Note: This unit version is currently under review and is subject to change!
INFO5993: IT Research Methods (2017 - Semester 2)
| Unit: | INFO5993: IT Research Methods (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Postgraduate |
| Faculty/School: | School of Information Technologies |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
HoseinyFarahabady, M. Reza
Professor Zomaya, Albert |
| Session options: | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: | |
| Site(s) for this Unit: |
http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/learning_centre/workshops.shtml#tim http://www.iwrite.sydney.edu.au/ENGINEERING/Thesis/The-Literature-Review/Objectives.html http://www.iwrite.sydney.edu.au/ENGINEERING/Writing-Clearly/Paragraph-Structure/Introduction.html http://www.iwrite.sydney.edu.au/ENGINEERING/Writing-Clearly/Information-Structure/Introduction.html http://portal.core.edu.au/conf-ranks/ http://gernot-heiser.org/style-guide.html http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | None. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | This unit will provide an overview of the different research methods that are used in IT. Students will learn to find and evaluate research on their topic and to present their own research plan or results for evaluation by others. The unit will develop a better understanding of what research in IT is and how it differs from other projects in IT. Students will learn research ethics. This unit of study is required for students in IT who are enrolled in a research project as part of their Honours or MIT/MITM degree. It is also recommended for students enrolled or planning to do a research degree in IT and Engineering. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Lecturer/s: |
Professor Zomaya, Albert
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| Timetable: | INFO5993 Timetable | |||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
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Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.
| Attribute Development Method | Attribute Developed |
| Sound knowledge of fundamental evaluation approaches of research in IT | Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4) |
| Searching library web site, domain-specific databases and internet for academic literature | Information Seeking (Level 4) |
| Developping effective written and oral communication skills | Communication (Level 4) |
| Development of research skills, literature search, research methods specific to IT and understanding of ethical practice in academia | Professional Conduct (Level 4) |
For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table.
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4)
1. Knowledge of major approaches used in IT research and ability to apply one or more to own project
2. Ability to plan a program of research in IT
3. Ability to perform a critical evaluation of research work
Information Seeking (Level 4)
4. Ability to retrieve academic literature on a specific topic and identify top journals, conferences, research groups on this topic
Communication (Level 4)
5. Ability to produce a literature survey for a field of IT research
6. Ability to write and present a research proposal
Professional Conduct (Level 4)
7. Understanding of ethical practices and copyrights
8. Ability to read research literature and understand how the described work fits into one or more research approaches
9. Understanding of the nature of IT research and how research is evaluated
| Assessment Methods: |
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| Assessment Description: |
Assignment 1: Name: Database Search Results and Identifying Research Questions: Assessment Description: Students need to submit a report that includes: 1. A list of top A*, A and B conference events and journals in your research area that are ranked by CORE and ERA ranking systems. 2. A list of the main research groups working in your research field 3. Identifying at least three research problems which have not been answered/addressed appropriately or at all in the field of research study. Students can use the following iterative process to identify research gaps: Step 1: Focused & systematic literature review, Step 2: Review of current state of the art solutions and best practices used for the topic, Step 3: Develop the research problem, Step 4: Discussion with Supervisor(s), Step 5: Refining 4. Identifying the top suitable articles and books which potentially are the most relevant to the research problems identified in the previous step by finding out how influential their impact is on the research topic 5. Using the selected publications to develop an appreciation of the central ideas for each research question and provide a summary of key concepts for each research problem. Due Week: W3~W5 ----------------------- Assignment 2: Name: Literature Review and Outline of Research Assessment Description: Students need to submit two reports as follows: Report 1: Literature Review Submit a report (around 10 pages) contains a critical review of the previous works you have found related to your research topic. The report should include around 15 properly referenced conference or journal articles and/or books. Organise the review around the questions or claims relevant to your research problems you have identified in the previous assignment (rather than just listing the papers you have read). Report 2: Outline of Research Proposal Submit a report (2-3 pages) to highlight contributions you intend to make in your research area. Outline how you will gather evidence to back up your ideas. You should provide enough details to show that you have thought about how to convince your audience/readers. Due Week: W5~W9 -------- Assignment 3: Name: Present your work, and Review others` work Assessment Description: Students are required to prepare some slides and present their work in front of other students in the class. They can use either the template provided in the course page or your own. The presentation should take ~12 mins including 2 mins Q/A form other students/assigned reviewers. Each student is also required to review three papers/presentations of his/her fellow classmates. Due Week: W9~W13 |
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| Grading: |
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| Policies & Procedures: | IMPORTANT: School policy relating to Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. In assessing a piece of submitted work, the School of IT may reproduce it entirely, may provide a copy to another member of faculty, and/or to an external plagiarism checking service or in-house computer program and may also maintain a copy of the assignment for future checking purposes and/or allow an external service to do so. Other policies See the policies page of the faculty website at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/student-policies/ for information regarding university policies and local provisions and procedures within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. |
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Administrative matters. Introduction to research. Research opportunities. How to give a research presentation. |
| Week 2 | Methods I: academic research methods; information searching |
| Week 3 | Short student presentations; discussion. |
| Assessment Due: Database Search Results and Identifying Research | |
| Week 4 | Writing a paper. |
| Week 5 | Methods II: industrial research methods. |
| Week 6 | Writing a proposal. Discussion. |
| Week 7 | Reviewing and evaluating academic research. Discussion. |
| Assessment Due: AnnotatedLiterature Review, Research Proposal | |
| Week 8 | Research ethics. Discussion. |
| Week 9 | Methods III: academic research methods again; discussion. |
| Week 10 | Labor day holiday |
| Assessment Due: Oral presentation, Review others` work | |
| Week 11 | Research proposal: student presentations |
| Week 12 | Research proposal: student presentations |
| Week 13 | Catch-up |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4) | Yes | 32.5% |
| Information Seeking (Level 4) | Yes | 8.5% |
| Communication (Level 4) | Yes | 24.5% |
| Professional Conduct (Level 4) | Yes | 34.5% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
