How to do (scientific) research?

Why do I need a research question?

• A research question helps keep your research focused and on track.

• The answer to this question will turn into your thesis statement.

How do I come up with a good research question?

1. Find an issue that interests you
2. Explore the issue

How to find papers? go to my previous blog

How do I come up with a good research question?

1. Find an issue that interests you

2. Explore the issue

   • Articles (SCI)
   • Books (TextBook)
   • Discussion
   • WiKipedia (NO Baidu Baike)
   • ...

3. Start asking questions

4. Refine and focus your question

What are the features of a good research question?

1. The question is actually a question
2. Short
3. Clear
4. Not premised on an assumption
5. Can NOT be answered as a yes/no

Formulate hypotheses

The research hypothesis is a statment that is testable with research data.

• What kind of sources (traits) will you need to answer your question?
• Why does your argument matter?
• How might others challenge your argument?

Formulate hypotheses

For your specific research question, you may have a banch of hypotheses.

Why do I need a Research Proposal

• To give a concise and clear outline of the objectives that you want to achieve through your project
• To serve as a planning tool
• To present it to Educational institutions
• To apply for funding/position

Research Proposal Format

• Brief introduction
• Research question
• Theoretical background (fomating question and hypothesis processes)
  • Literature review: A critical review of the theories, concepts, debates and major viewpoints around your research question
  • Specific emphasis to how you rise the research question
    • Assumptions
    • Concepts
    • Relationships
• Hypotheses and/or Objectives
  • Null hypothesis
  • Alternative hypothesis
  • Relationships

Research Proposal Format

• Proposed research methodology

  • The context/ setting of the study (research design)
  • Sample size and other characteristics

  • Method of data collection

    • Quantitative and/or qualitative
    • survey, interviews, archival data etc

  • measurement of the concepts/ variables

    • independent variable
    • dependent varibale
    • intervening varibale

Some tips for proposal development

• Read papers, books and relative materials as many as you can
• Discuss with your team members as often as possible
• Meet your mentor
• Cool down the script (weeks) and review it

Data collection

The footstone of modern biology research

Types of data

• Primary data

  • Experiment (Obervation)
  • Survey (interview, questionnaires, schedules et al.,)

• Secondary data

  • Systhesis analysis
    • Meta-analysis

Data collection

• Repeatability (for yourself and your group)
• Reproducibility (for everyone)

How to organize your research notes? Please read Prof. Xiong's slides

Data analsysis

Data analsysis

• Managing your Project

• Manage large amounts of various data files.
• Distinguish different files and versions of files within a folder.
• Prevent confusion when working on teams or sharing files.
• Prevent data loss by accidentally overwriting or deleting files.
• Provide context for retrieval and storage of data.
• ...

Data analsysis

• Managing your Project

Data analsysis

Data analsysis

Data analsysis

Data analsysis

Data analsysis

Data analsysis

What do I need

• R (https://www.r-project.org/)
• Rstudio (https://www.rstudio.com/)
• Repository service, i.e. dropbox, box, drive,Gitlab, Github et al.,
• LaTex tools i.e. Overleaf (or simply using PanDoc)

Outputs

Outputs

Submission

• Target Journal (IF, OA, Speed et al.,)
• Format
• Cover letter
• Editors and/or Reviewers
• Data access
• ...

Outputs

Peer review