Reference no: EM134009207

Advanced Research Topics in Information Technology

Introduction

The Introduction of the research report contains a full introduction to the research you have undertaken. The Introduction normally contains a statement of the problem (including the initial research question, the Significance of the problem, some historical background. The purpose, or goal to be gained from a better understanding of the research question, statement of hypothesis, any assumptions, and limitations as well as any possible ethical considerations. Perhaps also a brief overview of the methodology. Students working on Information Technology research topics should ensure that the introduction clearly defines the scope and objectives of the study.

The format of the Introduction can be found in the example document (Report Introduction.doc). Use this document as a starting point to develop your Introduction (add and delete sections as appropriate).

Submit this chapter by the due date and time to the assignment drop-box.

Literature Review

The literature review gives the reader (and the examiner) the necessary background to understand the study by citing the investigations and findings of previous researchers and documents the researcher's knowledge and preparation to investigate the problem. Studying the existing literature is one of the essential preliminary tasks when you undertake a research study. This enables you to acquaint yourself with the available body of knowledge in your specific area of research. "The literature review is an integral part of the research process and makes a valuable contribution to almost every operational step" (Kumar, R. Research Methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, 3rd ed, Sage 2011). The literature review will be discussed in class and examples are given, the literature review would normally constitute Chapter 2 in a research report, see suggested guidelines in (report.doc, chapter 2). Students may also refer to Quantitative Research Techniques for additional support when reviewing research-based studies.

The submission for the Literature Review has been divided into several sections so the Unit lecturer can gauge the student's progression on this important topic early.

Methodology

In this section, you clearly outline what methodology you used in your research i.e. what you intend to do and how you intend to do it. It must be written clearly so that it would be easy for another researcher to duplicate your research if they wished. Most researchers will use one or more of many well documented and acceptable methods understood by the research community. We will discuss several research methodologies in different sessions, but there will be many others you can choose from. You will choose a type of research design (e.g. experimental, correlational, descriptive etc.) and the methods to conduct the research (experiment or survey etc.) Detailed guidance on Methodology Of Operations Research can also assist students in structuring their methodology chapter effectively.

The structure of a methodology chapter will be discussed in class and examples given. The Methodology would normally constitute Chapter 3 in a research report, see suggested guidelines in (report.doc, chapter 3).

Full Research Paper

In this submission, you incorporate the previous three submissions into a final document and submit by the due date and time. This submission will incorporate the Introduction, The Literature Review, and the Methodology chapters into one document. This will give you a chance to take on board any comments given by your instructor in the previous submissions, make corrections and possibly recover some marks which may have been deducted in the previous submission.

Your submission also contains the full abstract. This is an extension of the initial abstract submitted with the proposal document and summarizes the report including the hypotheses, procedures, and major findings (you will not be conducting the research, so you won't have any findings). The Full abstract should be no more than one page. Students preparing the final report may also benefit from reviewing Information Technology And System concepts relevant to advanced IT research projects.