Writing Research Questions,

Aims and Objectives

 Research Aims and Objectives

• Aims are the intentions of your research.

• Aims helps you to
– state exactly what you want to find out can be one of
the most challenging parts of a research project.
– focused on what you want to achieve for your
research.
• A clear set of aims gives you the direction (“Am I
on the right track?”) that you need regarding the
choice of methods you might use to carry out the
research.
• In short, aims are statements of what the research
sets out to achieve.

CT098-3.5-2 RESEARCH METHODS FOR COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY Aims, Objectives, Research Question
 Research Aims and Objectives

• Aims
– Should be presented in the first paragraph of
the research proposal
– Should be clear yet brief whilst reflecting the
purpose of your chosen area of research
– There is no limit to the number of aims, but
usually a research paper will have at least
one.

CT098-3.5-2 RESEARCH METHODS FOR COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY Aims, Objectives, Research Question
 Research Aims and Objectives

• Objectives
– are the activities / steps you would be
undertaking to achieve the aims
• Both the aims and objectives are described
using verbs (action words)
– Examples:
• The aims of this project is to …
• The project objectives are:
– To develop ….
– To determine …

CT098-3.5-2 RESEARCH METHODS FOR COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY Aims, Objectives, Research Question
 Research Aims and Objectives

• Do keep in mind when writing aims and objectives apply these

principles (5W 1H) to guide you in writing the aims and objectives:
– Why
– Who
– Where
– What
– When
– How

CT098-3.5-2 RESEARCH METHODS FOR COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY Aims, Objectives, Research Question
 Research Aims and Objectives

• Both the aims and objectives should be

written clearly so that it shows the level of
understanding with regards to the
research topic

CT098-3.5-2 RESEARCH METHODS FOR COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY Aims, Objectives, Research Question