Effective Research Report Writing and Presentation Techniques

CHAPTER SEVEN RESEARCH REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION 1

Content of the Lecture 1. 2. 3. 4. Introduction The writing process Types of research reports Components of a technical report The methods Findings and discussions Summary and conclusion Recommendations The appended section Presentation consideration and briefings. 2

Introduction Researchers spend much time designing projects, developing questionnaires, collecting and analyzing data. But, the intrinsic value of a study can also be easily destroyed by poor report preparation. Hard work and excellence alone do not guarantee that research will have impact. In order to have impact, good research alone is insufficient. Hence, researchers must communicate clearly and fully their research results. 3

Purpose of Report Writing The following are the important purpose of the writing the reports; Presenting the results Easy to understand the findings to all To take the modification in the research work Future reference Guidance to other researchers Formal completion Written evidence Finding new idea 4

Different Steps in Writing Report Research reports are the product of slow, painstaking, accurate inductive work. The usual steps involved in writing report are: (a) logical analysis of the subject-matter; (b) preparation of the final outline; (c) preparation of the rough draft; (d) rewriting and polishing; (e) preparation of the final bibliography; and (f) writing the final draft. 5

The Writing Process Writing is a process- it takes time and effort and improves with practice. When writing the research report it would be important to consider: What is the purpose of the report? Who will read the report? How will the report be used? etc. 6

The Writing Process Generally the process has three major steps: i) Pre-writing: prepare to write by arranging notes on the literature, making lists of ideas, outlining, completing bibliographic citations, comments on data analysis. ii) Composing: get your ideas onto paper as a first draft by free-writing draft report. footnotes, and organizing 7

The Writing process iii) Rewriting: evaluate and polish the report by improving coherence, proofreading for mechanical errors, checking citations, and reviewing voices and tenses. This step actually involves two related procedures: Revising is the process of inserting new ideas, adding supportive evidences, deleting or changing old ideas, etc. Editing is the process of cleaning up -spelling, grammar usage, verb tense, sentence length and paragraph organization. 8

Two Types of Research Reports Short Reports: are more informal and are appropriate for studies in which the problem is well defined, of limited scope, and for which methodologies are simple and straightforward. Example: interim reports. At the beginning, there should be a brief statement on the problem. Next comes the conclusions and recommendations, followed by findings that support the conclusions. 9

Types of Research Reports Long Reports : are long and follow well-defined formats. They are of two types, the technical or base report and the popular report. Which of these to use depends chiefly on the audience and the researcher s objectives. i) The technical report this report should include full documentation and detail - it is the major source document. 10

Types of Research Reports It contains information on the: sources of the data, sampling design, data gathering instruments, data analysis methods, as well as a full presentation and analysis of the data. Conclusions and recommendation which should be clearly related to specific findings. 11

Types of Research Reports ii) The popular report: is designed for the non-technical audience with no research background and interested only in results rather than methodology. Decision makers need help in making decisions e.g. policy briefs. Popular report should encourage rapid reading, quick comprehension of major findings and prompt understanding of the implication and conclusions. 12

Types of Research Reports Report formats for long reports Two arrangements are typically used the logical format and the psychological format. The logical format the introductory information covering the purpose of the study, the methodology is followed by the findings. The findings are analyzed and then followed by the conclusions and recommendations. 13

Types of Research Reports The psychological recommendations are presented immediately after the introduction with the findings coming later. Readers are quickly exposed to the most critical information i.e. conclusions and recommendations. Other report formats -the chronological report, which is based on time sequence or occurrence. format : The conclusions and 14

Components of a technical report While some may be dropped, other may be added and their order may vary from one situation to another, a research report contains several components or elements. In general there are three parts: the prefatory pages, the body of the report and the appended sections. A) Prefatory pages this section includes the title page, tables of contents, charts and illustrations, synopsis (summary, abstracts). 15

Components of a technical report The Title page the title page should include four items: the title of the report, the date, for whom it was prepared and by whom it was prepared. A satisfactory title should be brief, but should at least include: The variables included in the study, the type of relationship between the variables, and the population to which the results may be applied. 16

Components of a technical report The table of contents any report of several sections should have a table of content. Abstract this is a short summary. It goes first in the report, but should be written last. It helps the reader determine whether the full report contains important information. It is essential that your abstract includes all the keywords of your research. 17

Components of a technical report An abstract should briefly: Re-establish the topic of the research. Give the research problem and/or main objective of the research. Indicate the methodology used. Present the main findings and conclusions It must be short, because it should give only a summary of your research. 18

Components of a technical report B) The body of the report contains the introduction, findings, summary and conclusions and recommendations. 1) Introduction will mostly contain the same material as the introduction to your proposal It introduces the research by giving the background, presenting the research problem, indicating the objectives, the rationale or significance and the scope and limitations, and Introducing the rest of the report 19

Components of a technical report The last paragraph of the introduction should explain the organization of the rest of the report Example: Section two literature. In Section 3, we describe the data we have collected. In Section four, we test our hypothesis using this data. Section five concludes and makes recommendations for future research. reviews the relevant 20

Literature Review The report also includes a literature review. Literature means the works you consulted in order to understand and investigate your research problem. It should justify the following ideas: Other people are interested in the general topic Other studies left the problem unsolved which leaves a gap in the literature Your study fills the gap at least a little bit 21

The methods Answers at least two main questions: How was the data collected or generated? How was it analyzed? The data collection step covers at least four items: the target population that is being studied and the sampling methods used. the research design used and the rationale for using it including the sample size, the materials and instruments used often with a copy of these materials in the appendix, the specific data collection method (survey, observation or experiment) Your methodology should make clear the reasons why you chose a particular method or procedure. 22

Findings and Discussions It is an organized presentation of results and is generally the longest section of the report. The Results Section includes: statement of results: the results are presented in a format that is accessible to the reader (e.g. in graphs, tables, diagrams or written text). explanatory text: all graphs, tables, diagrams and figures should be accompanied by text that guides the reader's attention to significant results. 23

Findings and Discussions The Discussion Section: provides explanation of the results; Explanation of results: comments on whether or not the results were expected and presents explanations for the results, particularly for those that are unexpected or unsatisfactory. References to previous research: comparison of the results with those reported in the literature, or use of the literature to support a claim or a hypothesis. Deduction: a claim for how the results can be applied more generally. 24

Summary and Conclusion The summary section presents: What was learned The shortcomings of what was done The benefits, advantages, applications, etc. of the research (evaluation). The conclusions should follow logically from the discussion of the findings. 25

Recommendations this involves suggested future actions. It makes easy reading if the recommendations are again placed in roughly the same sequence as the conclusions. The recommendations could be for further study, to test, deepen or broaden understanding in the subject area or for managerial actions. should take into consideration the local conditions, constraints, feasibility and usefulness of the proposed solutions. 26

The appended section this includes appendix and bibliography. Appendix complex tables, statistical tests, supporting documents, copies of forms used, detailed description of the methodology, instructions to field workers, and any other evidence that may be important. The annexes should contain any additional information needed to enable professionals to follow your research procedures and data analysis. 27

The appended section Examples of information that can be presented in annexes are: Tables referred to in the text but not included in order to keep the report short; Lists of study sites, -districts, villages, etc. That participated in the study; Questionnaires or check lists used for data collection. 28

The appended section Bibliography :This section should contain all those works, which the researcher has consulted. It should be arranged alphabetically. There may be several bibliographic entry formats. The following is one of such entry formats. For books - the following order may be adopted. Name of the principal author, last name first Title, underlined or in italic styles Place, publisher and date of publication Number and volumes. Example: Ethridge, D. E. Research methodology in Applied Economics, Iowa, Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 29

The appended section For magazines, Journal articles and newspapers the following order is appropriate Name of author, last name first Title of article in quotation marks Name of periodical underlined The volume and number The data of the issue The pagination Example: Edwards, Clark. The potential for Economics Research Agricultural Economics Research. 30, 1978, 29 35. 30

The appended section The references in your text can be numbered in the sequence in which they appear in the report and then listed in this order in the list of references (Vancouver system). Another possibility is the Harvard system of listing in brackets the author s name(s) in the text followed by the date of the publication and page number, for example: (Shan, 2000: 84). You can choose either system as long as you use it consistently throughout the report. APA style In-Text Citation (Paraphrase): Author Surname, Year) References: Butera, G. (2017). Lecture 4: Demystifying APA Citation [PowerPoint slides]. George Washington University Introduction to Public Health Services Blackboard: If you are using from same source you can use the ibidem on the in-citation . 31

The End !!!!! 32

Class Work (10 minutes) Say True Or False With Justification 1. The purpose of report writing is essential to inform the reader about a topic, minus one s opinion on the topic. 2. Report writing is a formal style of writing elaborately on a topic. 3. Abstract is the miniature of entire research work because it comprises pivotal components. 4. Popular reports are usually made for those Audiences having any background about research. 5. Report writing focuses on summarizing the process of conducting research. 33