RESEARCH REPORT

 Comprehensive presentation of a researcher's activities

and the results of the study.
 End product of a project work.
 Contains description of events, pertinent facts
discovered during investigation , conclusion and
recommendation.
 PURPOSE OF WRITING
RESEARCH REPORT

 To convey the interested person the whole result of

the study in sufficient detail and to determine
himself the validity of the conclusions.
 Used as reference material or for review of related
literature to get guidance and to record and utilize
the findings for further work
 To share research experiences and results of
research
TYPES OF REPORTS
 A) Technical Report
 Emphasis is on
(i) Methods employed
(ii) Assumptions made in the course of the study
(iii) Detailed presentation of the findings including
their limitations and supporting data.
 General Outline:
i) Summary of results ii) Nature of the study iii) Methods
employed iv) Data v) Analysis of data and presentation of
findings vi) Conclusions vii) Bibliography viii) Technical
appendices ix) Index
 B) Popular Report
 Emphasis is given on simplicity and attractiveness.
 General outline
i)The findings and their implications
ii) Recommendations for action
iii) Objective of the study
iv) Methods employed
v) Results
vii) Technical appendices
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT

 Title
 Abstract/Summary
 Introduction
 Materials & Methods
 Results
 Conclusion
 Discussion
 References
 Acknowledgement
 Appendices
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Title
 Purpose: To sum up your work in a single phrase or
sentence.
 Its meaning should be obvious to most readers.
 Its need to be
 Clear
 Specific
 Brief: Avoid phrases, like ‘The role of’, ‘Studies of’, ‘An
examination of”, ‘An investigation into’, ‘Research into’, and
‘An experiment on.
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Abstract or Summary
 Purpose: To summarize the entire report for quick
reading.
 Include your reasons for doing the work, your methods,
your findings, and your conclusions.
 To be both interesting and easy to read.
 References should not be included.
 Nothing should appear in the abstract that is not in the rest
of the report.
 Usually between 200-300 words.
 Write in the past tense, in a single paragraph.
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Introduction
 Purpose: To state the research problem, establish your
hypothesis, provide justification and state the methods, results
and conclusions.
 Include a clear statement of your hypothesis.
 Detail is not needed here - leave that for the appropriate sections
below.
 Write most of the introduction in the present tense.
 Details of methods and results given in the introduction should
be in the past tense.
 Future implications based on the conclusions should be in the
future tense.
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Materials and methods
 Purpose: Provide an extensive protocol for your
experiment which can be repeated by others.
 Essentially an instruction manual, to enable reproduction
of the work and should provide:
 Experimental design
 Controls used, including their purpose
 Data recording techniques
 Specific methods of the sample preparation
 accurate nomenclature
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Results
 Purpose: To present your data in a manner that is easy to
read and interpret.
 This is where the core of the work is presented – your
experimental data.
 Keep brief and avoid repetition of methods or results.
 Never discuss the implications of your results in the results
section.
 Do not present all your raw data
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Conclusion
 Purpose: To discuss the relationships between your results
and how they relate to your initial objectives and
hypotheses.
 Describe the shortcomings and implications of your work.
 Provide major conclusions, supported with evidence, and
suggest future applications of your research findings.
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Discussion
 Purpose: To discuss the relationships between your
results and how they relate to your initial objectives and
hypotheses.
 Discuss how your results are similar to or different from
published findings and attempt to explain the differences.
 Discuss the significance of your findings and any future
implications.
 Write in the present tense most of the time. When
discussing your data, write in the past tense and when
discussing future implications write in the future tense.
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
References
 Purpose: To acknowledge sources in order to avoid
plagiarism and strengthen your arguments with support
from the existing literature.
 Every piece of information that is included in your report,
excluding your original data, should be referenced,
preferably from peer-reviewed sources.
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Acknowledgement
 Purpose: To thank those who were directly involved in
your work.
 Acknowledgments are about courtesy, where you thank
those who were directly involved in your work, or were
involved in supporting your work (technicians, tutors,
other students, financial support etc).
 Keep this section brief, a few lines at the most.
 Identify those who provided you with the most support,
and thank them appropriately.
 COMPONENTS OF A
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
Appendices
 Purpose: To present additional data that is too extensive to
be included within the main body of the text.
 Different types of material included in the appendices can
be labelled as Appendix 1, Appendix 2, and so forth.
 Some electronic journals now offer scientists the
opportunity to include extra materials that are too
extensive for the main body of a journal article in an
‘eAppendix’.
 Confirm the inclusion of appendices with your tutor or
supervisor.
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
What is a research proposal?
 A research proposal provides a detailed plan of a
research project before you undertake the research.
 A proposal is usually submitted before you undertake
research for a final dissertation during postgraduate
study, and before or during doctoral studies.
 A proposal may also be submitted as part of an
application for a funding grant.
 What to include in a
research proposal
A research proposal will usually (but not always) include
the following key elements:
 An outline of the background and context of the
research topic / issue
 Reasons why the specific topic / issue is important
(rationale)
 A review of key literature related to the topic / issue
 What to include in a research
proposal
 An outline of the intended research methodology
(including consideration of ethical issues)
 A discussion of ethical issues
 How the findings will be disseminated
 A timescale for the research
 Title / working title of the
research

 An initial idea of the title should be given - this is

likely to be revised as the research progresses and can
therefore be a tentative suggestion at the proposal
stage.
 Introduction

 The context and background of the research topic /

issue, as well as the rationale for undertaking the
research, should be outlined in the introduction
section.
 At the end of the introduction, include an outline (or
synopsis) of how the proposal is organized.
 Literature review
 This should expand on the key literature referred to in
the introduction.
 The review of the literature will need to go further
than listing individual studies or theories.
 The literature will need to be critically analyzed and
evaluated rather than just described.
 Research aims and questions
 The research aims and research questions should be
used to guide your research.
 The aims of the research relate to the purpose of
conducting the research and what you specifically
want to achieve.
 The research questions should be formulated to show
how you will achieve the aims of the research and what
you want to find out.
 Methodology

 The methodology section of the proposal should

outline how the research will be conducted.
 This should generally include a description and
justification of: sample / participants, methods, data
collection and analysis, and ethical considerations.
 Ethics
 Including a detailed discussion of the ethics of your
research project can really strengthen the proposal.
 Timescale
 You may be required to include a schedule or plan of
how you intend to conduct the research within a
specified timeframe.
 Reference list
 The reference list should include all sources cited in
the research proposal. Departmental guidelines for
referencing should be followed for in-text citations
and the reference list.
 Personnel & Budget
A financial description of the project with
accompanying exploratory notes.
 It should include the total expenses based on the
future requirements.
Thank You.!!!!