Example Problem Statement:
"Despite advances in understanding plant stress responses, the specific molecular mechanisms that regulate drought tolerance in rice remain poorly understood, limiting our ability to predict plant adaptation to climate change."
Example Objectives:
Identify drought-responsive genes in rice using transcriptomics.
Investigate the molecular pathways involved in regulating drought tolerance.
Contribute to the broader understanding of plant stress biology.
Explanation:
The problem statement focuses on a knowledge gap in scientific understanding, with no immediate application promised.
The objectives aim to explore mechanisms, expand theoretical knowledge, and provide a foundation for future applied research.
Example Problem Statement:
"Rice yields in arid regions are declining due to drought stress, threatening global food security and economic stability."
Example Objectives:
Develop drought-tolerant rice varieties through molecular breeding.
Test the performance of these varieties under simulated drought conditions.
Disseminate findings to farmers and agricultural stakeholders for adoption.
Explanation:
The problem statement emphasizes a practical, real-world problem that needs a solution (e.g., food security).
The objectives focus on solving the problem through actionable outcomes like new crop varieties and field testing.
Example Problem Statement:
"Projected drought-related losses in rice production threaten the stability of agro-based industries, resulting in economic losses exceeding $5 billion annually."
Example Objectives:
Develop high-yield, drought-tolerant rice seeds suitable for industrial-scale production.
Collaborate with industry partners to ensure scalability and distribution of seeds.
Conduct economic feasibility studies to ensure profitability for stakeholders.
Explanation:
The problem statement highlights a commercial challenge with financial and market implications.
The objectives prioritize solutions that are economically viable and scalable for industry use.
Example Problem Statement:
"Current agricultural policies lack effective strategies for addressing drought-related losses in rice production, leaving vulnerable communities at risk of food insecurity."
Example Objectives:
Conduct a review of existing policies on drought management in agriculture.
Develop policy recommendations to incentivize the use of drought-tolerant crops.
Create a framework to guide government subsidies and resource allocation.
Explanation:
The problem statement focuses on a policy gap or failure in governance that exacerbates the problem.
The objectives aim to provide evidence-based solutions for policymakers, including frameworks and actionable recommendations.
Example Problem Statement:
"Traditional irrigation methods are inefficient, wasting up to 40% of water during rice cultivation, making them unsustainable under drought conditions."
Example Objectives:
Design and prototype a precision irrigation system to optimize water use.
Integrate IoT sensors for real-time soil moisture monitoring.
Pilot the technology in drought-prone areas to assess its effectiveness.
Explanation:
The problem statement identifies a technological gap or inefficiency.
The objectives focus on developing, testing, and implementing innovative solutions to address the issue.
Example Problem Statement:
"Smallholder farmers in drought-prone regions lack access to drought-resistant rice varieties, leading to decreased productivity and economic hardship."
Example Objectives:
Distribute drought-resistant seeds to 500 smallholder farmers.
Train farmers on drought-resilient farming practices.
Establish a cooperative to share resources and knowledge among local communities.
Explanation:
The problem statement highlights a community-level challenge with social and economic impacts.
The objectives aim to empower the community through resource access, capacity-building, and collaborative efforts.
Writing a research proposal
Writing a research proposal can feel like a daunting task, but it’s also an exciting opportunity to bring your ideas to life. It’s your chance to define what you’re passionate about and explain why your research matters.
A good proposal isn’t just a plan—it’s a way for you to organize your thoughts, refine your vision, and share your enthusiasm with others. Whether you're looking for guidance, approval, or funding, this proposal is your personal roadmap.
In this guide, I'll help you break down the process into simple, manageable steps so you can approach it with confidence and clarity. Together, we'll shape your research journey.
See the slide below for tips to prepare a research proposal in computer science or view it here
Characteristics of a research (ref: original resource for this image)
Tips: Create a thesis alignment table for:
Clarity and Coherence: A well-aligned thesis shows logical progression, making it easier for readers (and evaluators) to follow your research journey.
Effective Problem Solving: Ensures that the research systematically addresses the identified problem, leading to more impactful contributions.
Evaluation and Contribution: Allows for clear evaluation of the proposed solution against benchmarks and objectives, demonstrating real-world contributions.
In the slide above, I have provided some examples of a commendable work by my postgraduate student, who graduated in 2022, Mr Eee Yeo Keat. See his viva slides here. Please kindly cite us!
Keat, E. Y., Sharef, N. M., Yaakob, R., Kasmiran, K. A., Marlisah, E., Mustapha, N., Zolkepli, M. (2022), "Multi-Objective Deep Reinforcement Learning for Recommendation Systems," in IEEE Access, (10)1: 65011 - 65027, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3181164.
Keat, E. Y., Sharef, N. M., Kasmiran, K. A., Yaakob, R., (2020), "LSTM Based Recurrent Enhancement of DQN for Stock Trading", 2020 IEEE Conference on Big Data & Analytics (ICBDA2020)
Please also see the viva slides of Dr. Kulothunkan Palasundram, my PhD student, who graduated in 2023. See his viva slides here. Please kindly cite us!
Palasundram, K., Sharef, N. M., Kasmiran, K. A., Azman, A., (2020), "Enhancements to the Sequence-to-Sequence Based Natural Answer Generation Models", IEEE Access, 8(1), pp. 45738 - 45752
Palasundram, K., Sharef, N. M., Kasmiran, K. A., Azman, A., (2021), "SEQ2SEQ++: A Multitasking-Based Seq2seq Model to Generate Meaningful and Relevant Answers", IEEE Access, vol. 9, p.164949-164975, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3133495.
Click the link below to download documents that provide more tips:
Chosen field/subfield (e.g., AI, security, IoT, etc.)
Aligned with your interest and current trends
Preliminary discussions with supervisor/mentor
Searched and reviewed key papers (Google Scholar, IEEE, ACM, etc.)
Summarized key findings and methods
Identified knowledge gaps
Created a bibliography using a reference manager
Clear problem statement written
Research questions or hypotheses developed
SMART objectives set
Scope of the study defined
Appropriate research design selected (experimental, empirical, etc.)
Justification for the methodology documented
Tools, software, or datasets identified
Risks and limitations considered
Designed system/model/algorithm architecture
Selected programming language and frameworks
Implementation or prototype started
Version control (e.g., Git) set up
Collected or prepared dataset
Experiment/test case design complete
Data preprocessing done
Ethical approval (if needed) obtained
Selected appropriate evaluation metrics
Results analyzed (quantitatively/qualitatively)
Benchmarked against baselines
Visualized results (charts, tables)
Drafted paper/report/thesis
Sections written: Abstract, Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion
Figures, tables, and citations included
Proofreading and formatting complete
Target journal/conference identified
Submission formatted as per guidelines
Paper submitted
Presentation slides/poster prepared (if needed)
Received and reviewed feedback
Identified improvements or extensions
Considered publication, open-source release, or next research stage
Created a timeline with milestones
Regular progress tracking/logging
Backup and data storage managed
Budgeting (if applicable)