HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH REPORT

A well structured research report is divided in three sections namely:

Introductory Chapters

Central and Middle chapters

Concluding Chapters

The Introductory Chapters contains basic background of research, reasons for

conducting research, methodology of data collection and techniques of data
analysis.
The Central and Middle Chapters is the main body of the report. It basically
includes the literature review, methodology and results. It makes the main crux of
the report analyzing in detail the topic under review.
The Concluding Chapters pull the whole work together. It presents an overview
of the preceding chapters. This part attempts to explain where the research could
lead if it was to be continued.

Apart from all this the report should also contain a contents page,
acknowledgement and bibliography. A more detailed format of report is
discussed below.

1.) TITLE PAGE:

It includes title of dissertation, your full name and details of your degree,
enrolment number and university department.

2.) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
It is a common practice to thank the members who may have provided extra
support with particular section. Always check the spellings of names, initials, and
qualifications of the people you include.

3.) ABSTRACT:
It should be the summary of the whole book and it should be brief and to the
point. It should contain no examples or others substantiating information, but
simply be an outline of the work.

4.) CONTENT PAGE:

It is one of the first thing the reader sees, but one of the last things that are
written. Usually chapters are numbered using Arabic Numbers or in Roman
numerals It is important that it is accurate, so always double-check to ensure
errors.

5.) INTRODUCTION:
It should state clearly and concisely what it is you are setting out to achieve and
why you have chosen this topic. The aim and plan of the dissertation should be
made explicit.
6.) LITERATURE REVIEW:
With every dissertation a review of previously published work is included. It is
essential that you show quite clearly how your investigation compares and links
with what has been done before. It should provide a critical insight into the topic
under investigation.

7.) METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION:

In this section describe and explain how you studied the topic of your
investigation. Include the technique used to interpret the collected data. It should
be detailed enough for another researcher to repeat your work. It is very often
straight forward and is a good place to begin writing the dissertation.

8.) RESULT:
It can range from transcription of interviews to tables of raw data. This section
only describes the result obtained. In the section you would include a full analysis
of how you interpreted the data and give details of any calculations. You can
summarize your results using tables. The original data may either be included in
an appendix or can be submitted as a separate file.

9.) DISCUSSION:
In this you interpret what your research findings mean and whether they agree
with the aims and objectives set out in your proposal. You also need to include in
the discussion an account of the appropriateness of your methodology and data
collection techniques and whether in hindsight they were the most suitable. It is a
very important section and should demonstrate how your research relates to the
wider context of the subject.

10.) CONCLUSION:
This is the final section and it should include a summary of the principle feature
of your study, an outline of the main findings, key concepts and theories, the
implication involved by reflecting on your study and any recommendation for
future research and practical suggestions.

11.) BIBLIOGRAPHY:
It should be presented according to a recognized academic format.

12.) APPENDICES:
If you have any material that you produced or gathered during the dissertation
process which you feel is relevant, but would breakup the flow of your argument
if placed in the main text then consider including it in the appendices.