T-701-REM4-15-3 Research Methodology / Aðferðafræði Rannsókna

Classrooms: Mondays: M102 – Fridays: M117

Instructors: Kristinn R. Þórisson (KRÞ), Jacky Mallett (JM), Jordi Bieger (JB)

Date: 13.11.2015 Time: 9:00-12:00, Place: M104

The topics the final exam will cover are: Experimental design, statistics and philosophy of science, roughly in the proportions that these have been emphasized in the lectures and lecture notes. The emphasis will be on understanding, rather than on memorization, but of course students should know all the key important issues by heart. Note that this is a closed-book no support-material exam.

Example-Final-Exam-Questions

The course has two main aims. First, to provide the student with a compact foundation for the principles of scientific knowledge discovery, its foundational principles and concepts, the use of statistics for scientific investigation, and philosophical context out of which science came. Second, to provide the student with a first-hand experience in writing scientific text, focusing on scientific papers with results and data. After taking the course the student should be able to: 1 - Explain research, research methodologies, research in Computer Science; 2 - Choose a research subject and conduct a research project; 3 - Write technical reports, papers, thesis, proposals effectively; 4 - Extract the key points of a body of scientific research and present in a concise manner; 5 - Read and review a technical paper properly; 6 -Explain professional ethics: credit, conflict of interest, misconduct in science.

NB: For all homework and correspondence sent via email: PLEASE PUT “REM4” SOMEWHERE IN THE TITLE OF YOUR EMAIL, SO IT GETS CLASSIFIED CORRECTLY IN THE INSTRUCTOR'S INBOX. Thanks.

By the end of the course you are expected to have read, learned and thoroughly understood the following texts and topics:

Books:

• Research Methodology - a step-by-step guide for beginners (“RM”), Ranjit Kumar - All chapters except Ch10 (and Ch18 if you have the 3rd edition). Emphasis on those listed in the table below. Note: If you learn the contents of this book you should do very well on the final.
• Introductory Readings in the Philosophy of Science (“IRPS”). E.D.Klemke, R. Hollinger, D. W. Rudge and A. D. Kline (Eds.). - Selected chapters (see below). IPRS - selected chapters
• Addtionally: We use Edward R. Tufte (1983), “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” (VDQI) in the lecture on visualization, but it's not mandatory to buy the book.

• http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-progress/

• Short overview: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002756/Thomas-S-Kuhn
• Longer overview: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thomas-kuhn/
• Example of a paradigm shift a la Kuhn: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-261582/plate-tectonics#936104.hook

• Short definition: http://nostalgia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_positivism

• Short overivew: http://nostalgia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper

• Short overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imre_Lakatos
• Short summary of his attempt to reconcile Kuhn & Popper: http://coraifeartaigh.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/kuhn-vs-popper-the-philosophy-of-lakatos/

Use the Stanford Encylopedia of Philosophy and Google to further explore concepts and ideas that we encounter.

Philosophy of Science useful hub: http://undsci.berkeley.edu/resourcelibrary.php

Philosophy of Science with humor: http://consc.net/phil-humor.html