RESEARCH REPORT

• MEANING
• It is detailed description of what has been done and how that
been done with respect to a particular area or topic.
• A research report is a presentation or research findings in the
form of report.
• It is the oral or written presentation of evidence.
• Reporting is the end product of a research activity.
 Importance of research report
• It serves as a means for presenting the problem studied, methods
and techniques used for collecting and analysing data findings
conclusions and recommendations in an organised manner Thus, it
helps to evaluate the researcher's ability and competence to
research
• It serves as a basic reference material for future use developing
research proposals in the same or relevant area
• It serves as a means for judging the quality of the completed
research project
• It provides actual base for formulating policies and strategies
relating to the subject matter studied
• It provides systematic knowledge or problems and issues analysed.
 Types of Reports
Research reports may be classified into two types-a& oral and written
reports

A. Oral Report
In this, the researcher uses spoken words for communicating his study
for eg: in seminars, conferences etc. It helps to have two-way
communication between the researcher and the audience
However no permanent record concerning the research details is
available.
B. Written Report
In this, the researcher uses written words for presenting his study.
Written reports are of six types
 Written reports are of six types
1. Technical Report/Thesis
This is a comprehensive full report of the research process. It is
primarily meant for academic community ie., the scientists and
other researchers. It is a formal long report covering all the aspects
of the research process. The problem studied, the objectives of the
study methods and techniques used, a detailed account of sampling
field and other research procedures, analysis, detailed findings and
conclusions and suggestions. There is also a technical appendix for
methodological details, copies of measuring instruments and the
like.
2. Popular Report
This type report is designed for an audience of
executives/administrators and other non-technical users. The
reader is less concerned with methodological details, but more
interested in studying quickly the major findings and
conclusion. it should encourage rapid reading and quick
comprehension . More headlines, underlining, pictures and
graphs may be used.
 3. Interim Report

When there is long time gap between data collection and the
presentation of the results, the study may lose as significance and
usefulness. To avoid such eventualities a short report, containing
(a) the first results of the analysis or (2) the final outcome of the
analysis of some aspects completely analysed is presented. Such a
report is called interim report. This type of report required
particularly when the study was undertaken for a sponsor; whose
interest may lose it there is inordinate delay in giving a report. It
helps the sponsor to take action without waiting for the full report.
4. Summary report
A summary report is prepared for the consumption of lay audience
viz., general public it is written in non-technical and simple
language. It is a short report of two or three pages. It contains a
brief reference to the objective of the study, its major findings and
their implications.
5. Research Abstract
Research Abstract is a short summary of the technical report. It is
usually prepared by doctoral students on the even of submitting his
thesis. It contains a brief presentation of the statement of the
problem, the objectives of the study methods and techniques used
and an over view of the report A brief summary of the results of the
study may also be added.
6. Research Article
Research Article is designed for publication in a professional
journal. It must be clearly written in concise and unambiguous
language. It must be logically organisesd progressing from a
statement of the problem and the purpose of study, through the
analysis of evidence, to the conclusions and implications
 Research Report Format (layout/ Structure
/contents of a report)
A Research report contain three sections viz.,
I. Preliminaries
II. The Text
III. Reference Materials
 I. Preliminaries
II. The preliminaries include the following.

1. The title page

Title page of a research report carries the title of a thesis, name of the candidate, name and
designation of the supervisor, degree for which thesis is presented, name of facility and
university, month and year the thesis is presented
2. Preface
Preface includes writer's purpose of the study, a brief resume of the background, scope and
general nature of the research and acknowledgements., Acknowledgement recognize
persons to whom the researcher is indebted for providing guidance and assistance during
the study
3. Table of contents
Table of contents includes major divisions of thesis viz., introduction, chapters with
subsections, bibliography, and appendix. It provides analytical over-view of the material
included in study Respective page numbers are also given.
4. List of tables
List of tables gives numbers to different tables.
5. List of figures
List of figures gives numbers a different figures.
II. The text
It is the important part of a thesis. Researcher presents his argument here. It may of five
components
1. Introduction:
It provides the reader with background information to grasping the study. It helps to
identify the central issues addressed by the study, summarise previous research and provide
specific reason for the particular study conducted. It introduces the reader to the study. It
also contains definition of major concepts employed, reference made to their books etc
• Objectives of the study, statement of the problem,
• hypotheses and definition of concepts.
• Review of literature and research studies.
• Time, place and materials of the survey.
• Scope, assumptions and limitations.
• Organisation and sampling procedures.
• Methods, tools and techniques employed for data
• collection.
2. Research procedure
It explains the methodology by which the study carried out, basic
design experimental manipulations, methods of data
collection, questions asked, experience of interview etc. It also
explains samples used who were subjects, number of subjects,
how they were selected, generalisation from particular aspect
etc
3. Conclusion
It contains z ascription of the data like means, standard deviation and
statistical analysis done. It guides the redder through findings gives
clear and complete information.
4. Summary
It should be concluded with brief summary, recalling the problem,
procedure, major finding and major conclusions
5. References
References in the text part gives references to someone else's
published work. It attempts to relate our study to the existing
literature. It should give the name of author, year of publication,
edition, page number etc
III Reference Materials
Reference materials include two components
1. Bibliography
The bibliography lists in alphabetical order all published and unpublished references Used by
the writer in preparing the report All books articles and reports and other documents may
be presented in one common list in the alphabetical order of their authors. Alternatively,
the bibliography may be classified into books, articles, reports and other documents and
in each section relevant reference may be arranged in alphabetical order.
2. Appendices
The following documents are included in appendices
a) Copies of data collection, instruments like interview schedules or questionnaires
b) Technical details of sampling plan
c) Complex and long primary tables
d) Supporting documents and any other evidence that may be important as backup details
for
the report
 Principles of writing

The writing of a research report is governed by certain principles

/ standard practices These are described below
1. Organisation of the report
The research report requires clear organization. Each chapter
may be divided into two or more sections with appropriate
headings and in each section margin headings and paragraph
headings may be used to indicate subject shifts. A page should
not be fully filled-in from top to bottom. Wider margins should
be provided on both sides and on top and bottom as well.
2. Style
A research report is a formal presentation of an objective unbiased investigation, and hence,
should be written at a formal level of Standard English. It does not require elegant word
usage and allusion. It just need a plain discourse with accuracy, clarity, coherence,
conciseness and readability.
a) Accuracy: The report should be factual with objective presentation Exaggeration and
superlatives should be avoided.
b) Clarity: The presentation should be made by using familiar terms, common words and
unambiguous statements
c) Coherence. Each sentence must be so linked with other sentences that the writer's
thoughts move smoothly and naturally from one statement to the next.
d) Conciseness: The statements must be succinct and precise
e) Readability: It should be easily understandable. Technicalities should be translated into
language understandable by the reader interested in the results of the study. The
readability can be achieved by using active verbs, correct and exact names, references,
facts and figures, simple words and sentences.
 3. Unclear writings
To avoid unclear writings, the following aspects should be considered:
1. Avoid the jargon, pretentious and pompous style
2. Avoid offensive words eg. adding the suffix "wise to a noun, or adding 'size" to
nouns/adjectives to make verbs.
3. Omit needless words that cause verbosity For eg., of instead of' a large number of
say 'many'
and the like.
4. Avoid superfluous phrases. For eg' authorities agree that.
5. Avoid abstract words and use the concrete words.
6. Avoid words that exaggerate such as stupendous, immeasurable, gigantic, awfully,
dreadfully.
7. Avoid tautology, or repetition eg: ln the phrases, like ‘joint partnership’, return
back’,
the word joint back are redundant and should be omitted.
4. Grammar, Spelling
Presentation should be free from spelling and grammatical errors.
Each word must be spelled correctly. The rules of punctuation
should be carefully observed. Standard practices for capitalising
words in English should be followed when working m English or
when quoting English titles. Principal words of titles and parts of
specific works are capitalised. Do not use masculine nouns and
pronouns when content refers to both genders.
5. Words and Numerals
There are certain conventions that determine how and when to use
numbers such as: Use percent symbol (%) only in tables and figures
Use numerals to express page, street, telephone number dates and
quantities combined with abbreviations and symbols Express
reference to table and exhibit figure numbers numerically
6. Documentation
Every quotation used either direct or indirect should be cknowledged
through a footnote.
7. Ellipses
Omissions in quoted matter are permitted if the original meaning is
not altered. Such omission are to be indicated by the sign of ellipses.
8. Abbreviations
Do not abbreviate words in the text. Spell out them in full. This rule
does not apply to materials included in the footnotes, appendices,
and bibliographies, tables and figures where abbreviations are
rather desirable.
Bibliography
The bibliography to a list of references relating to a topic or
subject. It is located at the main body of the report. It contains
all the information found in a first footnote relating to a work.
It lists in alphabetical order references uses by the writer. The
references in the bibliography are arranged alphabetically
sometimes by topics, sometimes by geographical location or by
some other plan.
• Documentation: Footnotes and Bibliography
• Documentation
• The researcher should give credit for borrowed words, ideas,
symbols or other forms of
• expression. Their sources should be stated in the text or footnotes.
• There are two alternative modes for documenting sources of ideas
and information.
• 1. Footnote's
• 2. References' - cited format
1. Footnotes:
Footnotes are of two kinds. Content and reference. Content notes contains
explanatory materials. Reference notes serve as documentation of
sources or as means for cross-references.
Purposes of Footnotes
1. To acknowledge indebtedness - To another writer whose passage is
paraphrased or whose quotation is used.
2. To amplify/clarify the ideas or information presented in the text.
3. To establish the validity of evidence.
4. To refer the reader to further sources of information on the subject under
discussion.
5. To give the original version of material that has been translated in the
text.
6. To provide cross-reference to various parts of the thesis
Writing the Report
The researcher report needs several revisions and rewriting before
reaching the final form.
The researcher should arrange the following the detailed outlines for
chapters, note cardsarranged in the order of chapters, source cards
arranged in an alphabetical order, statistical tables, charts and
results of analysis, each in separate sheets of paper and a good pen.
First Draft
In the first draft, the researcher should concentrate on substance ie.,
fullness of facts, as per the planned outline. The entire first draft
work should be completed without any stop for editing.
• Divisions
The first draft should be read carefully again and again and
edited thoroughly and revised.
Any writing improves upon revision. In revising the first draft, the
attention should be given to form, language, readability, clarity
and lucidity. With an open and critical mind, the researcher
must correct, carve, cut, add and polish.
Final Stage
The final stage of the work consists of
A. Adding the following demerits to the report
(1) Title page (2) acknowledgement/preface (3) Table of contents
(4) List of tables and charts (5) Bibliography (6) Appendices
B. The final editing of the revised and completed report. In the
final editing attention should be focused on the relationship
between the original research questions and the report once
more.
Typing the Report
The final manuscript of the report should be given for typing to a
professional typist with experience in typing research report.
The writer is expected to submit an accurate and acceptable
draft to the typist. The final should be correct in all grammatical
conventions, capitalisation, punctuation, spelling, compound
words, hyphenation and paragraphing. The writer should give
clear instructions on requirements of margins, word division,
indents, documentation placement, spacing headings, tables,
charts and quotations.
Briefing
Briefing involves an oral presentation of the lengthy complex report in a
condensed summarised form. The presentation may take 15 to 30
minutes followed by questions and discussion.
• The scope of briefing varies according to its situation and purpose In the
case of a briefing before the executives of the sponsor organisation, the
focus of presentation will be on the conclusions based on the findings
and the recommendations. In an academic presentation, the focus will
be on the entire research process in general and the methodology in
particular and on the contribution of the study to the wealth of
knowledge. The academic people are keenly interested in knowing the
problem formulation and conceptualization, sampling, methods of and
tools for data collection, their validity and reliability and the plan of
analysis and the reliability of the findings.
Components Of A Research Report..
1) Prefatory Items
2) Chapter Part
3) Bibliography-Reference of books or Journals etc
4) Appendices-questionnaires, working papers, Co. B/ sheet
1) Prefatory Items
• Title Page
• Researcher’s Declaration
• Certificate of the Research/Supervisor’s Guide
• College Certificate
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• List of Abbreviations
• List of Tables
• List of Figures/Charts
• List of Appendices/Appendixes
2)Chapter Part
•Chapter- 1 Introduction- explanation about the topic selected
•Chapter-2 Research design
a)Statement of the Research Problem
b)Significance of the Study
c)Review of Previous Studies/Literature
d)Scope and Area of the Study/Research gap
e)Objectives of the Study
f)Hypotheses to be tested
g)Operational Definitions of Concepts
h)Methodology and Data Base
»Type of research/Method of Study E.g. Descriptive, Analytical
»Sources of data- Primary Data and Secondary data
»Tools/instruments for Data Collection-
•Interview Schedule
•Questionnaire-mail
•Observation
i) Technique used for data collection
- Sampling or census
– Specify the sampling method e.g. Random sampling
– Determine the sample size
– Select the final sample
j) Method adopted for the analysis of the Data-descriptive or inferential
– Tools for the analysis- Mathematical and Statistical
k) Time Frame and Resource Requirements
l) Period of Reference/study
m) Limitations of the Study
n) Chapter Scheme of Presentation of the Study
Chapter -3 Company /Respondent /product profile
– Details of the company which your are studying including product
– In case of free launcher project- data collected from respondent-then details about
respondent profile
• Chapter -4 Analysis and interpretation/Results of The Work/Discussion
– chapters based on the objectives of the Study
– Use of Tables/Graphs/Diagrams for effective representation - Title, Source etc
– Presentation style – Simple & Lucid Style with the help of application Mathematical &
Statistical Tools.
– Testing of Hypotheses
• Chapter-5 Findings and Conclusion- End Items/Terminal Items
– Summary of Findings- numbering each of the finding
– Conclusions- should be given so as to justify the objectives of the study.
• Chapter-6 Recommendations/Suggestions
– Recommendation/Model developed for improvement of operation-specific
recommendations/suggestions to each of the objectives of the study. These
recommendations should be specific, acceptable/practical and clear
– Scope for further studies
 Plagiarism and its Types
Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas without proper
attribution. The most common types of plagiarism are:
Types of plagiarism deal with the wrongful copying of the text of another
author without mentioning the source. This misrepresentation and
copying of a particular text as one’s original writing is a serious offense.
• Direct Plagiarism:
• Most commonly, the crime of plagiarism involves adopting parts from
the writing of another writer without proper mention of the source.
Often the person copying from the text does not change even a single
word. The plagiarist can also change parts of sentences or replace some
of the words with his/her own. However, it also comes under the crime
of plagiarism.
Mosaic Plagiarism:
This type of plagiarism occurs when the writer borrows phrases or even parts from a
particular source material without using quotation marks or substitutes some of
the words from the content without changing the original structure of the
source.
Self-Plagiarism:
Self-plagiarism is one of the common types of plagiarism, where high school
students copy and paste part of their previously submitted academic paper. If the
student submits the same paper for two different class projects without asking
the concerned teacher, then that is considered as self-plagiarism.
Though self-plagiarism does not often end with serious legal action, that can affect
the presentation for academic papers, research papers.
Accidental Plagiarism:
Another common form of plagiarism involves accidental plagiarism. When the
plagiarist misquotes the phrases or parts of the text he/she has taken from the
source material or does not cite the source even or adequately or cites a wrong
source, they that is considered as plagiarism.
 • Disseminating Research Findings
We define dissemination as a planned process that involves
consideration of target audiences and the settings in which research
findings are to be received and, where appropriate, communicating
and interacting with wider policy and health service audiences in
ways that will facilitate research uptake in decision-making In other
words, dissemination of research findings involves careful planning,
thought, consideration of target audiences, and communication
with those audiences. Writing up results from your research and
having others take notice are two entirely different propositions. In
fact, the general rule of thumb is that people will not take notice
unless you help and encourage them to do so.
• Methods of Dissemination
• Once the dissemination objective and the audience are identified,
there are a variety of ways to share the developed content.
• Common methods of dissemination include:
• Publishing program or policy briefs
• Publishing project findings in national journals and statewide
publications
• Presenting at national conferences and meetings of professional
associations
• Presenting program results to local community groups and other
local stakeholders
• Creating and distributing program materials, such as flyers, guides,
pamphlets and DVDs
• Creating toolkits of training materials and curricula for other communities
• Sharing information through social media or on an organization's website
• Summarizing findings in progress reports for funders
• Disseminating information on an organization's website
• Discussing project activities on the local radio
• Publishing information in the local newspaper
• Issuing a press release
• Hosting health promotion events at health fairs and school functions
• Using the 2-1-1 system to publicize available services and resources
• Submitting information about a rural health project to be included in the
Rural Health Information Hub‘s.
Key audiences may include:
State associations of county and city health officials
State Offices of Rural Health (SORH)
Hospital associations
Public health associations
Rural health associations
Caregiver groups
Universities and charitable foundations
Federal agencies
Community groups
Faith-based organizations
State and county extension offices
Schools
Local government
Health care providers/centers
 Ethical issues in reseach
• Honesty and Integrity
• your research should done by honestly, and that this applies to
your methods (what you did), your data, your results, You
should not make up any data, including extrapolating
unreasonably from some of your results, or do anything which
could be construed as trying to mislead anyone.
• When working with others, you should always keep to any
agreements, and act sincerely.
Objectivity
You should aim to avoid bias in any aspect of your research, including
design, data analysis, interpretation, and peer review
Carefulness
Take care in carrying out your research to avoid careless mistakes. You
should also review your work carefully and critically to ensure that your
results are credible. It is also important to keep full records of your
research.
• Openness
• You should always be prepared to share your data and results, along with
any new tools that you have developed, when you publish your findings,
as this helps to further knowledge and advance science. You should also
be open to criticism and new ideas.
Respect for Intellectual Property
You should never plagiarise, or copy, other people’s work and try to pass it off as
your own. You should always ask for permission before using other people’s tools
or methods, unpublished data or results. Not doing so is plagiarism. Obviously,
you need to respect copyrights and patents, together with other forms of
intellectual property, and always acknowledge contributions to your research. If
in doubt, acknowledge, to avoid any risk of plagiarism.
Confidentiality
You should respect anything that has been provided in confidence. You should also
follow guidelines on protection of sensitive information such as patient records.
Responsible Publication
You should publish to advance to state of research and knowledge, and not just to
advance your career. This means, in essence, that you should not publish
anything that is not new, or that duplicates someone else’s work.
Legality
You should always be aware of laws and regulations that govern your
work, and be sure that you conform to them.
Animal Care
If you are using animals in your research, you should always be sure
that your experiments are both necessary and well-designed. You
should also show respect for the animals you are using, and make
sure that they are properly cared for.
Human Subjects Protection
If your research involves people, you should make sure that you
reduce any possible harm to the minimum, and maximise the
benefits both to participants and other people.