Introduction to Preparation of report or thesis
Research
means search for knowledge. Research can also be defined as scientific and
systematic search for pertinent or relevant information on a specific topic. It
is an art of scientific investigation, a movement from the known to the unknown
or a voyage of discovery. Research is generally
an academic activity.
According
to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and redefining problems,
formulating
hypothesis
or suggested solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making
deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the
conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.
It
is the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding
solution to problem.
Research
make progress in our life, inculcates scientific
and inductive thinking and promotes the development of logical habits of
thinking and organization.
There
are different types of research such as Descriptive
vs. Analytical, Applied vs. Fundamental, Quantitative vs. Qualitative,
Conceptual vs. Empirical and Other Types of Research.
There
are research methods and research methodology and these are entirely different
from each other. Research methods or techniques are all the methods or techniques
used for conducting a research. These
are the methods used by the researcher during the course of research.
Research methodology is a way of
systematically solving the research problem. It is the science of studying how
research can be done scientifically. The scope of research methodology is wider
than research methods. Research methodology includes not only
research methods but also the logic behind the methods we use in our research
study. Research methodology explain why we are using a particular method or technique
and why we are not using others. It
enables the research results to be evaluated either by the researcher himself
or by others.
Any research process consists of series of actions or steps as shown in the following chart.
(1)
Formulating the research problem
(2)
Extensive literature survey
(3)
Developing the hypothesis
(4)
Preparing the research design
(5)
Determining sample design
(6)
Collecting the data
(7)
Execution of the project
(8)
Analysis of data
(9)
Hypothesis testing
(10)
Generalizations and interpretation
(11)
Preparation of the report or the thesis
In this unit, we will be discussing about the last
step in the research process, that is the Preparation of the report or
the thesis
This
is the final stage in a research and this is the formal write-up of
conclusions. This last step is the most
crucial in a research programme as it is through the report that the findings
of the study and their implications are communicated to your supervisor and
readers. This is the communication from the research work to be shared with the
receivers or the audience. The
researcher must know them, understand their knowledge and ability to understand
the message, etc. As Burns said,
‘extremely valuable and interesting practical work may be spoiled at the last
minute by a student who is not able to communicate the results easily’. To prepare a good report understanding of
research methodology is essential and the quality of the report depends upon
our written communication skills and clarity of thought, ability to express
thoughts in a logical and sequential manner, our knowledge base of the subject
area, our experience in research writing, etc.
A
report may be in different forms, such as a thesis, textbook, research article,
short review, newspaper article, poster presentations, professional lectures,
etc. In this section we will be
discussing about writing of report in a thesis format.
A
report writing or thesis writing must be done with great care and the following
points are to be followed
A. The layout of the
report should be as follows, The preliminary pages, The main text and The end
matter
1. The preliminary pages of the
report should carry title and date followed by acknowledgements and foreword.
There should be a table of contents followed by a list of tables and list of
graphs and charts given in the report/thesis.
2. The main text of the report should
have the following
Introduction: This is a clear statement of the
objective of the research and an explanation of the methodology adopted in
accomplishing the research. The scope of the study along with limitations
should also be described in this section.
Summary
of findings: After
introduction there should be a statement of findings and recommendations in
non-technical language. The findings should be given in a summarized form.
Main
report: The
main body of the report should be presented in logical sequence and it should
be divided into readily identifiable and comprehensible sections.
Conclusion: This is the final summing
up. It should be kept towards the end of
the main text, where the results of research are explained clearly and
precisely.
3. End matter comes at the end of the report. The following are to be listed here.
·
Appendices in respect of all technical
data
·
Bibliography, i.e., list of books,
journals, reports, etc., referred to for the research
·
Index
B. Report should be
written in a concise and objective style in simple language.
C. Charts and
illustrations should be used only if they present the information more clearly
D. Calculated
‘confidence limits’ must be mentioned in the results section and the various
constraints experienced in conducting research should be stated.
References
1.
Research Methodology, Methods and
techniques, 2nd revised edition, CR Kothari, New Age International
(P) Limited, Publishers
2.
Research Methodology in the Medical and
Biological sciences, Edited by Petter Laake Haakon Breien Benestad and Bjørn
Reino Olsen
3.
Research Methodology a step-by-step guide
for beginners, Ranjit Kumar, Sage Publishers
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