Chapter 8

Preparation of the Research

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  The final and a very important step in a research study
is to write its report.
 The research report is a means for communicating our
research experiences to others and adding them to the
fund of knowledge.

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 Concept and purpose of a research report
 A research report is a formal statement of the research
process and its results.
 It narrates the problem studied, methods used for
studying it and the findings and conclusions of the
study.
 The purpose of a research report is to communicate to
interested persons the methodology and the results of
the study in such a manner as to enable them to
understand the research process and to determine the
validity of the conclusions.
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  The aim of the report is not to convince the reader of
the value of the result, but to convey to him what was
done, why it was done, and what was its outcome.
 It is so written that the reader himself can reach his
own conclusions as to the adequacy of the study and
the validity of the reported results and conclusions.

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Functions of a research report
 A well written research report performs several
functions.

 It serves as a means for presenting the problem

 It serves as a basic reference material for future use in

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  A report serves as a means for judging the quality of
the com­pleted research project.
 It is a means for evaluating the researcher's ability and
com­petence to do research.
 It provides factual base for formulating policies and
strategies relating to the subject-matter studied.
 It provides systematic knowledge on problems and
issues analyzed.

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Research report format
 A technical report or doctoral thesis has a number of
clearly defined sections.

 Research formats may vary from researcher to

 However, any researcher could not violate the

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 Thesis Report Out line
Prefatory items
1. Title page
2. Researcher’s declaration
3. The certificate of the research supervisor
4. Acknowledgements
5. Acronyms (abbreviations)
6. Table of contents
7. List of tables
8. List of graphs and charts
9. Abstract
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 Body of the Report
Chapter-1: Introduction
1. Background /Justification of the study
2. Background of the organization
3. Statement of the problem
4. Objectives of the study or research questions
- General and specific
5. Research Questions
6. Hypothesis to be tested
7. Significance or Importance or Need for the Study
8. Scope of the study
9. Limitations of the study
10. Operational definition of terms
11. Organization of the paper

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 Chapter-2: Review of related literature
Theoretical Review
Empirical Review
Conceptual model

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 Chapter 3:Methodology
- Typology of research design
- Data type
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
- Data source
- Primary
- Secondary
- Data collection instruments
- Sample design and sample size
- Data processing procedures
- Data analysis techniques

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 Chapter-4: Data analysis and interpretation
present and analyses the results based on the research
question set or hypothesis derived, and interpret the
findings

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 Chapter Five: Summary, conclusions and
recommendations
Summary of Major Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

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 Terminal items
1. Bibliography/References
2. Appendix
a. Copies of data collection instruments
b. Technical details on sampling plan
c. Complex tables

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Title page
The contents of Title Page
 The title of the research study •
 The name of the faculty/subject •
 Institution to which the report is to be submitted •
 The degree for which report is to be submitted •
 The name of the researcher •
 The name of the supervising teacher & his address •
 The month & Year of submission of the Report
These items are centered between the margin of the page
and no terminal punctuation is used
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 Researcher’s Declaration
The researcher has to declare that it is a bonafide Research
work done by him/her and that no part of the
Thesis/Dissertation is presented for the award of any degree,
diploma, associate ship, fellowship or other similar title before.
Certificate of the Research Guide
The Guide has to state that the thesis is a record of bonafide
research work carried out by the researcher under his
supervision and no part of the thesis is submitted for any
degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or other similar title
before. He/she is permitted to submit the thesis.

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 Acknowledgements
• This page is largely a matter of courtesy
 • The researcher acknowledges the following
persons/Institutions for the assistance
- Guide
- Other academicians and Professionals who rendered assistance
- Authorities of Libraries
- Respondents of questionnaire/Schedule
- Persons from administrative assistance is received
- Any other individuals who assisted in the research work.

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 Contents
-This page gives the readers a bird’s eye-view of the
Report
- It enables the reader to locate quickly each section of it.
 It includes the chapter headings, major sub divisions
of the chapters
 All the titles of Chapters appear in the exact words.
 Correct page number is shown against the title

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 List of Abbreviations
In this page the list of Abbreviations used in the
Thesis is presented in the alphabetical order
List of Tables and Figures
In this Page a list of Tables and Figures, if any, is
shown. The full titles of Tables & Figures are shown
with corresponding Page numbers.
List of Appendixes/Appendices
In this page a list of appendixes given at the end of the
Thesis/Dissertation is shown.
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Referencing/bibliography
 There is a general mix up or referencing with bibliography;
though the purposes are different.
 A bibliography is the listing of the works that are
relevant to the topic of research interest arranged in
alphabetical order of the last names of authors.
 A Reference list is a subset of the bibliography, which
includes details of all the citations used in literature
survey and elsewhere in the report, arranged again, in the
alphabetical order of the last names of authors.
 These citations have the goals of crediting the author and
enabling the reader to find the works cited.
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 Giving references in the report or thesis is a must, whereas the
bibliography is additional information and is certainly optional.
There should be no mixing up of the meanings.
There are different modes of referencing being followed by
different disciplines.
Find out what mode is followed in your discipline.
 For example, psychologists follow the publication manual of
American Psychological Association (APA), sociologists follow
guidelines given in the manual of American Sociological
Association and anthropologists mainly used by Harvard style
of format.

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  Similarly other subjects follow their professional
associations.
 Each of these manuals specifies, with examples, how books,
journals, newspapers, dissertations, and other materials are
to be referenced in manuscripts.
 Whichever the style you pick up, follow it consistently.
 Since APA format is followed for referencing in many
journals in accounting and finance/management area, we
shall present that here as a specimen.
 All the citations mentioned in the research report should
find a place in the References section at the end of the report.

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Specimen Format for citing different Types
of References
 Book by a single author
Leshin, C. B. (1997). Management on the World Wide
Web. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
 Book by more than one author
Cornett, M., Wiley, B. J., & Sankar, S. (1998). The
pleasures of nurturing. London: McMunster Publishing.
 Edited book
Pennathur, A., Leong, F. T., & Schuster, K. (Eds.) (1998).
Style and substance of thinking. New York: Wilson Press.

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 Chapter in an edited book
Riley, T., & Brecht, M. L. (1998). The success in mentoring process. In R.
Williams (Ed.) Mentoring and career success. pp. 129-150. New York: Wilson
Press.
Journal Article
Jean quart, S., & Peluchette, J. (1997). Diversity in the workforce and
management models. Journal of Social Work Studies, 43 (3), 72-85.
Conference Proceedings publications
Gardezi, H. N. (2005). Population policy of Pakistan. In Z. Sathar (Ed.),
Proceedings of the Third Conference on Research and Population, (pp. 100-107).
Islamabad: Population Council.
Doctoral Dissertation
Chaudhary, M.A. (2004). Medical advances and quality of life. Unpublished
doctoral Dissertation, Virtual Universiy

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  Paper presented at conference
Qureshi, Q. A. (2005, May 16). Practical tips for efficient
management. Paper presented at The annual meeting
Entrepreneurs, Lahore.
 Unpublished Manuscript
Kashoor, M. A. (2005). Training and development in the ‘90s.
Unpublished manuscript, Virtual University.
 Newspaper Article
The GM Pact. (2005, May 16). The Dawn, p. 4.
 Referencing Electronic Sources
Ahmad, B. (2005). Technology and immediacy of information. [On line]
Available http://www.bnet.act.com

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 Thank You The End
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