Introductory description

This module focuses on the development, growth, and enhancement of individual analytical and research skills for postgraduate cyber security students, subsequently covering issues of academic and ethical rigour and validity in cyber security research activities.

As such, it is purposefully designed to meet the complex learning and professional needs of postgraduate cyber security students to provide them with the skills and competencies needed to undertake an independent, original piece of research, and successfully complete a dissertation in cyber security. For this purpose, the delivery of the module is well-aligned with the student learning journey, ensuring students readiness for applying for ethical approval and working with their supervisors moving forward.

Specifically, the module comprises a set of carefully designed learning activities, materials, and resources focused on research skills relevant for cyber security, including a deep understanding of the application of methods for data collection, techniques for analysing data, and research ethics for protecting individuals involved and preserving the integrity of the science.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The module covers the basic tenets of science with an emphasis on the scientific method and the importance of science to cyber security, and the prerequisites needed to conduct cyber security research.

Standalone, domain-specific topics, such as malware analysis, digital forensics, usable security, and software assurance, will be introduced in the context of research process and methods, in addition to wider security and ethical considerations, the latter including deception and privacy. This will be exercised by providing students with real-world research problems to consider ways forward to build and extend on the existing results using appropriate methods and approaches, while adhering to principles related to legal and ethical considerations in research (i.e., academic integrity), some of which are unique to cyber security (i.e., unauthorised access, capturing some PII when collecting cyber data, deception techniques, breaking a TOS or EULA for research, etc.). This will be followed by discussing practical details, such as test environments and open datasets and software.

The syllabus will include (but is not limited to):

• Epistemological, philosophical and axiological foundations of cyber security research.
• Construction of research strategy.
• Sampling and data collection.
• Validity and reliability.
• Analytical techniques.
• Legal and ethical standards.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Develop a research proposal within the field of cyber security, aligning the problem, research objectives, research questions, and research design.
• Critically investigate and analyse sources of information appropriate to a given research problem.
• Identify and evaluate specific issues and challenges for doing research in the cyber security domain and propose suitable mitigations/controls to conduct research safely and effectively.
• Report findings with clarity and an appropriate degree of confidence, referring to both wider scholarship and own proposed investigations.
• Critically understand key aspects of research methods and ethics in cyber security for generating impactful knowledge, validating theories, adding critical rigour, and promoting moral and social values.

Indicative reading list

Cottrell, S., 2017. Dissertations and Project Reports: A step by step guide. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Oliver, P., 2012. Succeeding With Your Literature Review: A Handbook For Students: A Handbook for Students.
Yin, R.K. ,2018. Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Interdisciplinary

In addition to looking in-depth at cyber security research methods, the module covers general information about the scientific inquiry as it applies across many disciplines of science.

Subject specific skills

The module provides students with the opportunity to develop skills needed to successfully undertake their studies and independent research in cyber security. In recognising the variety in student backgrounds, students will be supported to develop a foundational to advanced level of skill capability depending on their needs.

Subject specific skills students will acquire on the module include:

• Scoping the literature appropriate to the field.
• Establishing research problems and questions.
• Exploring and selecting viable research methods.
• Planning research and caring out appropriate analyses.
• Evaluating specific security, privacy, and ethical issues and challenges.
• Applying for ethics approval.
• Undertaking multi-disciplinary research.

Transferable skills

Transferable skills students will acquire on the module include, but are not limited to:

• Evaluating wider ethical considerations.
• Researching literature.
• Communication, critical thinking, and problem solving.
• Time management.
• Teamwork.