soa+d research manual - School of Architecture and Design, KMUTT

SOA+D
RESEARCH
MANUAL
2012/13

CONTENTS
PREFACE 05
PART ONE
RESEARCH IN ARCHITECTURE, ART AND DESIGN 06
WhAT is REsEARch? 06
TyPEs Of REsEARch 07
Why REsEARch mATTERs 07
PART TWO
SOURCES OF RESEARCH FUNDING 08
sOA+D REsEARch fuND 08
sOA+D REsEARch PREsENTATiON fiNANciAl suPPORT 09
KmuTT REsEARch fuND 09
KmuTT REsEARch PROjEcTs fuNDED by NATiONAl REsEARch cOuNcil 09
KmuTT REsEARch PREsENTATiON fiNANciAl suPPORT 10
KmuTT fEE fOR PublicATiON iN AN iNTERNATiONAl jOuRNAl 10
KmuTT suPPORT fOR ENglish chEcKiNg fOR iNTERNATiONAl jOuRNAl 10
TRf ThAilAND REsEARch fuND 10
culTuRAl PROmOTiON DEPARTmENT fuND 11
OThER sOuRcEs Of fuNDiNg AND suPPORT 11
PART ThREE
SOA+D RESEARCH FUND PROCEDURES 12
PART fOuR
INFORMATION 14
sOA+D REsEARch cOmmiTTEE 14
sOA+D REsEARch mENTORs 15
REsEARchERs cODE Of EThics 15
sOA+D fuNDED REsEARch lAbs/ cENTREs & POlicy 15
REsEARch REsOuRcEs 16
PART fiVE
RESEARCH NOTES 18
cONTENTs
03

PREFACE
Welcome to the updated version of the sOA+D Research manual for 2012/13.
Over the past year myself and the Research committee have attempted to
consolidate and develop the research culture at our school. We have tried
to provide a steady flow of information about research opportunities and to
support you in transforming your interests, inquiries and insights into ‘research’.
Of course, much more needs to be done. To this end we will—amongst other
things— be running more formal research training sessions over the coming
semesters, continuing work on our academic journal and encouraging the
formation of research centres and clusters.
The new manual is divided into five parts. in Part One, you will find a broad
and inclusive definition of academic research and a brief description of the
major research paradigms in architecture, art and design. Part Two, provides
an introduction to the major sources of research funding provided by soa+d and
kmutt. in Part Three, you will find details of the procedures related to the soa+d
Research fund. in Part four, you will find a range of information relevant to
researchers including details of the Research committee and Research mentor
scheme, soa+d’s statement on research ethics and a list of online and library
resources such as databases, catalogues, journals and books. finally, in Part five,
i have included some of the notes i have been using informally with ajarn at the
school. These are meant as introductions to and jumping off points for important
moments in the process of designing, conducting and publicising your research.
They will be contextualised by an annual seminar and training program.
On behalf of the Research committee i hope that you will find this document
useful. if you would like to discuss any aspect of it further or need advice about
making an application for research funding, please do not hesitate to contact me
to arrange a meeting.
Nigel Power
Associate Dean for Research, 2012
PREfAcE
05

06
PART 1
REsEARch iN
ARchiTEcTuRE,
ART & DEsigN
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
inquiry in architecture, art and design covers the full spectrum
of academic research activities. At one pole, it includes research
in the science tradition, with its emphasis on the explanation of
observed phenomena. At the other, it involves inquiry from the
humanities perspective, with its emphasis on the interpretation
of human experience. in between, are various more pragmatic
approaches that focus on application or the development of
practice. interestingly, many research projects in our fields draw
from and weave together ideas and approaches from multiple
systems of inquiry.
Despite this variety and diversity, however, formal academic
research in architecture, art and design shares a number of
broad characteristics with other research traditions. These
show themselves most clearly at the outset of a project—the
proposal—and its conclusion—the outcome—of the research.
Whilst research often begins informally through the inquisitiveness
of the researcher, it starts to take definite shape through
the development of the research proposal. Of course, the form,
content and style of the proposal will vary according to the
nature of the project, the tradition from which it comes and particular
requirements of funding bodies. however, all proposals
should set out the field of inquiry according to widely accepted
academic standards. The definition of a research proposal provided
by the uK Arts and humanities Research council (AhRc)
provides an inclusive and useful example of this. The AhRc
regulations of 2009, describe a successful research proposal as
one that fully addresses all of the following points:
• it defines a series of research questions, issues, themes
or problems;
• it defines aims and objectives of the research project in
relation to these;
• it specifies a research context, establish its significance/
relevance and suggests the ways in which the project will
contribute to knowledge about the context;
• it specifies and justifies a research methodology and states
how the researcher will seek to answer questions, address
the issues raised, or solve the problems, sketched in
1 above.
Of course, the proposal is not a straightjacket or blueprint. in
practice, research of all kinds evolves in response to insights
gained during the course of inquiry. indeed, if it is possible to accurately
predict the outcomes of a research project at the outset,

it is hardly worth doing. Research implies originality, discovery
and an encounter with the unknown. broadly speaking, the
outcome of scholarly research is ‘knowledge’. Research projects
produce, enhance or critique knowledge and, by doing so, may
serve a number of purposes. for example, knowledge may be applied
or transferred to address real world problems or opportunities.
Knowledge arising from research may make a contribution
to discourse or practical understanding within a field or subject.
Knowledge may even be created with no immediate application
in mind but in response to the curiosity of a particular researcher
or research team. Whichever the case, and whatever its final
form, the knowledge that results from academic research is
published in an appropriate forum and
scrutinized by academic peers.
TYPES OF RESEARCH?
At the risk of oversimplification, the major types of research
relevant to art, architecture and design are as follows:
Basic Research
basic research is also known as fundamental or pure
research. it is motivated by curiosity rather than a desire to create
some new application or innovation. for example, speculative
and open-ended inquiries into forms, structures, materials,
processes, representations might be seen as basic research in
our fields. Whilst knowledge is acquired for its own sake, practical
applications and innovations frequently emerge from insights
gained through basic research.
Applied research
Applied research is driven by the desire to solve practical problems
and meet human needs in some way. much conventional
architectural and design research is ‘applied’ in this sense. for
example, ergonomic, psychological and socio-cultural design
research, are—each in their own ways—directed towards
enhancing existing spaces, products and systems, or developing
innovations that fit actual or potential human needs.
Action research
Action research aims to facilitate organizational, social or
cultural change. for our purposes, participatory approaches to
design and community development or research that revolves
around teaching and learning, might be seen as exemplars of
action research in the fields of architecture, art and design.
Practice-based research
in practice-based research, the materials to be studied are
REsEARch iN ARchiTEcTuRE, ART & DEsigN
created by the practitioner during the course of the project.
Practice-based research is a form of inquiry into, through
or about creative practice/ production. Whilst it is usually
associated with the fine arts, its origins are in medicine, and
it is increasingly used in fields as diverse as creative writing,
software engineering and law.
Theory and criticism
Research in theory and criticism investigates the philosophical,
historical and socio-cultural contexts of architecture, art and
design. such research plays an important role in the intellectual
life and dynamics of the creative disciplines.
WHY RESEARCH MATTERS
Research is now a crucial aspect of academic life. it serves as
one of a series of measures of quality and performance at institutional
and individual levels. At an institutional level, research
output is taken as a measure of quality and is used to judge and
rank the university and school nationally. At an individual level,
your own research is one of a number of scholarly activities that
contribute to career progression and academic status. in the
broader sense, of course, research matters through the various
important contributions it makes to social and cultural development
and the growth of knowledge.
07

08
PART 2
sOuRcEs Of
REsEARch fuNDiNg
2.1 THE sOA+D RESEARCH FUND
2.1.1 Purpose
The sOA+D Research fund exists to support research projects
carried out by faculty and staff. Overall, it aims to encourage
the development of a vibrant research culture at the school by
providing financial and other forms of support for new research
projects. As such, the fund is an ideal vehicle for learning the
fundamentals of academic research or developing expertise
in a particular area of academic inquiry. The sOA+D Research
fund is also open for proposals requesting seed funding for the
establishment of research clusters, centres or groups.
2.1.2 Eligibility
The fund is open to all sOA+D academics and staff, regardless
of contract, qualifications and nationality.
2.1.3 Priority
Whilst the Research committee will be positively consider all
types of research project, priority will be given to those that:
• integrate research with teaching and involve the participation
of students;
• involve multiple disciplines;
• have tangible benefits in social, cultural and/or disciplinary
terms.
2.1.4 Details
budget: Varies
Duration: one year (maximum)
submit: all yEAR
method: sOA+D Research Proposal form (sOA+D-r1)
Review: internal/external review (field committee)
2.1.5 basic application process
• The Project leader contacts the Associate Dean for
Research for an initial discussion;
• The Project leader completes and submits the sOA+D
Research Proposal form sOA+D-r1) see page 18;
• The Project is reviewed by the field committee:
successful proposals are forwarded to the Research
committee for consideration (if unsuccessful, it is returned
to the Project leader with recommendations for corrections/
revision
• After agreement at Research committee, it is sent to
the Executive committee for final approval

2.1.6 Additional funding for English support
sOA+D also makes a small amount of money available for
English checking and correction of conference papers and journal
articles. The process here is simple: 1) contact Khun Aoy and
provide her with a letter of acceptance and your paper;
2) contact the school’s English language lecturers to see if they
are available to help; 3) if not, ask for recommendations of
qualified candidates that can help; organise for the corrections
to be made and a receipt to be issued
2.2 THE SOA+D SUPPORT FUND FOR
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2.2.1 Purpose
sOA+D provides financial support for the presentation of a
research paper at either national or international academic conferences.
funding can be used to cover travel, accommodation,
registration and other legitimate expenses.
2.2.2 Eligibility
The fund is open to all sOA+D academics and staff, regardless
of contract, qualifications and nationality.
2.2.3 Details
budget: 25,000 baht (maximum) per person year.
submit: all year.
method: submit proposal to Khun yaowaluk Dara at
the Dean’s Office.
Review: Dean and Executive committee.
2.2.4 conditions
The total budget is 1,000,000 baht per year. usually, only one application
per person per year is allowed. however, under special
circumstances, further funding
2.3 THE KMUTT RESEARCH FUND
2.3.1 Purpose
The KmuTT Research grant aims to increase the research
output of the university by encouraging new and early career
researchers. The funding is ideal for researchers who would like
to increase the scope and scale of their project and to leverage
other sources of funding.
2.3.2 Details
budget: 100,000 baht per project per year.
submit: All year.
method: submit 4 copies of KmuTT Research fund Proposal
form (KmuTT1, available at
http://www.kmutt.ac.th/rippc/html/kmutt1. doc)
to RiPPc, 7th floor President’s building, KmuTT
2.3.3 conditions
• Project should have proper mentor, and the applicant has
not received previous support from the research fund.
• Project has not requested other sources of financial support
• No remuneration for researcher.
• Applicant must submit two copies of progress report
every six months.
• Applicant must submit two unbound copies of draft
final report after project completion.
• After approval of draft report, two copies of complete final
report and digital files must be submitted.
• The project must be published in conference proceedings or
national/ international journal.
2.4 KMUTT RESEARCH PROjECTS FUNDED
bY THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THAILAND
2.4.1 Purpose
To encourage KmuTT ajarn to apply for funding from the
National Research council of Thailand (RiPPc). Researchers are
requested to submit proposals to the university for collation and
prioritization, prior to submission to the council
2.4.2 Eligibility
This fund is open to Thai faculty.
s0uRcEs Of REsEARch fuNDiNg
2.4.3 Details
budget: Open
submit: july to October each year
method: submit Research Proposal form (form-1d available
at http://eval.nrct.go.th/images/
stories/report/model%20v-1d.doc) to school
Research committee. The committee will forward
proposals to RiPPc.
Review: Proposals reviewed by NRcT.
09

10 sOuRcEs Of REsEARch fuNDiNg
2.5 KMUTT RESEARCH PRESENTATION
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
2.5.1 Purpose
KmuTT provides financial support for the presentation of a
research paper or poster at international academic conferences.
funding can be used to cover travel, accommodation, registration
and other legitimate expenses.
2.5.2 Eligibility
The fund is open to all KmuTT academics and staff, regardless
of contract, qualifications and nationality.
2.5.3 Details
budget: 50,000 baht (maximum) per person year.
method: Applicant should submit the form R-1
(available at http://www.kmutt.ac.th/rippc/
html/vj1.doc) enclosed with acceptance
letter of international conference and details
of all expenses to the Dean (including
financial support from the organizer of
conference or other sources).
Review: internal review.
2.5.4 conditions
After receiving three supports (100,000 baht maximum), no
further support is available until research presented at conference
is refined and revised for publication in an international
refereed journal. support for presentation will then be available
as normal.
Applicants must not be subject to disciplinary investigation,
have permission to present academic work, and/or the work is
accepted for publication/ presentation.
Applicants must have proper work-load according to university
regulation.
The academic work should be conducted in Thailand and be
approved by the school. Applicant must submit one copy of
the conference Proceedings, either hard copy or digital format/
presentation posters to the university.
2.6 KMUTT FEE FOR PUbLICATION IN
AN INTERNATIONAL jOURNAL
2.6.1 Purpose
The purpose of this fund is to support researchers whose work is
published in an international refereed journal.
2.6.2 Eligibility
The fund is open to all KmuTT academics and staff, regardless
of contract, qualifications and nationality.
2.6.3 Details
budget: 40,000 baht (maximum) per person year.
submit: All year round.
method: submit the form R-1 (available at http://
www.kmutt.ac.th/rippc/html/vj1.doc)
with acceptance letter from the journal and
details of all expenses to the Dean. Proposals
reviewed by the university.
2.6.4 conditions
The fee is based on actual expenditure. The journal should be
recognised by the university. The academic work should be
conducted in Thailand and be approved by the school/ department.
The applicant must submit one copy of published journal
to the university.
2.7 KMUTT SUPPORT FOR ENGLISH CHECKING
FOR PUbLICATION IN INTERNATIONAL
jOURNALS
2.7.1 Purpose
The university provides support for the refinement of manuscripts
that will be published in an international journal.
2.7.2 Eligibility
The fund is open to all KmuTT academics and staff, regardless
of contract, qualifications and nationality.
2.7.3 Details
budget: 5,000 baht (maximum) per manuscript per year with
a maximum of 10,000 baht.
submit: All year round.
method: submit the Request form (available at http://
nru.kmutt.ac.th/download/25531123-ask-
update.doc) to RiPPc, 7th floor President building,
KmuTT. Applicant can select either employ own
proofreader or request the university to provide
one. (in case request the university to provide
proofreader, digital file need to submit or send via
email to nru@kmutt.ac.th)
2.7.4 conditions
support is based on actual expenditure.

2.8 TRF THAILAND RESEARCH FUND
2.8.1 Purpose
The Thailand Research fund exists to support the development
of high-quality research by early/ mid-career Thai academics.
2.8.2 Eligibility
• Applicants must have Doctoral degree obtained not more
than five years before the application date;
• Applicants must be working in the Thai academic or
government sectors;
• The research must be proposed by the applicant and her
mentor with an acceptance letter from affiliation;
• The research must be conducted in Thailand and not be a
thesis or dissertation;
• The applicant should not be being an executive (chair of
Program or higher) and not over 45 years of age.
• The applicant must be able to spend at least 20 hrs/ week
for Research work.
2.8.3 Details
budget: 240,000 bht. (maximum) per year per project
submit: Around November.
Duration: 2 years (maximum).
method: submit 6 copies of Proposal form (available
at http://www.kmutt.ac.th/rippc/htm/
formnew.doc) enclosed with executive
summary, cV of applicant and mentor to
RiPPc, 7th floor President building, KmuTT.
RevieW: by RiPPc.
2.8.4 conditions
The research must conducted in Thailand, except with express
permission from the National Research council. The research
should have the quality to be published in an international journal
with the applicant as the corresponding author and mentor
as second author. NRc will give remuneration to the applicant
of 10,000 baht per month (120,000 baht per year). Remaining
budget is to be used for conducting the research project.
2.9 THAILAND CULTURAL PROMOTION
DEPARTMENT FUND
2.9.1 Eligibility
focus on research that strengthens cultural aspects
of Thai society, solves cultural problems, preserves and develops
local wisdom and self-sufficient economic
development. faculty or faculty student teams may apply.
suRcEs Of REsEARch fuNDiNg
11
2.9.2 Details
budget: tbc
submit: may
method: submit 25 copies of digital research proposal
to: research.docp@gmail.com
2.9.3 conditions
• Applications from institutions, groups or individuals
supported by an official letter that confirms the
ability of the applicant(s).
• fulfill all criteria according to addendum (see below).
• Receive no financial support from other funding
sources.
• The project should be completed within 6 -12 months
of signing the contract.
2.9.4 further information
www.culture.go.th/thai/images/stories/news/11111111/03.doc
2.10 OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING
& SUPPORT
Along with the above, there is a whole range of external sources
of research funding. These include: branches of supra-national
organisations such as the European union and AsEAN; national
bodies including both governmental and non-governmental
organisations; charitable foundations and trusts; and, of course,
the private sector. Occasionally, these approach the school or
university to propose research projects. usually, however, it is
down to individual researchers or teams to identify and potential
partners.

12
PART 3
sOA+D REsEARch
fuND PROcEDuREs
& PROcEssEs
4.1 APPLICATION PROCESS/ PROCEDURE
FOR THE SOA+D RESEARCH FUND
1 The Project leader contacts the Associate Dean for
Research for an initial discussion;
2 The Project leader completes and submits the sOA+D
Research Proposal form sOA+D-r1) to Khun Aoy);
3 The Project is reviewed by the field committee;
4 The Project is discussed at the Research committee
where the following decisions can be made:
4.1 Proposal requires further work
Proposal returned to the Project leader with advice on
correction/ amendments;
4.2 Proposal is successful (though it may require amend-
ment). The Project leader is asked to complete and
submit the amended research proposal and memo
(sOAD-r2) to the Associate Dean for Research;
5 The Associate Dean for Research submits the
research proposal to the school committee for
approval;
6 The secretary of school committee reports the
decision to the Research committee;
7 The Research committee informs the project leader
that they may begin the research;
8 The project leader sends a memorandum to withdraw
budget in the first phase from the finance Division
according to the contract (sOAD-r3);
9 The finance Division then takes control of the
procedure and reports the budget withdrawal in each
phase to the Research committee.
4.2 PROCEDURE TO WITHDRAW bUDGET IN EACH
PHASE (WITH PROGRESS REPORT)
1 submission of Research Proposal (sOADr-1) to the
secretary of the Research committee.
2 Research committee monitors progress and
expenditure according to research contract form.

3 Research committee comments to the finance Division.
4 finance Division takes control of the procedure and
releases the budget according the contract.
5 finance Division reports the budget withdrawal to the
Research committee
4.3 PROCEDURE TO SUbMIT DRAFT RESEARCH
REPORT (FOR LAST PHASE bUDGET
WITHDRAWAL)
for researcher’s funded by the school, the following steps are
required for completion:
Expert Review
1 The Project leader completes the final Report of the
project;
2 The Project leader locates at least one external
expert to review and approves with the Research
committee;
3 The Expert reviews the Report and comments using the
Expert Evaluation form (sOADr-4);
4 The Project leader reviews the Report based on the
Expert’s comments.
Submission of Report
The Project leader sends to the Associate Dean for
Research and the secretary of the Research committee:
1 last Phase budget form (sOADr-5);
2 Two copies of the draft complete report;
3 Expert’s acceptance form.
Review by School Committees
1 The Report is reviewed by Research committee and
forwarded to the school committee with comments.
2 The Research committee send comments to the
finance Division which: a) approves budget as
per contract; b) sends details of expenditure to the
Research committee.
sOA+D REsEARch fuND
13
4.4 PROCEDURE TO SUbMIT THE COMPLETE
RESEARCH REPORT & ACTUAL ExPENDITURE
SUMMARY
1 Draft Report
Project leader submits two copies of the draft report to
the Research committee.
2 Review
Research committee reviews the report and gives
comments to Project leader.
3 Corrections
Project leader amends report and sends the corrected
version to the Associate Dean for Research.
4 Submission
Project leader submits three copies of the amended
report with digital files on cD and all expenditure
records with receipts (sOADr-6) to the Associate Dean
for Research
5 Final Review
Research committee conducts final review and passes
on to the finance Division.

14
PART 4
iNfORmATiON
SOA+D RESEARCH COMMITTEE
The purpose of the Research committee is to oversee the development
of research at sOA+D. This task focuses of two major
areas of activity. firstly, the development, implementation and
evaluation of strategies and tactics. secondly, the processing of
necessary business that arises during the course of the semesters.
To make this happen, we meet at least once per semester
and once in the inter-semester period. in the meantime, day-today
business is managed by the Asssociate Dean and a small
working team made up of Ajarn Pimpaporn and Khun Aoy.
Chairperson
Associate Professor Nigel Power
External Member
under consideration
Members
Dr. chokeanand bussarakampakorn
Dr. chanyaporn chuntamara
Ajarn.Pimpaporn Dechvijarnkit
Ajarn jung-chul hur
Dr. budsakayt intarapasan
Ajarn David mrugala
Assistant Professor Dr. sakol Teerawaranyou
Assistant Professor Dr. chujit Treerattanaphan
Officer
ms. yaowaluk Dara
Secretary
mr. Pongsak Kitirojpan
cONTAcT DETAils
for general inquiries, contact Khun Aoy in the Dean’s
Office. To discuss any issues relating to your own research
or the research policy and direction of the school more
generally, feel free to contact Nigel Power.
Khun Aoy: yaowaluk.dar@kmutt.ac.th
Ajarn Nigel: ipetower@kmutt.ac.th

SOA+D RESEARCH MENTORS
sOA+D has appointed a team of experienced researchers to act
as Research mentors. Our aim here is to aid in the development
of effective and high-quality research at the school. The role of
the Researcher mentors is:
1 To work closely with sOA+D researchers to ensure the
quality, integrity and success of their inquiries:
2 To provide guidance, support and professional advice to
sOA+D researchers during the research process;
3 Offer advice and support on ways of maximizing the impact
and value of research outcomes.
List of SOA+D Research Mentors
Assistant Professor supawadee boonyachut
Dr. chokeanand bussarakampakorn
Dr. Nuttinee Karnchanaporn
Associate Professor Nigel Power
Dr. Weeraphan shinawatra
Assistant Professor Dr. sakol Teerawaranyou
Assistant Professor Dr. chujit Treerattanaphan
THE SOA+D STATEMENT ON RESEARCH ETHICS
We employ ethical principles to distinguish between acceptable
and unacceptable behaviour. in the same way, research ethics
define a set of behavioural norms for the researcher. They are
a guide to action. The statement below synthesis a number of
widely accepted statements and policies on research ethics.
Honesty
Researchers should demonstrate personal and professional
honesty in their work. This includes, the truthful reporting of
research outcomes, diligence in the citation of sources and
care to avoid plagiarism, misrepresentation, fabrication and/ or
overestimation.
Professionalism
Researchers should have proficiency in, and experience of, their
field of inquiry, keep full records of every aspect of their work
and maintain proper relations with all research collaborators.
iNfORmATiON
15
Integrity
Researchers should honour commitments made to others, be
they research subjects, colleagues or funding partners. Their
conduct should, at all times, be based on truthfulness, accountability
and openness.
Objectivity-reflexivity
Researchers should strive to avoid bias at all times in their work.
This means recognizing the personal and situational influences
that frame the design, conduct and interpretation of research
activity.
Respect (human subjects)
Researchers should respect the rights, dignity and privacy of
their subjects, and ensure their personal safety. They should
work openly and honestly with their subjects at all times.
(Non-human subjects) take great care when conducting research
involving animals, plants, natural resources and the environment.
Openness
Researchers should operate openly, invite, respect act upon the
opinions and criticisms of others. All aspects of research should
be open to scrutiny. The exception to this are those aspects of a
project subject to commercial confidentiality or the requirement
to protect the rights, dignity and privacy of research subjects.
Freedom of expression and opinion
it is the right and duty of the researcher to express themselves
freely and openly.
Ethical awareness
Researchers should keep abreast of discussion, debate and
developments in the area of research ethics.
SOA+D RESEARCH LAbS
At present, sOA+D has one well equipped and fully functioning
research lab/ centre—the human=centred Design lab. Run by
Ajarn sakol, this lab provides state of the art facilities for the pre
and post-production testing of products, systems and services.
Whilst the lab grew from work in the industrial Design Program,
much of the technology can be re purposed for use by other
disciplines and for non-testing purposes. A second lab—the
lighting Research lab—is currently under development. We are
very keen to nurture and support further research (and development)
labs, clusters and centres. Please contact us if you would
like to discuss how we might make this happen.

16 iNfORmATiON
RESEARCH RESOURCES
Research requires intellectual and physical resources. At the
centre, these are provided by two major components of the
university: the RiiPPc and the university library system.
Research and intellectual Property Promotion centre
http://www.kmutt.ac.th/rippc/peng47.htm
iNfORmATiON sysTEms
Knowing what has been said and done about your research area
is an essential part of any research project. The quickest way to
find out is by searching through bibliographic indexes/ databases.
bibliographic databases will provide you with the reference
to a journal article, catalogue or book which you will then need
to use to search for the on or off-line resource. KmuTT provides
access to a range of databases through the library service (as
well as to full text articles from many journals)
To find out what is available through KmuTT library, visit
http://www.lib.kmutt.ac.th/services/research/onlinedbs.jsp
At present, we are working to help the university extend the
range and scope of both its databases and portal/ journal subscriptions.
given the nature and history of the university and the
relative novelty of research in art, architecture and design, the
bulk of current resources are skewed towards the had sciences.
bear with us. We are lobbying for the Design and Applied Arts
index (DAAi)—a database covering designers, studios, workshops,
firms, interior design, architecture, graphic design, fashion,
textiles, photography—and subscription to a good humanities
portal to be included in the portfolio of on-line resources.
lisT Of AcADEmic jOuRNAls
Peer reviewed academic journals are the pinnacle of recognition
for academic research. We are currently in the process of
developing our database of academic journals and proposing
these for recognition by KmuTT. The major journals in our fields
ranked in order of significance are (please note, We are currently
building a contact and details database for these and other
relevant journals.):
Design studies
Design issues
international journal of Design
Design journal
journal of Design history
journal of Design Research
Artifact
Design Philosophy Papers
Applied Ergonomics
Visible language
Design management journal
Design Research Quarterly
fashion Theory
human-computer interaction
interacting with computers
information Design journal
journal of Technology and Design Education
Digital creativity
journal of Product innovation management
Design management Review
Visual communication
Design and Technology Education
Environment and Planning
journal of Architectural Education
journal of interior Design
Architectural Review
communication Arts
ijournal of interior Design
home cultures
international journal of Product Development
journal of Design Principles and Practice
journal of Research Practice
journal of Visual culture
October
baseline
harvard business Review
harvard Design magazine
it should be noted, however, that academic journal publishing
has become deeply political and like most parts of life the
subject of relentless commodification. subscription to journals is
often extremely expensive and, as many are increasingly arguing,
is become a fetter on the development of knowledge and
progress. for those interested in following this debate see:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/11/academic-journals-access-wellcome-trust?iNTcmP=sRch
A good alternative to the academic journal scam is to use, support
and publicise the Open Access journal movement. These
are free and on-line, and academically credible. see for example:
The Directory of Open Access journals at:

http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=home&uilanguage=en
or the free or substantially free offereings at:
http://jurn.org/directory/
sOA+D AcADEmic jOuRNAl
in 2013 sOA+D will launch its own international academic
peer reviewed journal in open access format with print annual
compendium. more information on this will be provided dearer
to the date.
REsEARch bibliOgRAPhy
Qualitative research and ethnography
mats Alvesson and Kaj sköldberg Reflexive methodology: new
vistas for qualitative research (sage, 2000)
Paul Atkinson and martin hammersley Ethnography: Principles in
Practice (Routledge, 1995)
Paul Atkinson et al. handbook of Ethnography (sage, 2001)
marcus banks Visual methods in social research (sage, 2001)
mW bauer and g gaskell Qualitative Researching with Text,
image and sound: A Practical handbook (sage, 2000)
howard s. becker Tricks of the trade: how to think about your
research while you’re doing it (university of chicago Press, 1998)
ina bertrand and Peter hughes media Research methods: Audiences,
institutions, Texts (Palgrave, 2004)
Norman Z. Denzin and yvonna s. lincoln (eds) The sage handbook
of Qualitative Research (sage, 2011)
Research methods, design and practice
john W. creswell Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and
mixed methods approaches (sage, 2003 2nd edition)
margrit Eichler Nonsexist research methods: a practical guide
(Allen & unwin, c1988)
floyd j. fowler, jr. survey Research methods Third Edition (1987
3rd edition)
bill gillham case study Research methods (continuum, 2000)
Ann gray Research practice for cultural studies: ethnographic
methods and lived cultures (sage, 2003)
D j greenwood and m levin introduction to Action Research
(sage, 1998)
susanna hornig Priest Doing media research: an introduction
(sage, 1996)
geoffrey Keppel and Thomas D. Wickens Design and analysis: a
researcher’s handbook (Prentice hall, 2003 4th edition)
c marshall and gb Rossman Designing Qualitative Research
(sage, 1995 3rd edition)
j. mason Qualitative Researching (sage, 2002)
iNfORmATiON 17
gary mcculloch Documentary research: in education, history and
the social sciences (Routledge falmer, 2004)
jon Prosser (ed.) image-based research: a sourcebook for qualitative
researchers (falmer Press, 1998)
clive seale (ed) Researching society and culture (sage, 1998)
Anselm strauss, juliet corbin basics of qualitative research :
grounded theory procedures and techniques (sage, 1990)
Robert yin case study Research – Design and methods (sage,
2003 3rd edition)
Academic Writing
stephen bailey Academic Writing: A handbook for international
students (Routledge, 2006)
caroline brandt Read, Research Write: Academic skills for Esl
(English as a second language) students in higher Education
(sage, 2008)
sandra hargreaves study skills for Dyslexic students (sage,
2007)
jenny moon learning journals: a handbook for reflective
practice and professional development (Routledge, 2006 2nd
edition,)
Angela Thody Writing and Presenting Research (sage 2006)
mike Wallace and Alison Wray critical Reading and Writing for
Postgraduates (sage, 2006)
Practice-based Research
Estelle barratt and barbara bolt (eds) Practice as Research: Approaches
to creative Enquiry (ib Tauris, 2006)
lesley Duxbury, Elizabeth m grierson & Dianne Waite Thinking
Through Practice: Art as Research in the Academy (RmiT
Publishing, 2008)
carole gray and julian malins Visualizing Research: A guide to
the Research Process in Art and Design (Ashgate, 2004)
mika hannula, juha suoranta, Tere Vaden Artistic Research:
theories, methods and Practices (gotesborgs universitet and
Academy of fine Arts, helsinki, 2005)
brenda laurel (ed) Design Research: methods and Perspectives
(miT, 2003)
E.lupton and j.Abbott miller Design, Writing, Research – Writing
on graphic Design (Phaidon, 1996)
Katy macleod and lin holridge (eds) Thinking Through Art
(Routledge, 2005)
g. Rose Visual methodologies: An introduction to the interpretation
of Visual material (sage, 2001)
graeme sullivan Art Practice as Research: inquiry in the Visual
Arts (sage, 2010 2nd edition)

18
PART 5
REsEARch NOTEs
1
WRITING AbSTRACTS FOR ACADEMIC
CONFERENCES & ARTICLES
WHAT IS AN AbSTRACT?
An abstract is a short and self-contained summary of and
introduction to your research project. Whilst an abstract usually
summarises ‘completed’ research and is produced after the
project is ‘written up’, there are cases were an abstract is
written before the work is finalised. Whilst abstracts serve
a number of important purposes, in this brief note i want to
focus on one of these; ‘the call for abstracts’ made by local and
international academic conferences.
THE CALL FOR AbSTRACTS
& THE PROCESS OF REVIEW
Abstracts are frequently used as a ‘first filter’ by academic
conferences. conference organisers will call for the submission
of research abstracts by a given date. After the deadline, a team
of expert peer reviewers—usually two per paper —will read
submitted abstracts and evaluate them according to a set of
generic and conference specific quality indicators. Put crudely,
the reviewers will make the following judgements about each
abstract:
• is it comprehensible
• is it relevant
• is it original
• is it coherent
in my experience, reviewers will spend between 40 to 60
minutes per abstract depending on the intricacy of the theme
and the need to follow up claims and check references. it is
important, therefore, that, regardless of the complexity of the
argument developed in the paper, the abstract adopts a relatively
‘neutral’ register and aims for a clear and concise description of
the project.
if your abstract convinces the reviewers, you will be invited to
prepare the ‘full paper by a specified deadline. like the abstract,
your paper will be peer reviewed and either accepted, accepted
with suggestions for modification/ corrections or rejected. i will
return to the problem of writing the full paper in a later note.
WRITING THE AbSTRACT
it is important to note that not all abstracts are the same. An
abstract written for a scientific conference is different from

one written for the humanities: disciplines and traditions vary
in terms of reviewer expectations, emphasis, structure and
style. The aim of scientific research is to describe and measure
phenomena and the abstract will summarise the scope, purpose,
methodology and results of the research. in humanities research,
the emphasis is on interpretation rather than validation, and the
abstract will summarise the thesis, context and conclusion of the
research study.
The best way to develop your understanding of the way that
different intellectual fields report their research is to search
out and read abstracts and papers from a range of different
conferences. Of course it is of particular importance that you
familiarise yourself with the nature and expectations of any
conference to which you decide to submit your abstract.
bearing in mind the differences mentioned above, it is useful to
remind yourself that, in the final analysis, your abstracts should
outline your response to the following elements (though not
necessarily in this order):
1 Motivation/problem: What practical, scientific, theoretical or
artistic issue/problem does your research address? Why would
anyone care about this? Why do you care about it?
2 Methods/procedure/approach: how did you address the issue
or seek to solve the problem? for example: simple: we carried
out a number of interviews, we took a series of photographs, we
did content analysis of an issue in the news; more complex: we
took a series of photographs of people at the heart of an issue
covered in the news and interviewed them about press coverage.
3 Results/findings/product/ outcomes/ discoveries: what did you
learn, uncover, discover, prove ...
4 Conclusion/implications: What are the implications of point
3 for point 1? Are there any other implications (personal,
disciplinary, socio-cultural and so on and so forth)?
SOME ExAMPLES
The examples that follow are drawn from a range of disciplines
and traditions. They also demonstrate another factor that you
should bear in mind: length. Abstracts vary in length from
conference to conference. some can be as short as two hundred
words. Others can reach eight hundred. At this length, the
abstract becomes known as an extended abstract and
REsEARch NOTEs
19
will require a greater level of detail and a set of references. The
abstracts below are presented as food for thought. it might help
to read them critically using the four point plan opposite as a set
of criteria or questions: e.g. how well does the abstract report its
results? or describe its motivation? or relate its methodology to
its issue/theme/problem?
An (annotated) example from an SOAD MfA student
[motivation/significance] This project investigated the sociocultural
role and personal significance of the postcard. The
project originated in the researcher’s own experience of
maintaining contact with friends and family whilst working in
an alien culture. it explored the communicative potential and
meaning of the postcard at multiple levels: the subjective,
the touristic, the historical and the theoretical. [methodology]
The researcher used a practice-based research methodology.
Theoretical studies and field research formed the basis of a
series of experimental design projects. [results] The problems,
issues and discoveries encountered were captured in the
concept ‘closing the distance’ and these were synthesized in a
final conceptual installation. [implications] The project provided
the opportunity for an extended and in depth-exploration of an
issue through design practice. As such it enabled the researcher
to: 1) develop her critical and creative abilities; and , 2) provide
an original creative response to a topic of cultural interest.
An example from design research
The notion of sustainable design has become increasingly
prominent within the design community. As a result, numerous
design theories, strategies and tools are available to designers.
yet, limited attempts in the field evaluate these activities by
placing them in relation to each other or within the broader
context of sustainable development. based on a literature review
this study develops an integrated framework which connects
the areas of sustainable development and sustainable design.
This framework may be utilised in two ways: firstly, to visualise
the interdependencies of sustainable design and sustainable
development; secondly, as an assessment tool to measure and
compare the potential of sustainable design activities/properties
of a material might be needed in an embodiment design.
considering these points, it is appropriate to say that design
related disciplines require different materials selection tools and
methods (than those used in engineering and materials science)
which can be used in different phases of a design process and
support designers in understanding both tangible and intangible
aspects of a material.

20 REsEARch NOTEs
An example from product design
This project presents a summary of a successful design,
fabrication and testing of wind turbines mounted on a car roof
for the purpose of extracting power from the kinetic energy
(dynamic pressure) contained in the wind flow around the
car. The placement of the turbine was based on aerodynamic
considerations. Various design concepts were tested and
evaluated. Drag tests were conducted that showed the turbine
did not negatively impact vehicle performance. NAcA (National
Advisory committee for Aeronautics) ducts were evaluated
and shown to offer additional choice for turbine design and
placement. The results obtained from the tests conducted in this
research demonstrate the feasibility for the efficient extraction
of energy from wind flow around an automobile. literature
research consisting mainly of a review of NAcA reports
supported the findings of this study.
An example from art history
for his Arcades Project, a study on cultural history of nineteenthcentury
Paris, Walter benjamin researched not only french
literature but also visual sources, a fact that has hitherto largely
escaped scholarly attention. The particular images that benjamin
refers to in his notes range from fine arts to popular imagery. by
virtue of the fragmented and unfinished character of benjamin’s
project, and his brief and allusive comments on the referenced
images, their original purpose within the larger structure of the
work remains unclear and can only be reconstructed following
contextual clues. benjamin’s other theoretical writings on art
provide revealing hints, as do the art historical methods with
which he was familiar – like those of Alois Riegl, Eduard fuchs
or Aby Warburg – but neither of them can fully explain the
specific methodology in the Arcades Project in this area. The
work’s innovative interdisciplinary approach manifests itself in
its inclusion of images which were neither studied in art history
nor in the context of other historical disciplines at the time, and
its emphasis on interrelations between text and image. Rooted
in close investigation of benjamin’s particular image material
and its historical context, my project seeks to analyse the
specific approach towards art and visual history in benjamin’s
research, in relation to the larger context of critical cultural
studies in the 1930s.
An example from design history
in this paper we consider methodological and philosophical
issues arising from our ongoing inquiry into the interplay of
design, everyday life and modernity in Thailand. in 2002 we
began a series of investigations that took as their starting point
a single domestic appliance, the electronic rice cooker. This now
ubiquitous product was introduced into the Thai market in 1957
and quickly displaced traditional means and methods of preparing
and cooking rice. by engaging this ubiquitous yet overlooked
product using a range of systems of inquiry we sought to register
aspects of the intricate, though usually invisible tissue, that
connects design and its users to their socio-cultural contexts.
Through critical reflection on this research, we address a cluster
of issues of relevance to design researchers in Thailand today
and discuss our responses to them. in so doing, we hope that our
experience will prove useful for researchers working in Thailand
(and similar contexts) who are also seeking to construct critical
design histories by situating material and semiotic artefacts in
the multiple material and discursive contexts within which they
always and only make sense.
An example from the fine arts (practice-based)
in the ceramic work of scandinavian artist, Arne Ase, watersoluble
materials such as titanium sulphate, cobalt chloride,
tungsten oxide, molybdenum chloride, and selenium chloride
are utilized as decorative elements on his porcelain forms. such
chemicals are not of common use in the ceramic arts because
of the expense of the raw materials and the possible hazards
of working with these chemicals. however, these colorants can
create subtle yet breathtaking effects, including hues of black,
blue, yellow, or pink, that blend with the surface of the clay,
as if the porcelain vessel were a watercolor painting. it is his
research, which i have expanded upon and integrated into my own
ceramic work. Additional colorants have been tested, including
iron sulphate, cobalt sulphate, and copper sulphate. A different
firing atmosphere has been incorporated in the research, as well
as two porcelain bodies, to expand the palette of colors that can
be obtained. The most successful test results have been applied
to my porcelain forms, which include a wide variety of functional
objects, in order to contribute to my ongoing exploration of
personal expression through the medium of clay.

2
REVIEWING THE LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
The literature review is an essential component of every
research project. like many aspects of research inquiry it
differs in its role, purpose and even position within the research
process. in the conventional investigation, for example, the
review occurs before the design of the methodology (and indeed,
plays an important role in the research design). in grounded
theory, it is prohibited to carry out a preliminary literature review
as this might interfere with a more direct and unmediated
encounter with the research subject. in some conventional
research, the review is limited to published research on the
topic of inquiry. in practice-based research, the review includes
examples of semiotic and material culture as well as a broader
range of theoretical texts.
Nevertheless, every research project will involve a ‘literature’
review of an appropriate kind and in this note i will offer a brief
overview of this important aspect of research inquiry. my method
here will be a little different from other Research Notes in that
i will mainly use the words of another. That is, quotations and
paraphrases from the excellent book Doing a literature Review
by chris hart (2000).
WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW?
The literature review is integral to the success of your academic
research project. but what is it? Put simply it:
is the selection of available documents on the topic [...] and the
effective evaluation of these in relation to the research being
proposed.
The overall purpose of the review is:
to show command of the subject area; understanding
of the problem; to justify the research topic, design and
methodology.
more specifically the review serves two essential functions:
researchability and scoping:
A major benefit [...] is that it ensures the researchability of
the topic before ‘proper’ research commences [...] it is the
progressive narrowing of the topic through the literature
review that makes most research a practical proposal.
According to hart, this is no easy or quick matter:
Narrowing down a topic can be difficult and can take several
weeks or even months [...] time and effort carefully expended
at this stage can save a great deal of effort and vague
searching later.
hart also outlines a useful summary of the review:
REsEARch NOTEs
21
We can say that the review serves at least the following
purposes in research:
1 distinguishing what has been done from what
needs to be done;
2 discovering important variables relevant to
the topic;
3 synthesising and gaining a new perspective;
4 identifying relationships between ideas and
practice;
5 establishing the context of the problem;
6 rationalising the significance of the problem;
7 enhancing and acquiring the subject vocabulary;
8 understanding the structure of the subject;
9 identifying the main methodologies and techniques that
have been used;
10 placing the research in a historical context and showing
familiarity with state-of-the-art developments.
GETTING STARTED
The starting point for any review is topic definition. This is an
important step and should not be skipped because of knowledge
you may think you already have of the field:
start with some general reading to familiarize yourself
with the topic. consult subject specific dictionaries and
encyclopaedias. Take notes on the concepts used and which
authors are cited. Prepare a list of terms for further searching.
begin to think about the shape of the topic so that you can
map it out at a later stage.
Once you have established an overview, it is time to scope the
review:
Ask questions about which language or languages it might be
necessary to search” what time frame i.e. how far back you
might need to search; what subject areas might be relevant.

22 REsEARch NOTEs
make a list of the terms and phrases you will use to search:
this is known as the search vocabulary.
The search vocabulary is then put to work in the various
domains of knowledge you propose to survey. it is important to
keep an open mind at this stage and not to be locked into a set
of terms prematurely. in all likelihood your search vocabulary
will be modified in the light of the act of searching (as your
knowledge grows newer more precise terms will present
themselves and some originals may outlive their usefulness).
READING TO REVIEW
Reading to review is different both from reading for pleasure
and from in-depth reading that will provide the intellectual
background to your research approach. As such, it has its own
dynamic, structure and methods. Reading to review:
has the goal of producing a product: an analytical evaluation
of the research on your topic. This means that you are
expected to unravel the reasoning that informs the research
and arguments that you find in the literature.
some of the aspects of texts you will aim to identify are:
arguments, events, motives, evidence, styles, hypotheses,
conclusions, justifications, theories, precedents, definitions and
problems. hart suggests a four stage theory to help reviewers
structure their encounters with a text:
1 Skim read: read quickly noting structure, themes, style,
approach, theories and references used to develop argument
2 Overall survey: quickly read each part of the work and note:
your aim here is to get a better sense of the content and
structure of the work; identify parts that are of particular
interest to your topic or theme
3 Read the introduction carefully: try to identify the logic
behind the work and any signposts for parts of it that are of
interest to your inquiry
4 Target read: work through and make notes on those parts of
the book that are relevant to your inquiry or needs
THE REVIEW: AN OVERVIEW
An idealised shape of the review would look something like this:
1 Background information/ ideas search begin topic mapping
sources: encyclopaedias, dictionaries, text books, library
catalogues
Outcomes: initial topic map, search vocabulary, provisional
list of key concepts and authors
2 Focus topic and analyse information needs
sources/ who: subject librarians, guides to the literature
Outcomes: identification of key sources
3 Detailed search of sources and construction of initial
bibliographies
sources: abstracts, indexes, electronic sources,
bibliographies, dissertation abstracts, conference
proceedings
Outcomes: lists of relevant literature
4 Secondary evaluations of the literature
sources: citation indexes
Outcomes: citation map of topic
CONCLUSION: SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THE
REVIEW SHOULD ANSWER
What are the key sources?
What are the major issues and debates?
What are the key theories, concepts and ideas?
What are the political stand-points?
What are the origins and definitions of the topic?
What are the main questions and problems that have been
addressed to date?
how is knowledge on the topic structured?
how have approaches to these questions increased our
knowledge and understanding?
AND, cRuciAlly
in which ways are the above significant for your inquiry?
FURTHER READING
by far and away the most comprehensive introduction is:
hart, c. (2000). Doing a Literature Review: releasing the social
science research imagination. sage.

3
PARADIGMS, STRATEGIES & TACTICS
(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS METHODOLOGY)
INTRODUCTION
At the heart of any research project is the question of
methodology. As it usually understood, methodology simply
means the selection of appropriate methods (ways of gathering
data) and means of interpretation of the results so gathered.
That is, your methodology comprises the set of methods that
you hypothesise will provide you with the means to answer the
questions that drive your research inquiry.
Whilst this is a useful way of starting to think about questions
of methodology—a heuristic if you will—it’s apparent simplicity
veils a set of more complex and contested ideas. in this brief
note i want to explore these issues in a fairly straightforward
way and, in doing so, raise a set of questions that you might
consider as you carry out your research and work out the
thinking behind it.
PUTTING METHOD(OLOGY) IN CONTExT
One way to clarify and extend your thinking about methods and
methodology is to make use of a modified version of a model
suggested by the architectural researchers and educators groat
and Wang (2002). This model is based on three nested moments
in research, each of which frames—and therefore influences—
the others inside it. by inserting the conventional language of
research into the diagram we immediately notice something.
methodology—usually seen as a high level concern—is in fact
presented as a mid-level activity nested in more general field;
the system of inquiry or, as lincoln and guba put it, the research
or inquiry ‘paradigm’.
sysTEms Of iNQuiRy (PARADigms)
sTRATEgiEs gROAT AND WANg’s
TERmiNOlOgy (bAsED
ON liNcOlN & gubA ,
AND KAPlAN)
TAcTics
mEThODs
mEThODOlOgiEs
figuRE 1: adapted from groat & Wang (2002)
?
cONVENTiONAl
TERmiNOlOgy
REsEARch NOTEs
let’s look at it in a little more detail by working out from the
middle towards the edges—from the specific to the general, if
you will:
Tactics refer to the specific procedures and processes adopted
in a research project—a survey say, or a period of participant
observation and a photo-set (methods in the above terms).
Strategies refer to the overall research approach (methodology
in the above terms). i will discuss some major strategies below.
Tactics are chosen that will help meet aims, questions and
objectives laid out in the strategy;
Paradigms—the missing element in the conventional approach
opposite—are the philosophical assumptions or worldview that
frames an inquiry. Why is this significant? Well, we all operate
in relation to a belief system and this determines how we make
sense of the world. yet these systems are often hidden from
us, or simply appear as natural or common sense. similarly,
research inquiry operates via a set of broad belief systems and
these guide (perhaps pre-consciously) the researcher’s choices
and perspectives. given that the major paradigms operate
on radically different conceptions of ontology—the nature of
reality—and epistemology—how we come to know the real—
it should become clear how important it is to be aware of the
philosophical dimensions of our research.
Researchers have identified a range of ways of classifying the
major inquiry paradigms. in figure Two (overleaf) i provide a
slightly modified version of guba and lincoln’s (1994) influential
model of these for your information. Whilst it is beyond the
scope of this brief note to discuss this in detail, suffice to say
that three important points should be born in mind as you design
your inquiries: 1) it is important to articulate your worldview
and that adopted in your research to avoid prejudice; 2) in your
research there should be a coherence between your paradigm,
strategy and tactics; 3) however, this is best seen in relational
and dialectical rather than causal terms; 4) moreover, the choice
of paradigm does not determine strategies or preclude particular
approaches. That is, within each paradigm it is possible
to choreograph multiple and various strategies and tactics
depending on the particular requirements of the inquiry.
RESEARCH STRATEGIES
in Architectural Research methods (2002) groat and Wang
outline seven Research strategies. The notes below are loosely
23

24 REsEARch NOTEs
Paradigm Positivism Post-positivism critical theory constructivism
Ontology:
Nature of reality
Epistemology
Nature of knowledge and
relation between knower
and known
Strategy
methodology
Naive realism: an
apprehendable “real”
reality exists ‘out there’
Dualist/ objectivist: its
findings are true
Experimental: verification
of hypotheses. chiefly
quantitative in outlook
figuRE 2: adapted from guba and lincoln (1994)
critical realism: “real”
reality probabilistically
apprehendable
based on these, though i have added two—practice as research
and action research—and renamed others. They are offered
as brief introductions and in the text named above and in the
Research Resources section on page sixteen of this manual, you
will find detailed discussions of these.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is a multi method strategy that emphasises
the study of social phenomena in their natural settings. Typically,
qualitative researchers make use of a range of research tactics
such as: interviews; surveys; focus groups and various forms of
observation. many of these methods have been adapted for use
in Design Research.
Critical and cultural inquiry
Researchers using this cluster of strategies focus on the critical
interpretation of social phenomena and cultural artefacts
and systems. Typically, researchers make use of qualitative
methods and/or theoretical tools drawn from philosophy such as
phenomenology, semiotics, marxism, psychoanalysis.
Experimental research
Researchers design, conduct and evaluate controlled observation
of variables in order to verify or falsify a hypothesis or to
arbitrate between competing accounts of the truth. Experiments
are controlled, systematic and repeatable processes.
Simulation and modeling
Researchers replicate real world phenomena and their contexts
in order to study dynamic interactions in the system. simulations
are used to model and predict. Widely used in architecture and
the various engineerings.
Action research
Researchers aim to facilitate organizational, social or cultural
change by working with their subjects to identify and solve
problems or deal with issues. for our purposes, participatory
approaches to design and community development or research
modified dualist/
objectivist: its findings are
probably true
modified experimental:
falsification of hypotheses.
Qualitative methods may
be used to counter problems
in positivism
historical realism: reality
shaped and veiled by
social, cultural, political &
economic processes
Transactional: values
mediate findings
that revolves around teaching and learning, might be seen as
exemplars of action research in the fields of architecture, art
and design.
Case studies
Researchers conduct an empirical inquiry into a contemporary
phenomenon— person, event, debate, project, policy, institution,
and so on. case studies are often characterised by the use of
multiple methods.
Practice as research
Researchers conduct inquiry through the creation, theorisation
and dissemination of cultural works (images, musical
compositions, video programs, interactive installations and so
on). Researchers frequently synthesise creative practice with
other research methods.
Design research
Researchers make use of multiple methods (drawing on a range
of strategies) to develop understanding of users and their world
so that new designs are fit for people and situations of use.
FURTHER READING
The ideas in this note are drawn primarily from:
Relativism: local & specific
constructed realities
Transactional/ subjectivist:
findings are co-created
Dialogic/ dialectical hermeneutic/ dialectical
guba, E. & lincoln, y. (1994). competing Paradigms in Qualitative
Research. The Handbook of Qualitative Research. sage
for an introduction to how these might be applied to
architectural research and practice, see:
groat, l. & Wang, D. (2002). Architectural Research Methods.
Wiley

4
THE CONFERENCE PAPER
WHAT IS A CONFERENCE PAPER (FOR)?
A conference paper presents research findings or reports
on work in progress. in academic terms, its purposes are: to
encourage you to articulate your thinking/ practice so that
it is accessible to a broader audience; to test out your ideas
in the academic community; to establish the significance of
your research and position it in relation to current discourse
about your subject; and, in doing the above, to elicit feedback
and critical questions from your peers. Whilst the conference
paper can be an end in itself it is more often a staging post in
the development of your research, an important moment that
will help you to clarify, reshape and question aspects of your
project or move your written response to it towards a journal,
book chapter or other more developed forum.
Typically, a conference paper is a fairly short piece of
academic writing and, like all genres, it has its own registers
and conventions. Whilst these vary between disciplines and
traditions, a fairly common feature of all is an emphasis on
clarity and intellectual generosity. The conference paper
is rarely, if ever, a place for experimentation. Rather it is a
medium for summarising and making explicit (aspects of) your
research work (which may of course be experimental and
highly speculative) and the thinking behind it so that others can
respond to it. it is important before writing the paper, therefore,
to remind yourself of the particular role of the conference paper
within academic life and not to confuse it with other writing
genres such as the essay, position paper or article.
most traditions have particular expectations about the
structure and style of a conference paper. however, these are
more elastic than one would imagine and different conferences
within the same discipline might well request different paper
formats and structures. in the field of computer science,
for example, Acm main conferences require papers to be
formatted according to a provided template that specifies in
detail every aspect of the written submission. The Acm sig
on interaction design, on the other hand, is far more flexible,
encouraging authors to adopt a style and format for their paper
that is appropriate to its content. Whatever the case, the
crucial things here are: 1) that you familiarise yourself with the
requirements of the conference you are writing for; 2) that you
read through examples of previously published papers to get a
sense of what is possible given these requirements. and
REsEARch NOTEs
25
are: clarity, generosity, integrity and modesty. The first two
are discussed above. The latter two though, might need a
brief introduction. it is important that any claim you make
is supported by argument and your argument by evidence
(i will discuss the concept of ‘argument’ in a later note). A
conference paper is not normally the place for idle speculation,
unsubstantiated opinions or polemic. it is also important
that you do not overstate the significance of your research or
exagerate its originality. One by-product of seeking out and
making sense of research that also engages your subject or is
relevant to it, is likely to be a developing feeling of modesty, a
recognition of debt to others and a greater sense of belonging
to an intellectual community.
STRUCTURE OF THE CONFERENCE PAPER
given the above discussion, let’s look briefly at some architypal
structures of conference papers from disciplines and traditions
relevant to sOAD faculty and staff.
Applied research
broadly speaking, the role of the conference paper in applied
reseach is explanatory. The paper sets out and analyses a
problem, proposes a response in relation to other work in the
field, and reports on the outcomes of a particular approach to
the solution. consequently, Technical Papers tend to adopt a
fairly uniform structure:
1 introduction
statement of problem
2 literature review
review of state of the art literature and identification of gaps or
inadequacies that the research will address
3 methodology
description and justification of methodology
4 results
presentation of the solution and claims for its significance
5 discussion
discussion of the solution, its relationship to other solutions
and its potential and weaknesses
6 conclusion
Humanities research
in the humanities — for example, literary studies, art history,
cultural studies, philosophy, design studies — the author of the
conference paper sets out to establish and support a ‘thesis’
by analysing primary sources (in art history or design studies
these might be books, pictures, compositions, objects, spaces)

26 REsEARch NOTEs
synthesising ideas drawn from secondary materials (histories,
theories, anthropologies, personal accounts). The importance of
a short, clearly defined and carefully expressed thesis cannot
be overestimated in papers of this type.
here, the role of the research is interpretive. Whilst the
detailed structure of humanities papers varies greatly, it is safe
to say that they will comprise three major elements:
1 introduction
presentation of main thesis and the author’s ‘take’ on it,
introduction to the topic/theme/subject, positioning in relation
to relevant research (see Research Note Two) and introduction
to the structure of the paper/argument
2 main body
construction of arguments (claim/ evidence/discussion cyles)
that build support for and ultimately justify the main thesis
3 conclusion
summary of paper, discussion of open questions and caveats
(areas glossed over or omitted)
To some extent, papers in other disciplines share something
of both models sketched above. for example, social science
papers are often structured in ways similar to those of the
humanities. however in very many cases, there is a also a
need for greater emphasis on the design and justification
of methodological choices, for example, research design,
selection of subjects, sample sizes, variables, measures of
validity/reliability and so and so forth.
What then of conference papers in architecture and design?
is there a specific structure or approach? No. There is no
off-the-shelf model that you can use to turn each inquiry into
a conference paper. Whilst in some cases a pure ‘applied
research’ framework might be appropriate, in others something
closer to a humanities, social science or, increasingly a hybrid
model drawing upon and synthesising multiple approaches,
might well be necessary. illuminating examples of each of
these can be found by trawling through the conference archives
of organisations such as the Design Research society (DRs)
or cumulus. in some papers, headings such as ‘methodology’
and ‘results’, and figures such as technical diagrams and tables
of statistics, indicate a scientific emphasis. in others, more
descriptive headings and diverse imagery, suggest the adoption
of the interpretive agenda of the humanities. Others still,
integrate both and other orientations, often in novel and
distinctive ways.
Whichever structure you adopt to tell the story of your
research, it is worth reminding yourself of the following points:
Clarity: make your ideas accessible, avoid jargon, define
important concepts and methods; above all, imagine and write
for your audience
Immediacy: put your thesis/problem at the very beginning of
your paper (introduction), make it short, punchy and clear —
outline your particular ‘take’ on it
Context: establish your credibility by demonstrating your
knowledge of cognate research and relevant theory
Coherence: develop your argument by carefully presenting and
analysising appropriate evidence
WRITING STRATEGIES
Writing a conference paper presents a particular set of
challenges. for one thing, the paper’s length — usually
between 2 to 6,000 words — means a considerable amount
of what you have to say has to be put to one side. for another,
your paper will need to address an audience that is likely
to include both subject experts and academics with a more
general interest in your work. furthermore, the conference
paper serves two purposes, to be read and to be heard, and
will consequently exist in two registers: the written and the
spoken.
Whilst each of us invents our own ways of developing
conference papers, in my experience there is something to be
gained by playing off the peculiar relationship between the
written and spoken that lies at their heart.
The obvious way to surf the interface between written and
spoken is to complete the paper then extract from this the
key points for the presentation, simplifying the language and
emphasing structure and argument cues that work better in
the spoken rather than the written register (again, i will return
to this in a later note). many people do this succesfully and it
might work for you. indeed in some fields this is a necessary
move on the part of the researcher. in phenomenological
research for example, writing is an integral part of the
research process and plays a central role in the production

of knowledge. in some areas of anthropological inquiry, the
research thesis emerges and is shaped whilst drafting the
review rather than before it.
An alternative is to work — counterintuitively perhaps —
from presentation to paper. given that the typical conference
presentation is some twenty minutes long, this has the
advantage of focusing your attention on what needs to said in
order to establish, further and defend your argument. To this
extent the approach can pay double dividends. firstly, it saves
time and energy you would spend writing up aspects of your
research that might not be directly relevant to your confernce
paper. And, secondly, it helps clarify your thinking, sculpt your
argument and develop its fit for your audience
in practical terms, i often begin by carefullyreviewing the
abstract. from this i attempt to unravel the promise it contains
from the broader network of ideas, methods and discoveries
that comprise the research overall (rather than the aspect(s)
of it to be addressed in the paper). usually this results in
a scrappy, colour-coded diagram of that maps key ideas,
references, relationships and structures. from this, i then
work out an extended draft presentation using index cards
(avoid powerpoint at this stage as it introduces delusions of
completion and finish into what needs to be a fairly messy
process). When ‘read’ this one comes in at about 50 minutes
and comprises between 20 to 30 slides. i then try to reduce
this dramatically to the requisite 20 minutes by relentlessly
shaving away unecessary detail, digressions, pomposities and
affectations, and redundant links in the chain of argument.
The result? A presentation comprising somewhere between
6 and 15 (content) slides. somewhere in between these two
poles, lies the conference paper, made lean and mean by the
process of editing yet containing enough detail to communicate
and contextualise the research. Obviously perhaps, but
worth restating nonetheless, the paper itself is best written
iteratively and will benefit from the advice of a critical friend at
the draft stage.
5
THE CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
REsEARch NOTEs
27
WHAT IS A CONFERENCE PRESENTATION?
Presenting a paper at conference is an important moment for
you and the progress of your research. it is here that you enter
into dialogue with a critical and scholarly community and your
argument or findings are scrutinized by your academic peers.
A good presentation will stimulate discussion within—and
sometimes even beyond—the session. it will encourage your
audience to read your paper in full. many useful suggestions and
significant contacts emerge in this way. it is also, of course, an
academic rite of passage.
it is important, therefore, that you pay great attention to the
process of transforming your written text into an effective and
engaging verbo-visual presentation. in this note, i make some
suggestions that will, i hope, help you to prepare and deliver an
effective and engaging presentation.
THE CHALLENGE(S)
At first sight the problem is a trivial one. you already have a
completed conference paper, all you need to do is to make it
shorter. however, the reality is somewhat different and a whole
series of challenges present themselves when we attempt to
transform an academic paper into a conference presentation.
carefully considering and working through these is, i believe, the
best way to lay the groundwork for your talk.
TWENTY MINUTES IS A VERY SHORT TIME
The first challenge is, perhaps, the simplest: what to leave out.
A typical conference paper is between four and seven thousand
words long. A typical conference presentation lasts twenty
minutes. Research shows that a twenty minute presentation
would—if read from a script—comprise approximately eight
sides of double-spaced, conventionally margined, twelve point
text (set in a standard serif font such as Times New Roman),
approximately two and a half thousand words. The challenge
is to distill your paper, to make it shorter in such a way as to
preserve its fundamental insights.
Experienced researchers tend to address this challenge in one of
two ways:
The first is to summarise each section of the paper (introduction,
literature, methodology and results, for example). however,
whilst this approach appears to be the simplest it is not without

28 REsEARch NOTEs
its own problems and can lead to presentations that appear
rushed, shallow and, consequently, do not engage the audience.
The second also summarises the paper but does so in a more
flexible and open way. usually, you already have a distilled and
user-friendly version of your paper. Where is it? in your paper:
the introduction. your introduction summarises your research
and outlines your argument/ findings. Whilst it is too short to
simply read it (see below), it can serve as a useful framework
within which other material can be included to produce a more
balanced presentation.
inexperienced researchers do neither, they attempt to say
everything, speak as quickly as possible, skip through large
chunks of their eighty or more slides and when told to finish are
mid way through their introduction. Don’t go there, it’s not pretty
for presenter and audience alike.
bearing these comments in mind, the question still remains: but
what do i leave out? Whilst there is no off-the-shelf answer to
this a rule-of-thumb might be useful: prioritise and allocate time.
firstly, prioritise your material: what can you not do without,
which parts of the paper can be put to one side? for example,
in a twenty minute presentation there is little time to dwell
on the review of literature. far better to simply establish your
theoretical/ philosophical framework and mention key sources
than go into great detail. if anyone in your audience wishes to
question you about this they can do so in the Q and A session.
Once you have decided what to include allocate rough time
percentages to each component.
STRUCTURE & RHETORIC
(OR THE RHETORIC OF STRUCTURE)
The film director jean-luc godard famously noted that
every movie has a beginning, a middle and an end, but, “not
necessarily in that order”. The same goes for your presentation.
Does it follow the same conventional pattern mentioned
already above—introduction, methods, findings, discussion, for
example—or do you begin with your findings, move back to your
methods and conclude with a discussion.
The issue here is one of rhetoric. Rhetoric is an Aristotelean
concept that simply means the art of persuasive argumentation.
Every presentation is an argument (an argument in favour of the
argument expounded in your favour). The various presentational
choices you make will all impact on how well you convince your
audience of the relevance and rigor of your inquiry.
for example, decisions about structure and order are rhetorical.
Decisions about presentational media (see below) are rhetorical.
Decisions about the design of slides if you use them—
typographic treatment, colour, animation—are rhetorical.
Decisions about the relative formality of your speech are
rhetorical. Decisions about how you dress are rhetorical.
in making these decisions, much depends on what you want to
achieve with the presentation, what you want to communicate
about yourself and the nature and expectations of your audience.
for example, it has become a convention in certain conferences
for male presenters to wear a suit and tie. A decision not
to follow convention might be seen as transgressive or a
statement of difference. in either case the issue at stake is one
of presentation of self. in Asian countries, institutional image
often trumps personal expression, hence the tendency to follow
Western conventions of formal dress. in the West itself, a far
greater latitude is given and there is even a certain expectation
that architects, designers and artists will both flout conventions
and express individuality through their self presentation (the
architect’s bow tie?). At a recent design science conference i
attended every key note speaker dressed conventionally bar one.
The main keynote presenter—the celebrated veteran cognitive
scientist Donald Norman—delivered his speech wearing old
jeans, sneakers and an open neck shirt.
PRESENTATIONAL ERGONOMICS
Nevertheless, some of the issues mentioned above are not
simply rhetorical but ergonomic. you can’t persuade someone of
the merits of your argument if they can’t read your text because
it is too small, set in a blackletter gothic typeface or its colour
merges into the background. Every formal issue for you is always
a perceptual issue for your audience. That means a careful
consideration of the needs of your audience when making
choices about how you communicate your ideas.
This is true of each medium that you use. you will, for example,
need to make sure your audience can hear what you are saying
when you deliver your presentation. however, it is particularly
important that your visual material—text and image and other
media—are appropriately formatted for the perceptual needs of
your audience.
how? There are now plenty of books offering career salvation
through Powerpoint presentation. some of these offer good
advice. There are also numerous standards on offer that
advise about issues of legibility and accessibility. i would

suggest, however, that you fall back on your professional
skills as designers, artists, communicators and educators. The
presentation is like a mini-lecture. Deploy the same techniques
you would use to attract, sustain the interest of and inform your
students and things should go well.
One particular issue that might be worth thinking through,
however, is the use of redundancy to increase comprehension.
Redundancy simply means making the same (or similar) point
in multiple ways at the same time using different sensory
channels; reading and listening, for example. The theory is that
redundantly coded messages are more effective because a
failure to get one part of them is compensated for by another.
many road signs, for example, make redundant use of colour,
shape, images and words to reinforce their message. The use
of spoken and visible language (projected text) is, of course
common in presentations. some researchers argue, however,
that this strategy is particularly important for multi-lingual
audiences who may be more proficient in reading that listening
(or vice versa). Whatever the case, there is something to be said
for using more text than bullet points at times like these. give
the audience something to read or see whilst they listen.
PRESENTATIONAL MEDIA
These days there is little choice here. most conferences expect
you to produce a Powerpoint. many require it. is this a good
thing? Well, nobody—apart perhaps from bill gates—planned
it that way. There is, however, plenty of critical discussion about
the malign impact that Powerpoint has had on the way in which
we communicate and encounter knowledge. if you are interested
you might looks at the musician and artist David byrne’s work
that subverts the ideology of Powerpoint whilst celebrating its
creative and communicative potential (http://www.davidbyrne.
com/art/eeei/)
TO READ OR NOT TO READ?
i have already alluded to the this challenge above. Put simply, do
you prepare a script and read it or adopt a more conversational
tone? This is a difficult and sensitive question. On the one hand,
a prepared script is, perhaps, the safest way to deliver your
presentation. you can draft, preview and hone it prior to the
presentation. This can help calm nerves and build confidence. On
the other, ‘read’ papers can be extremely dry and, frankly, boring
for your audience. On the other, a presentation improvised
around your slides is a risk for all but the most experienced
presenters. finding a middle way that suits you is essential.
REsEARch NOTEs
29
some alternatives. memorise a script. forget it, it’s like
reading from the paper only weirder (unless you are a really
good performer). memorise the argument and express it in a
conversational way on the day. better, but how? 1) go from
paper to rough draft of what you want to say. go from there to
index cards and from there to the design of your slides. 2) Rough
draft the presentation by sketching text and image on index
cards (the advantage of both the above is that you can quickly
and easily add, subtract, reorder the material.) 3) Again using
index cards, prepare a small set (one per slide) that contains
bullet points, key words and important phrases. briefly glance
at these whilst the audience peruses your slide (the advantage
of this is that it builds in pauses to your presentation and gives
you and the audience time to think). 4) Design memory aides into
the slides. Obvious, that’s what Powerpoint is for. Well yes. but
by creatively thinking about how you combine word and image,
how you diagram your ideas, you can produce interesting visuals
that simultaneously deliver for your audience and support your
presentation.
ON THE DAY
common sense. get there early. load your presentation onto the
computer or make sure that the connection to your own works.
Try to meet with the session chairperson to introduce yourself
and your work. make sure that they know who you are (name,
institution, paper title etc.). make sure that your presentation
contains contact details front and back. Take your business
cards. have some extra copies of the paper to distribute. Present
to your audience. make eye contact. Pause. speak clearly.
common sense, yes. Easy to do, no.

30 REsEARch NOTEs
6
THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
INTRODUCTION
Writing a research proposal is a complex and difficult task. it
requires the articulation of project aims, objectives and methods
and the relationship between the proposed inquiry and existing
work in the field. Done well and it can focus the inquiry and kick
start the research. Done badly and it will do neither. in this note
i introduce the sOA+D Research Proposal form. This aims to
help you clarify and structure your thinking. you can the get the
form from the Research website. Whilst other forms that you
encounter will differ from this in various ways, the particular
components and their interconnection are commonly used.
MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE PROPOSAL
Research Field:
Describe the research field as clearly and concisely as your
can, e.g. architectural materials research, user-ethnography,
community development through co-creation, historical research.
Introduction to the research:
Provide an overview of the research including: what it is about
(major issues and sub-problems), where it came from (e.g. gap
in the literature, personal experience, development of previous
research, contact with user/client), and why it is needed (by
whom and for what purpose).
Statement of Purpose:
make a concise and clear (re)statement of your purpose. it may
help to think of this section as an abstract.
Literature review and conceptual framework:
summarise and synthesise the key research, theoretical and
other sources relevant to your own study. Done well, the review
will establish a conceptual framework for your research: a
network of ideas, precedents and people that can help you
frame, contextualise and critically evaluate your inquiry.
Research questions:
Draw up a detailed list of research questions (the questions
you will need to answer in order to order for your research to
succeed).
Research methodology and methods:
break this section down into three parts as follows,
1) your paradigm (see note 3 above); 2) methodology/strategy:
the overall approach you will take (for example, anthropologically
inspired community development, action research in the design
studio, practice-based inquiry into drawing and memory); 3)
methods/tactics: describe in as much detail as possible your
research methods and techniques. Put simply this means, what
you will do in order to find answers to the questions in 8 above
(for example, method 1: participant observation; technique
photographs, audio recordings and field notes. method 2: expert
interviews …. and so on; 4) A justification for adopting this
approach.
Expected outcomes/ benefits:
make a clear, concise and concrete statement of what you want
to achieve by carrying out this research. Detail who will benefit
and how? Describe what will change and how?
Scope of work:
Outline the division of work to be carried out, break this down
into specific tasks with deadlines.
Period of study:
One year maximum for sOA+D funded projects. specify start and
end dates as accurately as you can.
Detailed schedule:
Provide a detailed month-by-month account of the project in the
form of a diagram. indicate key delivery points and dates.
Equipment and tools required:
Provide a detailed description of the tools, technology and media
required for this project. break this down into two sections:
existing tools; tools to be purchased and d how you will use
these.
References:
Provide a detailed list of references used in developing this
proposal. you may wish to divide this section into two parts:
1) references cited in the proposal; and, 2) general references.
Please make use of a recognized referencing system throughout
the proposal (e.g. APA, chicago etc.).

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
KiNg mONgKuT’s uNiVERsiTy
Of TEchNOlOgy ThONbuRi