Outline

Overview

This unit will provide an overview of the different research methods that are used in IT. Students will learn to find and evaluate research on their topic and to present their own research plan or results for evaluation by others. The unit will develop a better understanding of what research in IT is and how it differs from other projects in IT. Students will learn research ethics. This unit of study is required for students in IT who are enrolled in a research project as part of their Honours or MIT/MITM degree. It is also recommended for students enrolled or planning to do a research degree in IT and Engineering.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Computer Science
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	INFO4990
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Albert Zomaya, albert.zomaya@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	M.Reza Hoseinyfarahabady, reza.hoseiny@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Annotated bibliography and database search result, Identifying top research community/venues, identifying valid Research Problems In PDF format, by week 5 through Canvas/Turnitin and to supervisor	15%	Week 05	must be submitted before week 5
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Oral presentation 10-15 min. Presentation of research topic	30%	Week 10	will advise in w1, often during w10-13
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Prepare a complete 10-20 pages literature review report, and Outlining a research proposal 2 reports up to 25pp of critical review of past lit. rev & research outline	45%	Week 10	by week 9
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Peer reviews 3 individual peer reviews of other students' presentations	10%	Week 13	n/a
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Assignment 1 [15%] - Setting Research Context:Identify a list of top conferences and journals in your research area.

Justify your selection, using CORE (only for conferences), ERA (check with your supervisor), and various metrics resources such as SCOPUS, Web of Science, Scimago etc). Identify a list of the main research groups working in your research topic.

Give two exemplary papers in your research area, with a short paragraph explaining why you think each one is exemplary (methodology evaluation, writing style, structure, etc). Think about papers you could use as a model for the research you are planning to do.

Identify two or three research problems that have not been answered/addressed appropriately or at all in the field of research study. Students can use the following iterative process to identify research problems:

Step 1: carry out an introductory literature review,

Step 2: develop research problems into research questions,

Step 3: discuss problems/questions with supervisor(s),

Step 4: refine research problems/questions after discussions with

supervisor(s) Provide an annotated bibliography of core relevant articles and books that are potentially very relevant to the research problems/questions identified in the previous step (about 5 per research problem) containing: (i) a summary and evaluation of the content of the publication

(ii) how its content is relevant to the research problem/question(s)

Assignment 2 [45%]: Preparing a literature review and research proposal: Students need to submit two reports for Assignment 2 as follows:

Submit a report (up to 20 pages) containing a critical review of the previous works you have found related to your research topic. The report should include around 15 properly referenced conference or journal articles and/or books. Organize the review around the questions or claims relevant to your research problems you have identified in the previous assignment (rather than just listing the papers you have read). Prepare a report (around 3 pages) that identifies a research problem (linked to your literature review above) and highlights the contributions you intend to make in your research area. Outline how you plan to evaluate your contributions. You should provide enough details to show that you have thought about how to convince readers. For example, if you intend to measure performance, you should describe what aspects will be measured, and what you will compare the measurements to.

Assignment 3 [40%]: Oral presentation and review others' work: Students are required to prepare some slides and present their work in front of other students in the class. They can use either the template provided in the course page or your own. The presentation time will be advised in week 1. Students will also review 3 other presentations and be assessed on the quality of their feedback.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Assignments: Penalty is 5% of the maximum allowable marks per day, maximum 7 days. Presentation and peer reviews: There will be no re-scheduling of presentations and feedback, unless special consideration is approved. Students must abide to the day and time indicated on the presentation schedule or will receive 0.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Administrative items Introduction to the Research Process How to identify top journals, conferences, research groups in your research area	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Database and library search Identifying Research Questions introduction to research methods information searching	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Developing an Annotated bibliography Article: What is High Quality Research?	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Deep dive into research methods part 1 Research methods for CS/IS	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Deep dive into research methods part 2 Conducting High quality research part 2 Evaluation Methods and Scientific Writing part 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Developing a literature review part 1 Developing a research proposal part 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Industrial engagement and conducting high quality research with Industrial partners	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Evaluation Methods part 2 Scientific Writing for theoretical computer articles Writing for computer system studies ethical practices and copyrights part 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Developing a literature review part 2 Developing a research proposal part 2 Literature Review feedback workshop (for Assignment 2)	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	High quality research method part 2 Advanced research methods part 2 Statistical models, prototyping and simulation research methods Critical evaluation of research work	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Research proposal and student presentations part 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Research proposal and student presentations part 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Research proposal and student presentations part 3	Lecture (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students are expected to attend all classes.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

These will be posted in Canvas as the semester progresses.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate knowledge of major approaches used in CS research and ability to apply one or more to own project
LO2. plan a program of research in Computer Science
LO3. perform a critical evaluation of research work
LO4. retrieve academic literature on a specific topic and identify top journals, conferences, research groups on this topic
LO5. produce a literature survey for a field of CS research
LO6. write and present a research proposal
LO7. understand ethical practices and copyrights
LO8. read research literature and understand how the described work fits into one or more research approaches
LO9. understand the nature of IT research and how research is evaluated.
LO10. Understand scientific peer reviewing and how to give constructive feedback
LO11. Communicate research ideas and proposal in a clear, effective way in oral and written form

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was offered in S1, as students' feedback was positive.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

INFO5993: Computer Science Research Methods

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect