Research Methodology in Natural Sciences

By Prof. Soumitro Banerjee | IISER Kolkata

Learners enrolled: 2285 | Exam registration: 1298

ABOUT THE COURSE : The course covers all the conceptual and methodological issues that go into successful conduction of research. That includes philosophy of science, the methodological issues in measurement, proposing and testing hypotheses, scientific communication and the ethical issues in the practice of science.

INTENDED AUDIENCE : This is a compulsory course for all PhD students as mandated by UGC. Bachelor’s and Master’s students interested in pursuing a research career may also take it. The course content is suitable for students of all disciplines of basic science, medical science and engineering.

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Faculty Domain - Fundamental Multidisciplinary
Credit Points :	3
Level :	Postgraduate
Start Date :	19 Jan 2026
End Date :	10 Apr 2026
Enrollment Ends :	02 Feb 2026
Exam Registration Ends :	20 Feb 2026
Exam Date :	18 Apr 2026 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Philosophy of Science (subjective versus objective, materialism versus idealism, causality, etc.)

Week 2: Logical Reasoning (inductive logic, deductive logic, syllogistic logic)

Week 3: History of development of science and the influence of philosophy

Week 4: What Scientists Actually Do

Week 5: Forming a Hypothesis

Week 6: Techniques of Scientific Measurement

Week 7: Testing of hypothesis

Week 8: Methods of Theoretical Research

Week 9: The Art of Scientific Communication

Week 10: Presentation in Seminars and Conferences

Week 11: Sponsored Research

Week 12: Ethical Conduct in Science

Books and references

Soumitro Banerjee, Research Methodology for Natural Sciences, IISc Press, 2022.
Available through https://www.amazon.in/dp/

One can also obtain the book at Rs. 800 by writing to iiscpress@iisc.ac.in

Instructor bio

Prof. Soumitro Banerjee

IISER Kolkata

Prof. Soumitro Banerjee did his B.E. from the Bengal Engineering College (Calcutta University) in 1981, M.Tech. from IIT Delhi in 1983, and Ph.D. from the same Institute in 1987. He was in the faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, since 1986, and moved to the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata, in 2009. Dr. Banerjee's area of research interest is nonlinear dynamics. He has published four books: "Nonlinear Phenomena in Power Electronics" (Ed: Banerjee and Verghese, IEEE Press, 2001), "Dynamics for Engineers" (Wiley, London, 2005), "Wind Electrical Systems" (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2005), and "Research Methodology in Natural Sciences" (IISc Press, 2022). He is a recipient of the S. S. Bhatnagar Prize (2003), and was recognized as a "Highly Cited Author" by Thomson Reuters from 2004 to 2014. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Indian National Science Academy, The World Academy of Sciences, and the IEEE.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: : April 18, 2026 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IISER Kolkata .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

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