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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Proposal Writing, Data Presentation and Report Writing: The Case of Computer Science

Sahalu Junaidusahalu@abu.edu.ng

Department of MathematicsAhmadu Bello University, Zaria

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Proposal Writing, Data Presentation & Report Writing

Introduction

Proposal Writing

Data Presentation

Report Writing

Conclusion

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Introduction Graduate studies can be challenging without adequate preparations

Prospective students should have sufficient grounding on All core areas of computing Writing and communication skills Presentation skills

This paper presents issues and tips on Writing research proposals Data collection and presentation Thesis report writing

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Proposal Writing: Readiness Check-list Motivation and drive to pursue the research project

Availability for the research work

Familiarity with research conducted in the proposal areas

Clear understanding of the steps to follow in conducting the research

Ability to get through each of the steps necessary to complete the research project

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Proposal Writing

Why write a research proposal? Demonstrate ability to define a research problem Demonstrate background knowledge in a chosen area Win potential supervisors Win studentship grants A good proposal provides a basis for the final thesis write-up

Your proposal conveys an initial impression to your potential supervisors about yourself It must be written well You may not have a second chance!

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Elements of a Good Proposal A precise topic from a specific area

An overview of the area

Relevant literature

Key research questions

Research rationale

Methodology

Research plan

Bibliography

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… Elements of a Good Proposal A precise topic from a specific area

A precise research topic helps to convey your proposed research area and intent clearly to your readers

helps potential supervisors to see if you are in their area of interest Avoid extremely broad topics that lack focus or understanding of the issue to

address “computer science”, “software engineering”, “programming languages”

An overview of the area Here goes an abstract about the topic and the area of computing within

which it falls Your exposition of the area should demonstrate your background knowledge

of the area. Mention previous work/publications you have in the area Outline major research issues, debates and research approaches in the area

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… Elements of a Good Proposal Relevant literature

You should read far and wide, collect relevant and up-to-date literature

Your potential supervisors can easily tell important references not cited

Key research questions A careful literature review helps to identify unanswered

questions, unsolved questions and to formulate a statement of inquiry

State clearly the research questions you plan to address Research questions should be precise and manageable and

their outcomes measurable

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… Elements of a Good Proposal Research rationale A Computer Science research proposal should explain the

worthiness of its intent Potential benefits that may accrue from the research output should

be highlighted Mention the stakeholders that will benefit from the research

outcomes Research methodology Highlights the approach to adopt to manage the research questions Alternative approaches within the various tasks of the research

should be mentioned and justified You should mention any specific hardware, software, etc., that are

necessary to accomplish your research

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… Elements of a Good Proposal Research plan

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail Design a timescale for each aspect of the research

Helps convey your consciousness of the need for planning Be conservative in your timings by adding extra time to your

end dates Factor risk analysis in your plan

Bibliography Lists the relevant literature you consulted in the course of

writing the proposal Ensure you obtain copies of these papers for further reference

during final write up

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Tips for a Good Proposal Review a couple of research proposals to gain insight

Use simple, plain and crystal clear language to express your ideas Do not use ambiguous language

Write formally, following stringent rules of grammar Ensure each question or objective may be atomically addressed, clearly and

indisputably using the findings, statistics and outcomes of your research

Organize your ideas logically with a coherent and sound progression

Avoid quoting literature second hand, without reading them yourself.

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Data Presentation A computer science research may involve experimentation, data

collection and analysis

Type of data to collect may be categorical, continuous or a matrix of these

Data analysis techniques to be used may depend on the type of data collected

There is a wide range of classical statistical methods and tools for data analysis

The essence of your data presentation and analyses is to provide evidence in support of your thesis

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Report Writing Writing a dissertation report is one of the most crucial and delicate tasks in

graduate studies

You are about to start documenting your findings and conclusions that substantiate your achievements

Your thesis writing should be enjoyable when the research proposal, data collection and analysis were done well

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

General Thesis Structure Introduction

Background information (optional)

Literature review

Research questions

Thesis contribution

Conclusions

References

Appendices

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… General Thesis Structure: Thesis Contribution

The first four parts derive heavily from the proposal

Thesis contribution This may be broken down into one, two or three chapters

The main purpose of these chapters is to convince your examiners that you answered the research questions

You should carefully document all the relevant things that you did and how you did them to arrive at the answers to your research

questions

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… General Thesis Structure: Thesis Conclusions The contributions summary, conclusions and future research

directions may be in a single or separate chapters

In the summary, you list the contributions of new knowledge that your thesis makes

which were substantiated in the main body of your thesis the list of contributions should be organized from most important to least

important

Conclusions should be short, concise statements of the inferences that you made because of your work

These statements should also be organized from most important to least important

Ensure these conclusions are directly related to your research questions

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… Thesis Conclusions

Highlight any limitations of your contributions or conclusions Have you provided complete answers? Are there assumptions that you made which limit

the generality of your answers? What can be done to improve your findings a step

further? What other approaches you discovered can be

followed to answer the same or similar questions?

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

… General Thesis Structure: References & Appendices

References All references given must be referred to in the main body of the thesis Organize your references according to the standard format adopted by

your graduate school Reread papers of your examiners that you cited in your work prior to

your thesis defense!

Appendices This is the place to put important supporting material that is bulky to be

placed in the body of the thesis because it can disturb the smooth flow of your write-up

Examples include computer programs, elaborate tables of data, lengthy mathematical proofs or derivations, etc.

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Tips for a Good Thesis Report Review a couple of well organized and presented dissertations Start writing your dissertation inside-out writing the core chapters that carry your contributions and then write the others

that complement them Ensure you number, title, introduce and explain all tables and figures in your

dissertation The distance between a figure or table and its explanation should not exceed one

page Be consistent in terminology use; do not overuse alternate words that mean

the same thing Do not write dissertation to dazzle or entertain readers Write formally, clearly, unambiguously and convincingly

Make sure that your Suggestions for Further Research and Recommendations emanate from the findings and experiences of your research work

Check that they could not have been made before conducting your research.

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

Conclusions

Presented issues related to Motivation for and proposal writing Data collection, analysis and presentation for a thesis Thesis write up

Provided tips to assist potential graduate students handle these issues appropriately

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First Workshop on Scientific Research Methodology, KASU, Kaduna

February 17, 2010

The End

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