Research Reflection Report (Assignment Format) – Guidelines for the Report

These notes are designed to help you deliver and conduct a successful Research Reflection Report.

The Research Reflection Report is a major piece of work and is designed to support your own self-critical
consideration of your research and related business skills and demonstrate that you can:-

 Reflect and comment critically on what you have learnt during the programme and during the
carrying out of your research activities
 Carefully consider the research which you have carried out and critically comment on this
 Discuss the relationship of your research, research sources and evidence, and researching
activities to the production of your Major Project
 Critically comment on the key areas, examples, sources of your research
 Consider the relationship of your research, and researching, to both your Major Project and
possible future employment opportunities

Your Research Reflection Report is not only an academic exercise but also a piece of work which you may
wish to use in future employment contexts to demonstrate your ability to consider the importance of
research and researching to:-

 business planning,
 business success,
 organisational contexts
 your own academic and business skills and the contribution which you can make to an
organisation as a result of developing these skills

The Research Reflection Report therefore aims to support the student’s ability to be self critical about their
research. It also develops the students understanding and application of the core concepts of business and
academic skills while developing their ability to perform more effectively within organisations in a real
world context. The Report therefore encourages reflection on:-

1) Research Processes

2) The research methodologies which you have considered and applied

3) Research and researching as a problem solving process used by you as a student,

4) The identification and discussion of your key learning points which could be applied to other
situations.

5) The relationship of research and your major project to your professional development
opportunities and career development intensions
Completion of the Report

 The contents of the report are given in a template format (see pages 3&4)
 You may treat this report as a self critical evaluation of your researching experience or “Learning
Diary” or as a final summing up of your experiences while carrying out the Research and the
Major Project in which you have been involved. It is advisable not to leave the completion of the
Report until the last minute.
 Above all this Report should not be simply descriptive – it should be a self critical summary of
your learning experiences. You should adopt a ‘critical’ viewpoint – what seems to work, what
is less successful – and why? Discuss the examples of best /good/interesting research practice
which you have come across. Consider how research examples/models can be usefully used in
business situations– and be adapted to suit your future workplace/ academic environment.
 You should attempt to respond to all template sections
 You should keep to the overall word limit of 4000 words maximum for the whole Report.

Things to think about when completing your Research Reflective Report:-

The nature of your research and your Major Project

Why is it being done; why are you working on this subject and how significant is it to you and to future
employers?

Plan of your schedules

Have you managed effectively your research and Major Project schedules and are they logical?

Resources
What resources (i.e. people, evidence, references, and ideas) have you used and how are you using these?
Why are they important?

Methodologies
Are the methods which you have used specified clearly, and are they sufficiently rigorous? Are
data/evidence/literature sources specified and available? Are you conducting the research and the Major
Project in a professional manner? What analytical frameworks will be used to make sense of the work?
Are these appropriate?

Support and Barrier Issues

Have these been thought through by you? How any barriers to be/being overcome?

Anticipated Benefits to you and to a future employment organisation

What are they? – Knowledge? : Ideas? : Learning Experience? : Efficiency? : Effectiveness? Financial?:
Organisational?: Skills?

How will the project satisfy you?

How will the work contribute to your personal development? How wide a range of skills and knowledge
does it use from your programme? Will it demonstrate that you have an understanding of your programme
subject areas?

Major Project Conclusions: The conclusions which you are forming for your Major Project – are they
based on rigorous reasoning and argument?

Report Writing Skills

Write your reflections and critical views clearly and simply.
Student name: ……WRITE YOUR NAMES HERE AS THEY ARE IN YOUR PASSPORT……..

Student ID number: ……WRITE YOUR SCHOOL ID NUMBER HERE………………

RESEARCH
REFLECTION REPORT Marks
(should contain the details given available
Please type your responses in the spaces below:
below)

Research Methods & Processes Click here to enter text.

How and why have you
chosen/decided on the research
methods and processes which you
are using/have used for the
development of your Major 15
Project?

How would you describe these to:

1) a reader of your Major Project

and/or

2) a future employer

(max. 550 words)

Literature & sources Click here to enter text.

1) What are the most important
theories/literature sources
/evidence sources which you are 15
using to justify your research and
your Major Project?

2) Why are these sources

important and fundamental to your
work?

(max. 550 words)

Your Knowledge Click here to enter text

What key areas of knowledge
have you gained from undertaking
your research and the Major 10
Project?

Indicate why these are so

important to you?

(max. 400 words)

Your Learning Click here to enter text
What are the most important
aspects/examples of learning
and/or skills which you have 10
gained from:

(1) undertaking the MBA

programme,

(2) following through your

research, and

(3) applying your knowledge and

what you have learnt in your
Major Project

(max. 400 words)

Critical Thinking and your Click here to enter text

ideas

In carrying out your research, your

10
analysis, your evaluation of
evidence, and in identifying or
proposing conclusions, what has
been the most important
discovery, or piece of evidence, or
theory, or viewpoint, or critical
idea, or critical addition to your
knowledge, or other item of
importance and why?

(max. 400 words)

Barriers met Click here to enter text

What were the main difficulties
and barriers which you were faced
with in: 10

(1) undertaking your research, and

(2) completing your Major

project

(max. 400 words)

Your Professional Development Click here to enter text
What are the most important 10
business and/or management
skill(s) or academic idea(s) or
lesson(s) which you have learnt
from undertaking your research
and your Major Project – and
why?

(400 words)

Objectives Click here to enter text

Based on your research and the 10
work which you have done in the
MBA Programme and its use in
your Major Project, what were and
how far have the objectives of
your major project been achieved?

(max. 450 words)

Findings & outcomes Click here to enter text

How useful and/or feasible are the 10
findings, recommendations,
conclusions, or outcomes of your
Major Project to you and/or to a
future Employer?

You must justify your answer with

specific examples.

(max. 450 words)

TOTAL

100