DIPLOMA RESEARCH PROJECT
Be able to state quite clearly your area of study, overall aim and related objectives, including a rationale for studying your chosen topic.
The title of my research project is . and my overall aim is to study .... with a view to getting a deeper understanding of ..... The reason I want to study this area is because preliminary literature review findings indicate .. For example, T. A. Burns in his report published in 2016, titled . argues that there is a need ..
Example 1:
The title of my diploma work/paper is A Study of Algorithms to Facilitate Software Testing in a Mobile Environment and my overall aim is to study the appropriateness and effectiveness of current software-testing paradigms to such environments, with a view to identifying deficiencies and developing an improved algorithm to meet the needs of mobile computing software developers. The reason I want to study this area is thatnew technologies are being produced at an alarming rate, becoming smaller and personalized (e.g. iPods, PDAs, notebooks, advanced mobile phones, etc.), and as this is taking place there is an increasing need toensure that those who are developing new mobile technologies do so using relevant and effective testing algorithms, otherwise the security of the products may be compromised. A number of researchers have expressed concern about this very issue...
Example 2:
The aim of this research paper/project is to gain an understanding of how Cybercrime is affecting the online business community, with a view to offering guidance on the way forward. The following objectives have been identified of paramount importance in helping to achieve the aforementioned aim:
Clarification of what is meant by the term Cybercrime.
Exploration of the vulnerability of business organizations to Cybercrime.
Critical assessment of the effectiveness of current preventative measures.
Implementation of a case study of Cybercrime on an online business.
Recommendations to the business community, through a generic online security framework, on how to combat Cybercrime.
Example 3:
The objectives of this research are to:
1 Identify the forces driving e-Learning and the barriers to the successful delivery of e-Learning programmes.
2 Evaluate critically models and frameworks relevant to supporting academic staff in coping with e-Learning.
3 Explore staff stakeholder views and practices related to e-Learning preparation, including drivers and barriers to e-Learning.
4 Formulate recommendations on staff preparation issues.
These objectives, converted into questions, now become:
Example 4:
Specifically, within the context of higher education, the objectives of this research are to answer the following questions:
1 What are the forces driving e-Learning and the barriers to the successful delivery of e-Learning programmes?
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2 What models and frameworks are available to support academic staff in coping with e-Learning and how helpful are they?
3 What are staff stakeholder views and practices related to e-Learning preparation, including drivers and barriers to e-Learning?
4 As a result of these research questions, recommendations on staff preparation issues will be formulated.
Clarify your overall research aim and the specific objectives that you require to meet in order to achieve your overall research aim.
The overall aim of this research is to explore the impact of .. on ...
The overall aim of this research is to elucidate .. that determine ..
Central to this research is the need to answer the question, what are the elements that determine .
The objectives of this research are to:
1 Identify the ...
2 Evaluate critically models and frameworks relevant to ...
3 Explore .. views and practices related to ...
4 Formulate recommendations on .... issues.
It is important that for your big objectives you incorporate keywords that indicate in-depth academic study. Keywords such as evaluate critically, assess, explore, investigate, examine, all imply an appropriate level of intellectual activity suitable for a research project.
A good approach to listing objectives is to use a simple keyword for the first objective (such as identify, classify, outline, discuss, etc.) to provide the background to your subject area; for the other objectives (excluding the last one) use keywords that suggest in-depth research work (such as explore, evaluate critically, assess critically, examine, analyse, determine, etc.); and for the final objective use a keyword that links easily to a concluding activity (such as formulate, produce, develop, recommend, propose, advance, etc.).
The paper contains chapters. Each of the chapters deals with ..
