Category: 04 – Research Skills
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Milestones
Project will need to be completed in stages and should have a schedule with dates and deadlines. This is a project plan. Large projects may require full project planning tools and techniques. Smaller projects may only require a Gannt chart. Helps ensure that work is done in correct order and to avoid stalling (when progress…
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Products
What will you produce to illustrate that you have met your objectives? The artefact could be something like a device or piece of software. Tim Berners-Lee produced a web server and client to show his hypothesis would work (Internet and hypertext). Alternative artefacts could include results from experiments which could then be used to produce…
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Activities
How to achieve objectives? Perform research activities. What activities? Experiments? Observations? Build something to demo hypothesis? Outlines/describes how you will actually carry out your research.
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Objectives
Identify what you are trying to achieve. One main aim with possibly 3-5 secondary objectives. Understandable by non-expert. Research is at leading edge of technology, therefore may not be many experts in area being looked into. Some may be familiar with area but not exact area. Objectives should be easily understood by such reader.
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Research Outline
Research is planned activity, commonly following outline: Objectives Activities Products Milestones Delivery Evidence
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Thesis and Dissertation
Tend to be used interchangeably. Thesis – ideas, concepts, generated knowledge (hypothesis). Dissertation – document explaining and presenting evidence for thesis.
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Prediction
Key way to test hypothesis and resulting theory is by prediction. Example Newton’s laws of motion allow us to predict how an object will behave in certain circumstances. First law states “Every object persists in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed…
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Theory
Scientifically, theory is hypothesis tested (by experiment, observation) to be true to extent of our current knowledge. Example Sky is blue because sunlight is scattered and refracted by particles in atmosphere. Scientific theories open to further investigation/examination. Scientific method – body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting & integrating previous knowledge.…
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Hypothesis
Tentative explanation for observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation. Example: Question: Why is the sky blue? Hypothesis: Because someone painted a big sheet and dropped it over the world. Research: Get in space rocket and go to the big blue sheet. Results: Couldn’t find big blue sheet. Observation: Go…
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Terminology
Research has to be focused. Need a clear target to stay focused on. Avoid going off on tangents. Some terminology: Hypothesis Theory Prediction Thesis and Dissertation