Personal Opinion for Good Research
William Jen
NCTU of Taiwan, Feb. 2011
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Outline
1. Good Research
2. Good Research Process
3. Good Dissertation (Thesis)
4. Conclusion
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1. Good Research
1.0 Graduate vs. undergraduate
1.1 Original thought
1.2 Contribution to knowledge
1.3 Sound methodology
1.4 Others
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1.0 Graduate vs. undergraduate
• Researcher, re-search
• Problem formulation and solution,
researchable (narrow down) problem (system)
• Research (scientific) methods,
research methodology,
philosophy of science.
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 1962,
paradigm shift
Karl R. Popper, Conjectures and Refutations, 1963,
Science as Falsification
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脫困
•
•
•
•
•
困而學之
學術 vs.非學術研究 (research vs. study)
實證 vs. 探索研究
量化 vs. 質化研究方法
方法盲 vs. 問題盲
• EFA, CFA, Exploratory or Confirmatory
Factor Analysis
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1.1 Original thought
• Contemporary hot,
• Interesting (to others and self).
• Thinking:
1. Logic, 2. critical, 3. creative, 4. political,
5. positive thinking
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1.2 Contribution to knowledge
• Integration of research stream,
• Go beyond synthesis,
• Well focused.
• So what?
• What’s new?
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1.3 Sound methodology
• Creative, unique, doable.
1. Method: mathematical model, statistical tools,
abstract reasoning, empirical test.
2. Data: representative, variation, quality,
ex. Economics: monthly established data set.
Marketing: primary data survey.
3. Robust results: applicability / generalizable
Management implications: policy, industry, business
Parsimony vs. over fit model
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Research Reasoning
• Deduction
Deduction is a form of inference that
purports to be conclusive (i.e., the
conclusion must necessarily follow from the
reasons given).
• Induction
To induce is to draw a conclusion from one
or more particular facts or pieces of
evidence.
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10
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1.4 Others
•
•
•
•
•
Format,
Achievable in reasonable time,
Matches student capabilities,
Area for professional development,
Attractive for funding.
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2. Good Research Process
2.1 Idea generating,
2.2 Planning a research,
2.3 Conducting a research,
2.4 Professional Communicating.
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2.1 Idea generating
• Every day life observation,
• Journal and conference paper
SSCI, SCI, EI, TSSCI, ISI, TRB Annual Meeting
“current literature in traffic and transportation”,
transportation library, Northwestern Uni
.
• problem oriented,
• to be curious,
• make a difference.
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Synthesizes the literature
•
•
•
•
Do a review of your own
Read widely and deeply on your topic
and its background, read review papers
in your field
Helps to give structure and organization
Identifies trends and gaps and can
support the significance of your research
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2.2 Planning a research
•
•
•
•
•
Have an intense desire to know,
State the research objectives clearly,
Search the literature,
Formulate operational hypothesis,
Select a study strategy.
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Proposal
•一個有趣且重要的問題，而非枝微末節
•有助於科學現象的了解，不只是陳述而已
•此計畫可行
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No one Method is Better or Worse
Obtrusive
research
operations
Laboratory
experiments
Judgment
tasks
Experimental
simulations
Field
experiments
Field
studies
Surveys
B
Unobtrusive
research
operations
A
C
Formal
theory
Universal
behavioral
systems
Computer
simulations
Particular
behavioral
systems
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Designs Thoughtfully
• All research is flawed
– Researchers very often examine only narrowly
defined problems.
– Researchers use less-than-perfect methods of
observation
– Researchers usually use less-than-perfect samples
• Plays to the strength of the method
• Pilots
• Seeks criticism
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2.3 Conducting a research
• Project organization and management,
• Measurement,
• Data collection.
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2.4 Professional communicating
* IMRAD
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
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Select Your Journals, 我發表，故我在
• Have the researchers selected an important
problem? Were the researchers reflective?
• Are any major methodological flaws unavoidable
or forgivable?
• Is the report cohesive?
• Does the report extend the boundaries of our
knowledge on a topic?
Is the research likely to inspire additional research?
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SSCI, “Transportation” 領域之期刊
Rank
Abbreviated Journal Title
Impact Factor
1
TRANSPORT RES B-METH
1.948
2
ACCIDENT ANAL PREV
1.586
3
TRANSPORT SCI
1.427
4
TRANSPORT RES A-POL
1.352
5
TRANSPORT RES D-TR E
1.319
6
TRANSPORTATION
1.242
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TRANSPORT RES F-TRAF
1.078
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TRANSPORT RES E-LOG
1.000
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TRANSPORTMETRICA
0.960
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TRANSPORT POLICY
0.883
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SSCI, “Transportation” 領域之期刊(續)
Rank
Abbreviated Journal Title
Impact Factor
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J SAFETY RES
0.835
12
J TRANSP ECON POLICY
0.780
13
TRANSPORT REV
0.747
14
J AIR TRANSP MANAG
0.453
15
INT J TRANSP ECON
0.194
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TRANSPORT J
0.129
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SCI, “Transportation Science & Technology”
領域之期刊
Rank
Abbreviated Journal Title
Impact Factor
1
TRANSPORT RES B-METH
1.948
2
IEEE T INTELL TRANSP
1.689
3
TRANSPORT SCI
1.427
4
TRANSPORT RES A-POL
1.352
5
TRANSPORT RES D-TR E
1.319
6
TRANSPORTATION
1.242
7
IEEE T VEH TECHNOL
1.191
8
TRANSPORT
RES E-LOG
TRANSPO
1.000
9
TRANSPORTMETRICA
0.960
10
TRANSPORT RES C-EMER
0.875
11
J ADV TRANSPORT
0.562
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(Accessed at 2007.05.28)
SCI, “Transportation Science & Technology”
領域之期刊(續)
Rank
Abbreviated Journal Title
Impact Factor
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NETW SPAT ECON
0.514
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J TRANSP ENG-ASCE
0.498
14
INT J AUTOMOT TECHN
0.476
15
P I MECH ENG D-J AUT
0.280
16
P I MECH ENG F-J RAI
0.218
17
INT J VEHICLE DES
0.183
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P I CIVIL ENG-TRANSP
0.109
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TRANSPORT
PLAN TECHN
TRANSPO
0.106
20
ITE J
0.054
21
INT J HEAVY VEH SYST
0.051
22
HEAVY VEH SYST
0.000
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(Accessed at 2007.05.28)
Try Conferences and Minor Journals
• Practicing – students and new
researchers
• Testing out ideas and getting feedback
• Laying a claim to an idea
• Raising profile / networking
• Might score a special-issue journal paper
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3. Good Dissertation (Thesis)
1. You really want to be an expert in this
area, 3 essays.
2. Possible continuation.
3. Prepare: Lab. management, Project
funding, Teaching, Peer review……
* “Recent doctoral dissertations”,
Transportation Research, Part A.
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Other Suggestions
•
•
•
•
Transportation research mostly empirical, needs
to be relevant first, but then conducted and
presented rigorously.
Work with others. Have multiple research areas
but focus on becoming a true leader in one area.
Start early… takes a long time to publish, keep
up a pipeline of work.
Stay visible … give talks, be a reviewer, write
papers, be on program committees.
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4. Conclusion
• 看似平常最奇絕，成如容易卻艱難
• 問君那得清如許，謂有源頭活水來
～王安石
～朱熹
• 王國維，人間詞話
– 昨夜西風凋碧樹，獨上西樓，望盡天涯路 ～晏殊
– 衣帶漸寬終不悔，為伊消得人憔悴 ～歐陽永叔
– 眾裡尋他千百度，驀然迴首 ，那人卻在燈火欄
珊處 ～辛幼安
– (流水落花春去也，天上人間 ～李煜)
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Reference
1. 《撰寫博碩士論文實戰手冊》
http://www.sinica.edu.tw/~cida
2. Graduate School Survival Guide
http://smi.stanford.edu/people/pratt/smi/advice.html
3. How to Succeed in Graduate School: A Guide for Students
and Advisors
http://info.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-2/advice1.html
4. 研究所新生完全求生手冊 http://ppsc.pme.nthu.edu.tw/
5. Wei, K. K., Publishing Papers in IS Journal, 2008/4/24
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Reading Guidelines
1. Understand the key theme
2. Articulate author’s conceptual framework
- Typology
- Underlying rationale and assumptions
3. Identify strengths and weakness
- New insights
- Conflicts (internal and external)
- Contributions
- Other comments
4. Develop your own framework
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Presentation Guidelines
1. Assume everyone in the class has already read the
assigned material.
2. The 1st one: outline the reading material,
comment and questions.
3. The 2nd one: comments and questions.
4. Questions and answer session.
5. Conclusion
* All the sit-in students are cordially invited to
participate the class discussion.
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Class Performance
1. Is the participant a good listener?
2. Are the points that are made relevant to the discussion?
Are they linked to the comments of others?
3. Do comments show evidence of applying the concepts from
the readings to the analysis of the case?
4. Is there a willingness to test new ideas, or are all comments
“safe”? (e.g., repetition of case facts without analysis and
conclusion)
5. Do comments clarify or build upon the important aspects
of earlier comments and lead to a clearer statement of the
concepts being covered and the problems being addressed?
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Q&A
[email protected]
http://140.113.119.160
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