Course Code : 21RMI56

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS(RMI)

CIE Marks : 50
SIE Marks : 50
Module 1
• Introduction
▪ Meaning of Research
▪ Objectives of Engineering Research, and Motivation in Engineering
Research
▪ Types of Engineering Research
▪ Finding and Solving a Worthwhile Problem
▪ Ethics in Engineering Research
▪ Ethics in Engineering Research Practice
▪ Types of Research Misconduct
▪ Ethical Issues Related to Authorship
Introduction
• Research refers to a careful, well-defined (or redefined), objective,
and systematic method of search for knowledge, or formulation of a
theory that is driven by inquisitiveness for that which is unknown and
useful on a particular aspect so as to make an original contribution to
expand the existing knowledge base.

• Research involves formulation of hypothesis or proposition of

solutions, data analysis, and deductions; and ascertaining whether
the conclusions fit the hypothesis.

• Research is a process of creating, or formulating knowledge that does

not yet exist.
Fig : The research flow diagram
• Good research questions develop throughout the project actually and
one can even keep modifying them.
• Through research, one would like to make, or develop, new
knowledge about the world around us which can be written down or
recorded in some way, and that knowledge can be accessed through
that writing or recording.
• The ways of developing and accessing knowledge come in three,
broad categories:
(i) Observation
(ii) Models
(iii) arranging
(i) Observation

• Observation is the most fundamental way of obtaining information

from a source, and it could be significant in itself if the thing that we
are trying to observe is really strange or exciting, or is difficult to
observe.
• Observation takes different forms from something like measurements
in a laboratory to a survey among a group of subjects to the time it
takes for a firmware routine to run.
• The observational data often needs to be processed in some form and
this leads to the second category of knowledge, the model.
(ii) Models

• Models are approximated, often simplified ways of describing

sometimes very complex interactions in the form of a statistical
relationship, a figure, or a set of mathematical equations.
• For instance, the modeling equation captures the relationship
between different attributes or the behavior of the device in an
abstract form and enables us to understand the observed
phenomena.
(iii) Arranging

• The final category is a way of arranging or doing things through

processes, algorithms, procedures, arrangements, or reference
designs, to get a certain desired result.
Fig: The categories of knowledge in research
Objectives of Engineering Research
• The objective of engineering research is to solve new and important
problems, and since the conclusion at the end of one’s research
outcome has to be new, but when one starts, the conclusion is
unknown.
• The objectives of engineering research should be to develop new
theoretical or applied knowledge and not necessarily limited to
obtaining abilities to obtain the desired result.
• The objectives should be framed such that in the event of not being
able to achieve the desired result that is being sought, one can fall
back to understanding why it is not possible, because that is also a
contribution toward ongoing research in solving that problem.
Motivation in Engineering Research
• The possible motives may be the result of one or more of the following
desires:
(i) intrinsic motivations like interest, challenge, learning, meaning,
purpose, are linked to strong creative performance.
(ii) Extrinsic motivating factors like rewards for good work
include money, fame, awards, praise, and status are very strong
motivators, but may block creativity.
For example: Research outcome may enable obtaining a patent
which is a good way to become rich and famous.
(iii) Influences from others like competition, collaboration,
commitment, and encouragement are also motivating factors in
research.
For example: my friends are all doing research and so should I, or, a
person that I dislike is doing well and I want to do better.
 (iv) Personal motivation in solving unsolved problems,
intellectual joy, service to community, and respectability are all driving
factors.
(v) Wanting to do better than what has been achieved in the
world.
(vi) improve the state of the art in technology.
(vii) Contribute to the improvement of society.
(viii)Fulfilment of the historical legacy in the immediate
sociocultural context.
Types of Engineering Research
• The different types of research are
(i) Descriptive versus Analytical:
-- Descriptive research includes comparative and correlational
methods, and fact-finding inquiries, to effectively describe the present
state of art.
-- The researcher holds no control over the variables; rather only
reports as it is.
-- Descriptive research also includes attempts to determine
causes even though the variables cannot be controlled.
-- On the contrary, in analytical research, already available facts
for analysis and critical evaluation are utilized. Some research
studies can be both descriptive and analytical.
 (ii) Applied versus Fundamental:
• Research can either be applied research or fundamental (basic or
pure) research.
• Applied research seeks to solve an immediate problem facing the
organization, whereas fundamental research is concerned with
generalizations and formulation of a theory.
• Research concerning natural phenomena or relating to pure
mathematics are examples of fundamental research.
• Research to identify social or economic trends, or those that find out
whether certain communications will be read and understood are
examples of applied research.
• The primary objective of applied research is to determine a solution
for compelling problems in actual practice, while basic research is
aimed at seeking information which could have a broad base of
(iii) Quantitative versus Qualitative:
• Quantitative research uses statistical observations of a sufficiently
large number of representative cases to draw any conclusions.
• while qualitative researchers rely on a few nonrepresentative cases or
verbal narrative in behavioral studies such as clustering effect in
intersections in Transportation engineering to make a proposition.
Finding and Solving a Worthwhile Problem
The recommended steps to solve a research problem are :
(i) Understand the problem, restate it as if its your own, visualize the
problem by drawing figures, and determine if something more is needed.
(ii) One must start somewhere and systematically explore possible strategies
to solve the problem or a simpler version of it while looking for patterns.
(iii) Execute the plan to see if it works, and if it does not then start over with
another approach. Having delved into the problem and returned to it
multiple times, one might have a flash of insight or a new idea to solve the
problem.
(iv) Looking back and reflecting helps in understanding and assimilating the
strategy, and is a sort of investment into the future.
Ethics in Engineering Research
• Ethics generally refers to a set of rules distinguishing acceptable and
unacceptable conduct, distinguishing right from wrong.
• Most people learn such norms in their formative years, but moral
development continues through different stages of growth.
• Although everyone recognizes some common ethical norms, but
there is difference in interpretation and application.
• Ethical principles can be used for evaluation, proposition or
interpretation of laws.
• Although ethics are not laws, but laws often follow ethics because
ethics are our shared values
Ethics in Engineering Research Practice
• Researchers make many choices that matter from an ethical
perspective and influence the effects of technology in many different
ways:
(i) By setting the ethically right requirements at the very outset,
engineering researchers can ultimately influence the effects of the
developed technology.
(ii) Influence may also be applied by researchers through design (a
process that translates the requirements into a blueprint to fulfil
those requirements). During the design process, decision is to be
made about the priority in importance of the requirements taking
ethical aspects into consideration.
(iii) (iii) Thirdly, engineering researchers have to choose between
Types of Research Misconduct
• There may be different types of research misconduct as described in
research articles
(i) Fabrication (Illegitimate creation of data)
(ii) Falsification (Inappropriate alteration of data)
(iii) Plagiarism (Taking other’s work sans attribution)
(iv) Other Aspects of Research Misconduct
(i) Fabrication (Illegitimate creation of data):
Fabrication is the act of conjuring data or experiments with a belief of
knowledge about what the conclusion of the analysis or experiments
would be, but cannot wait for the results possibly due to timeline
pressures from supervisor or customers.

(ii) Falsification (Inappropriate alteration of

data): Falsification is the misrepresentation or misinterpretation, or
illegitimate alteration of data or experiments, even if partly, to support
a desired hypothesis even when the actual data received from
experiments suggest otherwise.
(iii) Plagiarism (Taking other’s work sans
attribution):
• Plagiarism takes place when someone uses or reuses the work
(including portions) of others (text, data, tables, figures, illustrations or
concepts) as if it were his/her own without explicit acknowledgement.
• Verbatim copying or reusing one’s own published work is termed as
self-plagiarism and is also an unacceptable practice in scientific
literature.
• The increasing availability of scientific content on the internet seems
to encourage plagiarism in certain cases, but also enables detection of
such practices through automated software packages.
(iv) Other Aspects of Research Misconduct:
• Serious deviations from accepted conduct could be construed as
research misconduct.
• When there is both deception and damage, a fraud is deemed to have
taken place. Sooner or later ethical violations get exposed.
• Simultaneous submission of the same article to two different journals
also violates publication policies.
• Another issue is that when mistakes are found in an article or any
published content, they are generally not reported for public access
unless a researcher is driven enough to build on that mistake and
provide a correct version of the same which is not always the primary
objective of the researcher.
Ethical Issues Related to Authorship
Authorship issues
• Corresponding author requests addition of extra author before
publication.
• Corresponding author requests removal of author before publication.
• Request for addition of extra author after publication.
• Request for removal of author after publication.
• Suspected guest or gift authorship.