CSIS6813

Research Methodology
Session 9
Writing up your research and
Ethics
10th Feb 2022
Dr Ruth Wario
 Objectives
The main goal of this chapters are to:

• Explain the practical guideline when writing your

research project / proposal.
• Understanding research ethics.
• Prepare and equip you in drafting your research
project / proposal.
 Writing up your research
project / proposal

• Research proposal contain a brief plan for a research project

that describes the purpose of the research and how it will be
conducted.
 Writing up your research
project / proposal

• Before you jump into how to write a research proposal, its

important first to take a step back and ask a bigger questions
of WHY? in other words, what is the purpose, function
 Writing up your research
project / proposal

• If you understand the WHY, then the HOW, everything

becomes clearer to execute on.
 Writing up your research project:
WORKING TOPIC
The logic of research project;
Describes the breadth
& depth of the topic

INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW

AIMS
Summary of research What do we already
What is it all about?
topic know?

OUTCOMES
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What will be the
What do we need to find
benefits?
out?

METHODS
ETHICS How will we get the
Is the research socially necessary information?
acceptable?

RESOURCES
How long will it take and
what will it cost?
 Selecting Research
Topic/Working Title

• Can be your own topic or commissioned by your

organization / institutions to undertake a specific piece of
research.
– Obviously individual’s choice and it should be a subject that
interests you.
– Its also good idea to choose a subject that allows you to
demonstrate your skills and abilities.
– It should meet academic requirements.
 Aim

• What is research trying to do? This is the first thing that any
readers will wish to know.
– They will want to have this information in order to assess how
worthwhile and how feasible research proposal is likely to be.

Introduction (Abstract)
• A Summary of the research topic, describing the core
problems or issues.
• The gaps in the current research and how this research will
address them.
 Literature Review

• Prime role of the literature review within a research proposal

is to construct an argument supporting the belief that the
research will be worthwhile.
• The review needs to justify the research proposal by
demonstrating the importance of the proposal investigation
in relation to specific problems, theories, contexts etc
 Research Questions

• Describes the key research questions expressed in

measurable terms.

Methodology
• Justifies methodological approach including data collection
and analytical techniques use of quantitative or qualitative
methods: choice of research approach and paradigm.
• Anticipation of ethical issues: how the data will be analysed.
 Planning and Resources

• How long will it take and what will it cost?

• RESEARCH IS NEVER FREE.
- it always consumes resources - time and money.
• Time is a resource that is as vital as money for the
successful completion of a research project.
• Can the overall project be completed within the time
available? Will it meet the deadline?
• Be realistic about what you can achieve - time plan for
completion.
• Researcher skills are a resource that needs to be factored
into the equation.
 Cont. Planning and Resources

• Research proposals should include sufficient information

about planning and resourcing to allow readers to make
informed judgement about whether the research is feasible.
• Use Gantt chart/ or any other tools to schedule your project
completion plan.
 Expected Outcomes / Impact
What will be the benefits?

• Good research is undertaken for a purpose.

 UFS Research Proposal
Guidelines
• The template will be provided as a guide to daft your
research project proposal.
 Ethics
Ethics
• Refers to values or principles that are integral to your
research objectives and define your responsibilities to
your;
- Participants,
- Your instructions and yourself.
• The proposal should always seek to demonstrate how
the study will abide by ethical principles.
• For example, it should show that respondents are
giving their views voluntarily, that their privacy will be
safeguard & their information will be treated
confidentially.
 Cont. Ethics
Ethics
• Being ethical helps you maintain a positive long-term
relationship with your research participants.
• You need to ensure that you are protecting them in
whatever ways you can - protect the information they
shared with you.
• Note: all proposals should include a statement about
research ethics so that those who evaluate the
proposals can feel confident that the work will meet
appropriate ethical standards.
• Ethics approval is normally required before any
research project is allowed to go ahead.
 In practice, research ethics helps
to achieve the following:
• Maintains your integrity
– Integrity is promoted by establishing that you should
be consistently truthful.
– Seek to gain knowledge and avoid error.
– Establishes a set of expectations for your conduct
that prohibits falsifying information/deception.
• Protect the welfare of others
– Ensure your research doesn’t put at risk the welfare
/ reputation of those directly/indirectly involved in your
research
– More likely to forgive or accept problems
 In practice, research ethics helps
to achieve the following:
• Build support for you and your research
– Good ethical conduct means that those who
participate in or who view your research will have a
more positive view of you and your research.
– This support means you are more likely able to
recruit participants for future research.
• Give you direction when facing challenging
situations
– Ethical principles help you find your way through
challenging situations.
 Three ethical principles that
researchers must abide by :
• Informed consent
– Involved indicating clearly the purpose of the
research, who are the participants, how it is used,
who will access the data,
– To ensure research participants understand what is
being done to them, the limits to their participation &
awareness of potential risks.
• Confidentiality – restrictions around the
disclosure of information.
• Anonymity
– Ideally, data should be anonynized as soon as it is
stored to minimize the risk of a breach of privacy.
 Assignment
• Following the template given, write your
research project proposal.
• The template can be found on blackboard under
the folder ‘module CSIS6813’
• Submission date will be on the 2nd March at
20:00 via CSIS6813 blackboard page under the
folder ‘submit your research proposal here’