Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Sources:
Sources are all those materials the researcher may legitimately use
in order to support his or her research or make the task of its
conduct easier.
The researcher can support an assertion made by referring
to a reliable source that has already established the point of
the said assertion.
Otherwise he or she has to demonstrate the validity of such
assertion.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Sources come in two categories,
Primary sources
Secondary sources
Primary sources are reports of original research by those who
have conducted that research.
A secondary source is often in the form of a compilation
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
A compilation is an article or series of articles written by a third
party that summarizes, discusses or explains the work done by one
or many researchers in a given area. This may be in the form of a
single paper, a series of papers or a collection published in a book.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
-4-
Sources and References
The Weakest Link Principle
Purists argue that as research is ultimately a series of interconnected
arguments leading to a conclusion of which the researcher wishes to
convince us, the argument and therefore the validity of the
conclusion is at best only as strong as the weakest argument made.
Therefore, a researcher must select his or her sources carefully. Only
recognized, valid, robust and acknowledged sources should be used.
Unless of course you are making an explicit reference to a flaw.
As much as possible, only cite primary source references.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
-5-
Sources and References
The Use of Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are best not used as citations when directly
supporting work of original nature. For indirect support, however,
use may be made of these resources. Some instances of indirect
support include:
Literature Review
Introductory Remarks
The Related Works Section
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
-6-
Sources and References
Literature Review
I know a researcher who worked for over eighteen months on a
project only for the results to be published by another independent
researcher a week before she was to publish hers. In research there
are very few prizes for coming second.
Horrifying as this might be, this is not the worst thing that can
happen. The worst is when one finishes a piece of research, writes
it up and sends it for publication only to be written back by the
editor saying that this work has already been done and published
months or years ago!!!
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
-7-
Sources and References
This is why conducting a detailed
literature review is essential
Literature review is conducting a survey of ALL there is out there
that might impact the way you set up, conduct or report your
research. This entails finding if:
1. The research has already been done;
2. There is any research that says this work CANNOT be done;
3. There is any related research that might help you plan your own;
4. There is any related research that might underpin your work.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
-8-
Sources and References
It is for the purpose of conducting literature review that secondary
sources prove exceptionally useful.
Textbooks give a good general introduction to the topic. Some
advanced textbooks even at times discuss the current, recently
passed and forthcoming areas of research interest. Many also have a
list of references, a bibliography and sometimes even an annotated
bibliography. They are good first stop.
An annotated bibliography is a good second stop. An annotated
bibliography is a list of books, and articles organized by topic with
each described briefly in terms of its content, importance and
contribution to the field; usually by a highly rated expert in the field.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Annotated bibliographies would lead you to the major works in a
given field. A recent one is therefore invaluable in helping to
discover the state of affairs with the topic of your research.
Pursuing the lead of annotated bibliographies would guide you to
the identification of the important periodical or on-line sources of
publication in a given field. A survey of the recent volumes of such
publications is an obligatory next stop.
Given that you have done a thorough job of taking these steps, you
should now be on firm ground.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
- 10 -
Sources and References
Types of sources of primary publication:
Conference proceedings
Trade periodical
Scholarly periodicals/journals
Archival journals
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Locating and obtaining resources:
Library Periodicals Searches
On-line Searches
Loan-requests
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Writing and Research:
Researchers have to communicate. There are four areas of
importance about which researchers need to do so. These are the:
1. Research proposal
2. Research notes
3. Research progress report(s)
4. Research report (final publication)
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
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HO 5
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Sources and References
Irrespective of the area, a piece of research writing must be:
Clear and understandable
An expert is he or she who can talk about the most difficult
aspects of her area of expertise in a way that normal, educated
laypersons would understand. Clarity is one attribute that assists
in this.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Rules of clarity:
1. Mean what you say.
2. Say what you mean.
3. Correct be grammatically.
4. Perpetually refrain from the employment of a protracted
expression provided that a diminutive variation of such
cognitive handle is at your disposal.
5. Never use jargon when common speech will do.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
6. If you want to make a sentence with many qualifications, put
some of those qualifications in separate sentences. Do not
write legalese.
7. Do not let the beginning of your sentence lead the reader to an
expectation which is contradicted by the end.
8. Write in the active voice whenever possible
9. Do not use double negatives unless logically required.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
10. Do not sacrifice precision. Number 4 says “Do not use a
long word when a short word will do”. It does not say “Use
shorter words to replace long ones”. Use the PRECISE word
for the occasion at all occasions.
11. Be brief. However, again, do not sacrifice precision and
understandability for brevity.
12. Use diagrams –if allowed – as a picture is worth a thousand
words.
13. Do not use diagrams that do not add to the context.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
The Research Proposal:
The first job of a researcher is to be a salesperson. He or she must be
able to convince some entity with funds available to let him or her
use that money to conduct the research. Of course to do so
successfully, the researcher must convince the funding body of a
number of things. These are, that:
1. The research is feasible (it can be done)
2. The researcher/team is qualified and capable
3. Costs are predictable and reasonable
4. Its returns (financial or other) justify the expense
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Members of funding bodies are not always experts in the field. So
the researcher has to write the proposal in a language that whilst
precise, is also understandable by the educated, layperson.
However, research proposals are also ultimately viewed by experts
in the field to make technical judgments. They would wish a
precise and technical description of the proposed research. There is
usually a page/size limit. Therein lies the first difficulty.
In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed research and
also to show that it will be of value, and also for financial reasons,
one often needs to explain in detail exactly how this research would
be done and what the results shall be. If we knew this, why bother?
Therein lies the second difficulty.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Similarly, we need to predict and provide a budget, prior to the
commencement of the project. Usually if too high we run the risk
of being rejected, if too low, we may run out of money. Therein
lies the third difficulty.
Finally in order to demonstrate that you are the qualified person to
conduct this work, you almost need to prove that you have already
done this work. But if so, why do it again? Herein is the fourth
difficulty!
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Research proposals usually have a(n):
1. Executive summary
2. Introduction: that discusses the area, the nature and importance
of the research to be conducted.
3. Proposed research discussion. In this section the research
question is presented and discussed technically.
4. Methodology section that discusses how the research will be
done. In this section the researcher has to prove that this
method is appropriate, cost effective and will yield results.
5. Budget
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
6. Timing and schedule
7. Expected results section that discusses what the results
might be and why they are important.
8. Benefits section. This section discusses the benefits of
conducting this research and that of its results.
9. Investigators’ details. This section provides and discusses
the history and backgrounds of the investigators involved
and their respective roles and responsibilities.
10. Summary and Conclusions section
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
10. References
11. Appendices which may include price quotations for
equipment, resume and publication lists of the
investigators, list of and performance indicators on
previous grants, affiliations, security clearances, conflict of
interest, animal and human subject declarations and other
“ethical” binders, etc.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Research Notes:
Leonardo Da Vinci wrote his research
notes in mirror image and upsidedown. This was to make it difficult for
others to abuse his ideas. A modern
day researcher has to also balance
privacy requirements with availability
and the need to communicate ideas to
himself/herself at a later time or to
others, particularly colleagues who
are assisting in the conduct of
research.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Research notes come in two forms:
Laboratory/field notes, and
Study notes
Laboratory or field notes basically are notes that capture the data
or some other important fact in an experiment or a field or case
observation.
A study note is an annotated summary of some relevant material
studied; particularly a reference.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Whenever I start a new item of research, I start off a new notebook,
each page or several pages of which is dated by a given date which
continues progressively. In that notebook, and under a given date, I
record and annotate ALL the relevant material I may have studied
or come across (even lateral thoughts, bright ideas, etc. I might
have had) on that day in relation to the work at hand. I may even
write small draft paragraphs of the final research report or an
interim progress report. That way, writing these reports later
becomes much easier.
I keep these notes private but do let my colleagues directly
involved with that research know where the notebook is, IN CASE
OF A MISHAP. More recently, I have been trying a soft version.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Research Progress Report:
The form and extent of a progress report varies vastly based on
the organization requiring the report. A progress report may be a
one page document basically inquiring whether the project is on
track or not to a multi-page detailed report discussing all
expenditure to date, budgets vs. actuals to date, time-line,
progress against time-line, etc.
The essence of such a document however is to let the funding or
other concerned organizations or individuals know if we are on
track, and what deviations/alterations have occurred or are in
store.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Final Report:
This is the report that discusses the findings of the research. It is
usually but not always in the form of a publication. Again,
usually but not always this publication is a paper that is submitted
to a conference (for small or incremental research), or a journal
(for more significant research). Sometimes also a separate more
detailed research report is generated where the research is
reported therein without any page, size or diagramming
limitations.
We shall discuss this document in greater detail at a later time.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
What is referencing?
Referencing is a standardized method of acknowledging sources
of information and ideas that you have used in your work, in a
way that uniquely identifies their source.
Direct quotations, facts and figures, as well as ideas and theories,
from both published and unpublished works must be referenced.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Why reference?
Referencing is necessary to:
Support your arguments and assertions;
Avoid accusations of plagiarism;
Avoid having to repeat reporting of work already done;
Enable the reader to verify quotations; and
Enable readers to follow-up and read more fully the
cited author's arguments.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Styles of referencing:
There are many different styles of referencing. Each with its own
peculiarities. Amongst these the more pertinent ones to CS are:
The IEEE Style
The Harvard Style
The AIP Style
Other referencing styles such as the Chicago style, the Turabian
style, the APA style, and the MLS style might also be mentioned
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
Irrespective of style, a reference has two components,
An in-text citation, and
A reference listing
The in-text citation is placed in the article at or near where the
source is referred to, so that the reference statement or object is
clearly identified.
The reference listing is an entry in the reference section of the
article where the source is identified in sufficient detail so that
the reader of the article can locate the original source.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
In the case of a book, reference listing includes the following:
(at a minimum)
Author/editor
Year of publication
Title
Edition
Volume number
Publisher, and place of publication.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
In the case of a journal article it refers to: (at a minimum)
Author of article
Year of publication
Title of article
Journal/serial title
Volume number
Issue number
Page numbers on which the article appears.
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013
Lecture 5
HO 5
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Sources and References
In the case of electronic information it refers to:
Author/editor
Year of publication
Article title
Journal title
The type of medium (eg. CD-ROM, Online, etc.)
Pages or length
"Available at" statement (eg. WWW address, supplier and
name of electronic database, Email address, etc.)
Access date
(Not all of these details will necessarily be applicable.)
CSCI 6960- Research Methods
© Houman Younessi 2013