STC Research Methodology

Researcher’s Attitude, Ethics, and Digital Profile Essentials 

In today’s rapidly evolving academic landscape, mastering research methodology and ethics is crucial for scholars across disciplines. During the Short Term Course on Research Methodology, participants were introduced to key aspects of developing a strong research attitude, adhering to ethical guidelines in publishing, and leveraging digital tools to enhance their scholarly work. Through three insightful presentations, the course covered fundamental topics such as the vocation of a researcher, the importance of publication ethics, and the use of modern digital platforms for creating a robust academic profile. This blog shares the highlights from these presentations, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of how to conduct ethical and impactful research in the digital age.

1. Research Attitude and Ethics in Research​

This presentation covers the fundamental aspects of research attitude and the role of ethics in the research process. It highlights the difference between a researcher and a scholar, emphasizing the vocation and spirit of scholarship. Participants will explore the mindset required for conducting genuine and ethical research, including the principles of evidence-based research and intellectual curiosity.

Key Concepts:

• Vocation of a Scholar: The presentation distinguishes between mere research and the higher calling of scholarship, highlighting the historical sense and intellectual breadth that define true scholarship.
• Mental Temperament: Law and Journalism

Assignment Questions:

1. Discuss the key differences between a researcher and a scholar, and explain why scholarly habits are essential for long-term success in academia.
2. How does Law and Journalism help in mental makeup of a research scholar in writing thesis / dissertation?

The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/attitude-ethics-and-journal-finder-research/271864413

2. Research and Publication Ethics (RPE) and Finding Quality Journals​

The final presentation deals with ethics in research and publication, providing guidance on selecting appropriate journals for publication. Ethical issues such as falsifiability, the philosophy of science, and the proper conduct of research are covered.

Key Concepts:

• Philosophy of Science: The importance of falsifiability, testability, and verificationism in scientific theories is discussed, alongside the challenges of justifying scientific beliefs.
• Publication Ethics: Ethical guidelines from organizations like COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and WAME (World Association of Medical Editors) are introduced, along with the risks of predatory publishing.
• Journal Selection: The presentation highlights tools like journal suggesters (e.g., Springer, Elsevier) to help scholars find high-quality journals for their work.

Assignment Questions:

1. Discuss the concept of falsifiability in scientific research and its importance in establishing the validity of scientific theories.
2. What are the main ethical considerations in academic publishing, and how can researchers avoid falling prey to predatory journals?
3. Describe the process of selecting a journal for publication. What tools and strategies can a researcher use to find a reputable journal?

The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/research-and-publication-ethics-ugc/250427934

Research and Publication Ethics | UGC from Dilip Barad

3. Digital Tools for Research and Researcher Profile​

This presentation focuses on the modern tools available for research, including databases, reference management tools, and plagiarism prevention software. It also addresses the creation of a digital researcher profile on platforms like ORCID, Scopus, and Google Scholar to maintain an online academic presence.

Key Concepts:

• Research Tools: Various tools for conducting qualitative and quantitative research are introduced, such as Zotero, Mendeley, and Turnitin. Databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and Web of Science are discussed for accessing high-quality academic papers.
• Researcher Metrics: The importance of metrics like the h-index, g-index, and journal impact factors is emphasized for evaluating research impact.
• Digital Profile Management: Scholars are encouraged to create profiles on platforms such as ORCID, Scopus, and Google Scholar to interlink their research accounts and track citations.

Assignment Questions:

1. Discuss the role of digital tools in modern research and how they help streamline the research process.
2. How can a researcher effectively manage their digital academic profile, and why is it important for career development?
3. Compare different research metrics such as h-index and g-index. Which metric do you think is the most reflective of a scholar’s impact?

The presentation can be viewed here: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/digital-tools-for-research-and-researcher-profile/271864414

UGC-RPE: Research and Publication Ethics

 A Course on Research and Publication Ethics (RPE) - for Ph.D. Students

University Grants Commission (UGC) in its 543rd meeting held on 9th August 20-19 approved two Credit Course for awareness about publication ethics and publication misconducts entitled "Research and Publication Ethics (RPE)" to be made compulsory for all PhD students for pre-registration coursework. Click here to download the syllabus.

In view of the above, many PhD scholars as well as resource persons may be in need of the recommended books to carry out this coursework. All these resources are in public domain and can be downloaded from below given links:

UGC has prepared a booklet in which all these resources are compiles. Click here to download UGC-Academic Integrity & Research Quality 

1. Beall, J. (2012). Predatory publishers are corrupting open access. Nature, 489(7415), 179-179. https://doi.org/10.1038/489179a
2. Bird, A. (2006). Philosophy of Science. Routledge.
3. Chaddah, P. (2018). Ethics in Competitive Research: Do not get Scooped; do not get Plagiarized. ISBN: 978-938748086
4. Indian National Science Academy (INSA) (2019). Ethics in Science Education, Research and Governance. ISBN: 978-81-939482-1-7. http://www.insaindia.res.in/pdf/Ethics_Book.pdf
5. MacIntyre, Alasdair (1967). A Short History of Ethics. London.
6. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine (2009). On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition. National Academies Press.
7. Resnik, D.B. (2011). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 1-10. Retrieved from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/index.cfm

Dissertation Writing

 

Research Project Writing: Dissertation Writing

Course Objectives:

The learning objectives for writing a dissertation can be organized using Bloom's Taxonomy, which categorizes educational goals into six levels:

1.       Remembering: recall relevant information from memory, such as key concepts and theories related to the dissertation topic.

2.       Understanding: comprehend the meaning of the information and how it relates to the dissertation topic.

3.       Applying: use the information to solve problems or make decisions relevant to the dissertation topic.

4.       Analyzing: break down the information into component parts and understand how they relate to each other and to the dissertation topic as a whole.

5.       Evaluating: make judgments about the value or quality of the information and its relevance to the dissertation topic.

6.       Creating: use the information to generate new ideas, designs or theories related to the dissertation topic.

For example, a dissertation on the impact of social media on political participation, the learning objectives could be:

1.       Remembering key theories of political participation

2.       Understanding how social media affects political participation

3.       Applying data analysis techniques to study the relationship between social media and political participation

4.       Analyzing the impact of social media on different groups' political participation

5.       Evaluating the strengths and limitations of existing studies on the topic

6.       Creating new hypotheses or theories about the relationship between social media and political participation.

For more examples, visit study material website > https://sites.google.com/view/maengmkbu2020/

 Description

 

Marks: 70 | Hours: 60 | Credit - 4

 

• The dissertation of 75 to 100 pages or 20,000 to 25,000 words shall be submitted to the University.

• The format of writing dissertation shall be as given below:

• Font Size: 16 - Main Title of the Chapter > 14 Sub-titles within the chapter > 12 for main content.

• Line Space: 1.5 line space.

• Print: On both sides of the pages

• Bind: Spiral 

• The dissertation shall be approved by the Department teacher/s and duly forwarded through the Head of the Department.

The evaluation of the dissertations shall be done by internal and external examiners similar to that of answer books of MA – English programme.

Internal evaluation in form of presentation shall be carried out at the Department in presence of the Head of the Department and/or concerned teacher / supervisor. 

 

Continuous Internal Evaluation

Presentation - 25 Marks

Seminar / attendance - 05 Marks

Written Test - 00 Marks

Note:

Integration of ICT for blog, presentation, video resources will be integral part of CIA. All works produced by the students for internal evaluation shall be presented as digital portfolio.

Course Specific Learning Outcome:

1.   Remember: Students will be able to recall key concepts, theories, and research methods related to dissertation writing.

2.   Understand: Students will be able to explain the purpose and significance of their research topic, as well as the research methods they plan to use.

3.   Apply: Students will be able to use appropriate research methods to collect and analyze data for their dissertation.

4.   Analyze: Students will be able to critically evaluate and interpret their data, and integrate it with existing literature to make original conclusions and recommendations.

5.   Evaluate: Students will be able to assess the limitations and implications of their research, and consider potential future directions for further study.

6.   Create: Students will be able to compose a well-written, coherent dissertation that effectively communicates their research findings and conclusions.

These course-specific learning outcomes focus on the cognitive process of dissertation writing and how students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter, and the skills they've acquired by the end of the course.

Suggesting Reading List:

1. Film Adaptation of a Literary Text

2. Feminist Reading of a Literary Text

3. Eco-critical Reading of a Literary Text

4. Comparative Literature Studies

5. 
   

 Introduction to Research Methodology

Points covered in this session are:

• Research Attitude & Aptitude
• Research Method & Methodology
• Review of Related Literature – The Backbone of Research
• Deciding on a Research Topic
• Turning a Topic into an Argument
• Research and Publication Ethics

Presentation with embedded Videos on Literature Review:

Click here to open presentation

Video Recording of the Session with the students of Auro University:

Video Recording of the session (Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan)

Auro University, Surat, Gujarat

Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan

PhD Coursework: Research Methodology - English Studies

Video Resources on Research Methodology - PhD Coursework, Dept. of English, MKBU

1. Prof. Sachin Ketkar on "Translation Studies as World Literature and World Literature as Translation Studies"

2. Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay on "Academic Writing"

3. Prof. Kiran Trivedi on "Quality Research Publication: Impact Factor, i-Index, h-Index, i10-Index

4. Dr. Valiur Rahaman on 'The Vocation & Life of Research Scholar'

5. Dr. Kalyani Vallath on 'Practical Ways of Organizing Research'

6. Prof. Balaji Ranganathan on 'Research Techniques'

7. Dr. Valiur Rahaman on 'The Art of Literary Research Today'

8. Prof. Atanu Bhattacharya on 'The Academic Writing: The Basics'

 

9. Prof. Atanu Bhattacharya on 'The Academic Writing: The 

Mechanics'

 

10. Prof. Nigam Dave on 'Philosophy and Ethics'

11. Dilip Barad on 'Introduction to the Course on Research and Publication Ethics' (Gujarati)

12. Critic, Researcher & Scholar | Richard Altick | The Art of Literary Research

The difference between critic and scholar and that between researcher and scholar is a sort of water-tight compartment - or a line drawn in the sand. Critics is the one who concerns with textual analysis. The researcher concerns itself with intellectual insight and imaginative responses through vivid sense of History. The Scholar is the one who is able to use critics' textual analysis as well as researchers pastness of the past in the present context. If researcher is the means, the scholarship is the end. The scholarship is a habit of main. It is a way of life.

13. Mind and Temperament of Research Scholar | The Art of Literary Research | Richard Altick

What are the necessities to make for a rewarding Research Project?

Publish or Perish?

What are the chief qualities of 'mind' and 'temperament' that go to make up a successful and happy scholar?

Interpretations?

UGC-RPE: Research and Publication Ethics

 A Course on Research and Publication Ethics (RPE) - for Ph.D. Students

University Grants Commission (UGC) in its 543rd meeting held on 9th August 20-19 approved two Credit Course for awareness about publication ethics and publication misconducts entitled "Research and Publication Ethics (RPE)" to be made compulsory for all PhD students for pre-registration coursework. Click here to download the syllabus.

In view of the above, many PhD scholars as well as resource persons may be in need of the recommended books to carry out this coursework. All these resources are in public domain and can be downloaded from below given links:

UGC has prepared a booklet in which all these resources are compiles. Click here to download UGC-Academic Integrity & Research Quality 

1. Beall, J. (2012). Predatory publishers are corrupting open access. Nature, 489(7415), 179-179. https://doi.org/10.1038/489179a
2. Bird, A. (2006). Philosophy of Science. Routledge.
3. Chaddah, P. (2018). Ethics in Competitive Research: Do not get Scooped; do not get Plagiarized. ISBN: 978-938748086
4. Indian National Science Academy (INSA) (2019). Ethics in Science Education, Research and Governance. ISBN: 978-81-939482-1-7. http://www.insaindia.res.in/pdf/Ethics_Book.pdf
5. MacIntyre, Alasdair (1967). A Short History of Ethics. London.
6. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine (2009). On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition. National Academies Press.
7. Resnik, D.B. (2011). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 1-10. Retrieved from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/index.cfm

The Video Recording of the talk delivered in PhD Coursework (Gujarati): 

 

The Video Recording of the talk delivered in Ph.D. Coursework (Sociology):

Presentation Slides

 

Research and Publication Ethics | UGC from Dilip Barad

Video Recording of the Online Session - Chandigarh (12 Oct 2021)

Video Recording of the Online Session - Chennai - International Online Faculty Development Programme on Research Methodology (8 June 2022)

Research Methodology Workshop Handout

This handout is drafted with a view to help research scholars who in search of research topic. Once the research topic/area is identified, the another step is to convert it into an argument. This is very difficult phase and requires a lot of thinking. The second part of this handout has some 10 indicators to help scholars to turn research topic into an argument. The third part of this handout helps in preparing first draft of research proposal.

Deciding on a Research Topic (Owens, 2010):

One of the points to stress at the outset is that the range of possible research topics in literature is very wide indeed. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, students occasionally find it difficult to make up their minds what it is they want to investigate. If you feel, momentarily, that you can’t decide what might interest you, you could try making a list of things that you would like to learn more about. Once you have a list of up to five or six things, you should take some time to read around each of them a bit, trying to think not only which seems most enticing and likely to hold your interest, but which of them your previous study has best equipped you to pursue. By ‘reading around’, I do not mean reading aimlessly, or in a desultory fashion. On the contrary, you should be reading quickly and purposively, with questions in your mind, scanning material that seems potentially relevant to your areas of interest and getting an overview of it. The questions you should be asking include:

Answer to these questions with reference to your research interest:
1	What are some of the key studies in this field?	1) 2) 3)
2	What kinds of approaches have been taken to the subject?	1) 2) 3)
3	What are the key issues and questions in this field?	1) 2) 3)
4	Are there any possible gaps, or approaches yet to be explored? (Digital Humanities, Film Studies, Cultural Studies, Globalization, postcoloniality, Study of controversies in literature, banned books, retellings, teaching literature, teaching criticism, teaching literary theories, study of censorship, sci-fi, self-help, electronic/digital literature, realism - social/virtual)	1) 2) 3)

TURNING A TOPIC INTO AN ARGUMENT (Owens, 2010)

Having decided on your topic and limited its scope, the next step is to give it a direction. The way to do this is to develop out of your topic a set of questions you want to answer, or problems that you want to solve. Doing research is not about gathering information or data for its own sake: the information or data

is presented in order to answer questions, in order to try to change what is thought about something. Virtually every good dissertation will take the form of an argument, of an attempt to prove or establish something by means of presentation and analysis of evidence.

There are many possible ways of turning a topic into an argument. To give some examples, your dissertation might be one of the following:

Based on the research topic selected above, draft an argument with the help of below given indicators
1	an argument for or against an existing critic (or critical position) in relation to the author or group of works you are studying
2	an argument about the importance of a particular influence on a writer, or influence exerted by him or her
3	an argument for the importance of some hitherto little-regarded piece of evidence to the discussion of the work of some author or group of authors
4	an argument about the value of a new theoretical approach to a text or set of texts
5	an argument turning upon the nature of the genre of a work or group of works
6	an argument about the significance of a little-known or undervalued author or work;
7	an argument about some historical or literary-historical aspect of literature
8	an argument about the adequacy of existing scholarly texts of a particular work;
9	an argument showing how a particular theme or concept may be related to a group of texts;
10	an argument bringing together some aspect of a well-known literary text with a lesser-known text or with other media.

PREPARING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Assuming that you have an idea for a possible research project that is sufficiently tightly defined so that it is do-able in the time and space available, and further assuming that you have checked that you can get access to the necessary materials, you will usually need to write a research proposal for approval by your

tutor or supervisor.

Think of it as an exercise in persuasion:

you are trying to convince your tutor or supervisor that you have evidence (although as yet unexploited) to support the argument you propose to advance. You should present it in continuous prose, but arranged under a set of headings such as the following.

Based on the research topic selected and argument developed in above activity, write first draft of your research proposal on the line of indicators given below:
1	Title: Do not feel bound by this: it is important to have a title that is clear and informative, but a first attempt can be altered in the finished product
2	Argument: State as concisely as possible what your subject is and what your argument will be.
3	Materials: Go into more detail about your materials, i.e. the chief primary and secondary sources you will use and discuss, giving some indication as to their aptness for your project, and how easy it will be to get hold of them.
4	Chapters[1]: Show how you think your discussion of your topic may be organised, chapter by chapter, in the final product. This provisional chapter structure is very important, so make sure it is clear to the reader how many chapters there are going to be, what is going to go into each, how they will connect with each other, and how long each is planned to be. If possible, give provisional chapter titles
5	Conclusion: Clearly, this will be provisional at this stage. You have not yet argued your case, merely outlined the materials and likely directions of your argument. You might also like to indicate at this stage what problems you think you might encounter along the way.
6	Bibliography: A list of the key primary and secondary texts you intend using should be appended to the proposal – though, again, this list will be provisional and will certainly expand once you begin serious work.

Turning Research Topic into an Argument from Dilip Barad

Work Cited

Owens, W. R. (2010). Planning, Writing, and Presenting a Dissertation or Thesis. In D. D. Correa, & W. R. Owens, The Handbook to Literary Research (second ed., pp. 187-203). Oxon, New York, Canada, USA: Rourledge.

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[1] You should be alluding throughout this section to the main secondary literature on your subject (historical, critical, theoretical, etc.), not just to demonstrate that you are aware of it, but to indicate how you might use it. So, for example, you might be planning to take issue with what some critic has said, or you may want to show how your work relates to, and perhaps extends or qualifies, some existing scholarship on your subject.