How to do Effective Research Material is Adapted from · 2013. 1. 17. · •Practically important...

11/24/2012

1

Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi 1 Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi

How to do Effective Research

Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi

Smart Energy Lab (SEL) Department of Electrical Engineering

University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-2500

e-mail: [email protected] web: http://SmartEnergyLab.com


Material is Adapted from

M.J. Harrold - Georgia Institute of Technology

O. Pearce - Texas A&M University

M.L. Soffa - University of Virginia

P. Raghavan - Penn State University

F. Berman - UC San Diego

Sharon Bede - Mount Boucherie Secondary School

Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi 3 Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi

Why do Research?

• Enjoyable

• Creative

• Inventive

• Transfer discoveries to benefit society

• Enhance the economic viability of nations


Motivation: Why should I do research?

• Internal drive – Research interest (sense of achievement, curiosity,

etc)

– Strong ambition (self-expectation)

• External drive – Degree and diploma

– Parents, teachers, friends

– Peer pressure (sense of honor and responsibility)

– Small success

11/24/2012

2


Beginning with the End in Mind

Plan for a research career not a research

project!


Key Steps

Select a Research Topic: – An interesting research direction – Matters to society

Form Hypotheses: – Hypotheses that can be scientifically evaluated – Learn how to perform the evaluation of existing

work

Conduct Research:


Key Steps

Evaluate your Work: – Honestly

Report your Work: – To the world

Transfer your Technology: – Commercialize your results – Mentor others to continue in the same direction


Select a Research Topic

11/24/2012

3


Persevere—You Will Find a Topic

“ Every morning I would sit down before a blank sheet of paper. Throughout the day, with brief interval for lunch, I would stare at the blank sheet. Often when evening came it was still empty… It seemed quite likely that the whole of the rest of my life might be consumed in looking at that blank sheet of paper…” (Bertrand Russell, autobiography)

Went on to publish (with Whitehead) the 3-volume Principia Mathematica

Remember that drive distinguishes the great scientists (but brains help …)

Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi 10

Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi

Choosing a Research Area

Criteria Exciting and interesting to you Address important problem Research type is suitable to you

Ways to identify a research area Take courses, attend seminars and colloquia Talk to researchers, industry and government Consider both applied and theoretical areas Read widely Learn about yourself, what you like, etc. Solve some preliminary research problems


The Right Problem and the Right Way to Ask Problem

Asking the problem right can lead to asking the right problem

• Can we predict stability?

• Can we predict stability with the transient model?

• Can we predict stability with user experience?


Research Problem Selection

• Good research largely depends on the selected problem

– 50% of a research job is done when you find a good problem.

• How to evaluate the research problem?

– Is it an old problem or a new problem?

• Usually, new problems have more opportunities

– Is it a significant problem?

• Practically important yet technically challenging

12

11/24/2012

4


Standard Pitfalls

Solving the World

– do not try to solve all problems in the world

– set yourself a high but well focused goal

Computer Bum

– do not rush to simulate the problem or solution

– think first about what you want to achieve


Standard Pitfalls for Graduate Students

• Ivory Tower

– do not shut yourself in an ivory tower to do your research

– talk to people, with colleagues, professors, people with similar interests

– Talk to people who know nothing about your research



• Misunderstood Genius

– do not think that what you want to achieve or what you have done cannot be understood by anybody

– you should be able to explain to any person

• what you are working on

• what it is good for

• what your contribution is


Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi


• Ambition Paralysis

– do not wait to have the "great" idea

– start from small ideas

– pick an example and try to solve it

– try to apply the solution to some other examples.

– Sooner or later the "big" idea will come.

11/24/2012

5


Good versus Bad Research Problems

• Good research problem – After the research, more people will be doing it –

you opened the door

– After the research, nobody can improve it – you closed the door

• Bad research problem – Nobody will follow the research

– Nobody really cares about the research


Good versus Bad Research Problems

Research subject hotspot index HI for a large sample:

𝐻𝐼 =𝑓

𝐹

f: No. of top papers

F: No. of total papers


Ambition

• Aim high

– Do not patch a small hole left by leading researchers

– Find a more fundamental problem which may have a long impact


Identifying a Research Problem

Read papers • Keep an annotated bibliography of papers

• Main contribution • Open questions • How it relates to your interests, work

• Reading tree • Use papers’ references to get to original papers

Talk to experts

• Visit universities, factory and research centers • At conferences and workshops

Question previous works’ assumptions

11/24/2012

6


Identifying a Research Problem

Consider topics carefully

Thoroughly understand the problem

Break problem into manageable pieces

Develop methods that work for you

• Set aside blocks of time to focus on research • Work deeply and broadly • Work consistently on the problem


Research Models

• Solution looking for a problem

• Problem looking for a solution

• New solution to old problems (classical problems)

• New problems

• New areas

22


Model 1: Mission Project

• Industrial needs

– Global problem (worldwide needs)

– Local problem (Country needs)

• Warnings:

– Require contacts with industry

– It may not be a topic worthy of a PhD thesis


Model 2: Apprentice

• Your advisor has a list of topics

• Can save you a lot of time/anxiety

Warnings:

You may work on something you find boring, badly-motivated,…

Several students may be working on the same/related problem

11/24/2012

7


Model 3: A Flash of Brilliance

• You wake up one day with a new insight/idea

• New approach to solve an important open problem

Warnings:

This rarely happens


Model 4: Projects

• You take a project course that gives you a new perspective

• Combines your research project with the course project

Warnings:

This may be too incremental


Model 5: n-paper = Thesis

• You work on a number of small topics that turn into a series of conference papers

Warnings:

May be hard to tie into a thesis

May not have enough impact


Model 6: Innovations are on Borders

• Other disciplines may have problem that can be solved by your ideas

• Apply your insight to the new filed

Warnings:

You need to read a lot in different field to find a connection

11/24/2012

8


Research Environment


Groups

• A group can be a blessing – More interactions (now) and networking (future)

• Senior students can be very helpful to junior students – Experience sharing & encouragements

– More tolerant to mistakes

– More accessible

• Each colleague is a teacher

• Each group has its own culture


Working on a Research Team (or not)

Why work on a team (in a group)? • Part of a larger project (less common in more theoretical areas)

• Research often a collaborative, social process

• Helps you to learn to communicate ideas

• Try new ideas, practice talks, get feedback on papers, learn to advise other students, etc.

While working on a research team • Carve out your problem in the group

• Be generous with giving credit to others, but stand up for your accomplishments

• Your role in the group will change as you progress


Advisor

• Role of Advisor – Joint decision on problem selection

– Set up the research standard

– Help when students get stuck • Find out why

• Re-directing

• Feedback on research results – Positive and negative feedback

• Help in oral presentation and written reports

11/24/2012

9


Advisor

• Talk to potential advisors and their advisees

– What are their projects?

– How much time do they spend with students?

– Do they have group and/or individual meetings?

– How long to return written materials?

– How much freedom do they give students?

– How long does it take students to finish?

– What is the placement of past students?

– Does the adviser publish a lot with students? What is the order of names?

– Who presents the papers that are co-authored?

– Do they have research assistantships?

– Do you feel comfortable with this person as your advisor?


Try out Advisor

• Take one of their courses

• Work with them on an independent study


Read, Read and Read


Levels of Reading

Outer Circle

Middle

Circle

Inner Circle

11/24/2012

10


Outer Circle

Articles about the surrounding problem

• read the introductory material

• read surveys on the subject

• read some papers to become familiar with the topic

– read the abstract

– read the intro

– conclusions



Middle Circle

Articles about the particular type of problem you have in mind

– read as for Outer Circle

– mark candidates for Inner circle

– collect further readings from references


Inner Circle

Articles about the specific approach you consider

• read the entire article, then read it again

• select key articles for your work and read them again (a 3rd time)

• search applications based on the approach (you should do this for the middle circle also)


Guide to reading

For every article you have read (regardless of the circle) do:

• Reference data: authors, journal, pages, etc., so as to able to refer it afterwards

• Make notes about the content of every article – will help you to remember and to understand the paper

• length of notes should depend on the circle level

11/24/2012

11


Research Process


Main Components of Research Process

• Focus

• Find and filer

• Work with information

• Reflect

• Communicate


• What is my research purpose?

• What are my research challenges?

• What are the critical questions?

• Who is my audience?

• What do I know?

• What do I need to know?

• What could my product be?

• How will I plan my time?

Focus


Find and Filter

Consider the sources that are available to you.

• Locate different types of resources.

• Decide which resources might be suitable.

• Revise research questions if necessary.

11/24/2012

12


Find and Filter

Evaluate the resource for

• Authority

• accuracy

Make

• notes and summaries

• organize information

• record your opinion


Work with Information

• Read, view, listen.

• Interpret, record, and organize.

• Look for patterns, make connections.

• Check for understanding.

• Review, revise, reorganize, edit.


Work with Information

• Instead of copying it out, interpret the data

• Synthesize and analyze the ideas you find

• Ask more questions

• Look for deeper understanding

• Organize, reorganize, and reshape the ideas to make sure that the meaning is well captured.



Communicate

• Prepare final results

• Share ideas, knowledge, product.

• Begin to put all the research together

• Effectively communicate what you have found in order to demonstrate how much you have done and learned

11/24/2012

13


Writing

• Critical to the sale of your ideas/results

• Paper organization

– Proper arrangement of texts, figures and tables

• Multi-pass writing style

– 1st pass: Detailed outline

– 2nd pass: Rapid writing

– 3rd pass: Fine Fine-tuning

– 4th pass: cross cross-reading

49 Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi 50 Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi

Reflection completes the research process

• What did I learn about the topic?

• What worked well?

• What will I do differently next time?

• What did I learn about the research ?

Consider

• whether your task was successful

• whether the process was effective

• changes that would improve future tasks.

Reflect

How to do Effective Research Material is Adapted from · 2013. 1. 17. · •Practically important...

Documents

Transcript of How to do Effective Research Material is Adapted from · 2013. 1. 17. · •Practically important...