Introduction to research and the technical paper – Honours 2008

1. Introduction to research and the technical paper – Honours 2008 Brian O’Donovan

2. What is research Studious inquiry or examination; especially investigation or experimentation aimed at • the discovery and interpretation of facts, • the confirmation or revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of these facts, • or the practical application of such confirmed, new or revised theories or laws Adapted from Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition

3. Why research? Academic process Honours ER … Why? • Increase knowledge • Set of skills for business

4. Research Process Deliverables Choose ER Topics Technical paper – 10 March Literature Survey Research Design and Instrument Hand In Final Report Topic Generation Logic and flow Review Literature Strategy Methodology Data Collection Analysis Interpretation Writing Dissemination

5. Structure of the lecture The topic of the technical paper Planning, reading, recording and avoiding plagiarism Writing the paper The mark plan

6. What’s in a name? Essay, technical paper, review paper? The term essay has connotations of style, content and approach which are not suitable for the business environment

7. What is your technical paper all about? “… while business leaders recognize the growing importance of IT as a fundamental driver of business, they still have doubts about the role of senior IS managers in developing strategy and concerns about IT’s cost effectiveness and the value it adds” (Smith & McKeen, 2007). Can you find evidence to support, refute or add to these and other management perceptions?

8. Who are you writing to? Imagine that your paper is to be read by a well informed business manager who has an academic background but has the doubts and concerns referred to above The business leader expects to see evidence that his or her opinion is not necessarily correct or needs modification This evidence is not your own opinion and feelings but extracted from the literature to support the case you will make – the seed paper is not enough

9. How to read and research • Develop a preliminary plan and how you initially intend to address this • Title and area to be studied, list of headings, outline of argument and some possible conclusions • Begin with your seed paper then do a search, using the keywords that seem the most relevant, to find a few more papers that to build up the background • The first few papers you read may point to other papers that are worth seeking out or may enable you to focus your keywords better

10. How to read and research As you read, concentrate on the issues, ideas and arguments that seem applicable to your paper It is important to make notes, to summarise and paraphrase as you go Make sure that you use your own words and phrases and to record the source

11. How to read and research If you record the actual words used in the source use quotation marks so that you do not forget to attribute the quote In any event always record the full details of all sources as you go to save time when putting the paper together as you will have all the details for your reference list

12. How to read and research Referencing does not just apply to direct quotations - facts and figures, ideas and theories drawn from both published and unpublished works, must be referenced Referencing lends authority to your statements Referencing enables readers to verify quotations and to follow-up and read more fully the cited author's arguments

13. How to read and research Note that a reference list is a list of all the sources cited in your paper and a bibliography is a list of all the sources you consulted whilst reading in preparation for the paper Establish from your tutor or course leader which of these is required

14. Plagiarism • The deliberate passing off of another person’s work as one’s own • Quoting (without quotation marks) or paraphrasing another’s writing, without full attribution • Downloading material from the Internet or using books, articles or previous students’ assignments and submitting it as your own (whole, part or edited) • Getting someone else to write your assignment

15. Turnitin You will be required to submit your work to Turnitin Below 25% usually no penalty Between 25% and 50%, zero mark Over 50% the student will be sent to the Tribunal after counselling – could result in suspension or expulsion You need to submit a declaration

16. How to read and research As you record, attempt to structure your material and keep it down to a reasonable quantity The outlining facility of Microsoft Word can illustrate this process As issues, ideas and arguments begin to be isolated, set up headings for each of these in a Word document (start with heading 1)

17. How to read and research Type the summaries, paraphrases or quotes of what you have found under the respective headings – remember to record the reference From time to time, review the material and, if needed, change the headings, break down long sections into sub-sections, move your notes into more appropriate places or delete redundant notes If you rewrite and edit the material and condense and structure the sections you are, in effect, preparing an early draft of your paper

18. The structure of a technical paper • The paper should consist of the following, in the given order: • Title page • Declaration • Table of contents • An abstract • Introduction • Main body of text with intermediate section headings appropriate for the substance of the document • Conclusion must answer the questions posed or the purpose stated in the Introduction • References or bibliography

19. Writing the paper It is useful to consider four parts in more detail: Abstract, introduction, body and conclusion

20. Abstract • About 300 words • Summarize the purpose, contents and findings of the document so that a potential reader can decide whether to read the full document or not • Usually written right at the very end, when the essay is completed • Serves to summarize and is not the Introduction and should not be confused with the Introduction

21. Introduction • To provide a background to the research question or problem – why this essay • References are important • To state the aim or purpose of the paper – what is this paper setting out to achieve? • To suggest why this aim or purpose will be of interest or why it is important • To outline how the topic will be addressed

22. Main body of the essay • The main body of an essay should follow a logical sequence • The paper provides examples or instances, from the literature of points for and against a particular approach, method or idea, i.e. premises • From both standpoints – for and against – logical conclusions are found • What the paper does is present evidence supported by the literature and then use that evidence to draw conclusions • A premise can be defined as a statement that is offered as support for or as evidence of an inference or a conclusion

23. Conclusion • The conclusion as the final section is not a summary of the paper but rather the presentation of the key findings, conclusions and implications • The conclusion contains the findings, judgements or verdicts that flowed from the evidence presented and thus does not present personal opinions or feelings • These conclusions should relate to the aim or purpose of the research as stated in the introduction • In other words, there should be a clear flow of thought from the original aim, through the discussion to the conclusion.

24. A brief look at the mark plan • Depth and breadth of treatment /20 • Coverage of subject, Conciseness, Focus of topic, Contribution • Analytical handling /20 • Logical development, Objectivity, Incisiveness, Argument • Referencing /15 • Readings – quality – extent, Citation and listing of sources

25. A brief look at the mark plan • Structure /15 • Abstract, Introduction & Conclusion - have been covered • Style /15 • Readability, Flow of ideas, Maturity of treatment, see next slide • Correctness /10 • Spelling, Grammar – use spell and grammar checker • Quality of layout /5 • Cover page, headings, etc., Typing and layout – More at end

26. Style • Readability covers the things that could spoil the reading of the paper such as: • The inappropriate use of personal pronouns (I, we, you, one) and the passive voice • The excessive use of bullet points and quotations •  Flow of ideas can be illustrated by: • Staccato writing • The linking of sections to one another

27. Style • Maturity of treatment, addresses the way the paper is written: • Journalistic writing, e.g. “The internet has exploded to such an extent that any business not having a web site will go under”. • Use of references – excessive puffing up and excessive placement of the citation first, e.g. “As stated by Jones (2008) …” or “According to Williams (2008)

28. Quality of layout Page numbering Headings Use of figures, tables and diagrams Cover, declaration, etc. See more in the writing guide