Part 9 - Proposal and Report Writing

Research Design and Methodology
Proposal and Report Writing
Gebeyehu B. (Dr. of Eng.) Associate Professor
gebeyehu2009@gmail.com
BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty

The Importance of Writing
 All researchers must be able to use language with a degree of skill
and accuracy to produce Research Report – clear and coherent
 Clear thinking precedes clear writing – writing can be a productive

form of thinking itself – when writing ideas down on paper.
 Must identify the specific ideas you do and do not know about your
topic.
 MUST clarify and organize thoughts sufficiently to communicate them

to your readers.
 May detect space and logical flaws in your thinking.
BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 2

The Importance of Writing
 Writing about a topic actually enhances the writers understanding
of that topic.
 If wait until all thoughts are clear before start writing, you may
NEVER begin.
 Begin with a TITLE and PURPOSE statement
 Commit title to paper, keep it in plain sight as you focus your ideas.
 Title can provide focus and direction
 Clear and concise statement, “The purpose of this study is….” you
are on your way.
Writing to Communicate
 Say what you mean to say
 Precision is of utmost importance – choose words and phrases
carefully so that you communicate the exact meaning, not vague
approximation
 clear, concise, effective sentences and combine these sentences
into unified and coherent paragraph.
 Keep your primary objective in writing your paper in mind at all
times, and focus discussion accordingly
 Novice researchers try to include everything they have learned
 everything you say MUST relate directly or indirectly to your

research problem.
 Provide an overview of what you will be talking about

 Your readers can more effectively read your work when they know what to
expect as they read – overview and order, topics relationship.

Writing to Communicate
 Organize your ideas into general and more specific categories.
 Use headings and subheadings a simple way to make scheme crystal clear.
 Provide transitional phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that help your

readers follow train of thought
 give signal when change course of discussion.
 Use concrete examples

 To make abstract ideas more understandable.
 Use appropriate punctuation

 help communicate meanings. Use figures and tables when such mechanisms can
more effectively present or organize your ideas and findings.
 At the conclusion of a chapter or major section, summarize what

have been said
 things that are the most important. Anticipate that you will almost certainly
have to write multiple drafts – revise several times – novice or expert.
A comma, kills a person
 There was a prisoner of war captured by some soldiers who were in a troop far
from high officials.
 This is a true event , and also it gives a clear insight to show that how
PNCTUTION is vitally important
 Yes, so the soldier by some means, like telegraph or I don’t know how wrote to
the commander that the man (enemy) they were looking for was captured and
they were waiting for orders as to what to do with him!
 The commander who was 500 kilometers away from the troop sent written
message to another troop who in turn wrote that message to the concerned
troop.
 The danger of language: -via punctuation written as: " kill him not, wait for
me.“ and when this message reached to the chief of the troop who had captured
that soldier the message was written like this: " kill him, not wait for me."
The Proposal

The Research Proposal
 Research is never a solo flight, an individual excursion
 It is not a “do-it-in-a-corner” activity
 It involves many people and requires access to and use of resources

far beyond one’s own
 For that reason, it must be carefully planned, laid out, inspected, and,
in nearly every instance, approved by others
 The graduate student conducting research for a thesis must get the
approval of an academic committee
 A researcher seeking grant funding must get approval from the

university or the organisation for which he or she works, and the
project must be deemed worthy of funding by the grant-awarding
agency.
Researcher and Architect: Planners in
Common
 A proposal is as essential to successful research as an architect’s
plans are to the construction of a building
 Planning is the essence of their art - same orientation
 An architect plans the structural concepts of buildings, whereas a

researcher plans the structural concepts of the solutions to
problems
 Proposal ~ architect’s drawing
 No one would start building a structure by rushing out to dig a hole

for the foundation without knowing in detail how the building will
look when it is finished
Proposed Research Project
 Show the viability and the plan in the research proposal
 The problem and its subproblems are clearly stated
 Hypotheses or questions are articulated
 All necessary terms are defined
 Delimitations are carefully spelled out
 The reason for conducting the study - why it’s important - is

explained
 Every anticipated detail of acquiring, organising, analysing, and

interpreting the data is specified
The Proposal
 Nothing is overlooked
 All questions that may arise in the minds of those who review the
proposal are anticipated and answered
 Any unresolved matter is a weakness in the proposal and may
seriously affect its approval
 Sometimes young researchers think the proposal is merely a
necessary formality and thus do not give it the serious consideration
it deserves
 No matter whether you are seeking funding for a project from a
grant foundation or seeking approval for a thesis or dissertation
from a university faculty committee, a clear, well-written proposal is
essential
 Nothing is a substitute for an explicit setting forth of both problem

and procedure
A Proposal is a Straightforward Document
 A proposal should not be cluttered with extraneous and irrelevant
material
 It opens with a straightforward statement of the problem to be

researched
 It needs no explanatory props – no introduction, prologue

(introduction to a play, poem, etc.)
 Such information may be interesting, but none of it is necessary or

appropriate
 You capture or lose your reader with the first sentence

A Proposal is a Straightforward Document
 Keep in mind the meaning of proposal
 The word suggests looking forward, to what the researcher plans to

do in the future – not history
 If a writer intends to make an analytical comparison of the past and

present social and economic conditions of minority groups, he or
she might begin, “This study will analyze the social and economic
status of certain minority groups today in comparison with their
similar status five decades ago for the purpose of …
 This is a no-nonsense beginning, and it indicates that the writer

knows what a proposal should be Employ future tense, for example,
“The study will analyze …
A Proposal is Clearly Organized
 Proposals are written in conventional prose style, and thoughts are expressed in
simple paragraph form
 The organization of the thoughts is outlined by the proper use of headings and
subheadings
 Organization and outline are essential
 They hint at an orderly and disciplined mind – one of the highest tributes to a
researcher’s qualifications
 In professional writing, headings and subheadings are the single most commonly
used strategy to express the writer’s overall organizational scheme
 You should communicate the outline of your thoughts to your own readers in the
same fashion
 No indented outline – it is not conventional - hint a brevity (shortness)  hint a

superficiality (on the surface only, not thorough or deep)  suggest undesirable
quality of researchers
Example of Structural Outline
1. The review of the related literature
1.1 Understanding the role of review
1.1.1 The Purpose of the Review
1.1.2 How to Begin
1.1.2.1 Go to the indexes and abstracts
1.1.2.2 Database access
1.1.2.3 Go to the library
1.1.3 How to Write the Section

1.1.3.1 Get the proper
1.1.3.2 Have a plan
1.2 Points of departure

1.2.1 Abstract
1.2.2 Indexes
1.3 For further reading

Success Begins with Initial Proposal
 Frustrating experience if proposal rejected by graduate committee
 Success begins long before activity begins – the planning
 How data will be interpreted – will determine success or failure

What are possible parts / topics (in
order) in a proposal?

Proposal writing
 Elements of proposal writing
 Title
 Introduction
 Statement of the problem (including research questions)
 Purpose, objective(s) of the study
 Methodology: approach, methods and procedures
 Significant of the study,
 Scope and limitation
 Literature review
 Duration and plan of action
 Cost breakdown
 References
 Appendixes

Proposal writing
 Title
 An important and challenge part of the process
 You need to engage the reader with a short, relevant title that clearly
demonstrates what the problem is and why this is important.
 Introduction
 Provides readers with the background information for the research reported in
the paper.
 Establishes a framework for the research, so that readers can understand how it
is related to other research
 In an introduction, you should
 create reader interest in the topic,
 lay the broad foundation for the problem that leads to the study,
 place the study within the larger context of the scholarly literature, and
 reach out to a specific audience

Proposal writing
 Statement of the problem
 A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in the literature, theory, or
practice that leads to a need for the study,

 It is important in a proposal that the problem stand out that the reader can easily
recognize it,
 Sometimes obscure and poorly formulated problems are masked in an extended
discussion,
 In such cases reviewers and/or committee members will have difficulty to
recognizing the problem,
 Effective problem statements answer the question
 Why does this research need to be conducted.
 If a researcher is unable to answer this question clearly and succinctly, then the
statement of the problem will come off as ambiguous.
 Make sure to state the problem in terms intelligible to someone who is
generally sophisticated but who is relatively uninformed in the area of your
investigation
 Should cover statement of both practical and research problems 20
Proposal writing
 Includes also the purpose statement: that implies the purpose statement should
provide a specific and accurate synopsis of the overall purpose of the study,

 Briefly define and delimit the specific area of the research.

 Describe the hypotheses to be tested or the questions to be raised (if any)
 Try to incorporate a sentence that begins with
 The purpose of this study is . . .
 Clearly identify and define the central concepts or ideas of the study.
 Objective(s) the study

 Usually organized in terms of general and specific objectives
 Objective statements also briefly define and delimit the specific area of the
research,
 General objective is just one sentence indicating what you will do in the
research, and
 Specific objectives are list of (4-5) actions /tasks having their own deliverables
Proposal writing
 Literature review
 The review of the literature provides the background and context for the
research problem,
 Establish the need for the research and indicate that the writer is knowledgeable
about the area,
 Demonstrate to the reader that you have a comprehensive grasp of the field and
are aware of important recent substantive and methodological developments,
 The literature review should be generally brief and to the point.
 Methodology: Methods and procedures

 This is the heart of the research proposal,
 The activities should be described with as much as detail as possible,
 Indicate the methodological steps you will take to answer every question or to
test every hypothesis illustrated in the purpose of the study,

Proposal writing
 Methodology: Methods and procedures
 Clearly describe:
 The sampling techniques
 Data collection instruments,
 Data collection plan,
 Specify the procedures you will use to analyze the data
 Significant of the study

 Indicate how your research will refine, revise, or extend existing knowledge in
the area under investigation,

 Thinking about the significance of your study, ask yourself the following
questions,
 What will be improved or changed as the result of the proposed research,
 Will results influence programs, methods, and/or interventions?
 Will results contribute to the solution of a problem facing the society?
 Will results influence the decision making process?
 How will results of the study be implemented, and what innovations will come about?
Proposal writing
 Duration and plan of action
 Indicate the length of time required to complete the research,
 The proposal must produce reasonable plan of action for the duration of the
proposed research and an estimated completion date,
 The plan of action:
 Gives a brief outline of the estimated time needed to complete each section of the
research,
 Makes you be more certain that you are not proposing to do too much work,
 Financial cost
 Prepare a budget for your project that shows what you anticipate the cost of
conducting the research to be
 Be honest and reasonable in preparing the budget
 References
 References cited in the research proposal should be included in the reference list
 Follow a specific and consistent guideline regarding use of references in text
and in the reference list.
Proposal writing
 References
 Any work not your own should be clearly marked,
 Any quotations within quotation marks need to be cited,
 Every reference in the text should be listed,
 Every item in the list must have a reference in the text,
 Every table, figure, or other image must have a reference in the text,
 Appendixes (Optional)
 The need for complete documentation generally dictates the inclusion of
appropriate appendixes in proposals,
 The following materials are appropriate for an appendix:
 Questionnaires
 Interview protocols,
 Sample or informed consent forms,
 Cover letters sent to appropriate stakeholders,
 Official letters of permission to conduct research,

Writing Research Report

Report (thesis) writing
 A report is a communication of information, from a person who has
collected and studied the facts,
 What are the basic suggested parts research report? Outlines of a

research report
 The following are suggested outline of chapters and section of your

report
 Title page
 Declaration
 Acknowledgement
 Abstract
 Table of contents
 List of tables
 List of figures
 List of acronyms,

 CHAPTER I Introduction
 Research questions and/or hypotheses
 Purpose/Objective
 Significance of the study
 Scope/limitation
 Thesis /report organization
 CHAPTER II Literature Review

 CHAPTER III Methodology
 General Approach
 Data collection methods and process
 Data Source - Population and sampling
 Instrumentation (include copy in appendix)
 Validity and reliability (Results from pilot test)
 Analysis/design Procedures/settings
 Evaluation approaches and procedure if applicable
 CHAPTER IV Design/Experimental Results and Discussion
 Start by describing/presenting the data

 Experimentation and Findings/result and findings
 Iterative design and evaluation
 Interpretation and Discussion of Results
 CHAPTER V Conclusions and Recommendations
 Summary (of what you did and found

 Conclusion (What you conclude from your findings
 Recommendations (based on your findings)
 REFERENCES
 APPENDIX

Journal papers/ Conference preceding
 There is no one generally acceptable format
 Every publisher / conference organizer provide template
 But some basics and commonly used topics are

 Title, authors, affiliation and addresses
 Abstract with key words
 Introduction (problem statement, objectives)
 Related works
 Methods and materials
 Results and findings
 Discussion
 Conclusions and recommendations
 Reference

Writing tips
 Reading will help you write.
 Train yourself to read like a writer
 examine structure,
 writing style,
 overall organization,
 such as use of subheads.
 Once you are already familiar with the process of Research, writing
is a similar process.
 Write your abstract first for the first draft
 Abstract is a few short paragraphs that identifies
 the key questions
 importance of your research question.
 The approaches you have employed
 Findings
 The Title and Abstract should reflect the focus of your work.
Writing tips
 Edit for Clarity
 Define abbreviations
 Use proper transitions from paragraph to paragraph and section to section.
 Don’t bury your point underneath long introductory clauses.
 Vary sentence length.
 Rewrite ambiguous sentences.
 Correct grammar
 Correct spelling and punctuation
 Edit for appearance

 Consistence font
 Consistence line spacing
 Break up text with bullets
 Use drawing and figures when possible
 Use subheads
 Strive for perfection

 No one can sit down and write the perfect paper in one draft,
 A paper goes through several revisions, each one improving on the previous version,
 You will never prepare a proposal or a report that is free any errors or ambiguities
Writing tips
 Be ready for comments
 Write your first draft
 Have a colleague/experts, read your writing
 You don't want to hear how wonderful a writer you are, you want
substantive feedback,
 Don’t take criticism personally
 Edit your report
 Produce final report

Presenting your paper (your work)
 Most presentations are based on a written paper,
 Main benefit of presenting the work orally as well as in written form

is that you get immediate feedback on your work from other people
in your chosen field,
 Skill #1
 Give yourself plenty of time to prepare before your presentation,
 Practice your presentation to make sure it runs to time,
 Have notes handy in case you dry up, make sure the notes are legible and that
you are totally familiar with the order in which you want to say things,
 Skill #2
 Always start by introducing yourself and the topic you are going to talk about,
 Tell your audience exactly how the talk will be structured
 Sum-up what you have said on a concluding slide
 Try not to cover too much ground
 Skills #3
 Try not to read from the script
 Maintain eye contact with your audience,
 Make sure your audience can hear you don’t talk to quickly, take a pause now and
then,
 Skills #4
 Don’t put too much on each slide,
 Use a large font,
 Ensure slides are relevant,
 Make sure any animation or sound does not cause an unwanted distraction,
 Ensure slides are free of spelling/grammatical errors
 Skills #5
 Leave time for questions, they are a good way of getting feedback,
 Consider your answer and make sure you understand the question, if not ask for
clarification,
 If you did not know the answer, be honest and say so,
 Do not forget to thank your audience.
 Final Project Results Talk (defense)
 Convince or ……
 Review the problem description and proposed approach – give

“the theme”
 Give details (e.g., of implementation) to support “the theme”
 Give key results to support “the theme”
 Summarize “the theme”

Research: once you are in, like swimming
 Learning from experience and practices
 One of the primary goals of academic training is to learn how to
learn, i.e., to learn how to continuously absorb new knowledge.
 Research process is:
 Realize there is a problem
 Look to see if anyone has solved it
 Develop a plan to solve it
 Solve it
 Evaluate your solution
 Disseminate your solution
 Use integration of concepts , techniques …

 Use elimination technique to reach to the topic you may be interested
 Follow recommendations from previous research
 See sample thesis and research from different perspectives
Keep in mind about assessment
 Relevance
 Originality
 Significance
 Not plagiarized
 Clearly presented
 Consistent presentation
 Apparent understanding of topic
 Ability to handle references and citations
 Ability to meet deadlines
 Ability to adhere to formal requirements
Typical Evaluation Criteria
 Does the title correspond well to the contents?
 Does the abstract give a complete and correct picture of the
contents?
 Can the abstract be understood without reading the paper?
 Does the introduction explain clearly what the investigated problem
is?
 Does the introduction give a complete and brief overview of the
whole project?
 Does the author explain all terminology in a clear and precise way?
 Are terms used in a consistent way?
 Does the author make use of relevant scientific conventions in the
choice of terminology and definitions?
 Is the description of each method sufficiently clear and detailed to
allow replication?
 Are there any technical flaws where a method is applied in an

incorrect way?
 Are the references syntactically correct?
 Are there sources cited which are not referenced?
 Are there sources referenced but not cited?
 Are citations syntactically correct?
 Are citations placed in the text in a reasonable way?
 Has the relevant literature been covered?

 Are the conclusions reasonable?
 Are the arguments scientifically valid or are the too speculative?
 Is the summary well written?

Finding an Advisor and a Project
 Start early
 Get info about supervisors/profs’ research
 home pages, research papers, word of mouth, …
 Schedule meetings with several supervisors

 email, appointments
 Choose a supervisor
 Know how to “manage”
 Decide on a project
 Students come up with their own
 Profs suggest choices
 A combination
 Mutual agreement, interest, enthusiasm
 Write brief description of project and get Advisor’s email

commitment to advise you
Three important points asking your self in the
process
 The what, why and How questions?
 What (contribution , will you make )

 HOW DIFFERENT IS YOUR WORK
 Why (why is it a problem)

 Practical problem or new ways
 What was the attempt so far
 What is the limitation of the attempts
 How ( how good is it and how logical method is used)

 Validation , evaluation

Ethical issues …Issue of Plagiarism
 Intentional VS unintentional
 The effect is the same
 The most serious one

 Presenting ones idea /research as if it is yours
 Others
 Use/Copy sentences/ideas of others as they are in your work
 Solution
 Acknowledging
 Either paraphrase or put it in quotation and cite.
 Through proper citation (at sentence level, paragraph level etc…
 Indicate in any appropriate way that it is not yours.

End!

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Research Design and Methodology

Proposal and Report Writing

Gebeyehu B. (Dr. of Eng.) Associate Professor

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty

 Clear thinking precedes clear writing – writing can be a productive

 MUST clarify and organize thoughts sufficiently to communicate them

 May detect space and logical flaws in your thinking.

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 2

 Begin with a TITLE and PURPOSE statement

 Title can provide focus and direction

 everything you say MUST relate directly or indirectly to your

 Provide an overview of what you will be talking about

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 4

 Provide transitional phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that help your

 Use concrete examples

 Use appropriate punctuation

 At the conclusion of a chapter or major section, summarize what

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 7

 It is not a “do-it-in-a-corner” activity

 It involves many people and requires access to and use of resources

 A researcher seeking grant funding must get approval from the

 Planning is the essence of their art - same orientation

 An architect plans the structural concepts of buildings, whereas a

 Proposal ~ architect’s drawing

 No one would start building a structure by rushing out to dig a hole

 The problem and its subproblems are clearly stated

 Hypotheses or questions are articulated

 All necessary terms are defined

 Delimitations are carefully spelled out

 The reason for conducting the study - why it’s important - is

 Every anticipated detail of acquiring, organising, analysing, and

 Nothing is a substitute for an explicit setting forth of both problem

 It opens with a straightforward statement of the problem to be

 It needs no explanatory props – no introduction, prologue

 Such information may be interesting, but none of it is necessary or

 You capture or lose your reader with the first sentence

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 12

 The word suggests looking forward, to what the researcher plans to

 If a writer intends to make an analytical comparison of the past and

 This is a no-nonsense beginning, and it indicates that the writer

 Organization and outline are essential

 No indented outline – it is not conventional - hint a brevity (shortness)  hint a

1.1.3 How to Write the Section

1.2 Points of departure

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 15

 Frustrating experience if proposal rejected by graduate committee

 Success begins long before activity begins – the planning

 How data will be interpreted – will determine success or failure

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 16

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 17

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 18

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 19

 Briefly define and delimit the specific area of the research.

 Objective(s) the study

 Methodology: Methods and procedures

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 22

 Specify the procedures you will use to analyze the data

 Significant of the study

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 25

BDU: Bahir Dar Institute of Technology: Computing Faculty 26