Supervisors and Research Students Min Chen Professor of Scientific Visualization Oxford e-Research Centre University of Oxford min.chen@oerc.ox.ac.uk Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia 19 September 2013 Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ 1. Research Methods? 2. Research Quality 3. Research Activities 4. PhD Projects 5. PhD Examinations 6. Research Publications 7. Research Collaboration 8. International Visibility 9. Summary Outline Research Methods Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ Research Methods in Psychology? http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/10/psych-majors-check-out-the-mappr/ So basically there is not a best research method for psychology but there can be a best method for a particular area. For example below is a simplified diagram of how a researcher in psychology would go about choosing which research method is pick. The most important factors are will the method chosen be valid and reliable? Research Methods in Psychology? http://sk914.wordpress.com/ Searching for Research Method? http://www.sharpy.dircon.co.uk/index_files/ KevJ udgesDissertationTheResearchMethodslMindMap.htm My Approach (perhaps it is a common approach) startanewtopic readliteratureonthetopic findoutthestateoftheart,gaps, commonresearchmethods designandplanprojects developmental observational mathematical conceptual theoretical experimental hybrid quantitative qualitative new discovery new theory applied generic new technique new system readaboutresearchmethods findoutprocesses,merits,demerits technicalrequirements new researchmethod formulateimprovement Research Quality Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ Four star Quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour Three star Quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which falls short of the highest standards of excellence. Two star Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. One star Quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. Unclassified Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work. Or work which does not meet the published definition of research for the purposes of this assessment. UK Research Assessment Exercise (or Excellence Framework) Originality will be understood as the extent to which the output introduces a new way of thinking about a subject, or is distinctive or transformative compared with previous work in an academic field. Significance will be understood as the extent to which the work has exerted, or is likely to exert, an influence on an academic field or practical applications. Rigour will be understood as the extent to which the purpose of the work is clearly articulated, an appropriate methodology for the research area has been adopted, and compelling evidence presented to show that the purpose has been achieved. UK Research Assessment Exercise (or Excellence Framework) Relying on peer judgement through review, publication, conference presentation, and citation; Establishing dependence on and divergence from creditable prior work, e.g., fundamental theories, experimental results, and to a certain degree, widely accepted models and wisdoms; Discovering evidence of sound technical implementation, including mathematical reasoning, algorithmic development, system engineering and deployment, experiment design, execution and analysis, and so on. Contemplating significance and impact through speculative discussions (short-term), usability studies (medium term), and comprehensive surveys (long term). Balanced assessment appropriate for publication venues The priority is ordered as Originality, Rigour and Significance Evaluation of Originality, Significance and Rigour Research Activities Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ Individual Research Collaborative Research Contract or Supervised Research Research Training Research and Development Blue-sky Research Research Students PhD or DPhil MPhil MRes MSc Research Officers Independent Researchers Academic Researchers Industrial Researchers Research Personnel and Activities PhD Projects Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ First Year Literature study (3 months) Pilot project (9 months) First attempt for a research publication Second Year Full-scale project development Thesis outline Another attempt for a research publication Third Year Refining research results Dissertation writing Another attempt for a research publication Fourth Year Standby My Ideal Template for a PhD programme A B C D E F G H I J K L To know the student Research interest Strengths and weaknesses Literature survey Typically 1-2 surveys Pilot study The work usually forms a chapter in the thesis. Only a few students succeeded in their first attempt for publication First Year Math. Ability Technical Dev. Technical Writing organization communication team work artistic skills creativity work ethos critical reading Student-centred Design Usually this is a preferred approach Constraints Deliverables defined in a grant that provides the studentship Expertise of the supervisor(s) Available equipment or other resources For students: Supervisors are NOT your boss, and help them to know you Better to do a GOOD uninteresting project than a BAD interesting one For supervisors: Students are NOT me Project description is NOT set in stone Bring additional expertise when it is necessary Project Designs 1. Know the background literature, identify all potential benchmarks, respect and critique them. 2. One step each time focusing on a subset of functional components adding assumptions and constraints using your strength 3. Map out several possible research directions. 4. Face the problem, together! 1. Wishful Benchmarking 2. Start with a Big and General research question 3. Narrow research scope 4. How is your project going? No worry, I am OK. Common Problems 1. Teamwork often features in many aspects of science and engineering 2. This can often be extended to international partners 3. Avoid dependency. 4. Breaking the rhythm. 1. A PhD thesis is a piece of work accredited to an individual 2. Literature survey 3. Collaborative development 4. Too much teamwork Teamwork? Initial excitement and ambition Things are not going well as planned Maybe my supervisor is not so smart Maybe I am not so smart Other students seem to have better projects or supervisors So and so said that I should do this or that ... Typically a 2-6 month period of frustration. I-am-not-Einstein Syndrome PhD Examinations Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ UK, Denmark, Germany, USA, Norway. Typically UK Setting External Examiner Internal Examiner Convenor (or Chairperson) Candidate Supervisors as observers only A presentation is usually to the advantage of the candidate Introductory questions General questions Chapter-specific questions PhD Examinations Has the original contribution reached the level of PhD? Originality, rigour and significance This is largely determined based on reading the thesis before the viva. Good publications help examiners to assess this. Was the work done by the candidate entirely or partly? Reading thesis, questioning during the viva, and examiners own background knowledge Is the candidates general knowledge about a subject adequate for a PhD degree? largely by explorative questioning during the viva Clarification and correction What Examiners Want to Know? A thesis is NOT a report! Typical structure: Introduction (1 chapter) Literature Survey (1-2 chapters) Your own work (3-4 chapters) Conclusions (1 chapter) Defining objectives Write your own exam questions They must be PhD level questions You must be able to answer How many pieces of work? PhD Thesis PhD Thesis: Quantity vs. Quality (Breadth vs. Depth) PhD threshold Reputable Int. Conf. Reputable Journal Top Conf. or Journal Ideal Planning Likely Delivery Risky Problematic Knowing your thesis well Always preparing well for the introductory questions Always dressing smartly (usually suit for male students) Defending your castle i.e., your main technical contributions Always polite, but firm on important points. Dealing with negative questions There will always be questions that you cannot answer. Do not dwell on them. When your mind cannot concentrate, ask for a break e.g., the Table example. Viva is also called Thesis Defence Research Publications Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ A paper typically transforms to the 2/3 writings of a chapter. The supervisors usually spent much more time on planning, and revising a paper. A good paper gives the student much-needed confidence during the viva. Even if a paper is not accepted, the reviews help the student prepare for the possible questions and critical comments. Publications Help a Thesis Familiarize with the publication venue by reading a good collection of papers in a journal or a conference proceedings Identify model papers with a structure template or a writing style suitable for presenting your own materials. There is nothing wrong to mimic the structures and styles of well-received papers. Do not reuse others text, image, equations, and data without acknowledge and references. Self-plagiarism is not unacceptable in a few community. Always take reviewers comments seriously, especially the summary review. Reviews are not always correct. Always rebuttal in a scientific and professional manner. Publications (1) Read online articles on how to get your paper published how to get your paper rejected how to write a good system paper how to write an evaluation paper how to write a survey paper ... Collaboration helps Publications (2) Research Collaboration Image from: http://www.teachmeteamwork.com/photos/uncategorize d/2007/09/15/teamwork2.jpg International Visibility Image from: http://healthyparent.com/cartoons/Cartoons%20copyrig ht%20Garber%202004.html Student volunteers in conferences Attending conferences, presenting posters and papers Networking Visiting scholars Organizing workshops Seeking opportunity to host international symposia and conferences Seeking opportunities to join IPCs, and act as co-chairs ... Taking Part in the International Community Summary Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ Externally Focused http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/385701.stm Sunday, J uly 4, 1999 Published at 13:25 GMT 14:25 UK Your Question Your Experience Your Observation Your View Image from: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/dman/ Acknowledgement C.-Y. Wang (PhD, 1989-1992) Mark W. J ones (PhD, 1991-1994) Abdula Haji Tablib (PhD, 1990-1994) Mike Bews (PhD, 1992-1996) Malcolm Price (MPhil, 1997-1998) Adrain Leu (PhD, 1996-1999) Simon Michael (PhD, 1996-1999) Steve Treavett (PhD, 1997-2000) Mark Kiddell (RA, 1999-2001) Ben Smith (TCA, 1999-2001) S.-S. Hong (PhD, 1998-2002) Abdul Haji-Ismail (PhD, 1998-2002) H.-L. Zhou (MPhil, 2000-2002) Andrew S. Winter (PhD, 1999-2002) David Rogeman(PhD, 1999-2003) Paul Adams (TCA, 2002-2004) Tim Lewis (RA, 2004-2005) Gareth Daniel (PhD, 2001-2004) David P. Clark (PhD, 2001-2005) Dave Bown (RA, 2005) Ann Smith (PhD, RA, 2001-2006) Siti Z. Zainal Abdin (PhD, 2003-2007) AlfieAbdul Rahman (PhD, RA, 2004-7) J oanna Gooch (PhD, 2004-2007) Shoukat Islam (PhD, RA, 2004-2009) David Chisnall (PhD, RA, 2005-2008) Phil Roberts (RA, 2005-2008) Rudy R. Hashim(PhD, 2005-2008) Dan Hubball (MPhil, 2007-2008) Owen Gilson (PhD, 2006-2009) Lindsey Clarke (PhD, 2007-2010) Heike J nicke (RO, 2009-2010) Farhan Mohamed (PhD, 2008-) Ed Grundy (PhD, 2009-) Rita Borgo (2009-2011) Hui Fang (2009-2011) Yoann Drocourt (PhD, 2010-2011) Karl Proctor (PhD, 2009-2011) Andrew Ryan (PhD, 2010-2011) Phil Legg (RO, 2010-2011) David Chung (PhD, RA, 2010-2011) Matthew Parry (MPhil, RA, 2010-2011) Richard M. J iang (RO, 2010-2011) Past PhDs and ROs: University of Oxford AlfieAbdul-Rahman Kai Berger Brian Duffy Saiful Khan Eamonn Maguire Karl Proctor J eyanThiyagalingam Simon Walton Colleagues in OeRC, OCCAM, ... Swansea Rita Borgo Phil W. Grant Iwan Griffiths Mark W. J ones Bob Laramee Adrian Morris Tavi Murray Irene Reppa Kilian Scharrer Ian Thornton ROs and PhDs (below) Stuttgart Tom Ertl Daniel Weiskopf Ralf Botchen ... Rutgers Deborah Silver Carlos Correa Purdue (VACCINE) David Ebert Heidelberger Heike J nicke Utah Chris J ohnson, Kate Coles, J ulie Lein, Miriah Meyer Chuck Hansen Cardiff Andrew Aubrey Dave Marshall Paul Rosin Gary Tam RIVIC Nigel J ohn Ralph Martin Reyer Zwiggelaar