Report writing

PART 2.8

WRITING A RESEARCH

REPORT

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THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...REPORT VERSUS RESEARCH REPORT

REPORT:

Refers to a spoken or written account of something

that summarizes findings and recommendations

about a particular matter based on what someone

has observed, heard, done, or investigated.

— That is; report is used as a means of

conveying information about an event, subject

or situation in the form of an official document.

WHILE;

RESEARCH REPORT:

A research report can be based on practical work,

research by reading or a study of an organisation. 2

THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...

To Conclude:

• Report (both report and research report) is used

as a guiding tool for higher authorities including

company executives, directors, managers:

— to make timely and informed decisions, and

— follow up actions.

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TYPES OF REPORTS

Report can be classified into four possible groups

based on their structure:

— Technical reports

— Consultancy reports

— Business reports

— Research reports

In our current discussion:

—We are going to have a look on research

reports in terms of critical aspects to be

considered and not to be considered in writing

a research report.4


THE RATIONALE OF A RESEARCH REPORT

As the last part of the research process, research

report enables the researcher to communicate with

audiences interested in the research outcome by

serving the following purposes:

1. Acquaint the reader with the problem that has

been researched and explain its implications.

2. Express the justification for carrying out the study

and how the study was conducted.

3. Present and interpret information derived from the

data; fully and adequately for readers.

4. Demonstrate exactly how the data revolve around

the problem. 5

THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH REPORT WRITING

The following are the key guidelines that should be

considered in writing a research report:

1. Finding a regular and good writing space or

environment.

2. Write the report when you have time; if you don’t

have the time, you have to create the appropriate

time.

3. Never submit a research report before someone

else has read it.

— That is, getting someone to read your work.

4. Avoid plagiarism and excessive paraphrasing.

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5. Write the report when your mind is fresh.

6. Generating a plan for writing.

7. Setting goals (targets or purposes) and achieving

them.

Other possible guidelines to be considered:

—Keep it brief and clear.

—What to write first, next and last.

—Thinking on the screen when writing a report by

using word processor.

—Thinking about your audiences.

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THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...THE COMPONENTS OF A RESEARCH

REPORT/PAPER

Part 1: Preliminary Pages

Cover Page followed by Title Page

Certification

Declaration and Copyright

Acknowledgement

Dedication (if any)

List of Abbreviations or Acronyms

Abstract or Synopsis or Executive Summary

Table of Contents

List of Tables, and

List of Figures

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THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...Part 2: Main Body

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of the study

Statement of the problem

Objectives of the study

Research questions and/or Hypotheses

Significance of the study

Organization of the study

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Theoretical literature review

Empirical literature review

Conceptual framework/model 9

THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...Chapter 3: Research Methodology

• Type of the study

• The study area

• Study population

• Units of analysis

• Sample size and sampling techniques

• Types and sources of data

• Data collection methods

• Validity and reliability issues

• Measurement of the research variables

• Data analysis methods

• Expected results 10


Chapter 4: Research Findings and Discussions

Presentation of research findings with a

thorough analysis of the data collected.

— no interpretation under this

subsection

— testing of hypotheses (if any)

Presentation of an interpreted and

evaluated results related to the research

objectives, questions and/or hypothesis.

— Draw together different aspects of

the findings: Existence of the

problem and relevance of the

results as how they fit with other

studies in the area.

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Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

• Conclusions: Brief statement of what was

found by drawing a conclusion made form

the study without forgetting policy

implications.

• Recommendations: Suggest suitable

changes or solutions.

• Limitation(s) of the study.

• Suggestions for further studies.

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Part 3: Back or Supplementary Pages

• References:

List of all references used in the research report.

• Appendices:

Attachments of any additional material or

information (e.g. questionnaires, interview

guides, glossary, tabulations, charts, maps, etc)

that were mentioned but not included in the main

body of the research report are supposed to be

included in this section.

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THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...RECOMMENDED WRITING STYLE

In order for the research report to be understood by

the intended audience or readers the following writing

styles should be observed:

a)The researcher should try to be short (not too long

not too short), clear (logical arguments) and simple

in terms of the use of jargons as well as the use

long sentences and paragraphs to avoid

confusions.

b)The use of quotations from the literature should be

minimized.

c) You must be able to verify the content of the report.

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THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...d) When writing a report confidentiality and anonymity

should be preserved (if requested) with respect to

individuals or organizations that volunteered

information or were part of the study.

e) It is important to provide all information that is

required by the reader.

f) Proper use of visual aids like maps, figures and

charts when writing a report.

g) Make sure that the audience in which the report is

being written is known. 15


h) While you are writing a report make sure that it is

containing more facts than opinion (unless report

dictates that).

i) It is important to check for facts if they are accurate

as well as spelling and grammar used in the report.

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THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...Key Competence Required in Writing the Research

Report:

In order for the report to be understood by the

intended audience apart from the writing styles; there

are key areas of competence that a researcher needs

to develop for the same:

1) Technical expertise and adequate knowledge in

the field or discipline one is writing upon is

important:

— Education, experience and personal skills

2) Transparency in allowing others to read, evaluate

and criticize.

3) Communication skills.

4) Word processing skills or any other appropriate

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THE MAJOR RESEARCH REPORT

CHARACTERISTICS

1. There should be no exhortation

— You should describe issues rather than

convince readers or audiences.

2. It should be creative, short, simple, clear and

concise.

3. Avoid personal pronouns like I, We, Me.

— Use such phrases like the researcher or the

author or the investigator believes...

4. When citing any researcher, use the last

name/surname only; or as recommended in the

manual of citation style. 18


6. Writing is not an easy task and, therefore do not

hurry writing your report but think critically

7. It is recommended to present computations in the

appendices.

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THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...EVALUATING THE FIRST DRAFT

There are key issues to be considered in evaluating

the first draft of a research report whether it is

satisfactory enough for submission:

a)Check if the research title reflect the contents.

b)Check if the report is having a clear structure.

c) Check if there is a clear storyline in the report.

d)Check if the abstract reflect accurately the

contents of the report.

e)Check if the introduction address clearly the

background to the problem at hand.

f) Check if the literature review informs later

contents of the report. 20

THE RESEARCH PROCESS cont...g) Check if the methods applied in the study are

clearly explained.

h)Check if the researcher has made a clear

distinction between research results, findings and

conclusions in relevant chapters.

i) Check if all references are presented in the

required manner as suggested in the manual of

citation style.

j) Check if there is any material which should be in

the appendices and vice versa.

k) Check if the report has divided the text throughout

with suitable headings.

l) Check if you are happy with the clarity, simplicity

and preciseness of the report.21


m) Check if each chapter have a preview and summary.

Concluding Remark:

“Writing never ends, it is a continuous

process.”

Consequently;

People will judge the report writers based on

the quality of their work.22


Food for thought:

“It is easier to build strong

children than to repair broken

men”

– Frederick Douglass

(1818 – 1895)

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Report writing

Education

Transcript of Report writing