Chapter -2

Writing Scientific Research

Paper
Introduction
Writing research Proposal
Writing Scientific Research Paper
 Introduction
In all sectors (academe, government, and the private sector), research scientists
typically seek and obtain competitive funding for their research projects by writing and
submitting research proposals for consideration by the funding source.
There are two kinds of research proposals:
a. Solicited
Solicited proposals are those that are written and submitted in response to the issuance
of a "Request for Proposals" (RFP), a document that identifies a specific research
problem of interest to the funding agency for which they are specifically seeking a
solution.
b. Unsolicited
• Unsolicited proposals are those proposals that are submitted by an investigator in
response to a "general call" for proposals that is issued by a funding agency or
company in a field or area of study.
• The majority of funding agencies issue calls for proposals which have firmly
established deadlines and for which the format of the proposals is fairly well defined.
 Purpose of a Research Proposal
• The purpose of a proposal is to sell your idea to the
funding agency. This means that the investigator must
convince the funding agency that:
• The problem is significant and worthy of study
• The technical approach is novel and likely to yield results
• The investigator and his/her research team is/are the right
group of individuals to carry out and accomplish the work
described in the research proposal.
 Writing research Proposal
• Typical Proposal Format
A typical research proposal will contain the following parts.
Title
• The title of your proposal should be short, accurate, and clear. A single sentence
containing ten or fewer words is best. Don’t use acronyms and technical jargon as
your reviewers may not come from your technical specialty.
 For example, instead of the abbreviation Web-GURU use Web-based Guide
to Research for Undergraduates for your title.
Abstract
• As in a technical paper, the proposal abstract should "abstract" the project for the
reader. It should be a brief (100 - 200 words), tightly worded summary of the
project, its objectives, the problem's significance, the project's scope, the methods
that will be employed, the identity and relevant technical expertise of the research
team, and the results that are expected to result. Be sure to write this section last so
 Cont. …
Introduction
• The introduction section should introduce the research problem, its significance, and the technical
approach your work will take to investigate/solve the problem. It should introduce the research
team that will carry out the work.
Literature Review
• This section should present a concise review of the primary literature relevant to your proposed
research efforts. As such it should:
• Cite the key literature sources
• Be up to date
• Critically appraise the literature
• The Literature review section should be constructed to inform the reader concerning where your
study fits in? It should clearly state why your project should be done? Does your work:
• Take science in a bold new direction?
• Build on the prior work of others (whose?) in the field
• Address flaws in previous work (again, whose?)
• Develop infrastructure (instrumentation, methodology, collaborations) that will take science in exciting new
directions
 Cont. …
Statement of the Problem
• A problem statement is a concise description of the issues that need to be addressed by
a problem solving team and should be presented to them (or created by them) before
they try to solve the problem. On the other hand, a statement of the problem is a claim
of one or two sentences in length that outlines the problem addressed by the study. The
statement of the problem should briefly address the question: What is the problem that
the research will address?
When bringing together a team to achieve a particular purpose, provide them with
a problem statement. A good problem statement should answer these questions:
1. What is the problem? This should explain why the team is needed.
2. Who has the problem or who is the client/customer? This should explain who needs
the solution and who will decide the problem has been solved.
3. What form can the resolution be? What is the scope and limitations (in time, money,
resources, and technologies) that can be used to solve the problem? Does the client
want a white paper? A web-tool? A new feature for a product? A brainstorming on a
topic?
 Cont. …
Research Objectives
• While your problem formulation serves to describe the aim of your thesis, the
objectives provide an accurate description of the specific actions you will take in
order to reach this aim. As with the problem formulation, the overall objective
should be framed in a single sentence.
• The general overall objective states exactly how you intend to address your
problem: for example a typical general objective is “I want to find the answer to
problem A, by completing action B”. You then have to explain or detail action B
through a set of specific objectives.
• Each specific objective consists of one infinitive sentence and should be phrased in
a way that makes it possible to draw a conclusion from within the scope of the
thesis.
• The more precisely you formulate your specific objectives, the simpler it will be to
define the type of study and which method(s) you will use in your further research.
 Research Methodology
This section should outline your plan of attack. Specific information that should be
contained in this section includes information on the research team and its technical
expertise as it relates to the project, a realistic timeline, description of the specific
experiments that will be accomplished together with alternate plans in case of
potential difficulties/challenges.
If more than one person will do the work described in the proposal then a division
of labor should be provided together with an explanation of why each person is
best qualified to do the work described. The timeline should define the length of
the project and provide a schedule of who will do what specific tasks
approximately when during the project period.
Problems always arise in research. Things never go as anticipated. So, it is
important to provide the reviewer with enough information to give them
confidence that when problems arise, as they inevitably will, that you will be able
to handle them in such a way that meaningful science results.
 Budget
The budget should identify the anticipated cost for everything (salaries, materials,
instrumentation, travel costs, etc.) that will be required in order to accomplish the research
project. Usually budgets are prepared and submitted as tables with prescribed format.
A budget justification typically accompanies the budget request. The budget justification is
simply an explanation, item-by-item, stating why you must spend the money requested in order
to carry out the experiments planned.
• There are two major components in a budget:
i. Direct Costs
• Personnel Salary: for the personnel who will carry out the research on the project.
• Fringe benefits: the costs incurred by your institution/employer in providing group health insurance, retirement,
unemployment, workers compensation, FICA (Medicare), etc. Undergraduate salaries are not normally assessed fringe
benefits when the student is supported during the academic year.
• Materials and supplies: such as laboratory supplies, chemical reagents, research animals, computer software and
supplies, etc.
• Major Instrumentation cost: a specific instrument, it is wise to obtain a quotation from the manufacturer.
• Travel Costs:
 Cont. …
ii. Indirect Cost:
Indirect costs on the other hand are the facilities and administrative costs that are
incurred by your institution/employer in support of your research activities.
Work Plan (Timeline)
Give an overview of when you are going to do specific steps of your project.
References
• Use the standard convention of your discipline including the author, title of
article, journal title, volume, pages, and date. Electrical Engineers use the IEEE
reference writing standard.
Appendix
• This ancillary section should be used only to provide secondary information that
is relevant to the research project. E.g Recorded water flow data, Population
density CSA, etc.
 Analysis of proposal writing
1. SWOT Analysis for Proposal Writing
• SWOT is an acronym for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat. A SWOT
analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats involved in a project. In the SWOT analysis all questions should
be answered with relevance to what your proposal can contribute.
• The SWOT analysis recognizes that there are both internal and external factors that can
affect the success of a project. The internal factors are addressed in the Strengths and
Weaknesses, the external factors in the opportunities and threats part of the analysis.
S – Strengths is any internal asset (know-how, motivation, technology, finance, business
links) which will help to exploit opportunities (or to meet demands) and to fight off threats in
order to present a successful proposal to a donor and fulfill the research question. It gives the
project an advantage over others. We get the information by answering the following:
• What are you (is your organization) good at?
• What new skills do you (does your organization) have?
• Did you (Did your organization) have a recent success? Can you repeat it?
• What is your (your organization’s) comparative advantage on other (s) (organizations)?
 Cont. …
W – Weaknesses: Any internal condition that hinders the applicants’ team in meeting
the demand of the donor or of answering the research question properly. It puts the
project in a relative disadvantage over others. Answer the following questions:
• What are you (is your organization) not good at?
• What skills do you (does your organization) lack?
• What can other (s) (organizations) better than you?
• What recent failures have you (has your organization) had?
O – Opportunities: Any external circumstance or trend that favors the demand for
the research topic of the proposal or the specific competence that the applicants offer.
It comprises elements that the project could exploit to its advantage. It is important to
exploit these elements for a better success of the project. We get the information by
answering the following:
• Have there been any changes in the environment in favor of your organization?
• What skills could your organization learn?
• What new services could your organization offer?
• How could your organization look like in 5 – 10 years?
 Cont. …
• T – Threats: Any external circumstance or trend which will unfavorably
influence the interests of the donors in the research topic of the proposal, the
applicants or the area in which the research might be conducted. It has the
elements in the environment that could cause trouble for project. It is always
important to focus on averting these elements. We get the information by
answering the following:
• Have there been changes in the environment which disadvantage your organization?
• Are there political or economic changes which may harm you?
• Is there anything which could threaten your organization’s growth, stability or existence?
• Are there internal conflicts which may become unsolvable?
 Cont. ….
The steps to make SWOT a strategic and operational tool involve:
• Preparing the ground (define the planning object and the mission of the planning team);
• Conduct the analysis by visualizing of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on a
flipchart or whiteboard;
• Strategy discussion (relate results to the mission statement and derive strategy elements);
• Operational planning (results and strategy elements are transformed into planning documents).
 PEST Analysis
• PEST Analysis stands for the analysis of the external factors which is beneficial
when conducting research before beginning a new project or to help conduct
market research. These factors are:
• Political – Laws, global issues, legislation and regulations which may have an
effect on your business either immediately or in the future.
• Economic – Taxes, interest rates, inflation, the stock markets and consumer
confidence all need to be taken into account.
• Social – The changes in lifestyle and buying trends, media, major events, ethics,
advertising and publicity factors.
• Technological – Innovations, access to technology, licensing and patents,
manufacturing, research funding, global communications.
 Cont. …
Pest can also be known as PESTLE which includes other factors such as:
• Legal – Legislation which have been proposed and may come into effect and any
passed legislation’s.
• Environmental – Environmental issues either locally or globally and their social
and political factors.
• Unlike SWOT this strategy is more directly aimed at the external macro
environmental factors that might be affecting the position of your business, the
reasons behind growth or decline in the market and also identify new directions
for the business as a whole.
 Cont. …

PEST analysis
 Advantages and Disadvantages of SWOT Analysis Vs PEST Analysis
• The advantage and disadvantages of SWOT analysis is that it is simple to come
up with a list but far too easy to miss important external factors. Coming up with
the results of each factor is not enough, for the SWOT to be successful it is
essential to carry out further analysis of all the possible threats and disadvantages
to make sure that they have been planned for in advance.
• The advantages and disadvantages of PEST analysis is that while the external
factors are looked at closely there are no internal evaluations carried out. Due to
the advantages and the disadvantages of using either one or the other methods it
is a good idea to combine the two to help provide you with the best analysis. It is
good practice to perform the PEST and then use the results in the
opportunities and threat section of the SWOT.
 Cont. ….

It is best practice to do the PEST analysis and include the results in opportunities and
threats section in SWOT analysis
Guidelines for Writing an Undergraduate Engineering Project
Cont. …
Cont. …
 Cont. …
Items two through ten are page titles, and each should begin on new page, written in bold capital
letters and centered on the page. The page content should be written with left and right justification.

LOGO
ASSOSA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (STREAM NAME)

TITLE

BY
GROUP MEMBERS
1. ….

A BSC. PROJECT SUBMITTED TO DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ELECTRICAL
AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (STREAM NAME)

Advisor: ---------
Date: (e.g May, 20121)
Assosa, Ethiopia
Thank
you!
 Lecture 2 : Paper writing Format
Parts of project report 1.4 Significance of project /Study/
Title page 1.5 Motivation (Most of the Time can explained in Statement of problem)
Declaration 1.6 Scope of the Project /Study/
1.7 The Project/Study/ Organization (optional)
Approval
Chapter Two: Literature Review
Acknowledgment
2.1. ---------
Abstract /Executive Summary/ Chapter Three: Methodology and Materials
Table of Content 3.1. ---------
List of Figures Chapter Four: ----- [e.g. Modeling and Simulation]
List of Tables Chapter Five: Result and Discussion
List of Abbreviation and Symbols 5.1. ------
/Acronym/ Chapter Six : Conclusion and Recommendation
5.1. Conclusion
Chapter One: Introduction
5.2. Recommendation
1.1 Introduction or Background
Reference
1.2 Statement of Problem Appendix A (if any)
 Cont. …
• Chapter One: Should provide some brief background information concerning the
Study/project in flowing sentences and paragraphs.
• Chapter Two: To evaluate the current work with respect to the existing works. It
should devoted to a critical of the technical and academic literature on the previous
works on the project/study and the case some two decades ago.
• Chapter Three: Research methods may be understood as all those methods/techniques
that are used for conduction of research. Research methods or techniques*, thus, refer
to the methods the researchers use in performing research operations. Research
methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be
understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically.
• Chapter Three to four or five: Should concentrate Mostly on the student’s own work
on the project. This may involve system design and calculation, Modeling and
simulation of a system, data collection and analysis, software development and
implementation, --
• Chapter Six: summarize the highlight of the previous chapters and recommending on
what you don’t address or for further improvement.
 RESEARCH PROBLEM FORMULATION
AND RESEARCH PROCESSES
What is a research problem?
it refers to some difficulty which a researcher experiences in the context of either a
theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for it.
 It is the situation that causes the researcher to feel apprehensive, confused and ill at ease.
It is the demarcation of a problem area within a certain context involving the WHO or
WHAT, the WHERE, the WHEN and the WHY of the problem situation.
Components of a research problem:
• There must be an individual or a group which has some difficulty or the problem and there
must be some objective(s) to be attained at. If one wants nothing, one cannot have a
problem.
• There must be alternative means (or the courses of action) for obtaining the objective(s)
one wishes to attain.
• There must remain some doubt in the mind of a researcher with regard to the selection of
alternatives.
 WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO DEFINE THE
RESEARCH PROBLEM?
• To discriminate relevant data from the irrelevant ones
• To enable the researcher to be on the right track
• To avoid ambiguities
• To clearly identify and tackle the objectives of the research
PROBLEM AREAS TO AVOID
1. Moral, Ethical Questions
2. Philosophical Questions
3. Theological Questions
The research problem can be stated in two forms:
• In question form
• In statement form
 Examples:
• In question form:
• What effect has the sex based education system had on the learning skills of male
and female students in computer programming courses?
• In statement form:
• This study is designed to measure the effect sex based education system has had on
the learning skills of male and female students.
There are certain rules to follow in writing SOP:
1. Clarity:
• write as clearly as possible, avoiding unnecessary words but include all words that
are required to make the problem clear – key words!
• Thus, you should know the relevant variables and the relationship you would like to
investigate.
2. Avoid Value Statements:
Avoid at all times ‘value-laden’ words which indicate cultural or personal bias, such as
 Example of a not well-stated SOP:
• Should Electrical Engineering students be involved in an industrial
attachments scheme?
It could be rewritten like:
• What effect does an industrial attachment scheme have on the performance
of students in an Electrical Engineering course?
Or
• How do Electrical Engineering lecturers perceive the introduction of an
industrial attachment scheme in an Automotive Engineering course?
Thus, the SOP will dictate/directive/ the type of study that will eventually be
developed.
 Cont.
• 3. Avoid dichotomous questions :
…
Dichotomous questions are those can be answered in two ways : Yes or No, Right
or Wrong, Agree or Disagree etc.
• Problems should not be written as questions requiring a ‘yes or ‘no’ answer.
Example:
• Do Electrical engineering students need an industrial attachment period
included in their training course?
WHAT CAN BE DERIVED FROM A WELLDEFINED
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM AND RESEARCH
QUESTIONS?
• IDENTIFY THE RESEARCH DESIGN
• IDENTIFY THE METHODOLOGY
• IDENTIFY THE RESPONDENTS
• IDENTIFY THE DATA COLLECTION TOOLS
• IDENTIFY THE VARIABLES THAT NEED TO BE RESEARCHED
• DETERMINE THE STATISTIC SUITABLE FOR THE RESEARCH
 Literature
What is Literature Review?
• Is a critical look at the existing research that is significant to the work that you
are carrying out
• It identifies prominent research trends in addition to assessing the overall
strengths and weaknesses of the existing research
Purpose of the Literature Review
• To provide background information about a research topic.
• To establish the importance of a topic.
• To demonstrate familiarity with a topic/problem.
• To “carve out a space” for further work and allow you to position yourself in a
scholarly conversation.
 Literature Introductions
The main tasks of an introduction are to:
1. Indicate the scope of the literature review.
2. Provide some background to the topic.
3. Demonstrate the importance of the topic or the need for
more research on the topic.
4. Make a claim.
5. Offer an overview/map of the structure of the paper.
 Literature Conclusions
The main tasks of a conclusion are to:
1. Summarize the main findings of your review.
2. Provide closure.
3. Answer the question: So what?
4. Discuss implications for future research (if the literature review stands alone)—OR—connect
to the current project.
• Citations
• A successful literature review will not consist simply of a string of linked quotes or
paraphrases.
• Over-reliance on the author's words or ideas suggests “book report” instead of “analytical
review.”
• Your goal is to synthesize your summary of a source's ideas with your own opinions and
comments on the source material.
Basic rule for citation: If it’s not your own idea (and it’s not common knowledge), document
it!
 IEEE Citation Reference
Citation is required for anything which is not ours. These may include
.
• Books
• Patents, Standards, Thesis, Unpublished
• Handbooks
• Periodicals
• Reports
• Conference Technical Articles • References
• Online Sources
Books
 Basic Format:
[1] J. K. Author, “Title of chapter in the book,” in Title of His Published Book, xth ed. City of Publisher, Country: Abbrev. of
Publisher, year, ch.x, sec. x, pp. xxx–xxx.
 Examples
[1] E. F. Moore, “Gedanken-experiments on sequential machines,” in Automata Studies (Ann. of Mathematical Studies, no.
1), C. E. Shannon and J. McCarthy, Eds. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1965, pp.
129-153.
[2] R. L. Myer, “Parametric oscillators and nonlinear materials,” in Nonlinear Optics, vol. 4, P. G. Harper and B. S.
Wherret, Eds. San Francisco, CA: Academic, 1977, pp. 47-160.
 Handbooks
Basic Format:
• [1] Name of Manual/Handbook, x ed., Abbrev. Name of Co., City of Co.,
• Abbrev. State, year, pp. xx-xx.
Examples
[1] Transmission Systems for Communications, 3rd ed., Western Electric Co.,
Winston-Salem, NC, 1985, pp. 44–60.
[2] Motorola Semiconductor Data Manual, Motorola Semiconductor Products
Inc., Phoenix, AZ, 1989.
 Reports
Basic Format:
[1] J. K. Author, “Title of report,” Abbrev. Name of Co., City of Co.,
Abbrev. State, Rep. xxx, year.
Examples
[1] R. E. Haskell and C. T. Case, “Transient signal propagation in lossless
isotropic plasmas,” USAF Cambridge Res.Labs., Cambridge, MA,
Rep.ARCRL-66-234 (II), 1994, vol. 2.
[2] J. H. Davis and J. R. Cogdell, “Calibration program for the 16-foot
antenna,” Elect. Eng. Res. Lab., Univ. Texas, Austin, Tech. Memo. NGL-
006-69-3, Nov. 15, 1987.
The general form for citing technical reports is to place the name and
location of the company or institution after the author and title and to
give the report number and date at the end of the reference.
 Conference Technical Articles
• Basic Format:
[1] J. K. Author, “Title of paper,” in Unabbreviated Name of Conf., City of Conf., Abbrev.
State (if given), year, pp. xxx-xxx.
• For an electronic conference article when there are no page numbers:
[1] J. K. Author [two authors: J. K. Author and A. N. Writer ] [three or
• more authors: J. K. Author et al.], “Title of Article,” in [Title of Conf. Record as ],
[copyright year] © [IEEE or applicable copyright holder of the Conference Record].
doi: [DOI number]
• For an unpublished paper presented at a conference:
[1] J. K. Author, “Title of paper,” presented at the Unabbrev. Name of Conf., City of
Conf., Abbrev. State, year.
• The general form for citing technical articles published in conference proceedings is
to list the author/s and title of the paper, followed by the name (and location, if
 Online Sources
FTP
• Basic Format:
[1] J. K. Author. (year). Title (edition) [Type of medium]. Available FTP: Directory: File:
Examples
[1] R. J. Vidmar. (1994). On the use of atmospheric plasmas as electromagnetic reflectors
[Online]. Available FTP: atmnext.usc.edu Directory: pub/etext/1994 File: atmosplasma.txt
WWW
• Basic Format:
[1] J. K. Author. (year, month day). Title (edition) [Type of medium]. Available:
http://www.(URL)
Examples
[1] RJ. Jones. (1991, May 10). Networks (2nd ed.) [Online]. Available:
http://www.atm.com
 References
When references cited on the text, they appear in the line, in square
brackets, inside the punctuation
Example:
as shown by Brown [4], [5]; as mentioned earlier [2], [4]–[7], [9];
Smith [4] and Brown and Jones [5]; Wood et al.[7]; as demonstrated
in [3]; according to [4] and [6]–[9].
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