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

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
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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.