Getting It Right: R&D Methods for Science and Engineering

Over the past decade, the author has met with directors of R&D departments in large industrial firms, who are frustrated by the lack of coherent and consistent methodologies in R&D projects. As a direct result the author was asked to design and present a seminar to provide R&D engineers and scientists a standard methodology for conducting coherent, rigorous, comprehensible, and consistent R&D projects. The author also realized that this training should be included in engineering and science curricula in universities and colleges. To this end, he designed and presented a pilot course for his department that was received enthusiastically by students who participated. This course has now become a required course for all doctoral students in the author's department.

This book has been designed to provide professional engineers, scientists, and students with a consistent and practical framework for the rigorous conduct and communication of complex research and development projects. Although courses and training in research methods are common and generally required of social science professionals, a vast majority of physical scientists and engineers have had no formal classroom training or on-the-job mentoring on proper procedures for research methods. Getting It Right emphasizes the comprehensive analysis of project problems, requirements, and objectives; the use of standard and consistent terminology and procedures; the design of rigorous and reproducible experiments; the appropriate reduction and interpretation of project results; and the effective communication of project design, methods, results, and conclusions.

Presents a standard methodology for conducting coherent, rigorous, comprehensible, and consistent R&D projectsThoroughly researched to appeal to the needs of R&D engineers and scientists in industryWill also appeal to students of engineering and science

Foreword (Fridolin Piwonka)
Part I Introduction
Research and Development
Process and Preparation
Part II Project Organization
The Project Hierarchy
The Project Task
Part III Knowledge Representation
An Epistemological Journey
Categories and Types of Knowledge
Roles of Knowledge Propositions
Limits of Knowledge
Part IV The Scientific Method
Overview
Analysis
Hypothesis
Synthesis
Validation
Appendices
Bibliography
Glossary
Tips
Summaries and Guidelines
Sample Milestone Charts