Capstone Project & Research Methodology
A year-long culminating research experience spanning two semesters, designed for both BBA (Honours) and BCA (Honours) students. Master the complete research lifecycle — from problem formulation and literature review through methodology design, data collection & analysis, to dissertation writing and oral defence — within a unified methodological framework that bridges social science and computing research traditions.
Course Structure
1
Foundations
Weeks 1–8 · Paradigms, problem formulation, literature review, ethics & proposal defence
2
Design & Methodology
Weeks 9–16 · Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods & design science research
3
Data & Analysis
Weeks 13–17 · Statistical analysis, thematic analysis, computational evaluation, CAQDAS
4
Execution & Communication
Weeks 18–30 · Project management, academic writing, dissertation & viva voce
Sem VII
Foundation, Design & Data Collection
Weeks 1–15 · Click any active week card to access the full content.
Week 1
Unit 1 — Foundations
What is Research? The Research Onion
Definition and purpose of research; the research onion layers; BBA vs. BCA research traditions; research vs. development vs. problem-solving
Week 2
Unit 1 — Foundations
Research Paradigms & Philosophical Foundations
Positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism, design science, critical realism; paradigm selection for BBA & BCA problems
Week 3
Unit 1 — Foundations
Problem Identification & Formulation
Sources of research problems; RQs and hypotheses; conceptual frameworks; variables; dual-discipline problem statements
Week 4
Unit 1 — Foundations
Literature Review — Search & Protocol
SLR protocol; academic databases (Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM DL); Boolean search strings; citation chaining; reference management
Week 5
Unit 1 — Foundations
Critical Reading & Literature Synthesis
Moving from annotated bibliography to thematic synthesis; funnel structure; identifying the gap; Zotero/Mendeley setup
Week 6
Unit 1 — Foundations
Research Ethics & Intellectual Integrity
Belmont principles; informed consent; plagiarism; IPR; GDPR & DPDP Act 2023; algorithmic fairness; research misconduct
Week 7
Unit 1 — Proposal Preparation
Proposal Preparation Week
Intensive proposal writing week; individual supervisor consultations; proposal drafting and refinement
Week 8
Unit 1 — Foundations
Proposal Defence
Proposal presentations to review panel (15 min + Q&A); formal approval of research topic, RQs, and methodology plan
Week 9
Unit 2 — Methodology
Quantitative Research Design
Survey design; questionnaire construction; sampling strategies; experimental & quasi-experimental designs; secondary data analysis
Week 10
Unit 2 — Methodology
Qualitative Research Design
Phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, case study research, narrative inquiry; purposive & theoretical sampling; saturation
Week 11
Unit 2 — Methodology
Mixed-Methods Research
Complementarity & triangulation; convergent, explanatory sequential, exploratory sequential, and embedded designs; integration
Week 12
Unit 2 — Methodology
Design Science Research & Action Research
DSR artefacts and process model (Peffers et al.); evaluation methods; action research cycle; participatory approaches
Week 13
Unit 3 — Data & Analysis
Quantitative Analysis I — Statistics
Descriptive & inferential statistics; hypothesis testing; t-tests, ANOVA, correlation; SPSS/R/Python lab
Week 14
Unit 3 — Data & Analysis
Quantitative Analysis II — Regression & ML Evaluation
Linear & logistic regression; model diagnostics; BCA: accuracy, precision, recall, F1, ROC-AUC; cross-validation; benchmarking
Week 15
Unit 3 — Data & Analysis
Qualitative Data Analysis
Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke); content analysis; coding; CAQDAS (NVivo, ATLAS.ti); writing up qualitative findings
Sem VIII
Integration, Execution & Defence
Weeks 16–30 · Content available as the course progresses.
Week 16
Unit 3 — Data & Analysis
Mixed Data Integration & Research Tools
Joint displays; merging findings; full tools orientation: SPSS, R, Python, NVivo, Zotero, LaTeX, Overleaf, GitHub, OSF
Week 17
Unit 3 — Data & Analysis
Tool Selection & BBA vs. BCA Comparison
Matching tools to research scenarios; discipline-specific analysis pipelines; intensive data collection/artefact development
Week 18
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
The Capstone Project Lifecycle
Three-phase lifecycle overview; retrospective proposal review; data analysis/artefact evaluation continues
Week 19
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Project Management for Research
WBS, Gantt charts, risk management; supervisor relationship; version control with Git; managing setbacks; embracing iteration
Week 20
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Progress Seminar
Mid-semester oral presentation of work-in-progress to faculty panel; structured peer and faculty feedback integration
Week 21
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Academic Writing I — Structure & Argumentation
Dissertation structure; writing principles; argumentation (claim-evidence-warrant); APA 7th vs. IEEE referencing; literature review peer review
Week 22
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Academic Writing II — Editing & Feedback
Tables & figures; common writing problems; the editing process; responding to supervisor feedback; methodology & findings peer review
Week 23 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Intensive Writing Week
Full draft preparation; supervisor feedback on complete dissertation draft; plagiarism check (first pass)
Week 24 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Presentation & Oral Defence Preparation
Slide design for academic defence; anticipating examiner questions; viva voce format & etiquette; mock defence in small groups
Week 25 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Mock Defence Week
Simulated viva with faculty panel; individual mock defences with structured feedback on presentation and responses
Week 26 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Revision Week
Addressing mock defence feedback; final edits; supervisor sign-off; plagiarism check (final)
Week 27 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Beyond the Capstone
Converting dissertation to research paper; conference/journal selection; publishing ethics; portfolio for job & grad school applications
Week 28 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Dissertation Submission
Final submission with all documentation; formatting compliance; supervisor sign-off; plagiarism clearance
Week 29 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Viva Voce Examinations
Individual oral defence before examination panel; responding to examiner questions on method, findings, and contribution
Week 30 Coming Soon
Unit 4 — Execution & Communication
Result Processing & Course Completion
Grade finalization; minor corrections submission (if required by examiners); course wrap-up and reflection
Supplementary Resources
In-depth methodological guides that complement the weekly content. Designed as standalone references for both BBA and BCA students — consult these when designing and executing your capstone research.
Supplementary Guide
Survey Research — A Comprehensive Guide
Population & sampling strategies; questionnaire design; statistical tools; 20 sample topics (10 Business + 10 CS); common pitfalls and prevention strategies
Coming Soon
More resources coming...
Additional methodological guides and supplementary chapters will be added here. Check back as the course progresses.