Formulating a research question and identifying literature - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Formulating a research question and identifying literature

Luciano RispoliSlide2

Formulating a research question

Before you begin writing a research proposal, take some time to map out your research strategy. A necessary first step is to formulate a

research question

.A Research Question is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied. For example, “Does monetary policy affect the economy?”A valid and clear research question is:well justified;original;feasible;focused;falls within the area of economicsSlide3

Literature review and research question

In order to come up with an

original

research question you need to know (very well) the literature in the area first!Find out what has been done and how you can contribute to the existing academic debate.Slide4

Identifying a research question flow - chartSlide5

I don’t have a research question, where do I start? Narrow down a research area of interest

1) Narrow down an area of interest (i.e. Growth theory, monetary policy, fiscal policy etc.)

2) Within that area of interest try to answer a research question that:

Has either not been addressed before;Or has been addressed but that you could extend in a significant way (i.e. new data-set, different econometric/theoretical approach etc.);Or pioneer a new research area of economics (not recommended)Note: before you identify a research question it is crucial that you narrow down a research area of interest!Slide6

Literature review ( when I don’t have a research question )

Read as

much

as you can on the topic!Remember recent publications/studies will contain a more updated literature so try collect these first! Then read backwards to the most dated studies.Make sure you read all relevant papers (or at least the most influential ones)Ideas on the research topic often come from this exercise (i.e. author X has not included factor Y in his study, so maybe I could look into factor Y) The more you read the easier will be to come up with a research question.Slide7

Literature review (when I think I have a research question)

Reviewing the literature will enable you to understand whether your research question has been

already answered / is

a potentially valid one.Also, by reading previous studies you might get ideas on how to tweak your original research question into a brand new one.Again, start by reading recent publications/studies first.Bottom line, whether you have or do not have a research question it is crucial that you review the literature in the area FIRST!Many students commit the mistake of leaving the literature review as the last step, however this is very dangerous! As you might find that the question has already been addressed or discarded by the literature because not relevant/important/not feasible.Slide8

Where do I look for papers/relevant literature?

Main sources

:

Google scholarLibrary (e-resources) Slide9

E-resourcesSlide10

Encore Slide11

Log-in with your student ID to access the e-journal articleSlide12

Google scholarSlide13

Search Bernanke, Gertler and Gilchrist in Google searchSlide14

Library helpSlide15

Common mistakes when identifying new research questions

1.

Non originality

2. Non feasibility:Time constraint (don’t have enough time)Resources (lack of data, codes)Knowledge (Do I know how to apply model X ? Can I learn in the limited amount of time?)3. Too broadly defined research question4. Not well justified5. Lacking economic content Slide16

TipsStart searching for a topic as

early

as possible (today)

Once you narrow down a topic/area, look at the relevant literature (i.e. carry out a literature review)Once you have passed the literature review test (has it been already done? No, why not? Is it interesting/relevant?)Ask your self: Is the question specific (not too broad?)Is it feasible in the allotted time? Do I have enough resources (codes, data) to answer this question? How about knowledge (econometrics, theoretical modelling) ? Is the research question falling within economics?If the answer is Yes to all the previous questions congratulations, you have a research question!Slide17

Topics, techniques and methods: macro and monetary dissertations

Luciano RispoliSlide18
Slide19

Find out the distribution of marksSlide20

Best MSc thesis archiveSlide21

Best MSc thesis archive

Years

included

: 2006-2015Highest scoring MSc theses archiveNotice the Difference between title of proposal and title of dissertation!Slide22

Topics in monetary and macro-economics titles (some)Slide23

Techniques & methods (some)

Time varying parameters (VARs)

Kalman

filter techniques DSGE (Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models) – Heterogeneous agentsGARCH, ARCH modelsSETAR (Self-Exciting Threshold Auto-Regressive models)Slide24

How to present, evaluate and discuss empirical results 

Luciano RispoliSlide25

In this section we will learn how to:

Present;

Evaluate;

discussthe dissertation results.Slide26

How to present data/results?

use

charts

or tables to help the reader understand the data and to highlight the most interesting  findings;analyze the data rather than just describing it - use it to tell a story that focuses on answering the research question;describe everything in details (sources, data, methodology) Clarity, brevity and accuracy are key !Slide27

How to present results? Example ISlide28

How to present results? Example IISlide29

How to present results? Example IIISlide30

How to present results? Example 4Slide31

Evaluate and discuss your results

What

are the

discernible patterns in your results and theories?What are the exceptions to these patterns?What is likely to cause these patterns and exceptions?Are your results in agreement or disagreement with previous research?Slide32

Evaluate and discuss your results cont’d

What

is the

relationship of your results to your original research question?What are the implications of your results for the wider discipline?There may be several theories to explain these results – include them all, with supporting evidence for each.What is the significance of your findings – the ‘so what?’ statement.Slide33

Conclusions

What is the

strongest

and most significant finding of your research?Refer back to your research problem and show how your conclusions were reached logically from your method and resultsInclude the broader implications of your resultsThus, you should conclude by summarizing the implications of your findings in brief, and explain why they are important for researchers and in practice, and provide some suggestions for further work.Slide34

Let’s see how apply these principles to a past thesis.Slide35

Does Quantitative Easing Have Any Effects on Macroeconomic Variables Through the Inflation Expectation Channel?Slide36

Does Quantitative Easing Have Any Effects on Macroeconomic Variables Through the Inflation Expectation Channel? (Abstract)Slide37

Methodology and data (Bayesian VAR)Slide38

Methodology and data (Bayesian VAR) cont’dSlide39

Present data (asset purchases)Slide40

Present results (MSFE for tightness of lambda) Slide41

Results US Slide42

Results JapanSlide43

Evaluation of results Slide44

Presentation results US Inflation expectationsSlide45

Presentation Japan Inflation expectationsSlide46

Evaluation of results – inflation expectationsSlide47

Robustness checksSlide48

Robustness checks results presentationSlide49

Conclusions Slide50

Conclusions cont’dSlide51

Conclusions cont’d