Organization of Research

Report

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 Research Reports
 "Research reports are detailed and accurate
accounts of the conduct of disciplined studies
accomplished to solve problems or to reveal
new knowledge." (Busha and Harter, 1988).
 Research reports must be complete, well

organized and carefully drafted if their

contents are to contribute to fields in which
the research efforts are made. This is an
essential means of communication to the
peers in the field to judge the value of the
research work done.

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Functions of the Research Report
 It serves as a mean for presenting the problem
studied, methods and techniques used for
collecting and analyzing data, the findings,
conclusions and recommendations in an organized
manner.
 It provides factual base for formulating policies and
strategies relating to the subject matter studied.
 It serves as a basic reference material for future use
in developing research proposals in the same or
related area.
 It is used to evaluate researchers ability and
competence to do research.
 It is used for judging the quality of the completed
research work/project 3
 Characteristics of an ideal research report
An ideal report should have the following
characteristics:
 Report should be presented in a systematic and

attractive manner.
 Titles, photographs and graphs should be used

wherever necessary.
 Report should be clear, to the point and easily

understandable. Proverbs and exaggerations should

be avoided.
 The analysis of facts should have logical and

scientific base so that no one should have the doubt

that the report is based on assumption ideas.
 Similar types of facts should be repeated

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Cont….
 All the sources of information should be
descried so that any person can verify the
facts on the basis of described sources.
 Difficulties and problems faced during
research work should necessarily be
described to avoid any artificiality. Such
guidelines are very helpful and advantageous
for further and future researchers.
 An ideal report also indicates the points

useful for research in future

 Suggestions provided should be unbiased,

creative and useful.

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 Precautions for writing research
reports
 While determining the length, one should keep in
view the fact that it should be long enough to cover
the subject but short enough to maintain interest. In
fact , report should not be means to learning more
and more about less and less.
 A research report should always sustain readers
interest.
 Abstract terminology and technical jargon should be
avoided in a research report. The report should be
able to convey the matter as simply as possible. This,
in the other words, means that report should be
written in an objective style in simple language,
avoiding expressions such as it seems, there may be
and the like.
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 Readers are often interested in acquiring a quick
knowledge of the main findings and as such the
report must provide a ready availability of the
findings. For this purpose, charts, graphs and
the statistical tables may be used for the various
results in the main report in addition to the
summary of important findings.
 The layout of the report should be free from

grammatical mistakes and must be prepared

strictly in accordance with the techniques of
composition of report writing such as the use of
quotations, footnotes, documentation, proper
punctuations and use of abbreviations in
footnotes etc.
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 The report must present the logical analysis of the
subject matter. It must reflect a structure wherein
the different pieces of analysis relating to the
research problem fit well.
 A research report should show originality and
should necessarily be an attempt to solve some
intellectual problem. It must contribute to the
solution of a problem and must add to the store
of knowledge.
 Towards the end, the report must also state the
policy implications relating to the problem under
consideration. It is usually considered desirable if
the report makes a forecast of the probable
future of the subject concerned and indicates the
kinds of research still needs to be done in that
particular field. 8
 Appendices should be enlisted in respect of all
the technical data in the report.
 Bibliography of sources consulted is a must for
a good report and must necessarily be given.
 Index is also considered as an essential part
of a good report and as such must be
prepared and appended at the end.
 Report must be attractive in appearance, neat
and clean.
 Calculated confidence limits must be
mentioned and the various constraints
experienced in conducting the research study
may also be stated in the report.
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 Types of Research Report

 There are a variety of research reports. The

audience to whom a research report is
addressed has to be kept in view in the
preparation of a research report.

The research report may be divided into

following types:
 Technical report
 Popular reports
 Interim reports
 Summary report

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 Technical report:
The technical report is essentially technical in
nature and written in technical language. It
also contains technical appendix for
methodological details, copies of measuring
instruments, scale etc.
 Popular report:

The popular report is for audience like

executives/administrators and other non
technical users. Complicated statistical
techniques and table can be used otherwise
using graphical and pictorial representations
will be used.

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 Interim report:
When there is a long time lag between data collection
and the presentation of the results. Interim report
will be a suitable kind of a report to present data as
and when the phase of the project work gets
completed. The interim report contains a narration
of what has been done so far and what was the
outcome. It presents a summary of the findings of
that part if analysis which has been completed.

 Summary report:
A summary report is generally prepared for the
consumption of the lay audience. It is written in non-
technical, simple language with a liberal use of
pictorial charts. It just contains brief reference to the
objectives of the study and major findings and their
implications. 12
Steps in writing research report
After the data analysis is over, report writing
cannot be started abruptly. It requires careful
pre-planning. The planning process involves
the following consolidations and steps:
 The target audience ( Public/ Children/
Scientists etc.)
 The communication characteristics of the
audience ( Level of Knowledge).
 The intended purpose of the report ( Award of

Degree/Project/Diploma etc.)

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 The type and scope of report (M.Phil/
Ph.D/Scope and Limitations)
 The style of reporting ( simple/ Clear)
 The format of the report ( always varies

according to the type of report)

 Outline of the contents ( what to cover and

what not)
 Style of writing
 Proper footnotes and bibliography

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 Organization and structure of
research report
 A research report has a number of clearly
defined sections. While the headings of the
sections and the order may vary from one
situation to another, the following is
suggested as a broad sequence of contents of
research report.
(i) Preliminary items:
 Title Page
 Researcher’s declaration
 The certificate of the research supervisor.

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 Acknowledgements
 Table of contents
 List of tables
 List of graphs and charts
 Abstract of Synopsis
 Dedication page

( ii) Body of the report:

1. Introduction
Theoretical background of the topic.
Statement of the problem
Review of literature
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 The objectives of the study
Hypotheses to be tested.
Definitions of the concepts
Models, if any.
Chapterization

2. The design of the study:

Methodology
Overall typology
Methods of data collection
Source of data
Sample plane
Data collection techniques
Data processing and analysis plan
An overview of the report
Limitations of the study. 17
3. Results
Findings
Discussion
4. Summary
Conclusions and Recommendations

(iii) Terminal items:

 Bibliography
 Appendix
 Copies of data collection instruments
 Technical details on sampling plan
 Complex tables
 Glossary of new terms used in the report. 18
Thank You

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