Research Methodoloogies Course

Research:

  • Originality: do not reuse results from others;
  • Systematic:
    • Rigorous: if you really have to, use others work in a precise way;
    • Significant: contribute to knowledge;

Originality

This includes new findings / theorems / laws, new ways of thinking (survey papers), new ways of achieving facts / doing things.

Rigoorous

Integrity, robustness, reproducibility, transparency and precision. Experiments are conducted in a precise way (ex. data collection).

Sapiens - A brief history of humankind.pdf

Research Paradigms

  • Formal research: theories, models, proofs
  • analytical research: direct / indirect observation
  • constructive research: new processes and products

Method: set of principles, rules, and procedures which can guide a person to something

  • Does the scientific method exist?
  • Are results truth?
  • Does the truth hold only in a certain context?
  • Is it valid only under certain conditions? Or with a certain level of confidence?

A proof is truth until you manage to disprove it. (confirm is different from prove) One sample is enough to invalidate a theory.

Validation through experimentation, so proof by counter-example

Experimental Method

  • Inductive step: build theory (hypothesis and thesis (generalization))

  • Deductive step: challenge the theory to give it strength

  • Refutation: disproof (could be useful for improvement of the theory)

  • Theory inference: thesis are expressed with levels of certainty (ex. 95% confidence)

  • Sound theory: if whatever it infers is true (does not explain false negatives)

  • Complete theory: if all truths can be inferred / explained (but also non-true facts)

We ideally want a theory to be sound and complete.

Truths can be:

  • Quantitative: explain with a certain probability the truth
  • Qualitative: explain the truth in a binary way

Case study:

  • Observational: novel approaches
  • Feasibility: if solution has potential
  • Comparative: compare different approaches
  • Community: benchmarking
  • Replicability: same experiments but different settings

Product of Research

Either enriches the knowledge or usable to further enhance practice. Needs to be usable and diffusable. Results need to be: original (novel), rigorous (mathematical / experimental), significant (have impact / influence).

Publication:

  • Incremental work (revisions and refinements)
  • Direct diffusion or diffusion after peer review
  • Clarification of what you have done

Diffusion techniques:

  • Conferences: lower acceptance rate, faster diffusion (easier to publish), have more predictability (fixed submission dates)
  • Journals: higher acceptance rate, slower diffusion (harder to publish), have less predictability (rolling submission), more feedback than conferences

Different research communities have different diffusion techniques and habits.

Research Conduct

Research integrity is adherence to ethics principles (open, plagiarism, honest, fair).

Misconduct:

  • Fabrication: making up data
  • Falsification: manipulating data and research material
  • Plagiarism: using others work without proper citation
  • Overselling: overestimating the results (making them look better)

Material sent to reviewers is confidential (also do not share label).

  • Double blind: anonymity of authors and reviewers
  • Single blind: anonymity of reviewers
  • No blind: no anonymity (favours taking responsibility)