Chapter One

Introduction to Research
Methodology

Research Methods in Software

Engineering

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of
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 Introduction: Outline
 What is research ?
 Objective of research
 Motivation and characteristics of
research
 Scientific research method
 What is high quality research ?
 Significant of research
 Requirements of research
 Types of researches
 Research questions
2
 What Is Research?
 Merriam-Webster’s definition:
1 : careful or diligent search
2 : scholarly investigation or examination;
especially : investigation or
experimentation aimed:
 at the discovery and interpretation of facts,
 revision of accepted theories or laws in the
light of new facts, or
 practical application of such new or revised
theories or laws
3 : the collecting and analyzing of
information about a particular subject 3
 What Is Research? (2)
 “A combination of investigation of past
work and effort in the present that will
help others in the future”
 A set of opposites
 Fun and frustration
 Small steps and large insights
 Building on others’ work and contributing
your own work
 Finding or developing something new
that changes the world….
4
 What Is Research? (3)
Research
• is an Organized and Systematic way of Finding
answers to Questions/problems
–Systematic:because there is a definite set of
procedures and steps which you will follow. There
are certain things in the research process which are
always done in order to get the most accurate results

–Organized
: because there is a structure or method
that should be followed to perform researc
 It is a planned procedure, not a spontaneous one.
 It is focused and limited to a specific scope.

5
 Meaning of Research …
–Finding Answers: is the end of all research.
Whether it is the answer to a hypothesis or even
a simple question, research is successful when we
find answers.
• Sometimes the answer is no, but it is still an answer.

–Questions
: are central to research. If there is no
question, then the answer is not use .
 Research is focused on relevant, useful, and important
questions/problems.

 Without a question, research has no focus,

drive,
or purpose.
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 Meaning of Research …
Research
– is an academic activity
•Search for knowledge
An
• art of scientific investigation
R
– esearch comprises of
defining
• and redefining problems.
•formulating hypothesis
collecting,
• organizing, and evaluating data
making
• assumptions and reaching conclusions
Carefully
• testing the conclusions to determine
whether they fit the formulated hypothesis

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 Meaning of
Research…
Research often makes use of various
Sources of Knowledge
INTUITIVE
• (when coming up with an initial idea
for research)
AUTHORITATIVE
• (when reviewing professional
literature)
LOGICAL
• (when reasoning from findings to
conclusions)
EMPIRICAL
• (when engaging in procedures that
lead to these findings by performing experiments)

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 Scientific Research
 Employs systematic observation and
rational processes to create new
knowledge.
 Based on logical relationships not just
beliefs.

 Involves an explanation of the methods

used to collect and analyze data;
• explanation to “why the results are
meaningful?”

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 What Research is not
 Research isn’t information gathering:
 Gathering information from resources such as
books or magazines isn’t research.
 No contribution to new knowledge.

 Research isn’t the transportation of facts:

 Merely transporting facts from one resource to
another doesn’t constitute research.
 No contribution to new knowledge although this
might make existing knowledge more
accessible.
 Missed the essence of research: the
interpretation of data.
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 What Research is not…
 Playing with technology Developing
Android
 Programming project
applications

 Doing what others have already done

 However, each of these can be done as

part of research
 E.g,.Search for community problem,
conduct research, then solve their problem
using mobile phone (develop mobile apps)
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 Who Does Research?

 Graduate Students
 Masters Degree (lower standard)
 Ph.D. Degree (higher standard)
 Researchers at universities
 Post-Doctoral
students
 Faculty members
 Researchers in industry
 Research scientists
 Many other technical workers
 Undergraduate students

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 Who Does Research? (2)
 Individuals
 Teams

 Teams almost always make the process

easier
 Division
of labor
 Feedback from team members
 Each member can work to own strengths

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 What It Takes?

 Creativity
 Open mind
 Curiosity
 Patience
 Determination
 Positive Attitude
 Discipline and focus

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 Objectives of Research
 To discover answers to questions through
the application of scientific procedures and
methods.

 To find out the truth which is hidden that

has not been discovered as yet.

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 Research Characteristics
 Originates with a question or problem.
 Requires clear expression of a goal.
 Follows a specific plan or procedure.
 Often divides main problem into sub problems.
 Tentatively guided by a research problem,
question, or hypothesis.
 Accepts certain critical assumptions.
 By its nature it is more circular and iterative.
 Requires collection and interpretation of data.
 Requires design, testing, and verification of
algorithms…
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 Significance
Significance
Objectives
Motivation
Motivation ofResearch
of research
inofResearch
research in Research
… cont’d
… cont’d

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••• Whatgain familiarity
makes
makes
– Increased people
amount with
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undertake
undertake
of research or to
research?
research?
make progress possible.
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– Research
Desire to getinsights
a researchinto it; along with its
Knowledge
degree
– Research
Desire to get
– consequentialinculcates
a benefits.
researchscientific
degree thinking and its
along with
• To promotes the development
portray accurately
consequential benefits. of logical habitsof
the characteristics of a
– Desire
thinkingto and
solve a challenge in solving the unsolved
organization.
particular
Desire individual,
to solve a challenging
– problems. situationproblems.
or a group;
– Complexity in business and government is increasing.
Desire
–– Desire
• To totodesign
determine design appropriate
theappropriate policies
frequencypolicies
with which something
There is more information and Information
knowledge
– Desire
occurs
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–– toor with
contribute
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– work
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DDesire
esire tohypothesis
to give serviceofto
be ofservice asociety
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between variables;
–– Directives
Orders from of government. organizations
government, (as an employe
Development
–C
– uriosity
Curiosity about
about new newthings,
things, etc....
etc....

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 Research as Career
 Rewarding and satisfying career
 Opportunities for life-long growth
 ICT - exciting fields for innovation
 Global career opportunities

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 Significance of research
–A means of income
The
– outlet for new ideas and insights;
The
– development of new styles and
creative work;
The
– generalizations of new theories;
–Fountain of knowledge;
Important
– source of guidelines for solving
different problems; etc.

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How does a researcher
work ?
 make always notes in a “notebook”
 make summaries on what has been
learned.
 make plans for the future all the time
(outlines, roadmaps)
 discuss, ask questions and argue
(criticism)

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 Scientific Research Method

 Problem definition
 Hypothesis/Research question
 Sequence of experiments
 Randomization (random experiments by taking
sample data)
 Repetition (perform many times to converge)

 Change one parameter/experiment

 Prove/Disprove Hypothesis
 Document for others to reproduce results

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Scientific Research Method…

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Scientific Research Method…
 Many activities carried out by computer
Engineers/scientists follow the scientific
method:
 e.g., designing and implementing a large
database system requires
 hypothesizing about its behavior under
various conditioning,
 experimenting to test those hypotheses,
 analyzing the results, and
 possibly redesigning.
 e.g., debugging a complex program requires
forming hypotheses about where an error
might be occurring, experimenting to test
those hypotheses, analyzing the results, and 23
 Research Projects
 Research begins with a problem.
 This problem need not be Earth-shaking.

 Identifying this problem can actually be

the hardest part of research.

 In general, good research projects

should:
 Address an important question.
• original and significant
 Advance knowledge.

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Incorrect Choice - Research
Projects
 The following kinds of projects usually
don’t make for good research:

 Comparing data sets.

 Correlating data sets.
 Problems with yes / no answers.

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 High-Quality Research
 Good research requires:
 The scope and limitations of the work to be
clearly defined.
 The process to be clearly explained so that
it can be reproduced and verified by
other researchers.
A systematically planned design that is as
objective as possible.

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High Quality Research (cont.)
 Use Graphic Organizer
• A graphic organizer is a visual representation of
concepts, knowledge, or information that can
incorporate both text and pictures.
• Examples include calendars, maps, Venn
diagrams, pert diagram and flow charts.
• Graphic organizers allow the mind 'to see'
undiscovered patterns and relationships.
 Do a map of your research
 Establish relationships
• Use arrows

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 PERT Chart
(Program Evaluation and Review Technique)

March 3, 2014

Build Scanner

Jan 1, 2014 Jan 3, 2014 March 7, 2015 Nov 14, 2016

Integration
Start Design Build Parser
and Test

March 7, 2016

Build Code Dec 17, 2017

Generator
Finish

July 7, 2016

Write Manual

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3-29
High-Quality Research (cont.)
 Good research requires:

 Highly ethical standards be applied.

 All limitations be documented.
 Data be adequately analyzed and
explained.
 All
findings be presented unambiguously
and
 Allconclusions be justified by sufficient
evidence.
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 Research Requirements
Research requires resources, such asfollowing:
the
•Money (fund);
People
• (group of researchers);
Time
• and space (laboratory, real test bed);
Experimental
• Subjects…
• Data

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 Research is both enjoyable and
frustrating
 Enjoyment comes from considering a specific
problem or subject field you are interested in to
solve.

 Frustration comes from discovering that it is not

possible to do the intended research at the
start/middle/end of the investigation.
• The Research topic may be challenging.
• The research must be completed within a given
time
• Funds for experiments, travel, and so on may be
limited or even non-existent
• Finding academic supervisor related to the
research area with full engagement and interest.
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• Unexpected results, at the end of the day
 Ethical Issues in Research
• Ethical concerns
– Moral issues: honesty, truthfulness
– Legal implications: confidentiality/privacy,
– Neutrality
– Protecting Human Subjects

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 Types of Research
The basic types of research are:
Exploratory
– (Investigative/priliminary)
Descriptive
– (Surveying)
Empirical/experimental
– (HW, simulation based)
Analytical
– (Mathematical modeling)

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 Types of Research …
Exploratory Research (preliminary investigation)
The
• result of an exploratory study may indicate that
further research can be reduced and/or certain
aspects of the larger study can be eliminated
Exploratory
• study is conducted in the following
situation:
To
– design a problem for investigation and to
formulate hypotheses;
To
– determine priorities for further research;
To–gather data about the main problems of the researc
on particular hypothetical statements;
To– increase the researcher’s interest in the problem;

–To explain basic concepts;

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 Types of Research …
Descriptive Research (A kind of surveying)
 Includes surveys and fact finding enquiries of
different kinds.
Major purpose:
 To put together researcher’s idea and
research
results in a specific subject area.
Main characteristic :
 Researcher has no control over the variables
 The researcher can only report what has
happened and what is happening.

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 Types of Research …
 Descriptive Research …
 Examples:
 Survey to improve performance of TCP in
Mobile Ad Hoc Networks.
 A review of current Routing Protocols in
Wireless Sensor Networks
 A survey on Security Issues in wired and
wireless networks.
 Is conducted in the following situations:
 To analyze characteristics of certain systems
 (E.g, QoS, security, energy management,…)

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 Types of Research …
E
• mpirical/Experimental Research
is –commonly used in sciences such as computer scien
and engineering, physics, chemistry, biology…

It–is a collection of research designs which uses

manipulation and controlled testing to understand
fundamental processes.

Generally
– one or more variables are manipulated to
determine their effect on a dependent variable.

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 Types of Research …
Empirical/Experimental Research
Main purpose : finding the ‘reasons why?’
desire
• to know how the fundamental factors relate t
the effects under predictions
Usually
• referred as hypothesis testing
Such
• studies require proceduresresearch
that
Reduce
– unfairness and increase reliability
Permit
– drawing inferences about causality
Research
• design in such kind of studies means
Design of Experiments

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 Types of Research …
 Analytical research
 Researchers makes use of facts or
information already available, and analyze
these to make critical evaluation of a
phenomenon.
 Applied research
 Aims at finding a solution for an immediate
problem facing a society or any
industrial/business organization.
 Fundamental research
 Is mainly concerned with formulation of
theories.
(related to pure mathematics, driving 40
 Types of Research …

 Quantitative  Qualitative
researches researches
 based on the  Concerned with
measurements of qualitative
quantity or amount phenomena (related
 E.g, some of to quality or kind)
quantitative metrics  E.g, qualitative
to study MANET metrics to study
routing protocols: routing protocols in
End-to-end delay, MANET: QoS, security,
throughput, PDR,… scalability,
route/netwrok
stability,… 41
 Types of Research …
From
• the point of view of time, we may
have
– One-time research:where the research is
confined to a single time-period.
– Longitudinal research : where the research is
carried on over several time periods.
From
• the point of view of environment, we
have
–Real time test bed research
Laboratory
– research (e.g. Experiment, simulation, emulati
–
Theoretical/analytical research

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 Types of researches…
 All other types of research are
variations of one or more of the above
stated approaches, based on
 the purpose of the research
 the time required to accomplish the
research
 the environment in which the research is
conducted.

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 Research Questions
 A research question

 is problem or statement in-need of a

solution or answer.
 helps you to identify the things you need to
find out.
 helps you to know what you want to pay
attention to
 What a research aims to answer

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 Research Questions…
General research questions
•
–Guide our thinking
Are
– of great value in organizing the research project
Are
– not specific enough to be answered
•Specific questions
–Direct empirical procedures
Are
– the questions actually answered in theresearch
Guide
– the type of data we need to collect

It• is useful to identify and separate the general

and the specific questions.

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3
 Research Questions…
A• research area is different from a topic
Research
– area is the broader subject of your topi
A
• topic is different from a question
Topic
– is the broad subject of your questions
A–question is what you want to know abouttopic
a

Example
– of Research area
Wireless
• and Mobile Networking
•Telecommunication
•Education
–Example of Topic
Performance
• of Wi-Fi and Wi-Max in wireless networks
•Telecom Security
•Educational Technology
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4
 Research Questions…
The following are all questions
Ex:
What
• is the data rate of Wi-Fi and Wi-Max?
What
• is the level of Fraud detection in mobile
telephones?
How
• can we get SMS in local languages on the
Mobile infrastructure?
How
• can we determine the students’ learning style
in eLearning systems?
How
• can we evaluate student satisfaction in use of
ICT in education?

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5
 What type of question are you
asking?
 Existence:  Descriptive-Process
 Does X exist?  How does X normally
 Description & work?
Classification  By what process does X
 What is X like? happen?
 What are its properties?
 What are the steps as X
evolves?
 How can it be
 Relationship
categorized?
 How can we measure it?  Are X and Y related?
 What are its  Do occurrences of X
components? correlate with
 Descriptive-Comparative occurrences of Y?
 How does X differ from
Y?
 Frequency and 48
 What type of question are you
asking?
 Causality  Design
 Does X cause Y?  What is an effective way
 Does X prevent Y? to achieve X?
 What causes X?  How can we improve X?
 What effect does X have
on Y?
 Causality-Comparative
 Does X cause more Y
than does Z?
 Is X better at preventing
Y than is Z?
 Does X cause more Y
than does Z
 under one condition but
not others?
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 Research Questions…
•CriticalIssue:
Questions
– must be in principle answerable;
•Specific;
Refer
• to something you can look at or find an
answer for;
H
• ierarchy of the concepts
–Research Area
•Research topic
–research questions

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7
 Research Questions…
 The Role of Research Questions

 Organize the research project and give it

direction and coherence
 Delimit the research project - show the
boundaries
 Keep the researcher focused
 Indicate the data that will be needed
 Provide a framework for writing up the
project

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 Research Questions…
 Good research questions are:
 Clear
 Specific
 Answerable
 Interconnected
 Substantially relevant

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