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    RM in CS - CH 3 Notes

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    Izrael Tsegishe
    This document discusses key aspects of developing a research proposal in computer science. It explains that a research proposal outlines a detailed plan for scientific study, including what the researcher will do, why it should be done, and how they will do it. The major components of a proposal are described as the title, abstract, introduction, problem statement, objectives, literature review, methodology, work plan, budget, and references. When writing a proposal, researchers must carefully select a relevant topic, clearly define the problem, review previous work, and describe their planned methodology and timeline. Developing a strong research proposal requires iterative writing and review.

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    RM in CS - CH 3 Notes

    Uploaded by

    Izrael Tsegishe
    26 views10 pages
    This document discusses key aspects of developing a research proposal in computer science. It explains that a research proposal outlines a detailed plan for scientific study, including what the researcher will do, why it should be done, and how they will do it. The major components of a proposal are described as the title, abstract, introduction, problem statement, objectives, literature review, methodology, work plan, budget, and references. When writing a proposal, researchers must carefully select a relevant topic, clearly define the problem, review previous work, and describe their planned methodology and timeline. Developing a strong research proposal requires iterative writing and review.

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    RM in CS - Ch 3 Notes

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    This document discusses key aspects of developing a research proposal in computer science. It explains that a research proposal outlines a detailed plan for scientific study, including what the researcher will do, why it should be done, and how they will do it. The major components of a proposal are described as the title, abstract, introduction, problem statement, objectives, literature review, methodology, work plan, budget, and references. When writing a proposal, researchers must carefully select a relevant topic, clearly define the problem, review previous work, and describe their planned methodology and timeline. Developing a strong research proposal requires iterative writing and review.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    26 views10 pages

    RM in CS - CH 3 Notes

    Uploaded by

    Izrael Tsegishe
    This document discusses key aspects of developing a research proposal in computer science. It explains that a research proposal outlines a detailed plan for scientific study, including what the researcher will do, why it should be done, and how they will do it. The major components of a proposal are described as the title, abstract, introduction, problem statement, objectives, literature review, methodology, work plan, budget, and references. When writing a proposal, researchers must carefully select a relevant topic, clearly define the problem, review previous work, and describe their planned methodology and timeline. Developing a strong research proposal requires iterative writing and review.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 10

    Chapter 3

    Research Proposal Development

    Research Methods in Computer Science

    Research Proposal - MEANING

     It’s a detailed plan of a scientific study.


     It’s a document which sets out the ideas of a researcher in an easily
    accessible way.
     The intent of a written proposal is to present a focused and scholarly
    presentation of a research problem and the plan on how the overall
    research process will proceed.
     The objective is to describe:
     what the researcher will do
     why it should be done
     how the researcher will do it; and
     what results are expected

    1
    Research Proposal - CONTENTS

    A research proposal needs to contain:


     What do you want to do?  Research question
     Why do you want to do it?  Any information gap
     Why is it important?  any practical importance or knowledge advancement
     Who has done similar work?  background/Literature review
     How are you going to do it?  Methodology
     How long will it take?  Plan of work

    Research Proposal – TOPIC SELECTION

    Note on these points when identifying a research topic:


     Relevance/significance
     Avoidance of duplication
     Urgency of data needed
     Feasibility of study
     Applicability of results
     Your Interest and knowledge to the area
     Ethical acceptability

    2
    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS
     Title/research topic
     Abstract
     Introduction/background, Motivation,…
     Problem statement
     Questions and/or Hypothesis
     Objectives
     Research method: Materials, Methods and procedures
     Literature review
     Work plan, Schedule
     Budget and funding
     References
     Appendices/Annexes

    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Title
    • has the fewest possible words that adequately describe the contents
    of the study i.e. it’s a label; not a sentence
    • It shouldn’t contain any abbreviations
    • The title page has no page number and is not counted.
    • Abstract
    • is a brief summary of the proposal in few sentences
    • it shows what contribution the study will make
    • it specifies the research question and how it’s going to be answered
    • It comes first but written last.
    • MUST NOT contain any information not stated in the main text.
    • Never contain references, figures and tables.

    3
    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Introduction/Background
    • background information of the research proposal
    • It establishes a framework for the research
    • It should motivate the reader to read the whole paper
    • Should indicate the most recent and relevant works, and should
    explain why work is required.

    • Statement of the problem


    • the issue that leads to a need for the study
    • It answers the question ‘Why does this research be conducted?’
    • The foundation for everything to follow in the proposal.

    DIFFERENCE: Topic, Problem, Purpose and Questions


    Example

    General Topic Distance Learning

    Research Lack of students in distance classes


    Problem

    To study why students do not attend


    Statement of distance education classes at a
    the problem community college.

    Research Does the use of web site technology in


    Question/ the classroom deter students from
    Specific enrolling in a distance education class?
    Hypothesis

    4
    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Objective/aim of the study


    • aim which the enquirer seeks to bring about as a result of
    completing the research.
    • Objectives should be simple, specific, stated in advance, stated
    using action verbs, measurable
    • Objectives can be classified into:
    • General objective
    • showing what exactly to be studied, and states the desired
    outcomes from the study.
    • Specific objectives
    • shows in greater detail the specific aims of the research
    project.

    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Literature review
    • a description of the literature relevant to the study.
    • gives an overview of what has been done before, who the key
    authors in the area are, what the prevailing theories and hypothesis
    are, etc.
    • Relevant materials could be from books, Conference papers, journal
    articles, thesis and dissertations, government reports, etc.
    • Be very careful to check your sources when doing your literature
    review.

    5
    The Process of Conducting a Literature Review

    • Identify key terms


    • Locate literature
    • Critically evaluate and select the literature
    • Organize the literature
    • Write a review
    • Literature review is done not only during the proposal but
    throughout the research

    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Questions and/or Hypothesis


    • the speculative proposition of the problem statement
    • Hypothesis is a derivation of a particular assertion or prediction.
    Tentative wise guess to the solution. It is subject to test for
    confirmation or reject.
    • Example:
    “Does e-learning technology deter students from
    Question 
    enrolling in a distance education class?”

    Hypothesis  “The use of web site technology in the classroom deter


    students from enrolling in a distance education class.”

    6
    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Materials and methods, and procedures


    • includes a detail description of the activities and the methodological
    steps that will be taken to achieve the objectives.
    • Depending on the type of study, it includes:
    • Description of study area, study design and study participants
    • Methods of data collection
    • Sampling technique and sample size used
    • Method (s) of data analysis, etc.

    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Work plan
    • a schedule that summarizes the different components of a research
    proposal and how they will be implemented. And here:
    • Different phase/components of the study should be stated (literature
    review, design instrument, data collection, analysis, evaluation,
    etc…)
    • Describe the activities in each phase.
    • Indicate time frame to accomplish the various aspects of the study.
    • Could be presented in table, chart or graph (eg.: Gantt chart)

    7
    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • Budget and funding


    • the cost of conducting research.
    • Budget items need to be explicitly stated with justification
    • Costs are typically:
    • Direct costs: personnel, consumable supplies, stationary
    materials, equipment, travel, per-diem, publication, etc.
    • Indirect costs : overhead and administrative costs.

    Research Proposal – MAJOR COMPONENTS …cnt’d

    • References
    • citation of all the information that you obtain in the cost of
    conducting research.
    • The style of writing list of references varies from one discipline to
    another. (IEEE format, APA, Harvard, etc.)
    • Appendices/annexes
    • additional information provided for the reader.
    • These include, for example: forms/formats, Biographical data,
    Questionnaire, etc.

    8
    Summary

    Cycle of Research Choose


    Topic
    Inform Design
    Others Study
    (Research Plan and
    Report) strategy

    Theory

    Collection
    Interpret
    of
    Data
    Data

    Analyse
    Data

    Before starting to write a proposal:

    • The researcher needs to ask:


    • Do I have the clear research question?
    • Have I read broadly and deeply in that area?
    • Have I discussed the topic with peers?
    • Have I enough time and fund to start?
    • Do I feel support from faculty and friends?

    9
    In proposal writing, be prepared for

    • The researcher needs get prepared:


    • To make mistakes and to learn.
    • To write and rewrite many times.
    • To spend many hours looking for information.
    • To have your writing criticized.
    • To feel confuse and hopeless some times.

    TIPS for successful proposal writing

    • Make it simple
    • Avoid showy language, unnecessary jargon, and double speak by
    cutting down every unnecessary word.
    • Read your work loud
    • A sentence that is difficult to say will be difficult to read.
    • Revise, revise, revise.
    • Check spelling and grammar.
    • Each sentence must be logically ordered: chain of ideas.
    • Every sentence must contain one idea only.
    • Put an end to it
    • The faster you finish the proposal and submit it the less time you have
    wasted thinking about writing it

    10

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