ENGE817 – STEM Research Methods – Semester 1, 2020
PROJECT OVERVIEW FOR COMPUTER & MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES STUDENTS
The aim of doing this small-scale research project is for you to gain appreciation for research through your
own experience. This piece of practical work will build your confidence and competence in doing research
and assist you to better critique other research. It is highly recommended that you be proactive in building
up a good working relationship with your supervisor. You must involve your supervisor in guiding and
advising you on the different stages of your research and the decisions you make.
This research project will involve primary data. You will either collect some primary data or use data that has
already been collected. Secondary research as in a literature review or summary of the workings of
technology is not appropriate. However, if you are using a design science approach, then building and testing
a set of metrics will be sufficient (consult with your supervisor). The research must be relevant to a group of
people and make a contribution to a field or body of knowledge.
Aim to spend approximately 100 hours in total, including: planning, conducting the research, and writing it up.
SUPERVISOR SELECTION
You must join / select the supervisor group on Blackboard. If you supervisor name is not on Blackboard group,
please use the link “cant find my supervisor” on Blackboard.
PhD students can have their own supervisor.
Applied maths and astronomy students can approach any Mathematical Sciences staff.
Master of Analytic students can approach Hyuck Chung, Michael Lockyer, Murray Black, Patricio Andres Maturana
Russel, Sergiy Klymchuk, Tim Natusch, Victor Miranda, Kerri Spooner, Nate Wichitaksorn, Robin Hankin, Wenjun
Zhang, Willem van Straten, Jiling Cao
Other students can select from supervisor pool: Farhaan Mirza, Sarita Pais, Edmund Lai, Russel Pears, Jim Buchan,
Mahsa Mohaghegh, Krassie Petrova, Alan Litchfield, Mali Senapathi, Sam Madanian or Matthew Kuo.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Aim to have it completed in the mid semester break at the latest. Weighting: 0%.
Submit a draft proposal by email to your supervisor. It typically takes several iterations of consultation with
your supervisor working on the proposal before you are ready and are set up for conducting the research.
Explicit approval is required before you continue with the research.
Include the following:
1. An introduction describing the topic area, why you are interested in it, why it is relevant to others, what
potential contribution it will make.
2. A literature critique with a summary of what research methods are used, what is known about the topic area,
and the challenges and difficulties.
3. Give an overview of all the research required to investigate your topic area. Typically, you will choose a
small part of this to do as your project. Perhaps, it is the first thing to do. Perhaps, it is the bit you can do.
Give rationale for your decision.
4. The research question. This may contain a number of sub-questions.
5. Research Method. A plan of action: what, where, who, why and how.
6. A pilot test run of the method. This is often extremely useful in informing you on how to refine details of your
method and its application. A pilot test can also be very useful in assisting you to refine and scope your
research question. If you don’t consider a pilot test appropriate, consult with your supervisor.
ENGE817 – STEM Research Methods – Semester 1, 2020
RESEARCH REPORT
Due: 2 June 2020 Midnight. Submit to Turnitin.
Weighting: 100%
Include the following:
1. An abstract of no more than 100 words that presents your motivation (one sentence), the
research question and method (one sentence), the actual findings or recommendations (list them
or describe them), the next steps and/or your vision for the future.
2. An introduction, describing the topic area, why you are interested and why it is relevant and
interesting to others.
3. A summary of the literature critiqued in the proposal.
4. The research question. This may include a number of sub-questions.
5. Research Design. Describe what you actually did, where, with who, how. Also describe how you
developed and refined the method, including how the pilot test assisted this process.
6. Findings, Analysis and Discussion. Divide these up as best suits your study. Also include some
discussion on how your findings support or contradict previous research and knowledge. Consider
using diagrams and/or tables to assist the reader, and also offer yourself overviews and big picture
perspectives.
7. Conclusion, Limitations & Future Work.
Summarise the contributions your study has made.
Identify limitations in your research, including limitations of the research method you used. Such
limitations should not be confined to weaknesses in your design, but should go beyond and
discuss the use of other research methods that can complement the method that you have used.
In experiments, there may be key variables that weren’t included, or could not be included as they
could not be measured, or your method was unable to adequately assess the interactions between
existing variables. In questionnaires and interviews, there may be many types of respondents who
were not covered.
Identify areas of uncertainty that your study raises. For each area and new research questions
generated do a design plan for further research.
Identify the areas of opportunity, the new areas of research that your findings open up.
Typically, these will involve different methods of inquiry from the method you used in your
research. For example, if you did interviews, you may be ready with a hypothesis and be able to
outline an experiment. If you did interviews, you may be able to offer a draft questionnaire for a
future study. An experimental study may show up the need for further exploratory study using case
studies or a survey in order to better identify variables.
If you have actions or interventions to progress something, then consider how research may
assist that. For example, what types of methods will inform their formulation and role out and what
methods can be used to assess impact and inform refinement, etc.
We are looking for quality of written work not quantity. A well written report could be as short as 15
pages. Supporting material can be put as an appendix.
The report will be marked as a whole. The advantage of that is that extended effort in any appropriate
area can be rewarded if it is effective and worthwhile.
Late assignments, without an approved extension, will be subject to a deduction of 5% (one grade
e.g. from C+ to C) of the total mark available for each 24-hour period, or part thereof, up to a
maximum of five calendar days. Assignments over five days late will not normally be accepted or
marked and students will receive a DNC (Did Not Complete) for that assessment.
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