Introduction To Scientific

Research
A step towards understanding the journey
Transforming Lives, Enriching Future

Dr. Rabab Alayham Abbas Helmi

BSc. Computer Science, MSc Computer Networks (University of Technology- Iraq);
Ph.D Industrial Computing (UKM-Malaysia )

Senior Lecturer (Faculty of Information Sciences and Engeneering)

Management and Science University

Email: [email protected]| Mobile/ WA: (+60) 132979491

Facebook: Rabab Abbas-msu|Twitter: @DrRababAlayham|
Instagram: rabab.a.abbas | LinkedInt: rabab abbas

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What does research mean ?
Noun:
• the systematic investigation into and study of materials and
sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
• "the group carries out research in geochemistry"
Verb:
• investigate systematically.
• "she has spent the last five years researching her people's
history"
What is research?
• Research is an organized, systematic, data-based, critical,
objective, scientific inquiry into a specific problem that needs a
solution.
• It is an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc by the
scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical
investigation.
• It is :Scientific research focuses on solving problems and
pursues a step-by-step logical, organized, and rigorous method
to identify the problems, gather data, analyze them, and draw
valid conclusions.
• It isn’t: scientific research is not based on hunches, experience,
and intuition (though these may play a part in final decision
making).
What is Research?
• Research is what we do when we have a question or a problem
we want to resolve
• We may already think we know the answer to our question
already
• We may think the answer is obvious, common sense even
• But until we have subjected our problem to rigorous scientific
scrutiny, our 'knowledge' remains little more than guesswork or
at best, intuition.
Characteristics of Scientific Research
• Purposiveness.

• Rigor.

• Testability.

• Replicability.

• Precision and confidence.

• Objectivity.

• Generalizability.

• Parsimony.
Objectives of Research
• To extend knowledge.
• To discover new information.
• To build theory.
• To verify and test existing facts and theories.
• To analysis inter-relationships between variables.
• To find solution to current problems
Types of Research
• Basic Research
-Generating scientific knowledge for future use.
• Applied Research
-Undertaken to solve existing problem.

*** Task : Basic VS Applied research

Classical scientific method
• Observation of some phenomenon
• Maybe systematic, occasional or accidental
• Some idea of an explanation (hypothesis)
• Induction, conjecture, intuition, guesswork
• Usually informed by related work
• Testing of the hypothesis
• Test and revision cycle

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Hypothesis
• Probability of research
• Nothing is certain
• The exception that “proves” the rule
• Scientific “truth” is actually usually a statement of what is most probable
given the currently known data ...
• ... within the given framework
• Statistical techniques try to help us show extent to which our
results really do support the hypothesis

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Hypothesis
• A hypothesis makes a prediction of the expected outcome in a
given situation
• Usually: how the manipulation of the independent variable will
influence the behaviour of a dependent variable
• The hypothesis is tested in an experiment
• Experimental design ensures that what you are doing is
genuinely (and solely) responsible for the results
• Extraneous variables have to be controlled

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Experiment
• If the experiment works, the hypothesis is shown to be probably
correct
• Can’t prove 100% truth
• If it fails, it could be because
• The hypothesis is wrong
• The experimental design is faulty

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Null hypothesis
• Experiments are generally set up to demonstrate or support
(rarely “prove” , note) a hypothesis
• The null hypothesis H0 is that any observed changes in
behaviour are due to chance
• The alternate hypothesis H1 is the hypothesis you are trying to
demonstrate
• Usually, the best you can do is refute H0 thus showing that H1 is
probably correct (with a measruable degree of likelihood:
statistical significance)

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Where do hypotheses come from?
• Not usually thin air
• From within a framework
• Some phenomenon is not well explained by current thinking
• “New” hypothesis is often just an adaptation of an existing hypothesis
• thesis ~ antithesis ~ synthesis

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thesis ~ antithesis ~ synthesis
• Thesis
• the original statement of an idea
• Antithesis
• an argument to challenge a previous thesis
• often draws on new data
• Synthesis
• a new argument from existing sources
• typically, resolves the apparent contradiction between a thesis and an
antithesis

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Testability
• A good hypothesis is testable
• Not provable, in the sense of “shown to be true” (true = certain)
• Refutation of a thesis by proving that it is false is a cornerstone of
modern science
• Simply refuting a hypothesis is OK but better science will explain why
hypothesis is wrong, and (better still) offer an alternative hypothesis

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 Determining When to Conduct Research

Time Availability of Nature of the Benefits vs.

Constraints Data Decision Costs
Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Is the information Does the value
Is sufficient time Is the decision
already of the research
available before of considerable
a managerial
on hand
strategic
information Conduct
inadequate exceed the cost Research
decision or tactical
for making of conducting
must be made? importance?
the decision? research?

No No No No

Do Not Conduct Business Research

The Steps for Research Process
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Transforming Lives, Enriching Future

Thank you

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