Configure Research Areas

Set up research topic categories for thesis, dissertations, and faculty research projects.

Time required: 10 minutes

Module: openeducat_research_enterprise, openeducat_thesis_enterprise

User role: System Administrator, Research Admin

Prerequisites

System Administrator or Research Admin role
Research module installed
Faculty records available

Steps

Step 1: Navigate to Research Areas

Go to OpenEduCat -> Research -> Configuration -> Research Areas
Click Create

Step 2: Enter Research Area Information

Field	Required	Description	Example
Name	Yes	Area name	”Machine Learning”
Code	Yes	Unique code	”ML”
Department	No	Related department	”Computer Science”
Description	No	Area details	”AI and deep learning research”

Step 3: Configure Area Settings

Setting	Description
Active	Enable/disable area
Parent Area	For sub-areas
Keywords	Search keywords
Related Areas	Connected topics

Step 4: Add Research Topics

In the Topics tab:

Topic	Description	Level
Neural Networks	Deep learning models	PhD
NLP	Natural language processing	Masters
Computer Vision	Image processing	All
Reinforcement Learning	Decision making	PhD

Step 5: Assign Faculty Expertise

Link faculty with expertise:

Faculty	Expertise Level	Research Focus
Dr. Smith	Expert	Deep Learning
Prof. Jones	Advanced	Computer Vision
Dr. Davis	Intermediate	NLP

Step 6: Set Resource Requirements

Resource	Description
Lab Requirements	GPU clusters, etc.
Software	Required tools
Equipment	Specialized hardware
Funding Level	Typical budget

Step 7: Save Research Area

Click Save to create the research area.

Common Research Areas by Department

Computer Science

Area	Sub-Areas
Artificial Intelligence	ML, Deep Learning, NLP
Systems	Distributed, Cloud, IoT
Security	Cryptography, Networks
Theory	Algorithms, Complexity

Engineering

Area	Sub-Areas
Electronics	VLSI, Embedded, Signal
Mechanical	Robotics, Materials
Civil	Structural, Environmental

Sciences

Area	Sub-Areas
Physics	Quantum, Particle, Condensed
Chemistry	Organic, Inorganic, Physical
Biology	Molecular, Genetics, Ecology

Research Area Hierarchy

Research Areas
├── Computer Science
│   ├── Artificial Intelligence
│   │   ├── Machine Learning
│   │   ├── Deep Learning
│   │   └── Natural Language
│   ├── Data Science
│   │   ├── Big Data
│   │   └── Analytics
│   └── Cybersecurity
├── Engineering
│   ├── Electronics
│   └── Mechanical
└── Sciences
    ├── Physics
    └── Chemistry

Field Reference

Research Area

Technical Field	UI Label	Type	Notes
`name`	Name	Char	Area name
`code`	Code	Char	Unique code
`department_id`	Department	Many2one	Related dept
`parent_id`	Parent Area	Many2one	For hierarchy
`description`	Description	Text	Area details
`faculty_ids`	Faculty	Many2many	Expert faculty

Topic

Technical Field	UI Label	Type	Notes
`name`	Topic	Char	Topic name
`area_id`	Research Area	Many2one	Parent area
`level`	Level	Selection	masters/phd

Troubleshooting

Research area not appearing in thesis form

Ensure area is Active and linked to correct department.

Faculty not listed for area

Add faculty to the research area’s Faculty tab.

Cannot create sub-areas

Set parent area before saving sub-area.