Working for “Academic Research”

R Widodo D Pramono
MPWK-UGM
Purpose of Academic Research
• Present Research Findings: the key outcome of
the investigation. It is basically a key fact which you can discover during an
investigation. Research findings are facts and phrases, observations, and
experimental data resulting from research

• Reveal Scientific Facts: undeniably true statement

accepted by the science community. It can be proven to be correct
through observations and testing

• Invent Scientific Law: or laws of science

are statements, based on repeated experiments or observations, that
describe or predict a range of natural phenomena

• Present Model:
• Propose theses--→ Theory
Theories Level
Howell (2013) defines a typology of theories into five levels:

1. Teori Individu (Personal theorizing): Refleksi mengenai pengalaman

individu dalam kaitannya dengan gagasan atau alasan yang lebih luas. Individu
berteori dalam kaitannya dengan pengalaman dengan mempertimbangkan
fenomena empiris dalam kaitannya dengan fenomena nonempiris.

2. Teori substantif /Model: Teori substantif lebih sistematis daripada

teori individu, tetapi mengacu pada pengalaman, baik melalui kombinasi diri
sendiri atau interpretasi individu peneliti sehingga terjadi pengumpulan dan
sintesis antara teori dan praktik. Teori substantif dibangun atas dasar data yang
dikumpulkan, analisis data, dan konsep-konsep yang kaya akan situasi-situasi
tertentu. Model merupakan perspektif yang disederhanakan dari fenomena.
Teori substantif berasal dari satu area atau bagian tertentu dari penelitian dan
dapat diidentifikasi dengan menguraikan teori ke dalam bagian-bagian
penyusunnya.

3. Teori meso : Teori-teori kelas menengah yang mengacu pada teori-teori

dan model-model substantif yang telah dibuktikan.

4. Teori besar (grand theory): Teori besar melibatkan kombinasi dari Individual Theorizing
teori meso dan teori meso kombinasi dari teori substantif.

5. Filosofi: melibatkan abstraksi total dan hubungan yang terbatas dengan

praktik.
“Theses” (=Individual theorizing) definitions,
some examples
A thesis is an idea or theory that is expressed as a
statement and is discussed in a logical way
• an idea or opinion that is put forth in a discussion or Debate

• a doctrine maintained or promoted in argument

• an unproved statement, especialy one put forward as a premise in an

argument

• a proposition stated or put forward for consideration, especially one to

be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections

• a dissertation on a particular subject in which one has done original

research, as one presented by a candidate for a diploma or degree.
Theses examples
1. Capability as a part of “development as freedom”, which is defined as the opportunity level to perform/to choose
functionings is the right concept to measure wellbeing.

2. Functionings is the ability to ‘do’ or to ‘be’', comprising production as well as consumption activities

3. Functionings can exist only if there are assets, a term to include material (money, goods, infrastructures), or non-
material (health, knowledge, skills/abilities, relationships, organization, social environment, political conditions), of
which a person has property right or access rights, and from which a person might benefit.

4. Assets, which can be classified further as ITA (Individual Tangible Assets), PTA (Public Tangible Assets), IIA (Individual
Intangible Assets), SIA (Social Institutional Assets), and EIA (Economic Institutional Assets), determine the level of
capability due to the level of their availability and the level of benefits to people’s functioning. The existence of
assets can be helpful/supporting or constraining. Assets provide materials, abilities, and circumstances for people to
undertake particular activities (consuming or producing).

5. Preference on functioning is idiosyncratic i.e. contextual and relative based on the combination of several factors
such as personality, time, and place. Therefore the measurement of capability level can be accomplished through
perception. This can be done through perceptual evaluation on its factors that is assets availability and function.
 Theses examples
6. The relativity of people’s evaluation of their well-being also shows that people value assets idiosyncratically:
the same assets can mean different things to different people and different places. Personal characteristics
such as age, historical experiences, profession, and particular circumstances surrounding them determine the
way people value and use assets. Therefore, people do not measure the level of their well-being based on the
actual state of assets, but by comparing the state of them at different time period. Changes, either
improvement or deterioration are more strongly perceived rather than actual states.

7. Individual Tangible Assets and Individual Intangible Assets are strongly attached to individuals so that they can
be seen as individuals’ assets. Meanwhile, the other groups of assets; PTA, SIA, and EIA, are more likely
attached to geographic location or community characters which are aggregated and or related to geographical
location, so that they can be called “place’s assets”.

8. A very important concept emerging from this research in comparison to Sen’s Capability theory is that Place’s
assets have a substantial impact on capability and well-being of a community, in particular because place-
attributes determine the variety and quantity of opportunities. Therefore, planning serves to enlarge
functionings and to improve the capability of people and their spatial context overall. Although the goal of
regional development planning is to enhance an individual’s quality of life, this fact would actually direct the
planning profession to make place-assets a priority in plan-making.
Theses Production PHASES & OUTPUTS

Theses
Data
Proposal Fieldwork Formulation,
Compilation
Development Research Report-
& Analysis
Publications

RESEARCH DATA FINDINGS PUBLISHED

DESIGN THESES
Research Proposal & Theses QUALITY CHECKING

RESEARCH PROPOSAL THESES

• ACCEPTABLE due to • CLEAR statement (s)

• Has a social as well as • DEFENDABLE
• SCIENTIFIC context • Valid data
• DOABLE • Reliable Method/technique
• Method/technique of
• data collection • INFLUENTIAL to the way of
• Analysis thingking and working
• cost
Good Chapter 5 of Theses Book/report

• There is a clear thesis statement,

• resulting from a sufficient discussion of the findings with

newest relevant theories (state of the art),

• there is clarity of contribution in reducing gap theory,

therefore contribute for emerging of SotA (has novelty)
Chapter 1 design (proposal)

Content of Chapter 1
RESEARCH
BACKGROUND Problem
Formulation LITERATURES REVIEWS
Sosial Context Practical Gap
sources (PENELUSURAN PUSTAKA:
Area of
concern
JURNAL, BUKU, PUBLISHED
Acdm Context Theoretical Gap WORKING PAPER)

RESEARCH
QUESTIONS

RESEARCH “RESEARCHS PUBLICATION TARGETING:

OBJECTIVES •Working paper

Orientation
OUTPUT”..... Academic
findings (thesis about) •News paper/magazine articles
RESEARCH •seminar/proseding
CONTRIBUTIONS •Book chapter
(the benefits of • book
researh outputs)
•Jurnal
Academic Contribution

Practical /professional improvement

Contoh artikel dr tesis Mhs MPWK pada jurnal nasional
bereputasi dan proseding Internasional
• JURNAL NASIONAL BEREPUTASI (Sinta 2)
• Consensus on Land Use Change in Bangka Tengah Regency Anik Endah Puspitasari, Retno W.D. Pramono, (2022)
• file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/78677-283624-3-PB.pdf
• PENGADAAN TANAH JALUR KERETA API BANDARA ADI SOEMARMO- SOLO BALAPAN: KEBIJAKAN KONSERVASI VS PEMBANGUNAN INFRASTRUKTUR Tri Idawijayanti & Retno
Widodo Dwi Pramono (2021)
• file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/484-Article%20Text-2268-1-10-20211212%20(2).pdf
• PROGRAM PEMBANGUNAN KAWASAN PERDESAAN: STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN DESA BERBASIS KETERKAITAN DESA-KOTA RURAL AREA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: RURAL-URBAN
LINKAGES DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Firda Diartikaa , Retno Widodo Dwi Pramono (2021)
• file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/34503-142425-1-PB%20(1).pdf
• Mengukur Kesejahteraan Petani Berdasarkan Indeks Kapabilitas Masyarakat: Studi Kasus di Kecamatan Ampek Angkek, Kabupaten Agam. Marlina Wirmas, Retno Widodo DP (in
press)
• Jurnal Agro Ekonomi, Litbang KementrianPertanian Vol 39, No 2 (2021) - IAARD E-Journal
• PENGGUNAAN DISKRESI OLEH KEPALA DAERAH DALAM BIDANG PENATAAN RUANG Erma Ekawati Purnama & Retno Widodo Dwi Pramono (2021)
• file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/1942-Article%20Text-8619-1-10-20210621.pdf
• Role of physical elements in the image formation of a creative city Case study of Pekalongan Batik City Edy Abdurrahman Syahrir, Retno Widodo Dwi Pramono (2021)
• (file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/876-Article%20Text-5114-2-10-20220128%20(1).pdf)
• COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT IN SERUT VILLAGE ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION Permana Arief Mardika Ahmad Sarwadi dan Retno Widodo, DP (2017)
• file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/document%20(5).pdf

• Proseding Internasional
• The Effect Of Regional Capacity On Environmental Losses Due To Drought Disaster In Regencies / Cities In Indonesia, Tri Yoso Astanto; Retno Widodo Pramono
(2020)
• https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9452757
Chapter 1, 2 &3 Relations
Chapter 1 LITERATURES REVIEWS (PENELUSURAN PUSTAKA:
JURNAL, BUKU, PUBLISHED WORKING PAPER)
RESEARCH
BACKGROUND Problem
Formulation

Area of
Sosial Context
Practical Gap Chapter 2 Chapter 3
concern (writen LITERATURES (writen RESEARCH
Acdm Context Theoretical Gap
REVIEWS results) DESAIN)
RESEARCH
Positioning topik dalam
QUESTIONS konstelasi teori, dan Variable/kisi-kisi
temuan2 terdahulu
RESEARCH “RESEARCH Kebutuhan data
OBJECTIVES OUTPUTS”..... Academic Batasan-batasan pengertian
yg akan di pakai
findings (thesis about) Teknik pengambilan
RESEARCH data
CONTRIBUTIONS Pendekatan-
pendekatan/Metode-
(the benefits of Teknik analisis
metode yg dipakai dalam
researh outputs) serumpun

Academic Contribution

Practical /professional improvement

RESEARCH SACOPE/LIMITATION
PROPOSAL substantial design
Problem Formultaion Research Research Expected Finding/ Expected Contributions
Questions Objectives Outcomes
Practical Gap Theoretical Gap Theoretical Practical

Principles • describe empirical •Shows clear •Questioning • activity to be • output/ outcome • can be • can be
problem faced by position/relation to “things” that clarification, correction or
planner/related existing theories
done as effort to resulted through correction, improvement or
theory have not
profession •In some how, State answer research activities stated as enrichment, deeper
(can not be used
•Scope (part of) the un satisfaction to
to) explain why questions research objective further understanding as
area spected as (part of) existing
empirical problem •Can be “yes/no develioment beckground
causes of the problem theoriies , alternative knowledge,
• not to be solved •State the scope of happen. answer”, view example of
directly by the thesis deficiency of •should be element/factor, bad/best practices
existing theory to answered within principles, concept, to as practical
be resolved directly the thesis , based guideline, giving
theory
by the thesis on ersearch principle to
findings practice
Negative situation Negative: Question words: Verb: , to clarify, to Noun:
Key word contradiction, what, where, who, proof, to identify, to
absurd, un clear, how, ho many/much, describe, to explain, to
not enough, not why find, to
clear yet, debatable, construct/model, to
develop, to elaborate,
to detail, to enrich,
Research Background Quality Criteria
• contains a clear statement about the empirical problem of
planning that needs to be contributed to its solution through
the contribution of research findings,

• there is sufficient initial data about the problem's existence,

and

• there are arguments as to why it is an urgent matter (as a

research purpose)
Quality Criteria for Research Problems
Formulation
• Already a brief review of the relevant theories/results of
previous research as an effort to solve similar empirical
problems,

• there is a resume of state of the art

• there are clear statements about the gap between

existing theories that need to be solved.
The Quality of Research Objectives
Formulation
• clear expressed as specific things to be done (verb / gerund),
which are different from research purposes (research
purposes usually exist in the background, or at the beginning
of this section),

• the output CAN BE IMAGINED / OR EVEN REPRESENTATED

• great confidence that output to be achievable with clear steps

as explained in the method
The Quality of Research Contributions
• There is an explanation of certain findings/outputs that are
targeted,

• there is explanation that findings/outpust may contribute

to helped to solve/reduce theoretical gap

• there is an explanation of the influence of these

findings/outputs for the practice of planning area, cities, or
regions
Theoretical Gap
• an area for which theory fall short,
which means also that no publish
theory has addressed the concerned
area
• Found when one reviewing state of
the art
• State of the art is the current
knowledge about the studied matter
through the analysis of similar or
related published work
Exaple of IT State of the Art
Exaple of Transport State of the Art
• outlined recent developments in technology platforms applied in collaborative urban design,
discussing a number of recent examples from cities and districts around Europe
• platforms deal with very large volumes of urban data, efficient communications, management
and organisation of data is crucial for platforms to become tools that support real-time data-
driven decision-making and evidence-based sustainable urban development
• The case study of P2P and community approaches to energy trading and exchange in the
electricity sector as an example of how sharing economy concepts and their enabling technology
platforms can accelerate efforts towards more sustainable urban environments. This recent work
suggests that these platforms can provide strong incentives for citizens to share and trade locally
generated renewable energy, and achieve greater energy independence.
• New platforms designed to facilitate of peer-to-peer economic activity have already had
significant impacts on the transport and housing sectors in many cities, and may have a significant
influence on energy systems of districts and cities, including the further development of zero- and
positive-energy districts
RESEARCH PROBLEM
A research Problem is a question or a problem that has not
been answered by any of the existing studies
or research within such a field. May consist of
1. Empirical gap/problem:
real-world problems related to professional fields that require resolution, but
there is not enough knowledge that must be the basis for action. Empirical gap
usulally become a background of the study rather than as main problem to be
solved dirrecty through one conducted research.
1. Practical Gap/problem:
is the gap in applying Previous Research finding to solve the current problem
face by professionals in the real practice
2. Methodological Gap/problem
the absence of a set of procedures to research effectively, efficient & reliable.
To identify methodological gaps, you must understand the limitation of the
one has already used
3. Conceptual Gap/problem:
Problem arises due to some difference between socoties/profesional mental
model of the application of certain theoretical bases
4. Theoretical Gap/problem:
Also common said as the knowledge gap is that which needs to be filled by new
research either because we know little or nothing. It may involves a missing
piece in the progression of a field of research
State of the Art

• Synonym of Prior Art.

• The level of development to which a particular area of
technicalsubject matter has advanced at a given date, to help
guide research.
• It consists of everything disclosed to the public, including Patents
and non-patent literature.
• In connection with a particular invention, the state of the art is
decisive for the determination of the patentability of the invention
in regard to novelty and inventive step.
• the most recent stage in the development of a product,
incorporating the newest ideas and the most up-to-date features.
• incorporating the newest ideas and the most up-to-date features.
Research Gap for Researcher
• Research gaps as opportunities for researchers.

• It is as valuable as it is to verify previous studies,

• It is also exciting to research an unknown area in a field of study.

• During the last decades, the literature of urban design has been filled with criticism
towards the way it is being practiced and how the process does not ensure the
expected outcomes. The gap between disciplinary dreams and real outcomes has
been growing, and widely discussed. Despite the theoretical principles for achieving
a good urban design process, it doesn’t ensure a high-quality product. The focus has
been drawn to the product rather than the process, which constitutes the reason
behind the failure to achieve a well-structured urban product.
• Until today, architects all over the world are the urban designers who are addressed
in that matter. While in practice, urban design is clearly connected to urban planning,
since they form two sides of the same object, which is the physical public realm,
sharing the same client – as in the Public- and many concerns in their
multidisciplinary nature. Yet urban design theoretical grounding does not relate to
urban planning, and so, it is argued that this might be the reason for the current gap
in practice