ORGANISING A RESEARCH REPORT

A research report is a document that highlights what the research study was all about, and how it was conducted
and what the findings and conclusion are. In this case, a Research Report based on UNILUS Report format at
Undergraduate level, has Five Main Chapters.

Once a researcher has undertaken the data analysis and stored the information accordingly, it is time to prepare
a Research report. Suffice to mention that most research reports whether one had used a qualitative or
quantitative approach remain similar in most chapters except around methodology and analysis chapter
variations may be found.

Basic aspects contained in a report include the following:

 Title Page: This includes the details of the name of the researcher, course being studied, computer
number, title of the research etc.
 Preliminaries: These include:
o Copyright Notice: This is where a researcher gives some kind of warning and
prohibition that actually the information contained in the report is not so open for
duplication, redistribution etc. otherwise one will have to acquire some permission
from the one who undertook the research work.
o Abstract: This is basically a summary of all that has been studied
o Dedication: this is a part one would opt to mention special individuals to whom the
work is dedicated to.
o Acknowledgements: This is where one shows some courtesy to all those they felt
contributed in one way or the way to the success of the research work.
 Table of Contents:
o List of tables and figures
 Chapter 1: Introduction
o Background to the Study
o Statement of the problem
o Objectives
o Significance of study
o Delimitations of the study ( Scope of study)
o Operational definitions
o Chapter Synthesis( Where one indicates summary of what each chapter contains).

 Chapter 2: Literature Review

o Introduction of Chapter
o Non empirical Literature( General Information that relates to the study but not
research based)
o Empirical Review (Research based information, studies done by others that relate to
the study and what gaps are being noticed. This is where you critique and analyze the
works of others and state your position as a researcher).
o Theoretical Framework (Identify a few theories that underpin your study and state
key assumptions of the theory and indicate how you think the chosen theory relates
to your study).
o Conceptual Framework (Indicate variables at play, how they are influencing each
other, indicate the Independent and Dependent Variable).
o Gaps in literature (Summarize what gaps you noted from the literature you reviewed
in relation to the study).

 Chapter 3; Methodology

1
 o Introduction of Chapter
o Research Approach( optional)
o Research design
o Study location
o Study population
o Sample size
o Sample Technique
o Data collection Techniques (Indicate data type to be used and data instruments opted
for eg. Interviews, questionnaires etc.)
o Analysis-tools and approach/techniques
o Reliability and Validity of Data
o Ethical Consideration

 Chapter 4: Data Presentation and Analysis

This is the heart of any research work, with depictions in the form of tables, figures such as pie charts, bar
charts, graphs etc. The section includes findings and interpretations. Key components are:

o Introduction of Chapter
o Presentation of analysed data
o Discussion of Findings

 Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

This generally consists of a brief restatement of the problem and procedures, summary of findings, conclusions
and recommendations including the areas that may require further study.
Key components of Chap Five are:

 Introduction of Chapter
 Summary of Findings
 Conclusions
 Recommendations of study
 Recommendations for Future study
 Bibliography.
 Appendices