How to do research PART 2 Fausto Giunchiglia

How to do research – PART 2 Fausto Giunchiglia Literature: Robert V. Smith. Graduate Research, 1998 Jeffrey A. Lee. The scientific endeavor, 2000 By Fausto Giunchiglia and Alessandro Tomasi

Index: 1. Research and Scholarship 2. Factors for success 2. 1 Attitude 2. 2 Commitment 2. 3 Creativity 3. Making Choices 3. 1 Types of research 3. 2 Advisor 3. 3 Programs of Study 3. 4 Disciplinary vs. Interdisciplinary 4. Time Management 4. 1 Set Goals 4. 2 Make a todo list 4. 3 Time Wasters 5. PHD Thesis 5. 1 Choosing a scientific problem 5. 2 Timing of PHD

2. Factors of Success

Factors of Success Three Dimensions: • Attitude • Commitment • Creativity

2. 1 Attitude

Attitude • • Skeptical optimism Emotional detachment Try to do new things …

2. 2 Commitment

Commitment “It has been my experience that the most unattractive problem becomes absorbingly interesting when one digs into it. . . when you really get acquainted with a problem, you are apt to fall in love with it”

Testimonial from student № 1 [Pavel Shvaiko] Multiple attempts as a materialization of commitment § There is nothing wrong in failing or “if it does not kill us, it makes us stronger” § Failures is a good experience to learn from § Failures is an INTEGRAL part of the ultimate success (e. g. , Ph. D Thesis)

2. 3 Creativity

2. 3. 1 Levels of Creativity

Levels of Creativity • Autonomy • Flexibility and Openness • Formulate Research Objectives

Autonomy • Know what you don’t know • Know what to ask • Know when to ask • Know where is the boundary

Flexibility and Openness Flexibility: maintain context, be ready to change context Openness: new ideas may come from boundary between areas

Formulate Research Objectives Three Levels: 1. There is the problem and you don’t see it 2. There is the problem, you see it but you don’t know how to solve it 3. There is the problem, you see it and you know how to solve it Difficulty:

2. 3. 2 Creative Thinking

Creativity 1. Originality (newness) 2. Usefulness (basic vs. applied) 3. Transformation Property 4. Condensation Property

Transformation Property Forces us to “see” reality in a new way Example 1: 3 wheels, some wood on the top witch connects them It’s a new concept Example 2: I have built a truck

Transformation Property “The union is more than the sum of the parts”

Transformation Property Knowledge Creation of a new concept Time

Condensation Property You must answer to: • what have you done? • what is the key idea? • what characterize the work? Through a Minimal Explanation “One paper (thesis, talk, . . . ) one message”

3. Making Choices

Making Choices 3. 1 Type of research 3. 2 Advisor 3. 3 Program of Study 3. 4 Disciplinary vs. Interdisciplinary 3. 5 Research Problem (Ph. D Thesis)

3. 1 Type of research

Type of research 3. 1. 1 Basic Research: 3. 1. 2 Applied Research: Study about application or applicability of one or more techniques in problem domain

Type of research 3. 1. 3 Orthogonal dimensions 3. 1. 4 Problem spaces vs. Solution spaces

Type of research Many Dimensions: • Personal • Social • Career

3. 2 Advisor

Advisor Human factor makes the difference. Three Levels of advisor: 1. Collaborator type 2. Hands-off type 3. Senior scientist type Time Age / Experience

Advisor: positive and negative aspects 3. 2. 1 Collaborator type: a lot of time, little experience

Advisor: positive and negative aspects 3. 2. 1 Hands-off type: not much time, sufficient experience

Advisor: positive and negative aspects Experience and Experience Knows the state and Obsolete Senior Scientist Type: of the art

Advisor: positive and negative aspects The bottom line is research quality. The indicators are: • how much one publishes • where one publishes • how much one is cited See at: http: //citeseer. nj. nec. com

Choosing an Advisor • • Accomplishments in teaching and research Enthusiasm for advising students Experience in directing graduate students Management and organization of his or her research group • Reputation for setting high standards in a congenial atmosphere • Compatible personality • Ability to serve as a mentor

3. 3 Programs of Study

Programs of Study • Horizontal dimension • Vertical dimension

3. 4 Disciplinary vs. Interdisciplinary

Disciplinary vs Interdisciplinary Disciplinary Research: • Easier: there is a community to identify Interdisciplinary Research: • Harder: there is no community (the community may never be created)

Disciplinary vs Interdisciplinary Incremental vs. Discontinuos Research Flexibility vs. Closedness

4. Time Management

Time Management 4. 1 Set Goals 4. 2 Make a to do list 4. 3 Time Wasters

4. 1 Set Goals

Set Goals • • • Passing Comprehensive Passing Qualifying Passing Exams Giving Thesis Finding a job • Upgrading Horizontal dimension • Upgrading Vertical dimension • • • Attending Seminars Resolving research problems Publishing papers Attending conferences Visiting other places. . .

Setting Goals What you don’t know 1. 4. 3. What you know 1. 2. 3. 4. 2. Research Objective Out of knowledge (state of the art) You can do it (next steps) Usefulness

4. 2 Make a todo list

Make a todo list Set a Priority for each goals: • priority A • priority B • priority C There can be transitions between phases

Make a todo list Priority A: 1. 2. 3. 4. Critical May be unpleasant to do Goal related Must be done today

Make a todo list Priority B: 1. Important 2. Goal Related 3. Must be done soon, but not today

Make a todo list Priority C: 1. 2. 3. 4. Can wait May or may not be goal related No significant time pressure Usually easy, quick and pleasant

Make a todo list Produce deadlines: • goal XYZ on April 2003 • ZXY until August 2003 • …

4. 3 Time Wasters

Time Wasters 1. Telephone interruptions 2. Ineffective use of the telephone 3. Visitors dropping in without notice 4. Crisis situations 5. Lack of deadlines 6. Not sticking to high-priority work 7. Indecision and procrastination 8. Over-involvement with detail and routine 9. Attempting too much 10. Underestimating the time needed to perform tasks 11. Poor communication 12. Inability to say “no”

Testimonial from student № 1 [Pavel Shvaiko] Do nothing but the work you are focused on - I § It takes about 10 minutes to enter the state when you are fully absorbed by a problem § If you are interrupted (e. g. , wasters 1 -3), it takes again 10 minutes to get back § Do a time log with throughout records of your daily activities. At the end of the week analyze the time you have spent on each type of activity (e. g. , research, e-mails, chatting, coffee breaks) § Split the time into uninterrupted blocks § These vary from 60 to 120 minutes depending on a task

Testimonial from student № 1 [Pavel Shvaiko] Do nothing but the work you are focused on - II Experiment § Listening to the music during the uninterrupted blocks might help in cutting the connection with the rest of the world, and in staying totally concentrated and focused on a problem you work on § Music without vocals (e. g. , trance) might accelerate thinking

5. PHD Thesis

5. 1 Choosing a scientific problem

Choosing a scientific problem • Can it be enthusiastically pursued and can interest be sustained • Is the problem solvable (in time – if Ph. D) • Is it worth doing • Is it manageable in size (especially when Ph. D) • Will it lead to other research problems • What is its potential to make original contributions (literature) • If the problem is solved, will it be reviewed by scholars • Are you, will you become competent to solve it • By solving it will you have demonstrated independent skills in your discipline • Will the research prepare you in an area of demand or promise for the future

Choosing a scientific problem The Biggest Question Choose the research problem that you can solve: • in 3 years • individually (with help of advisor)

5. 2 Timing of a PHD

Timing of PHD First Year: • Cover needed background knowledge • Pass Comprehensive Examination as soon as possible • Achieve Scholarship • Upgrade Vertical dimension • Identify Research Problem • Try at least 1 -2 public presentations • Pass qualifying • Write a paper (if you are lucky…)

Timing of PHD Second Year: • Intuition of the solution of research problem • Submit one or two papers to top conferences with your idea semi-solved • Spend sometime abroad • give as many presentations as possible

Timing of PHD Third Year: • Consolidate your Knowledge • Propagate your Knowledge • Produce for a top Journal Paper • Set the basis for extensions

Timing of PHD Forth Year: (optional) • do what you have not done before • get the best out of your work

Testimonial from student № 1 [Pavel Shvaiko] Keep the balance § You can not be always extremely productive § Set your times § With your professional growth, ensure the growth in your personal life, and vice versa § Concentrating only on work at the expense of the other spheres of your personal life will only make it a neverending and ever-escalating struggle