips that will help you to properly execute
your research work.
 Important Tips

• Use your calendar to block out time for specific activities.

• The simple act of spending time on tasks will help you to make
progress.
• Break larger tasks down into smaller ones, pick the task that
needs priority and do that one first, then take each one in turn.
• Create “To Do” lists where you prioritize critical items and focus
on those initially.
• Using Project Management strategies is essential.
 Important Tips

• Be realistic about what you put on the list given the time you
have available
• Pause to take some pleasure in crossing off an item once it is
done.
• Team up with a peer working on a similar kind of project and
help each other to set goals and keep them.
• Sometimes it is as simple as just getting started.
 Important Tips

• Once you are all set up on the topic and ready to start working
on your project, your first step should be preparing your
Research Proposal.

• This will be followed by actually executing the research work

and finally preparing your thesis.
 Preparing a Research Proposal

• A research proposal is a concise summary of your proposed

research.
• It describes what exactly you will investigate, why it is
important and how you are going to do it.
• It is usually presented to a panel or a board for evaluation.
• The research work can only be executed when the proposal gets
a greenlight from the panel.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal

A good research proposal must include the following:

1. Title

• A title should be appealing and meaningful.

• It should reflect the contents of the research proposal.
• It shouldn’t be too long for the reader to be bored.
• It shouldn’t be too short either not giving a clear message to
your readers.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal

2. Introduction

• This chapter basically gives the background of the research work.

• The problem statement should be clearly defined.
• The research objectives should be well formulated and
presented.
• You have to present a general objective as well as specific
objectives.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal

2. Introduction

• Your research questions should be well articulated.

• Your justification section should present the significance of your
research should be sound and with a strong motivation.
• You finish the introduction section with the scope of the study
explaining the extent the research work covers.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal

3. Literature Review

• Should show mastery of the literature on the topic of interest in

the research proposal.
• Literature used should be relevant to the problem statement
and research questions.
• It should be up to date (preferably not older than ten years from
the time it is sited)
• Literature should be well reviewed.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal

3. Literature Review

• Your arguments should flow logically and express your own

voice.
• The review should not just summarize the literature but should
compare, contrast and combine literature to make your own
argument.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal
4. Methodology

• It is comprised of the research strategy and execution settings

for each specific objective.
• Data collection methods as well as data processing and
analyzing plans are supposed to be discussed in detail.
• These will later be used to ensure the validity and reliability of
the results.
• The anticipated limitations during the empirical phase should
also be discussed here with how to overcome them.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal

5. Expected Results and Outputs

• Here is where you talk about your expectations at the end of the
research work.
• You can use information you collected from your literature review
and predict what the outcome of your research could be. (i.e.
your objectives coming true)
• There is a possibility that research work might not go as planned
but you should make sure in your power to achieve the expected
results.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal
6. References

• All cited references throughout the research proposal should

appear in this section.
• There are different referencing methods (choose one your
school requires)
• The most used method to cite sources is the APA (American
Psychological Association) Method of referencing.
• Make sure you use information ethically and avoid plagiarism.
• All ideas, texts, tables, and media should be cited to the source.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal
7. Appendices

• An appendix contains supplementary material that is not an

essential part of the text itself but may be helpful in providing a
more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

• It is information that is too cumbersome to be included in the

body of the paper.
 Contents of a Good Research Proposal
7. Appendices

• A detailed work plan of the research project should be included

here.
• A time schedule where all tasks are listed in accordance with the
time you have is important to easily execute your work.
• The budget needed for your research work should also be
presented here.
 Preparing a Thesis

• Your thesis is basically the report of your whole research work.

• Once your proposal is approved and you start working on your
research project, you should start writing your thesis.
• The thesis is a more elaborated version of your research
proposal.
• Your proposal is written in future tense while your thesis is
written in past tense.
 Preparing a Thesis
• It includes most of the steps listed above except the Expected
Results and Outputs will now be changed to Results and
Discussions.

• The results and discussions section describes the outcomes of

the already completed research project and discussions based on
the proposed objectives.

• Recommendations is also an additional part of a thesis. This is

where suggestions are given by the researcher for future
research works to consider.
Thank You!