Types of research report,

Guidelines for writing a report, Report

format, Market research proposal, Ethical
issues in marketing research.
 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. 2
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
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 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.
6
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. 7
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.
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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.
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 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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 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.
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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.
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Business research
proposal

Business research proposal is like doing a

real business.
In a real business you have to be
confident in yourself, be good in
persuading people and be able to make
effective advertising of your goods or
services.
Your major goal, while writing a business
research proposal, is to persuade the members
of a committee that your business research will
be the most valuable and fascinating.

First of all, you should have a clear idea in your

mind that your business research is really going
to be the most precious one.
Second, you should develop the exact strategies
for writing a business research proposal.
You have to know every step that you will make
when writing this task.
In the business research proposal tell
about the expected outcomes of your
work, possible difficulties and time limits.
 This will persuade the committee that
you have thought over the whole research
thoroughly. You know what you want to
achieve, what can bother you and how
you can overcome it.
Your business research proposal should
be detailed. Tell about the methods you
are going to use for achieving the results.
Say why these exact methods are suitable
for that aim.
Do not forget that it is extremely
important here to sound confident. Give
the reasonable arguments that will
support your every point of view.
How to prepare a research
proposal?
 Normally a proposal should be between 1500 and 2000
words and will include the following:
A working title of the topic area
This should do more than convey the key words
associated with the proposed research.
General overview of area
This should take the form of a brief abstract of
the general area of study and identify the
discipline(s) within which it falls. You might also
refer to the way in which your own background
gives you competences in your chosen area.
Literature review
Identification of the relevant literature
In this section you should develop your proposal
to demonstrate that you are aware of the
debates and issues raised in relevant bodies of
literature. References to key articles and texts
should be made to show that you appreciate
their relevance to your research area. A PhD is
an original piece of research and so you should
demonstrate that your proposed area has not
been studied before. So you need to identify
your niche which will lead on to the thesis
preparation.
Key research questions
 Since you need to demonstrate that the topic can be
completed within the normal time period allowed, you
need to demonstrate that it is manageable, and so focus
on key questions within your niche area.

Methodology
 You need to demonstrate an awareness of the
methodological tools available to you and show some
understanding of which would be suitable for your
research. It may be that qualitative methods, including
the analysis of interviews, is appropriate. Alternatively
your approach may involve forecasting or statistical,
financial or econometric modelling. In other cases you
may be combining methodologies. You need to specify
the approach you feel will be most appropriate.
Timescale/research planning
You need to demonstrate an awareness of
the need for planning and the timescale of
the research.
Bibliography
You should include a short list of
references to key articles and texts
included in the application.
Ethics in Marketing Research

 Objectivity in Interpretation
purposely withholding information
changes in wording from original survey
overstating generalizability of findings
 Integrity in Data Collection
false data
failure to abide by agreed-upon data collection
procedures
Ethics in Marketing Research

 Proper treatment of subjects

lack of privacy in responses
harmful treatment of subjects

 Plagiarism
copying another’s survey instrument
reporting another’s results as your own
Ethics in Marketing Research

Deontology - Focuses on individuals’

rights

Teleology - Focuses on trade-offs

between individual costs and group
benefits
Ethics in Marketing Research

Sugging - selling under the guise of a

survey (Illegal)

Frugging - fund raising under the guise of

a survey (Unethical)
Ethics in Marketing Research

If you think you might be doing something unethical, it

probably is unethical.