Scientific research lecture1 2

Scientific research Phan Tuan Nghia and Pham The Hai OBJECTIVES: Students should:  Understand and know how write a review on a scientific topic/issue  Know how to collect and analyze scientific information to work out a research project  Be able to apply basic knowledge and skills to conduct a research project  Be able to analyze, synthesize, explain scientific data  Be able to motivate oneself in scientific research  Be able to write and present a scientific report/paper Lectures cover the following: Chapter 1: An introduction to scientific research 1.1.The importance of research in training program 1.2 Doing research in the labs and fields Chapter 2: How to a research 2.1 How to select a scientific issue for research 2.2 Objectives and expected outcomes 2.3 Contents 2.4 Approaches and methods 2.5 Working group and plan 2.6 Examination and evaluation of data Chapter 3: How to write and present a scientific report/paper 3.1 Writing a report 3.2 Presenting a report 3.3 Writing a scientific paper Colloquium: Vietnam Law on Science and Technology WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH? Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study (Practical Research: Planning and Design, Eighth Edition, by Paul D Leedy and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod) Research is the systematic investigation into and study of materials, sources, etc., in order to establish facts, analyze information and reach new conclusions (Oxford Concise Dictionary) Nghiên cứu khoa học hoạt động phát hiện, tìm hiểu tượng, vật, quy luật tự nhiên, xã hội tư duy; sáng tạo giải pháp nhằm ứng dụng vào thực tiễn Nghiên cứu khoa học bao gồm nghiên cứu bản, nghiên cứu ứng dụng (Dự thảo Luật KH-CN Việt Nam – 2013) WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH? Basic research or fundamental research is research carried out to increase understanding of fundamental principles It is not intended to yield immediate commercial benefits In the long term it is the basis for applied research Applied research refers to scientific study and research that seeks to solve practical problems WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH? • Research is what we to resolve a question or a problem we have • 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 WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH? • First priority is to formulate your question • Then figure out how you are going to answer it – How have others answered it? – How does your proposal fit in with what others have done? – How will you know when you have answered it? • Then you can present your answer Studying process:      Recalling Understanding Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation Application Creation Research is associated with Training HOW TO DO A RESEARCH A RESEARCH TOPIC OR PROJECT RESEARCH NEEDS  In terms of science/knowledge: increase understanding of a phenomenon, explore new principles/ways etc…  In terms of applications: new/improved technology, products, services etc Why you know the research is needed? 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 support the hypothesis 10 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 13 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 is refuse H0 thus showing that H1 is probably correct (with a measruable degree of likelihood: statistical significance) 14 Where hypotheses come from? • 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 15 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 16 Where you usually collect information for your issue of interest? How can you rely on the obtained information? Sources of reliable information: Peer-reviewed journals, reference books, monographs and patents/utility solutions ISI (Institute of Scientific Information) Journals; Reliability can be evaluated by: SCI: Scientific citation index SCIE: Scientific citation index expended, IF: impact factor, H- index: Jorge E Hirsch's Index SCI Journal IF = 3.58 ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) DOI (Document Object Identifier) What else? Following are some websites that provide peer-reviewed references Home work Write a research outline (3-5 A4 pages) Answer the following questions: What is the research topic for your Bachelor thesis? Background: What have other researchers done to resolve the same problem(s)? Why is your research needed? What is(are) the objective(s) of your research project? What outputs/results you expect to have from your project? What and how you to reach your objective(s)? (Approaches and methods) How will you evaluate your results?  To be submitted at the end of the course! ... scientific research 1.1.The importance of research in training program 1 .2 Doing research in the labs and fields Chapter 2: How to a research 2. 1 How to select a scientific issue for research 2. 2 Objectives... it is the basis for applied research Applied research refers to scientific study and research that seeks to solve practical problems WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH? • Research is what we to resolve... cứu bản, nghiên cứu ứng dụng (Dự thảo Luật KH-CN Việt Nam – 20 13) WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH? Basic research or fundamental research is research carried out to increase understanding of fundamental