Goal is to explore an area not be better than others
Doctoral education prepares scholars who both understand what is known and discover what is yet unknown. They conserve the most valued knowledge of the past even as they examine it critically. They invent new forms of understanding as they move their fields ahead.
--- Lee S. Shulman
Investigate the solution to any problem: explore sources
1. What is research and our role in it?
2. Why write?
Handle Continuous Nature of Learning
Gain Perspective
Understand
Remember
Put thoughts into a consumable form by others
Community of Practice
Address Assumptions
Research Blueprint
The Incubator
The journey begins...
Research can be random and disorienting as we get lost without proper perspective
Lit Review without a question is aimless
Finding Research Problems
Topics
Incubator Documents: Plan
A research question only specifies something that we don't know, but... must prove unsolved
Interests
Questions
Create a Research Space
1. Establish a territory in which the work is located
2. Create a niche for the research: find the gap
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# Problem Brainstorm
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For each project investigate and answer the following:
- Problem?
- People/High level motivation: practical problem?
- Research Question?
- Research Problem?
- Novel Practical Problem?
- Impacts? [industry,research,changes the way we do it in research...]
- Existing approaches?
- Advantages to us tackling?
- Solution/Hypothesis:
- Novel Solution?
- Idea for how we will tackle the problem
- Implementation description
- Evaluation description
- Hypothesis
- Risk
- Cost
- Intellectual curiosity
- Other Benefits
- New area
- New spin on idea
- Unconventional solution
- Infrastructure used by other research
- Passion for Idea
- Others better equipped?
------ Heilmeier's Catechism
- What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using
absolutely no jargon.
- How is it done today, and what are the limits of current
practice?
- What's new in your approach and why do you think it will be
successful?
- Who cares?
- If you're successful, what difference will it make?
- What are the risks and the payoffs?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
- What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success?
3. Fill the niche that has been constructed
Topic: I am studying ____
Incubation
Abstract and Intro
It is foolish to answer a question that you do not understand. It is sad to work for an end that you do not desire---Polya
Fill out the rest as you go along: Design, Experiment, Lessons Learned...
Question: because I want to find out___
Practical Problem
Research Answer
Research Question
Main claim that must be supported by reasons, which are supported by evidence
Finding the gap
Research Problem
Defines something that our readers do not understand
*The Craft of Research, Booth, Colomb, and Williams
Motivate question: in order to help my readers understand___
Advisor help lead the way...