1. There are many reasons why people conduct research, including to add to the body of existing knowledge, solve problems, understand what happens when new technologies are introduced, find evidence to inform practices, and gain a better understanding of people and the world. 2. Research can produce different types of knowledge outcomes, such as new or improved products, new theories, reinterpretations of existing theories, and in-depth studies of particular situations. 3. Potential research topics can emerge from personal experiences or opportunities, and ideas can come from suggestions within academic departments, past student work, recent publications, current events, and identifying gaps where assumptions have been made without evidence. Feasibility, scope, resources, and ability to

2. WHY DO PEOPLE DO RESEARCH?
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO STUDY SPECIFIC RESEARCH
QUESTION?

3. The Reasons for Doing Research:
1. To add to the body of knowledge:

It refers to exploring a subject in depth and finding out
things that were not known before.

4. 2. To solve a problem:
 Many researchers in IS and Computing want to solve a problem.
 E.g. Is it possible to develop a computerized based product to X?
 If they are developing a computer product to do something in a new
way, then it is research.
 Examples:
1.
Is it possible to develop a website that is based upon the very latest
marketing theories to help the ABC company’s marketing strategy?
2.
Is it possible to develop a computer based tool to support online
discussions for teaching purposes?

5. 2. To find out what happens:
 Finding out what happens is one of the key areas of interest for IS
researchers, who are concerned with the interaction between the social
and technical spheres when computer systems are designed and used.
 What happens when a new computer system is put into real-world use?
 E.g. when email systems are provided within an organization, are paper
mailing systems abandoned altogether?

Is the new email system ignored by some people?

What factors might explain what happens?
 Empirical assessment of software systems is becoming increasingly
important.

6. 3. To find the evidence to inform practice:
 Many methods have been proposed over years e.g. structured methods, agile
methods, formal methods.
 Many computer based tools for developers are marketed: project management
tools.
 Is one approach or tool better than another?
 In which circumstances should we use each approach or tool?
 E.g. Business managers are sometimes accused of blindly following the latest
management fad and buying s/w applications as ERP, CRM, etc. because everyone
else is.
 Good IS research could give managers the evidence about the enablers or barriers
to successful adoption of such computer applications.

7. 4. To develop a greater understanding of people and their world:
 We might want to find out about people and their world out of simple
curiosity.
 Such findings might have practical applications.
 E.g. If we know about how people use PCs in the home, that might help
companies who want to design software for home PCs.
 Should they make television more like a computer, or a computer more like a
television?
 What kinds of website advertising are effective for home based web surfers?
 How does the advent of Internet shopping affect family relationships in the
home?

8. 5. To predict, plan and control:
 Computer based systems provide tools to help people predict, plan
and control.
 E.g. To predict the amount and effect of global warming.
 Evidence is being gathered about the rate of climate change to help
determine what might happen and how soon , so that we can take action to
cope with situation.
 Computer systems can be built to help with modeling weather patterns and
simulating possible scenarios.
 In computing world, org. are carrying out research to try to predict the
number of people that will regularly go online , so that they can make
plans for manufacturing and selling computers and providing the
necessary IT infrastructure.

9. 6. To contribute to other people’s well-being:
 Some people do research to help make life better for other
people.
 E.g. Better user interfaces so some people, such as older people
or disabled people, do not have to struggle when using a
computer.

10. 7. To contribute to personal needs:
 People do research, especially PhD, as a personal challenge.
 It helps them in their future career.
8. To test or disprove a theory:
 Testing and disproving a theory is the main approach of scientific research.
 In IS and Computing, there are many theories that could be tested.
 E.g. Computer Games.

11. 9. To Come up with a better way:
 sometimes a research question appears to have been answered,
but another researcher wants to suggest a better answer.
 E.g. A better algorithm.
10. To understand another person’s point of view.

13. Products of Research:
 Outcomes of research.
 What type of knowledge is created?
 Even with the same research question, two different researchers could
produce different kinds of knowledge as the outcomes or products of
their research.

14. The different types of knowledge outcomes are:
1. A new or improved product:

This is the focus of IS and computing research.

E.g. a computer application designed to meet a functional specification

In multimedia or computer animation it can be a digital art.

It could also be a computing related process, e.g. a new or improved
method for developing a computer application.

15. 2. A new theory:
 Computers and computer based information systems are new and still
evolving.
 As new computing technologies are invented, new uses of computers and
information systems become possible, raising more questions about efficient
and effective use.
 There is more scope to build theories about how to analyze, build and use
computer based products.

16. 3. A re-interpretation of an existing theory:
 Can an existing theory be applied in a new context?
 E.g. taking theories from psychology /economics or education,
and applying them in an IS or computing context. E.g.
development of user interfaces, MIS or computer aided
learning.
 The researcher explores whether and how the theory can be
incorporated into a new design.

17. 4. New or improved research tool or Technique:
 In IS research, increasing attention is paid to newer research tools and
techniques.
 E.g. Action Research.
5. A new or improved model or perspective:
 A research outcome might be to suggest that we look at something in
a new way.
 E.g. Chen (1976) proposed to view the world in terms of entities and
relationships, leading to ER diagrams used in database design.

18. 6. In depth study of a particular situation:
 There are many opportunities to study them in depth in contexts that have
not been studied before.
 E.g. an investigation of a company’s website: its original conception, its
evolution, its outcomes, and whether what occurred was consistent with the
theory found in the literature.
7. An exploration of a topic, area or field:
 A literature – based survey of the state of knowledge in a particular area can
be one outcome of research.

19. Finding and Choosing Research Topics:
 There are many different reasons for doing research, and many
different possible outcomes.
But how do we get started?
How do we find research topics?

20.  Research topics emerge out of personal circumstances and opportunities.
 E.g. a disabled person might be frustrated by the poor accessibility of many
websites. And then realize that she could turn accessibility into a research
topic asking questions such as:
 What
percentage of websites meets the published accessibility
guidelines?
 How aware are web developers of accessibility issues?
 What factors in a company support or militate against accessibility being
considered from the outset of a web development project?

21. Sources of research ideas:
1.
Suggestions from staff in department.
2.
Past research student’s work.
3.
Recent conference and journal papers.
4.
Current events reported in the media.
5.
Needs expressed by potential clients.
6.
Calls for conference papers or special issues of journals on a
particular theme.
7.
People making assumptions or assertions with little supporting
evidence.

22. Selecting a topic:
 Criteria:
 Enjoyability:

Will I enjoy working on that topic?
 Feasibility:
1.
Is the research likely to offer something new for target users?
2.
Does the topic have ‘symmetry of potential outcomes’?
3.
Will your research still contribute something to knowledge, even if you
do not complete all of the technical product in the time available?
4.
Is there a theory that will help you structure your approach, at least in
the beginning?

23. 5. Is the research and its outcomes likely to be of sufficient scope to meet your
course?
6. Can the research be carried out in the time available?
7. Does the research meet your own learning objectives?
8. Do you have the necessary resources?
9. Can you approach the topic without too much bias?
10. Will the research be safe and ethical?