STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH REPORT IN RESERCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
Writing research report is essential foe the researcher as it is important part of research process. Research reports are the vehicle for researcher to communicate the result of an investigation to others. For this purpose, there is need of proper layout of the report. The layout of the report means as to what the research report should contain.
STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH REPORT
Research report most necessarily convey about the study so that others can judge adequacy of its and form and opinion. There are several style available for the purpose of a research report. A comprehensive layout of the research report should comprise
(a) Preliminary pages
(b) Main body/main text
(c) The end matter
1. PRELIMINARY PAGES
(A) Preliminary Pages
• In its preliminary pages the report should carry a title and date, followed by acknowledgements in the form of 'Preface' or 'Foreword'.
• Then there should be a table of contents followed by list of tables and illustrations so that the decision-maker or anybody interested in reading the report can easily locate the required information in the report.
• There should be acknowledgement which is used to indicate the basis of study, support, review of prior draft and assistance in conducting research.
• Then there should be abstract which describe the research in 100-200 words. Included in this a comprehensive summery of the study, the procedure used, findings and conclusion of the study.
(B) Main Text
The main text provides the complete outline of the research report along with all details. Title of the research study is repeated at the top of the first page of the main text and then follows the other details.
The main text of the report should have the following sections:
(i) Introduction;
(ii) Statement of findings and recommendations.
(iii) The results
(iv) The implications drawn from the results
(v) The summary.
(i) Introduction: The purpose of introduction is to introduce the research project to the readers. It should contain a clear statement of the objectives of research i.e., enough background should be given to make clear to the reader why the problem was considered worth investigating.
The introduction include following
• Review of related literature: It is a well-organized chapter that shows how the present study is different from other studies. Through a review, a theoretical basis and justification for the present study is formed
• Statement of the problems: A clear and definitive statement of what was studied.
• purpose of the study: A brief statement of why the study was done; a reason for the research or potential uses for or contribution to be made by the results.
• Need for the study: An elaboration of the purpose of undertaking the study and establishing the importance of the problem.
• Scope of the study: The scope of the study as identified by the researcher
including information on what subjects and variables were studied; what data gathering instruments were used; and the details about the methods and the time and duration of the study.
• Limitations: An indication of the inherent weaknesses in the study; factors that could not be controlled adequately and could have affected the results. For example, a researcher for completing a course on project work may not be able to interview hundreds of people.
• Statement of objectives: The objective(s) of the study stated precisely.
• Hypotheses: Prediction of the eventual outcomes of the study.
(ii) Statement of findings and recommendations:
After introduction, the research report must contain a statement of findings and recommendations in non-technical language so that it can be easily understood by all concerned. If the findings happen to be extensive, at this point they should be put in the summarized form.
(iii) Results:
• A detailed presentation of the findings of the study, with supporting data in the form of tables and charts together with a validation of results, is the next step in writing the main text of the report.
• This generally comprises the main body of the report, extending over several chapters. The result section of the report should contain statistical summaries and reductions of the data rather than the raw data. All the results should be presented in logical sequence and splitted into readily identifiable sections.
• All relevant results must find a place in the report. But how one is to decide about what is relevant is the basic question.
(iv) Implications of the results:
• Toward the end of the main text, the researcher should again put down the results of his research clearly and precisely. He should state the implications that flow from the results of the study, for the general reader is interested in the implications for understanding the human behaviour. t is considered a good practice to finish the report with a short conclusion which summarizes and recapitulates the main points of the study.
• The conclusion drawn from the study should be clearly related to the hypotheses that were stated in the introductory section.
(vi) Summary:
It has become customary to conclude the research report with a very brief summary, resting in brief the research problem, the methodology. the major findings and the major conclusions drawn from the research results.
(C) End Matter
• At the end of the report, appendices should be enlisted in respect of all technical data such as questionnaires, sample information, mathematical derivations and the like ones. Bibliography of sources consulted should also be given.
• Index (an alphabetical listing of names, places and topics along with the numbers of the pages in a book or report on which they are mentioned or discussed) should invariably be given at the end of the report.
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