CS Graduate Research Methods and Presentations--Empirical Research Assignment
Case or Comparison Study or Software Quality Test or Usability Test Reports

Due:

The Exercise

1. Using the online library facilities at your disposal, search to see if similar studies have been already done in the area:
   1. If so, review the study or studies that you find and summarize the progress made in the prior research work towards your information goal. Write a review report of your findings, interpretations, and conclusions about the prior study or studies.
   2. If no similar studies can be located, report where and how you searched.
2. Design, implement, and report an empirical study (of one of the four types) to meet your information goal.

Operational Objectives

• Search for prior research that is related and of value to an information goal you have established.
• Review pertinent research and/or plan and design, and implement an empirical study in an area of computer science.
• Complete, write-up, and submit a report of the empirical study you perform and prior studies that you review.

Recommended Steps

1. Select an information goal.
2. Search for and review any appropriate research article(s).
3. Develop a critique of all articles--
4. Complete an empirical study aimed towards your information goal. It can replicate a prior study, if appropriate.
5. Prepare and hand-in:
   1. Your information goal
   2. Your synopsis and critique of the prior research, or where you searched.
   3. Your study write-up as described in the tips and techniques

Case or Comparison Study or Code Behavior or Software Quality/Usability Test Reports Evaluation Factors

• Information Goal - Present or Absent
• Synopsis/Critique of Prior Research - Did you look for prior studies? If found, did you make use of them?
• Your write-up (follow the tips and techniques):
  • Title page, table of contents, and page numbers - Do you have them?
  • Abstract or Executive Summary - Did you provide an overview of the whole report?
  • Introduction - Did you introduce your information goal, study, etc.?
  • Previous research - See above
  • Method - Did you describe the methodology you used? An important factor--it needs to be your methodology, not a review of the method used in the prior studies. The methodology you used needs to be described with enough detail so that someone with reasonable intelligence and background doing research can duplicate your study.
  • Evaluators - If appropriate, did you describe your evaluators? Treat appropriately?
  • Results and Conclusions - Did you present your results and conclusions? Again, an important factor -- It needs to be your results and conclusions obtained from empirical research, and not a descriptive review of prior results and discussion.
  • Discussion - Did you discuss your results and conclusions? Again, an important factor -- It needs to be your discussion of your empirical data, and related to your information goal. It should not be a discussion of prior results and conclusions.
  • Recommendations - If appropriate, do you make recommendations? If so, are they your recommendations.
  • References and Bibliography - Do you have them?
  • Optional Appendices, e.g., Research Experience