BINDURA UNIVESITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF COMMERCE

DISSERTATION RESEARCH GUIDELINES

FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

 UNIT ONE

RESEARCH PRESENTATION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this section is to highlight the specifications in the presentation of the
research project in order to achieve uniformity and consistency. The section covers the
following aspects:-

 The Preliminary (front ) Pages

 The Research Report Text
 Text Formatting
 Back pages material
 Binding

1.1 The Preliminary Pages

In the preliminary pages of the research project you present the following materials:-

 The Title page

 The Approved Form
 The Release Form
 Dedication
 The Abstract
 Acknowledgements
 Table of contents
 List of Tables
 List of Figures

The preliminary pages that precede the introduction should be numbered in lower case
Roman numerals i.e. i, ii, iii, iv etc while the body of the research is numbered in
Arabic numerals i.e. 1,2,3 etc.

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1.1.1 The Title Page

The title page must be arranged as follows:-

 Institution granting degree.

 Title of the research project:- the title of the research project must be brief
and should have 15 words or less.
 The title of the research project is in capital letters (well centered): indicate
your full name starting with first name then middle name(s) and lastly
surname. The following statement should be written under your name, well
centered and systematically arranged:

A DISSERTATION/THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE (insert name of degree) OF BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF
SCIENCE EDUCATION. FACULTY OF COMMERCE. Indicate month and year of
submission at the bottom (well-centered).

1.1.1 The Release Form

This is a form that grants the university permission to produce copies for the project and
also reserves the authors’ publication rights.

1.1.2 The Signed Approval Form

This serves as an official acknowledgement and acceptance of the research project as

satisfactory. It is signed by the supervisor and the Chairman of the Department.

1.1.3 Dedication (Optional)

This serves as tribute or recognition to a specific individual or individuals.

1.1.5. The Abstract

The abstract should follow the title page and begin on a new page. It should be concise
but comprehensive (between 250 – 300 words). The abstract is used by potential readers
to determine at a glance, the contents of the project. The abstract should contain:

 A clear statement of the problem under investigation and the purpose of the
research;
 A description of the methods used in the study i.e. the design, the sample size and
the sample composition;
 An indication of where and how the data was obtained;
 A description of the data analysis technique;
 A summary of the findings, conclusions and recommendations.

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1.1.6 Acknowledgements

In this section you acknowledge the person or persons to whom you are indebted for the
guidance and assistance in making your study successful. Present this section on a
separate page.

1.1.7 Table of Contents

Table of contents should be sufficiently informative with page numbers of all sections
and chapters indicated. The preliminaries are typed in lower case. These are typed as
follows:

Title Page i
Release Form ii
Approval Form iii
Dedication iv
Abstract v
Acknowledgement vi
Table of Contents vii
List of Table viii
List of Figures ix
List of Appendices x

After the preliminaries you then list Chapter and Chapter headings and subheading giving
the page(s) where these are located in your research project.

For typing you should ensure that:

 Chapter numbers and preliminaries’ page numbers are typed in Roman numerals;
 Chapter titles and Chapter numbers are typed in UPPER CASE;
 Sub-headings of each chapter are typed in lower case and single spaced;
 Margins are 3.8cm on the left and 2.5cm at the right, top and bottom sides
 Numbering of the pages should be at the centre bottom,
 References and Appendices are presented in Arabic numerals and are typed in
upper case.
 Spelling should follow that of the UK. English Dictionary – use the “Spell
Grammar” checker facility in the MS-Word.
 Ensure that typescripts are legible, and that the fonts as well as format are consistent
throughout.

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1.1.8 List of Tables

 Type each table on a separate sheet in case it covers half a page or more;
 Number them consecutively using Arabic numbers e.g. Table 4.1, Table 4.2 etc in
the same order they are referred to in the text. Type them at the top of the table;
 Type adequate and self-explanatory headings above tables;
 Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the heading and of column
headings in the table except where otherwise necessary;
 Place acknowledgements of the source below the tables e.g. Source: Mapiye and
Maunga (2006), where applicable;
 Give references for tables in full only in the references list at the end of the research
project and not as footnotes to the text.

1.1.9 List of Figures

 Provide these on separate sheets in case they cover half page or more;
 Number the figures sequentially in Arabic numbers (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure
3 etc) and refer to them in the text in order of appearance. Type captions below
figures;
 Capitalize only the first letter of captions except where otherwise necessary.

1.2 The Research Project Text

This refers to Chapters 1-5 since these constitute your main report.

1.2.1 Text Formatting

This subsection concentrates on the presentation specifications of the research or

main body. It covers the following subheadings:

 Margins
 General Typing Rules
 Text spacing
 Hyphenated words
 Book titles
 Pagination

1.2.1.1 Margins

All pages should have top, bottom, left and right hand margins with the following
specifications:
 3.8cm on the left margin to allow binding;
 2.5cm at the top and bottom;
 2.5cm on the right hand.

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1.2.1.2 Typing Rules

 A4 pager is to be used;
 Typing should be done on one side of the page only;
 Line spacing should be 1.5;
 All Chapters should be numbered in Roman numerals, centred and typed
in capital letters;
 All chapter titles should be centered, in capitals and two spaces below
chapter number;
 For all subheadings, use a combination of capitals and lower case;
Subheading should be highlighted (bold) and flushed against the left
margin (do not underline them).

CHAPTER ONE

2 Spaces

INTRODUCTION

3 Spaces

 If subheadings are more than 1 line, they should be single spaced.

 Each chapter begins on a separate new page.

1.2.3 Text Spacing

Begin 3 spaces below the last line of the chapter title (as shown above). A minimum of 2
lines must be used to divide paragraphs or when beginning a new sub-division.

1.2.4 Font Type and size

Times New Roman should be used for font type and a font size 12pt throughout the
research report.

1.2.5 Quotations

Long quotations should:

 Be indented;
 Be single spaced;
 Be in Block typed form i.e. 4 spaces from left margin;
 To be enclosed in quotation marks.

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  Begin 3 spaces below general text.
 Quotations less than 3 lines are enclosed in quotation marks and typed
within the general text.

1.2.6 Hyphenated words

These should be kept to a minimum of three per page.

Protruding words into right hand margins should be avoided. Avoid hyphenating last
word on the page.

1.2.7 Bold Titles

Titles of books and periodicals should be underlined if used in text.

1.2.8 Page Numbering

The following specifications should be noted:

 All the preliminaries are numbered in the lower case of the Roman
numerals, centered at the bottom of the page;
 Arabic numbering begins on Chapter 1 and continues up to the end of
appendices;
 Numbering should be positioned at the bottom centre of each page; and
 Arabic numbering should be positioned at the bottom centre of each page.

1.3 Back Page Materials

This section refers to references and appendices.

1.3.1 References

 References should come immediately after last chapter of the research project i.e.
Chapter v;
 Should reflect works consulted and appearing in the text;
 Cite references in alphabetical order of authors and in order of year of publication,
start with papers by the same author being arranged in the order of (1) single
author (2) two authors alphabetically according to the name of second author and
(3) several authors chronologically with 2006a and 2006b etc for papers published
in the same year.
 References by one author take precedence over references by the same plus
additional authors irrespective of the year of publication.
 Avoid using Anon or Anonymous where possible. Where no name of the author
is given, use the name of the sponsoring or issuing organization, ministry and
department etc if it can be identified.

NOTE: DO NOT NUMBER THE REFERENCES.

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1.3.1.1 REFERENCE DETAILS

The following guidelines and examples are designed to show the main elements that
should be cited and the order in which they should appear in references for the main
classes of publications most likely to need inclusion in the list of references.

Journals
* Authors surname and the initials for forenames;
* Year of publication followed by a period / full stop;
* Title of published paper;
* Name of Journal: spelt in full;
* Volume and / or issue number in the brackets;
* First and last page numbers (in full) for journals papers.

For example,
Chitura T, Dube T, and Chari F, 2007. Service quality and customer satisfaction; A case
of the mobile telecommunication industry in Gweru, Zimbabwe: Southern African
Journal of Education, Science and Technology Volume 2 (2): 80 -88

Books

 Author’s or editor’s surnames and initials, names of the sponsoring or

issuing organization or corporate body in the absence of a named individual
or editor ;
 Year of publication, followed by a period/full stop;
 Title of the book ( to be underlined or in italics);
 Name of publisher and town, in that order;
 Page number.

For example,
Mzumara M. 2006. The Theory of Money and Banking in Modern Times (Edition, if not
the first), Mustang: Tate, pp 50 ff

Proceedings of conferences / workshops/ monographs.

 Authors’ surnames(s) and initials;

 Year of publication, followed by: In …………
 Title of proceedings or workshop
 Date of Conference: Town, Country; Volume (if any), Page numbers.

For example,
Ogunniyi, M. B. 2005. Relative Effects of a History, Philosophy and Sociology of
Science Course on Teachers, Understanding of the Name of Science and Industrial
Practice; In Proceedings of the knowledge Production and Higher Education in the 21 st
Century Conference. 31 August – 2 September, 2005. Bergen, Germany pp 45 -50.

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Thesis
 Author’s surname and initials;
 Year of submission followed by a full stop;
 Title of thesis;
 State whether it’s an Msc, MPhil, PhD or D Phil thesis;
 Name of the host institution or Country.

For example,
Salawu, M. B. 1997. The Nutritive Value of the leguminous browse Calliandra
Calothyrsus and the role of condensed tannins in ruminant feeds. PhD Thesis, University
of Aberdeen. United Kingdom.

Reports
 Author(s) or organization’s name;
 Year of publication;
 Title of the report;
 Name of publisher (if available), Town, Country and page numbers of the
article (any which is available).

For example,
Mupangwa, J. F Vhurumuka, E. and Denhere, S. 2000. Assessment of the Impact of
Cyclone Eline on the Food Agriculture and Natural Resource Sector in Zimbabwe.
UNDP/WFP. USAID / FEWSNET and GOZ, Harare, Zimbabwe

Department of Research and Specialist Services (DRSS). 200. Livestock and Pasture
Research in Zimbabwe, Annual report. Government Printers, Harare Zimbabwe pp 12-15.

Citing From Electronic Sources

 Authors or organisation’s name;

 Year of publication;
 Title of the article;
 Internet Address;
 Date of the Website.

For example,
Rule, L.C. and Lassila, K, E. 2003 Innovative Teaching Approaches to Improve Science
Education. Retrieved from http://www.iitapilastate.edu/reports/stafrica/rule.html
on 12/06/04.

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1.3.2 Appendices

Being an extension of the research document, these should be page numbered normally.
They include copies of research instruments used and other documents deemed necessary
for inclusion but must be kept to a minimum. In addition to being numbered sequentially,
each appendix must be provided/given a title.

1.3.3 Binding

You must submit 2 loose bound copies for marking. After making necessary corrections
(as suggested by markers), you should then submit one executive bound copy of the
dissertation.

1.3.3.1 The Spine

 Title
 Name of Student
 Programme
 University
 Year

1.3.3.2 The Colour

Navy blue with inscriptions on both spine and cover.

1.4 Dissertation length

The length of the dissertation should be around 12 000 words inclusive of the
Appendices.

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 UNIT TWO

2.0 INTRODUCTION

This section of the research guidelines makes an effort to describe and explain step by
step how to write Chapter One of your research project. You should note that Chapter
One is entitled “Introduction” in order to emphasise its relative function, e.g.

Chapter One

Introduction

The Chapter is broken down into the following subheadings:-

 Background to the Study;

 Statement of the problem;
 Purpose of the Study;
 Research question(s);
 Statement of the hypothesis
 Significance of the study;
 Assumptions;
 Delimitations of the study;
 Limitations;
 Definition of terms; and
 Summary.

Background to the Study

The background places the research study into some intelligible context, touching broadly
on some of the issues related to it. Generally, you will rely on some information, which
led you to get to the source of the particular research problem. For example, you might
want to touch on the commercial, social, geographical, educational or political context of
the problem, or the various dimensions in which it manifests itself.

The researcher should identify the gap that must be filled by the present study. Where
the background to the study depends on the literature, this must be cited.

Statement of the Problem

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This sub-section contains a brief and clear statement of the problem to be solved. Some
of the characteristics of a good research problem statement are that it should be:
 Researchable, i.e. it should be possible to investigate it empirically. It should be
answered through the collection and analysis of (scientific) data;
 Precise, i.e. that it should be written in clear unambiguous language;
 Resolved through research – the researcher should make sure that the problem
chosen offers definite sources of information which when collected, can answer the
key questions sufficiently;
 Carefully fit into the broader context of current theory and relevant research;
 Clearly and logically related to its sub-problems/research questions or hypothesis.

Purpose of the Study

It clarifies the aims or objectives of the study, what the study seeks to accomplish. You
may want to explore, to explain or to infer or in some cases you may want to replicate
what is already known, hence you must make it clear. The terms are further explained as
follows:

 To explore – is just to find out more about an area which few or no people have
ventured into. Exploratory studies are done in areas which are little understood and
where the relationship among variables is unknown or only a little is known
 To describe – that is to reveal patterns and trends of situations, or events, objects,
phenomena or behavior. By describing them the hope is that they will be
understood better, and so answer the question “why”.
 To explain – is to reveal the linkages among the elements constitution situations,
even and phenomena. It also attempts to answer the question “why”.

Research Question

Research questions are developed from the research problem. Good research questions
ought to be amenable to some more/less definitive answers.

However, while the question must lend itself to some answer, it must not be totally
answered by a simple “Yes” or “No”. It must require you to collect and process research
evidence as part of the answer.
Research questions must specify variables. When research questions are addressed
individually, they yield responses which can be reconstituted to make up a complete
answer to the main research question. The research questions must be precise.

OR
Statement of Hypothesis

Hypotheses are tentative answers or “intelligent” or “probable answers| to the research

questions. A researcher who is not confident of statistical testing of hypothesis is advised

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not to state hypothesis but research question instead. Hypothesis can be written in null or
alternate (directional) form.

Significance of the Study

In this section you should point out how the solution to the problem or the answer to the
research question can influence theory or practice. The research must show why it is
worth the time, effort and expense involved in carrying out the research. You must point
out and explain the practical benefits that the study is likely to provide. You should
consider who would benefit from the study and the specific ways these benefits would be
felt.

Assumptions

Assumptions are statements of what the research believes to be the fact but these cannot
be verified. You should remember that assumptions are not the object of the research but
strengthen the basis of your research. These assumptions, like the significance of the
study have practical and theoretical implications. Without these assumptions, your
research cannot be carried out. For you to be able to carry out the study you should hold
certain facts that about the study as given. These are the assumptions that your study
makes which would influence your research findings.

Delimitations of the study

Delimitations refer to the boundaries of the study. These enable you to point out clearly
what is included in the study. A description of both conceptual and practical (Physical)
boundaries is needed. Delimitations answer the questions:

 What are the concerns of this study?

 What are not its concerns?
 How far does it go into the treat of the given issues and where does it stop?
 How wide is the field from which it sources its data?

In short, delimitations point out what is included in the study such as the populations or
sample size and the variables, etc

Limitations

Limitations are those conditions beyond the control of the researcher that may place
restrictions on the conclusions their application to other situation. It is not enough just to
state these limitations (weakness or constraints) without suggesting the compensatory
factors that the research remains valid and reliable.

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Limitations are weaknesses that are inherent in the research, which the researcher is given
credit for pointing out and serve to alert the reader/user of the research about what to take
note of when interpreting and generalizing the findings and conclusions of the study.
These limitations should be comprehensive hence you need to sufficiently clarify them to
the reader.

Definition of terms

You should identify all terms that need to be defined in order to avoid any
misinterpretations. These definitions help you to establish the frame of reference with
which you as the researcher approaches the problem. The variables to be considered
should be defined in operational terms, that is, they should either be observable or
measurable so that they can be manipulated scientifically. These terms should be
employed consistently throughout the research project. Dictionary meanings do not serve
adequately in defining terms of a research project.

Summary

You should highlight the consistent parts of chapter one and the emerging issues. As
statement linking this chapter two maybe provided. In most research projects, you may
find that this section provides an opportunity to summarise how the rest of the research
has to be organized. Thus you need to briefly describe the focus and content of the
subsequent chapters of the research report.

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 UNIT TWO

INTRODUCTION

This unit focuses on chapter two of you research project and it is written as follows:

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

INTRODUCTION
You must introduce the readers to the chapter on what it covers.

Purpose of Literature Review

Literature review should show these two types of literature i.e. Theoretical Review and
Empirical Review. A knowledge of related research enables you to define the frontiers
of the research fields: For example you may say
Rambanepasi (1989:33); Greun (1993:96) and Mupfurutsa (1999:108) discovered this
much about the research problem under investigation, the investigators Pandadyira and
Hwinayi (2000) added this much to our knowledge. This research proposes to go beyond
Pandadyira and Hwinayi’s work in the following manner…

The review of related theory and research enables you to place your quotations in
perspective. You should review related literature for the purpose of finding a link
between your study and the accumulated body of knowledge in your field of interest.

Studies with no link to the existing body of knowledge seldom make significant
contributions to the field. Such studies tend to produce isolated bits of information that
are of limited usefulness.

Reviewing related literature helps you to limit your problem or research questions and
clarify and define the concepts of the study. A careful review of the literature can help
researchers to revise their initial questions so that it can be investigated. It also helps in
clarifying the concepts involved in the study and in translating these concepts into
operational definitions.

Successful literature review often help in the formation of hypothesis regarding the
relationships between variables in one’s study. Studies in which hypothesis are tested are
usually useful than those without hypothesis or research questions.

A critical review of related literature often leads to an insight into reason for
contradictory results in an area. In research contradictory findings or inconsistencies
maybe caused by the research design used for resolving the problem or the type of

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instruments employed or the methodologies and analysis made. A comparison of the
procedures of these studies may explain the inconsistent findings.

Thoroughly studying related research helps you learn which methodologies have proved
useful and which seem less promising. Searching related literature avoids unintentional
replication of previous studies.

You should not carry out an investigation where a very similar study was done before. If
you deliberately want to replicate a previous study you should state the reason for the
replication. You might want to investigate a different aspect of the problem. For
example, a study might have been carried out to establish the major causes of high
business failure in a certain industry. You may replicate the study by focusing on small
to medium firms in a different industry.

The study of related literature places you in a better position to interpret the significance
of your own results. Becoming familiar with theory in the field and with previous
research prepares you for linking the findings of your own research with the body of
knowledge in the field.

When you reach this stage of reviewing related literature you should consult empirical
studies that have been done in the area of study. Some sources of literature review are
given below:

Sources of Literature

 Summaries of thesis and dissertations

 Journals
 Books
 Primary documents e.g. circulars and reports
 Electronic sources (online journals, articles etc)
 Encyclopedia
 Dictionaries

a) Citing References in the Text

This section shows how literature sources should be reference within the text: for
example
a) Cite references by author followed by year of publication with a comma e.g. (Ajusa,
2004).
Seen in the modern context (Conrad, 1995), it is generally accepted that there are three
ways to improve the standard of living. During the decade particular attention has been
paid to the study of perception for example (Sibanda, 1993:231; Wood, 1993:181 and
Abler et al., 1995:215).

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b) For two authors cite them both e.g. (Khumalo and Dhlomo, 2005:10) and for more
than two authors cite the first mentioned author followed by et al. e.g. (Mlambo et al,
2004:36).
Citations in the text should take the following forms:

i) …have been reported by Mazuru et al, (2007:21)

ii) …Gadzirayi and Mutandwa (2000:86) found that …
iii) …other results (Katsuro and Runyowa, 2005:84; Mutandwa, 2006:213) have
indicated that…
iv) …Ngarivhume and Shateyi (2001:214, 2003:184) found that…
[papers published by the same author in two different years]
v) …Tandi (2005a,b)…or Mayazi and Mayazi (20006a,b)
(two papers published by the same author in the same year)

a) To refer to personal communications relating to unpublished material, personal

communication etc use the form …(Runyowa L, 2006 personal communication) but do
not place such citations in list of references.
b) Secondary citations can take the form: …Nyaumwe (2002) cited in Brown et al
(2005:119)

Some General Hints on Literature

 You should begin with the most recent publication and work back to earlier
publications
 Use primary sources as far as possible
 Write the bibliographical data of a source on a card (just one source per card)
 You should first read the summarized sections of a report to determine whether it
is relevant to the research. Skim through the source to find the relevant sections
and begin with summaries and quotations of relevant material (indicate quotations
and their pages clearly).
 Very important sentences or paragraphs should not be summarized but quoted
 All notes you have collected eventually have to be read through again before
incorporated in a well thought out, well integrated and systematic report (interact
with your literature and not just regurgitation of literature)

NB: For your literature review to be relevant, it must focus on:

 The theory from which the research topic is derived
 Stated hypotheses or research questions
 Stated problem and sub-problems
 Identifying the gap in research that is filled by the current research

Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Cheating

All materials, which are not yours, must be reviewed and referred. Failure to do so
results into academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty and cheating is a serious offence.
Your should not present work and materials that are not original and documented by
accepted standards.

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 UNIT THREE

INTRODUCTIONS

In this chapter a clear and concise description of how the study was carried out is given.
This is a vivid description of all the activities and procedures undertaken during the
course of the research. (Literature review should have assisted you in deciding on the
suitable methodology for the study). The report on this chapter is generally written in the
past tense.

The various aspects of this chapter are as follows:

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

 Introduction
 Research design
 Subjects(Population and Sampling)
 Research Instruments
 Data Collection Procedures
 Summary

Introduction

This section spells out in brief the main concerns and focus of the chapter ie what the
chapter is all about. These concerns are the research design research instruments, data
collection procedures, data presentation and analysis procedure and the chapter summary.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The term ‘design’ and ‘plan’ mean the same thing in research as both refer to a
description of the format and theoretical structure under which the study will be carried
out. This also includes the discussion of steps to be taken in order to safeguard the
validity or authenticity of the findings. The main concerns of this section are:

 To identify the design, e.g. descriptive survey, experimental design, correlation

research design, historical research design and case study approach.
 To describe the theoretical framework of the design as to highlight its benefits and
limitations as used in the research.

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  To justify the choice of the design viza viz the context in which the study will be
done.

SUBJECT

These are research participants you intend to use in the study. You should describe the
target population and sample to be used in the study. This entails thorough discussion of
the sampling procedures employed and their justification.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

Research instruments are tools you would use for collecting data need to find solutions to
the problem under investigation for example questionnaires, interviews schedules and
observation guides. Research instruments used should be clearly described so as to bring
out their strengths and weaknesses as way of justifying their selection and suitability to
the research. NB: - the development of these instruments must be based on the research
questions and objectives. Measures taken to control the weaknesses identified should be
spelt out so as to ensure the validity and reliability of these instruments and data to be
collected.

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

These are steps taken in administering instruments and collection of data from subjects
understudy.
Such steps include:
 Making appointments with research subjects through telephones letter, emails etc.
 Distribution and administration of instruments on the sample for example, by
hand by mail or through research assistants.
 Retrieval of instruments.

These steps should be clear, orderly and justified. They are a deliberate and well thought
out strategy meant to enhance timely collection of data.

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS PROCEDURES

The section gives / provides the overall provides the overall products used to organize,
describe and analyse collected data. The process entails suggesting the manner in which
findings are to be:

 Presented according to logical themes, use of tables and graphs.

 Described or discussed to reveal their meaning.

You should justify the choice of the presentation and analysis procedures.

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SUMMARY

It gives a brief description of the emerging issues and concerns treated within the chapter.

NOTE
For those students who would prefer to use economic models and the testing of the
hypothesis for your research methodology please refer to the Appendix.

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 UNIT FOUR

INTRODUCTION

Data presentation process will involve scanning and sifting the collected data, organizing
it and summarizing it. Effective data presentation requires tables, figures/text. It is
expected that your discussion and interpretation of findings will remain equally focused
through ensuring that all the results of the sub-problems / sub-questions / hypotheses are
discussed. The chapter is presented as follows:-

CHAPTER IV

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

Introduction (Chapter)

The introduction for the chapter should describe briefly how the chapter unfolds.

Data Presentation Process

Having collected data from the field, it is expected that the researcher at this stage of the
research process will:

Scan and sift data – you should read the data to ensure it is complete, accurate,
consistent and relevant. You should watch for trends, which may emerge in the scanned
data. Such trends could assist you to organize data into meaningful chunks. The answers
to each sub-problems / sub-questions should contribute to the answering of the main
research question.

Organising data – you should make sense of data by rearranging it into a manageable
form. You may compare responses from various respondents, you can categorise the
responses. You need to identify patterns of responses to a question / theme. It calls for
use of descriptive statistics like the mean or other inferences.

Summarise the Data – you should utilize different ways of summarizing large amounts
of data. You may resort to use of tables, graphs, and statistical summaries.

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In answering the sub-problems / sub-questions- you should take each sub-problem /
sub-questions separately and select data related to it. Please use the thematic approach i.e.
themes derived from research questions.

Presenting the Data

Data presentation is effectively done using tables, figures and text. It should be
structured around sub-themes. Variables to be discussed under background of the
subjects usually include socio-demographic data such as age, sex, marital status,
academic and professional qualifications (if necessary).

After presenting data on the background of the subjects, the researcher should move on to
data presentation focusing on specific sub-problems / questions of the study.

Themes/ Sub-heading in this section should emerge from sub-problems / sub-questions.

NB: As much as possible you should avoid using direct questions as sub-headings.

Use of Tables and Figures

Results reported verbally are usually enhanced by tables and figures. Tables are used to
show rows and columns of numerical data. Figures are used to make a graphical or
pictorial presentation of data. When using tables and figures you must observe of the
following:
 In tables, the title is placed at the top and in figures it should be placed below the
illustration.
 For uniformity, Arabic numerals should be used to number tables and figures.
 A table or figure follows as closely as possible the firsts reference to it in the
report.
 After studying each table or figure the researcher should write a paragraph or two
explaining what it contains and drawing the reader’s attention to not-worthy
findings.
However, there is need to avoid discussing every entry in the table of figure. This style
of presentation is boring and defeats the purposes of using tables and figures.

Discussion / Interpretation
 The discussion of findings should focus on the results.
 The discussion should tie together findings in relation to theory and review of
literature.
 If results support or contradict previous research findings on the topic, this should
be stated.
 If results differ from previous finding, an explanation why this occurred should be
attempted.
 If the study was set up to test hypothesis, the discussion section must report the
outcome of each hypothesis. The statistical test must also be appropriate.
 Ensure that all the results of the sub-problem / question are discussed.

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In terms of language be definite about the data and statistics but be tentative about
interpretations and conclusions as shown by the following statements:
 It would appear that most managers in the study were against gender
segregation.
 Results seem to suggest that training positively influences worker performance.
 On the other hand, one should be more definite when reporting data and statistics
as shown by these statements.
 The mean and standard deviation were 10 and 2.5 respectively.
 The co-efficient of correlation was 0.8.
The writing style should be precise, simple and direct.

Summary
The summary should highlight the major findings of the study.

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 UNIT FIVE

INTRODUCTION

These are the summary, the research conclusions and the recommendations. After
reading through this final chapter, the reader becomes informed of the research problem
tackled, the research methodology and its limitations, major findings of the study and
their implications for practice. It takes the following format

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 Summary
 Conclusions
 Recommendations

Summary

You should actually briefly summarise the research problem, the method / design used,
the limitations of the study and implications of findings.

In a study where a researcher is investigating the causes of high staff turnover in the hotel
industry, the summary could be as follows:

The study set out to investigate the causes of high staff turnover in the hotel industry. A
sample of 40 employees from 5 districts was used and the methodology used was a
descriptive survey. The study was largely prompted by numerous reports that were
received about high staff turnover in Bulawayo. It was not an easy study to carry out
because hotel managers were generally very defensive and unwilling to divulge
information. In addition, some employees also tended to exaggerate their ill treatment by
their managers. As a lot of cases of high staff turnover were still under investigation and
therefore those involved were not keen to talk about the cases.

In spite of these constraints, findings and observations were made and the following
conclusions were drawn:

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Conclusions

These are summed up answers to sub-problems stated in chapter one. They, however,
should be drawn from the data reported in chapter 4. Hence they are termed research
based conclusions. For example the conclusion of the research study on major causes of
staff turnover in the hotel industry can be highlighted as:

 The study found out that although both sexes of workers are involved, males tend
to be more affected than females. The reason given is that males tend to be more
intolerant to what they view as authoritarian leadership styles that their female
counterparts.
 A close association between high staff turnover and poor workers’ results on the
part of employees was also established. The poor results could be attributed to
insufficient training and long working hours.
 While problem of staff turnover was quite prevalent, it was also observed that
nothing was being done by head offices to address this issue.

Recommendations

In the recommendations section the research examines his findings in the light of
suggested applications. The recommendations could read as follows:

In the light of the above conclusions, it is recommended that head offices should launch
in service workshops for workers with a focus on leadership styles so that they become
more flexible in their leadership.

While workers have very genuine reasons to move out, it is recommended that head
office makes an effort to retain workers. This can be achieved by ………………

This study recommends that further research be conducted on …………….in order to

establish ………………………

NB: This concluding chapter does not therefore focus on individual chapters but
summarizes the study as a whole.

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