Getting The Research Project Getting The Research Project Off The GroundOff The Ground

Cedar Generation Gospel OutreachSept. 13, 2014

DOLAPO AMOLE (PhD)Department of Architecture

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

Outline Outline

Choosing a good research topicResearch tools and databaseThe literature and its review

How do I choose a good How do I choose a good research topic?research topic?What is a good

research topic?◦ Researchable◦ Originality◦ Current◦ Feasible

Funds/Resources Supervisors Location

Where are researchable problems found?◦ Phenomena around

us! From practical

problems From everyday life Designs/Products/

Social Actions/Policies

◦ In the literature! From inconsistencies

in the scientific world Gaps in the literature

Good research topic: Good research topic: ResearchableResearchable

How does housing affect human health?

What are the consequences of IT on the teaching of medicine?

How do foreign cultures affect our aspirations in life?

In search of the truth/scientific knowledge!Not a search for lay knowledge

Not just an accumulation of facts

Good research topic: Good research topic: Original/Current Original/Current Contributes to knowledge

New knowledge Confirms or refutes previous knowledge Additional knowledge

Ultimate improvement of current social problems

Adding to current scientific world In methodology In content

Good research topic: Good research topic: Feasible Feasible Resources

Funds/Resources Supervisors Location Personal strengths and interests Familiarity with the

subjects/places/objects

Where are researchable Where are researchable problems found?problems found?

◦Phenomena around us!

Where? Everyday lifeWhere? Everyday life

What are the constituents of orogbo?

Why is there so much poverty?

Why is?What is?Where is ?

Where? Practical problemsWhere? Practical problems

Design an

Action/ProductEvaluate product/action

How can we improve our

eating habits?

How can we stop Ebola?

Research phaseDesign phasePractical problem

Thinking about a practical problem motivates a research question Thinking about a practical problem motivates a research question which defines a research problem which finds a research answer which defines a research problem which finds a research answer

which helps to solve the practical problem.which helps to solve the practical problem.

Where? In the literature!Where? In the literature!

Philosophies

Ideas/concepts

Models

Theories

Research Tools and Research Tools and DatabasesDatabases

Research toolsResearch tools The library The internet

and search engines

Tools of measurement and analysis?

Database: a collection of organized

information in bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and image

formats

Free Access DatabasesFree Access Databases

PubMed – biomedical, life sciencesPubMed Central - biomedical and life sciences.ERIC - education-relatedGoogle Scholar - peer-reviewed papers, theses,

books, preprints, abstracts, and technical reports from broad areas of research.

Scirus - journal content, scientists' homepages, patents.

Other databasesOther databasesName Discipline(s) Description Access Cost Provider(s)

Academic Search Multidisciplinary

Several versions: Complete, Elite, Premier, and Alumni Edition

Subscription EBSCO Publishing

Aerospace & High Technology Database

Aerospace, Aeronautics, Astronautics

Subscription ProQuest[3]

African Journals OnLine (AJOL)

MultidisciplinaryScholarly journals published in Africa

Free abstracts; Subscription full-text

African Journals OnLine

AgeLineSociology, Gerontology

Includes information on aging-related topics, including economics, public health and policy.

Subscription EBSCO Publishing

AGRICOLA: Agricultural Online Access

Agriculture Free & Subscription

Produced by the United States National Agricultural Library. Free access provided by NAL.[7] Subscription access provided by ProQuest,[8] OVID.[9]

The literatureThe literature

The literature in the research The literature in the research processprocess

Checking data, Collating dataAnalyzing data

Interpreting data

Defining a research problem

Defining the frameworks

Selecting the research method, data types, instruments and methods of analysis

Develop, refining instruments and collecting data

The The research research proposalproposal

The The research research reportreport

Literature

The literature: what do I do The literature: what do I do with it?with it?

Searching Reading Writing

sorting

The search for the The search for the literatureliteratureThe search: what?

Related work to the research problem Ideas/facts ; primary and secondary

Systematic, imaginative and guided by a plan

The search: how? Use key concepts of the research and synonyms

The search: where? Library catalogues Internet search engines Bibliographic sources e.g Geo abstracts and Psychological

abstracts Databases / Journal publishers such as Sage, Jstor, Emerald,

Sciencedirect organizations, media, archives Theses, conferences/ conference proceedings References of authors

Accessing the most relevant Accessing the most relevant literatureliteratureEvery practical method

Physically visit Downloading abstracts and full texts Purchase books and journal access Register for free access to journal

databases Write authors for free copy Consult other works of authors Colleagues

Reading the literatureReading the literatureHow to read: from general to the particular

Title and aim /abstract Important parts

to your researchIntroduction and conclusion

Reading the literatureReading the literatureWhy?To:

Identify research problems/ gaps or refine a general broad research problem

Connect research problems to basic disciplines/theories

Define concepts and how to operationalize them Identify issues and variables related to the

research. To suggest methods of dealing with research

problems To reveal other sources of data, personalities and

literature. To situate study in a historical perspective

Writing your review of the Writing your review of the literatureliterature

AnalysisSelect, differentiate,

dissect and break up

SynthesisIntegrate, combine, recast,

formulate and reorganize to narrate a point(s)

Writing your review of the Writing your review of the literatureliteratureHave a plan/outlineIt is a discussionDifferent from an annotated

bibliographyEmphasize relatedness to your

research problemReview not reproduce.

Write what you have to say to what the author is saying and not merely restating what the author has said.

Summarize each section of the review

Structure and organization of Structure and organization of the reviewthe review

Introduction What are the key sources of literature? How is the review discussed and organized ?

Main discussion What are the epistemological and ontological

grounds of the related discipline? What are the key theories/approaches? What are the key concepts and how are they

operationalized? What are the major issues and debates about this

topic? What are the methodologies by which the issues

have been addressed?Summary

What are the main questions and problems that have been addresses up to date and what remains?

The Sections - ProposalThe Sections - ProposalIntroductionReview of LiteratureMethodology Expected contribution to knowledgeEndnotesReferencesAppendices