In preparation of all 101’s, I had to take the help and guidance of some respected persons, who

deserve my deepest gratitude. As the completion of this assignment gave me much pleasure, I would
like to show my gratitude to God for strengthening and for giving me wisdom and good guidelines as
to how to carry out this project. I say a big thank you to my mom for initiating this project. I would
also like to expand my gratitude to all those who have directly and indirectly guided me in writing this
101.

In addition, a thank you to Yaa Asantewah, Kessiwaa Baafour, Ruth Asante and Addo-Johnson, who
provided me with all materials (PC, bundle, food, etc.) for the work, and their passion for
“engineering” had lasting effect. I also thank the Ghana Technology University Collage and lecturers
for consent to include copyrighted past questions as a part of the 101.

Many people, especially my classmates submitted past question papers and have made valuable
comment suggestions on my paper which gave me an inspiration to improve the quality of the 101.

And all those who took time to read it, May God increase your absorption rate, increase your retention
ability and exponentially expand your capacities.

May we all become world-class engineers who invent and solve problems with simplicity and awe!!

God Bless You all!!!

 1. State the process and logic in scientific research [3marks]

OBSERVATION:
The researcher wants to observe, a set of important factors that is related to his problem
Example: Let us assume that a researcher is conducting a market research project for a client
manufacturing men's apparel.
Researcher observes that some of the competitors are doing a brisk business. Sales increase of
apparel is mainly due to round or turtle neck shirt and narrow bottom pants

FORMULATES HYPOTHESIS:
The researcher formulates hypothesis, which will explain what he has observed.
Researcher now presumes that the product of his clients is somewhat similar and the variation in
shirt and pant variety as above is the main cause for competitors sales increase

FUTURE PREDICTION:
The researcher draws a logical conclusion
It is predicted that if his client introduces same / similar products, sales will increase.

TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS:

This is the conclusion based on data
The client now produces, round neck shirts and narrow bottom pants for test marketing

2. What are the characteristics of scientific research? [3marks]

VALIDITY:
Validity is the ability of a measuring instrument to measure what it is supposed to measure.
A questionnaire is administered to find the attitudes of the respondent towards a movie. So long as
the questionnaire serves this purpose, we say that the instrument is valid

RELIABILITY:
Reliability is the degree to which the research method produces stable and consistent results.
A research is considered reliable if it produces the same results when repeated several times.

3. Distinguish between scientific research and unscientific research [4marks]

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH:
Is a logically stepped process used for investigating and acquiring or expanding our
understanding.
The findings of scientific research can be reproduced and demonstrated to be consistent.
UNSCIENTIFIC RESEARCH:
is acquiring knowledge and truths about the world using techniques that do not follow the
scientific method.
Here, someone may not offer a good reason for something, but they just know it to be true.

RATIONAL AND OBJECTIVE:

Unscientific research is based on logic. Scientific research is objective. Thus, it is something you
plan to do or achieve. It is based on real facts and not influenced by personal feelings or beliefs.
Conclusions should be based on facts. Mindset should not influence decision making.

ACCURACY OF MEASUREMENT:
Accuracy using scientific instrument can be ensured. This is because, the measuring instrument is
valid and reliable.
MAINTAINING CONTINUITY IN INVESTIGATION:
In science, there is continuity. This is because, every time there is an invention, the same is carried
forward for further improving the same.
Example: Basic telephony Vs Latest mobile phones, early steam engines Vs Electronically driven
engines.
In Unscientific research, there is less continuity. The present researcher does not start from where
it was left out. Each project is independent. What is learnt in one assignment is not made use of in
subsequent projects.

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 4. List and explain five importance of research? [5marks]

It helps identify and find solutions to problems.

It makes us understand the problem in depth. Once we are able to identify the problem, it is easy to
collect the relevant data to solve the problem.

It helps in decision making.

For example: Should we maintain the advertising budget? Research will answer this question.

It helps develop new concepts.

It helps find alternate strategies.

It provides understanding to various issues and increase public awareness.

It serves as a tool for building our knowledge and also as a tool to facilitate learning.
In conducting research, students find new concepts and methods for solving various problems.

It serves as a way to prove lies and superstitions and to support truths.

Research helps test the validity and reliability of claims made by others

It is an aid to business success.

Businesses who conduct research tend to find solutions to problems they encounter in their day-to-
day business activity. Research also put companies ahead of their competitors as it helps them find
out how to make things happen and what could differentiate them from their competitors

Means to find, gauge, and seize opportunities

Research helps people to nurture their potential and achieve goals through various opportunities.
This can be in the form of securing job employment, scholarships, training grants, project funding,
business collaboration, choosing where to school and others.

Nourishment and exercise for the mind.

Research cures our curiosity, help us develop critical reasoning skills, allows creativity and
sometimes helps prevent mental illness like Alzheimer’s.

5. In research, validity and reliability is associated with the concept of measurements. Mention four
sources of errors in measurement. [5marks]

RESPONDENT:
Respondent may not be willing to share some sensitive information with the researcher. He may
not be knowledgeable to answer the researcher’s questions. These things may affects the
measurement

SITUATION:
Situation factors may also affects the measurement. For example ladies may not be willing to
share some personal matters in front of others

MEASURER:
Errors may also creep in because of faulty analysis, tabulation, statistical calculation etc

INSTRUMENT:
Tools used for measurement is also a source of error, if it is not compatible to the data, researcher
intend to collect

6. With the aid of a flow chart, explain the Steps in Research Process [5marks]

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 7. What are the criteria or characteristics of a good research? [5marks]

A good research should be:

SYSTEMATIC:
It should be structured. It must follow an orderly sequence according to a set of defined rules.
LOGICAL:
There should be logical reasoning in the research. It could be inductive or deductive. With
inductive, the conclusion is drawn from one or more facts or pieces of evidence. With deductive,
the conclusion drawn must necessarily follow the reason stated.
EMPIRICAL:
This means the factual investigation is possible. Its validity can be checked through reliable
sources and evidences. It should be possible to describe, interpret and explain the phenomenon.
REPLICABLE:
This means it can be conducted or repeated by any number of times. A researcher can verify the
results by repeating the study and thereby delivering a sound decision-making framework.

8. In research, defining the research problem is paramount; list at least five (5) sources of problem
identification in research? [5marks]

Research students can adopt the following ways to identify the problems
Research reports already published may be referred to define a specific problem.
Assistance of research organization, which handles a number of projects of the companies, can be
sought to identify the problem
Professors, working in reputed academic institution can act as guides in problem identification
Company employees and competitors can assist in identifying the problems
Cultural changes and Technological changes can act as a sources for research problem identification
Seminars / symposiums / focus groups can act as a useful source.

9. Explain the inductive and deductive reasoning in research [5marks]

INDUCTIVE RESEARCH “involves the search for pattern from observation and the development of
explanations – theories – for those patterns through series of hypotheses”

A DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH is concerned with “developing a hypothesis (or hypotheses) based on

existing theory, and then designing a research strategy to test the hypothesis”

INDUCTIVE RESEARCH DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH

usually use research questions to narrow the usually begins with a hypothesis
scope of the study
the aim is usually focused on exploring new he emphasis is generally on causality
phenomena or looking at previously researched
phenomena from a different perspective
generally associated with qualitative research, more commonly associated with
quantitative research

10. In research literature review helps justify how your findings are related to the body of
knowledge in your field of research. Enumerate the five (5) steps of reviewing or evaluating
journal article. [5marks]

Read and understand the abstract

Read and understand the introduction
Read the methodology section
Read the results section
Read and understand the discussion section

11. List at least five (5) importance of literature review. [5marks]

It improves your research methodology

It helps you focus on your research problem
It ensures novelty in your work
It helps contextualize your research findings
It caters knowledge based for research area

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 12. List five (5) factors to be considered when designing a questionnaire? [5marks]

Determine what information is needed

Define the target audience or respondents
What type of questionnaire to be used questionnaire
Decide on the type of questions
Decide on the wording of the questions
Decide the layout
Decide on the length of the questionnaire

13. A sample is a part of target population, which is carefully selected to represent the population.
Give at least five instances when a sample is appropriate? [5marks]

When the population size is large

When time and cost is the main consideration in research
If the population is Homogeneous (of the same kind)
Also there are circumstances when census is impossible. Example: Reaction to global advertising
by a company
The partly accessible populations.
There are Some populations that are so difficult to get access to that only a sample can be used. Like
people in prison, like crashed airplanes in the deep seas, presidents etc.
The destructive nature of the observation.
Sometimes the very act of observing the desired characteristic of a unit of the population destroys it
for the intended use. Good examples of this occur in quality control. For example to test the quality of
a fuse, to determine whether it is defective, it must be destroyed. To obtain a census of the quality of a
lorry load of fuses, you have to destroy all of them. This is contrary to the purpose served by quality-
control testing. In this case, only a sample should be used to assess the quality of the fuses

14. Describe probability and non-probability sampling techniques. [5marks]

PROBABILITY SAMPLING:
Here each member of a universe has a known chance of being selected and included in the sample.
OR all the members of the population have a pre-specified and an equal chance to be a part of the
sample.
Personal bias is avoided. The researcher cannot exercise, his discretion in the selection of sample
items

NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING:
In this case, the chance of choosing a particular universe element is unknown.
OR all the individuals of the population are not given an equal opportunity of becoming a part of
the sample.
The sample chosen in this method is based on aspects like convenience, quota etc.

15. Describe the process of sampling in research. [5marks]

Sampling process consists of seven steps. They are:

Define the population
Identify the sampling frame
Specify the sampling unit
Selection of sampling method
Determination of sample size
Specify sampling plan
Selection of sample.

DEFINE THE POPULATION:

Population is defined in terms of elements, sampling units, extent and time.
Example: If we are monitoring the sale of a new product recently introduced by a company, say
(shampoo sachet) the population will be
(a) Element - Company’s product (b) Sampling unit - Retail outlet, supermarket (c) Extent -
Hyderabad and Secundrabad (d) Time - April 10th to May 10th, 2006

IDENTIFY THE SAMPLING FRAME:

Sampling frame could be (a) Telephone Directory (b) Localities of a city using corporation listing
(c) Any other list consisting of all sampling units.
Example: You want to study about scooter owners in a city. RTO will be the frame, which provides
you name, address and the type of vehicle possessed

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 SPECIFY SAMPLING UNIT:
Who is to be contacted- are they the sampling units? If retailers are to be contacted in a locality,
that is the sampling unit.
Sampling unit may be husband or wife in a family. Selection of sampling unit is very important. If
interviews are to be held during office timings, when the head of families and other employed persons
are away, interviewing would under represent employed persons, and over represent elderly persons,
housewives and the unemployed

SELECTION OF SAMPLING METHOD:

This refers to whether (a) probability or (b) Nonprobability methods are used.
DETERMINATION OF SAMPLE SIZE:
This means, we need to decide “How many elements of the target population is to be chosen?”
Sample size depends upon the type of study that is being conducted.
For Example: If it is an exploratory research, the sample size will be generally small. For conclusive
research such as descriptive research, sample size will be large. Sample size also depends upon the
resources available with the company. Sample size depends on the accuracy required in the study
and the permissible error allowed

SPECIFY SAMPLING PLAN:

Sampling plan should clearly specify the target population. Improper defining would lead to
wrong data collection.
Example: This means that, if survey of household is to be conducted, a sampling plan should define a
“Household” i.e., “Is it husband or wife or both” minor etc., “Who should be included or excluded”.
Instruction to the interviewer should include “How he should take systematic sample of households,
probability sampling /non – probability sampling”. Advise him on what he should do, when no one is
available on his visit, to the household.

SELECTION OF SAMPLE:
This is the final step in sampling process. The final decision is made.

16. How will you explain the following terms as used in the field of research & Methodology: Research
Population, Sampling, Sample Frame, Sample Size, and the Sampling Steps. [7marks]

RESEARCH POPULATION is a complete set of elements (persons or objects) that possess some
common characteristic defined by the sampling criteria established by the researcher

SAMPLING is the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable sample, or a representative part of
a population for the purpose of determining parameters or characteristics of the whole
population.

SAMPLING FRAME is the list of elements from which the sample is actually drawn. Actually sampling
frame is nothing but correct list of population. Example: Telephone directory, Product finder,
Yellow pages.

SAMPLE SIZE measures the number of individual samples measured or observations used in a
survey or experiment.

SAMPLING STEPS are the laid-down procedures which helps produce better and accurate results
when followed during sampling.
Identify the population
Specify a sampling frame
Specify a sampling method
Determine the sample size
Implement the plan

17. Distinguish between qualitative research & quantitative research, hence, how will you
differentiate a good research from a bad research? [3marks]

Quantitative research gets you the numbers to prove the broad general points of your research.
Qualitative research brings you the details and the depth to understand their full implications

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

designed to collect cold, hard facts. collects information that seeks to describe a
Numbers. topic more than measure it.
is structured and statistical is less structured: It seeks to delve deep into
the topic at hand to gain information about

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It provides support when you need to draw
general conclusions from your research
people’s motivations, thinking, and
attitudes
brings depth of understanding to your
research questions, it also makes the results
harder to analyze

18. Identify and discuss the contents of a Project Report [5marks]

TITLE PAGE:
Title Page should indicate the topic on which the report is prepared. It should include the name of
the person or agency who has prepared the report. The date of the submission of the report is to be
included in the report.

SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT:
If your report is long and drawn out, the person to whom you have prepared the report may not
have the time to read it in detail. Apart from this, a summary will help in highlighting major points.
It is a condensed version of the whole report. It should be written in one page. Since top executives
read only the summary, it should be accurate and well-written. A summary should help in decision-
making.
A summary should have,
Objectives of the research report
Scope of the study
Limitations
Key results
Conclusions
Recommendations

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The table of contents will help the reader to know "what the report contains". The table of contents
should indicate the various parts or sections of the report. It should also indicate the chapter
headings along with the page number

THE BODY:
This section includes:
Introduction
Methodology
Results
Limitations
Introduction: The introduction must explain clearly the decision problem and research objective. The
background information should be provided on the product and services provided by the organisation
which is under study.
Methodology: How you have collected the data is the key in this section. For example, Was primary
data collected or secondary data used? Was a questionnaire used? What was the sample size and
sampling plan and method of analysis? Was the design exploratory or conclusive?
Results: What was the final result of the study?
Limitations: Every report will have some shortcoming. The limitations may be of time, geographical
area, the methodology adopted, correctness of the responses,

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION:

What was the conclusion drawn from the study?
Based on the study, what recommendation do you make?

APPENDIX:
The purpose of an appendix is to provide a place for material which is not absolutely essential to
the body of the report. The appendix will contain copies of data collection forms called
questionnaires, details of the annual report of the company, details of graphs/charts, photographs,
CDs, interviewers’ instructions

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 GTUC FORMAT
TITLE PAGE:
Your title gives a reader a good idea of what is inside your Project. It is important that you follow the
template for the title page given.
The page should include the following:
1. Name of the University and Logo
2. Name of faculty and department
3. Title of the project
4. Full name of author(s)
5. Supervisors name and year of presentation

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT:
This is a brief summary of the project work and it should have the following:
1. The concise description of the problem(s) addressed
2. The methods used to find the solutions
3. The results
4. Conclusions
The whole abstract should be composed as one paragraph. A maximum limit of 250 words or half a
page

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The contents page sets out the sections and subsections of the report and their corresponding page
numbers. It should clearly show the structural relationship between the sections and subsections.
A reader looking for specific information should be able to locate the appropriate section easily from
the table of contents

INTRODUCTION:
The purpose of this section is to explain the motivation of your work. You should briefly state the
specific problem, and try to place it in a wider context.
Explain why this is useful, interesting, important, even exciting project. Avoid the temptation;
almost certainly there is a better place for this detail later in the project.

BODY OF REPORT:
1. Background of the project
2. Literature Review
3. Design and specifications
Throughout the body, you should include text (both your own and research from other sources),
graphics, and lists. Whenever you cite information or use graphics from another source, you must
credit these sources within your text.

Literature Review
A good literature review comprises: 1. A comprehensive survey of existing relevant work 2. A detailed
review of the best (most important) contributions 3. A critical comparison of these contributions 4. a
synthesis of new knowledge from existing work These should come from journal papers and textbooks,
reports and websites. identify as much relevant published work as possible
Be up-to-date (with most emphasis on work less than 5 years old Your report should review the
work, i.e. it should comment, for example, on its: • relevance • strengths and weakness • reliability •
accuracy

Results
This is where you report your results. Use tables, graphs, etc. where the project is investigative in
nature. Use block diagrams, circuit diagrams, figures showing input/output signals, performance
curves, photographs etc. where the project involves the design of hardware. Use flow diagrams,
simulated code, screen shots, etc. where the project involves the design of software.

Discussion
Many students do well up to the implementation part, but they do something barely adequate in the
way of getting results, and are at a loss for words when it comes to evaluating their results. If you are
really interested in the problem, by this stage you should have lots to say about how good your solution
was, how well it compared to previous work, and what more you would like to do. Do not say ‘I did not
have time to do so-and so for such and such an excuse.’ Be positive.

CONCLUSIONS:
Make this a really concise and readable summary of the good things that have come out of the
project. Be frank about the shortcomings, but try to be positive. You are a sentient being, right? So
you must be capable of deduction, right? So what conclusions do you draw from this project?
Conclusions in the form of a list of concrete statements (effectively bullet points) are a good idea.
Keep them short, focused and technical. Don’t include vague ‘educational’ conclusions such as ‘I
learned a lot from doing this project’.
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 Sometimes the discussion and conclusions can be legitimately combined in one section. This is a
matter for judgment.
REFERENCES:
Whenever you cite information (this includes graphics) from another source, you must credit the
source in your References. Always check with your instructor to determine which reference style to
use.

Read the passages and answer them on your own. Submit your answers if you feel like doing so.
The above summary are Extracts from an independent report, please read carefully and answer the following
questions:
i. What is the problem statement?
ii. What were the objectives of the study?
iii. What research methods were adopted to solve the problem?
iv. What were the major findings of the research?
v. What were the conclusions of the study?

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