A Manual on

Formatting and Organizing Research Report

Pokhara University Research Centre

Pokhara University,
Kaski, Nepal

2018
 Research Proposal Format
The research proposal is a scheme, plan, structure and strategy of the whole research to be
carried out. This is a written presentation of an intended research specifying the problem, the
purpose, scope, methodology, financial plan, and references. The arrangement of the components
of the research proposal is tentatively below:

1. Title
2. Introduction/Background
3. Statement of the Problem
4. Purpose/Objectives of the Study
5. Research Questions (if any)
6. Hypotheses (if any)
7. Review of Literature and Conceptual Framework
8. Research Methodology
9. Limitation
10. Research Work Plan
11. Financial Plan/Budget
12. Expected Outcome (If predictable)
13. References (Harvard Style)
14. Appendixes (if any)

1.1 Title
The title should be descriptive, comprehensive, and clear. It should be a concise statement of the
main topic and should identify the main variables (or issues) under investigation.

1.2 Introduction/Background
The researcher should locate the topic in its proper context. The introduction should establish a
territory to set the stage. It should show how and why the proposed project is worth researching.

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1.3 Statement of the Problem
The research problem is the crucial element in the research project. It identifies the research
direction and destination. It is problematic in the existing scene and the researcher attempts to
identify it. The research problem is the "unknown" territory of the knowledge which the
researcher attempts to make "known". It is also a "gap" which the proposed project attempts to
fulfill the gap. Any problem can be a research problem that adds new knowledge to the world.

1.4 Purpose/Objectives of the Study

Objectives shape the overall destination and scope of the study. Objectives help the researcher
identify the key study variables and their possible interrelationships. They inform readers what
the researcher wants to achieve through the study. Usually, objectives are categorized as
main/general and specific. Main objective is the overall statement of the thrust of the study based
on the central research question. Specific objectives are based on the specific aspects of the issue
under research.

1.5 Research Questions

Research problems are generally stated in the form of questions so that their answers are to be
investigated. The research questions are based on the research problems. The questions are very
crucial elements of the research as the entire investigation is shaped by them. However, all
questions are not necessarily research problems. Only those questions are considered to be
research problems that contribute to add some new knowledge to the existing body of
knowledge.

1.6 Hypotheses (if any)

The introduction should state the anticipated outcomes of the research in the form of hypotheses.
It is a set of presuppositions set forth for further verification. It is a predictive statement of being
tested by research processes.

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1.7 Literature Review and Conceptual Framework

In a research proposal, the researcher should produce a literature review to provide enough
background information to previous research so that the context of the proposed research is clear.
The literature review should describe previous relevant research, and the results of that research
in such a way as to indicate where the present proposal is situated. The literature review should
be comprehensive. It helps the reader understand the area under investigation. All disciplines
need some kind of review of literature. It is a journey that leads the researcher from "known"
territory of knowledge to "unknown".

Conceptual framework contains the researcher's epistemological, ontological and methodological

premises that guide the researcher's action. The conceptual framework gives guidance that the
researcher must take into account. It also functions to delimit the boundaries of the discipline.
Researchers have to give operational definitions of the key terms so that there is no any
ambiguity and confusion.

1.8 Research Methodology

The methodology develops an explanation as to why and how the research method under
discussion has been chosen. This section may probably require a restatement of research
aims/questions and involve explaining to the reader how the chosen research method will help
answer the research questions. Methods, on the other, refer to the actual instruments and
materials utilized in the research. The researcher needs to discuss why a particular method was
selected. This section will require a detailed description of the research processes and procedures
as well as an explanation of the reasons for doing so. The researcher also needs to mention about
ethical approval if it is necessary to obtain it, considering a research culturally sensitive issue like
leprosy, HIV, and such others.

1.9 Limitation

The proposal should define the boundary, limitations and scope of the research.

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1.10 Research Work Plan

The researcher needs to make a tentative research plan from starting time to the end of research
completion date such as duration for data collection, transcribing and translating Nepali into
English, data analysis, practical lab test and so on as per own discipline of the area of study.

1.11 Financial Plan

The researcher should mention tentative budget in each heading of total expenses in the research
project under study.

1.12 Expected Outcome

Expected outcomes in terms of the possible scientific, social, economic and other outcomes of
the research should be mentioned if can be predicted.

1.13 References

The last component of a proposal is the list of materials which have been consulted/cited in the
text. The purpose of this component is to authenticate the researcher to guide the readers for
further consultation, to support one's claims, and to avoid plagiarism.

1.14 Others

In addition, prospective researcher should follow the instructions given by PURC while
submitting the proposal as listed below:

 Two hard copies of the proposal and a soft copy (by e mail/CD) should be submitted to
the office of PURC.
 The proposals should include the items that are in this manual. Specify NA if
not applicable to you with comments if any,
 Name, designation, affiliations of the principal investigator (PI) and co-
investigators, and
 Principal Investigator (PI) and co-investigators' curriculum vitae indicating
specific skills to undertake the study (One page A4 size paper, font 12).

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 Structure of the Faculty Research Report
The magnitude and number of components of a research project are always relative to type and
nature of the discipline/field. However, some components are often considered essential parts of
all research projects. Generally, a research project consists of three types of matters: the front
matter, the body, and the back matter. The front matter or the preliminaries are composed of the
Title Page, Recommendation Page, Approval Sheet, Acknowledgement, Abstract, Table of
Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, List of Abbreviations, and Acronyms. Likewise, the
arrangement and number of components in the body also depends on the type and nature of the
field/discipline. However, the body of the faculty research in all disciplines consists mainly of
three sections: the introductory section, the central section and the concluding section. The back
matter consists of Appendices and list of references or works cited.

Preliminaries/Front Matter

The arrangement of the materials in the preliminaries appears in the following order:

i. Title Page

The first component of a faculty research is the title page. It gives the title of the research
project, researcher (s)'s full name and submission statement which includes the university,
the institution, the award sought, and year in which the award is to be granted (See Appendix
I for the sample). A title should not exceed 12 words and the title should be typed in
uppercase letters, centred between the left and right margins, with inverted pyramid shape.

ii. Declaration

Declaration is the claim made by the researcher in which s/he or third gender asserts that this
work of research has not been previously published nor was it used to get sort of award or
degree, and whatever is cited/used has properly been acknowledged (See Appendix II for a
sample).

iii. Acknowledgement

The acknowledgement section contains expressions of appreciations for guidance. The

recognition of persons' generosity with their time and knowledge is a courtesy that is widely
appreciated. The language of acknowledgements should be simple, polite and tactful.
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 iv. Abstract

The abstract is a concise descriptive summary of the study after completion of the research
project. It aims at providing an overview of the study. It should be no more than 300 words.

v. Contents

The table of contents should list all the elements of the preliminaries- the chapter titles, the
main headings and subheadings in the text, and appendices and references.

vi. List of Tables, Figures, Abbreviations, and Acronyms (if any)

Researchers should show lists of tables, figures, abbreviations, and acronyms in the front
matters if they use them in the body texts.

vii. List of other Matters, please specify them as per own discipline (if any)

Researchers should show other matters that have not been mentioned above but they have
used in the text as per their own disciplines.

A Typical Structure of the Body Chapter

The body of the faculty research begins with the first page of the Chapter 1 which follows
the preliminaries. Each chapter must begin in a new page. The body should be divided
into chapters which can be further divided into sections, and sections into subsections
with headings in accordance with necessity of the writings. Chapters are often divided
into the categories: Introduction, Review of Literature, Methodology/Methods of the
Investigation, Findings and Discussions, and Conclusion (along with major findings). It is
also notable that the chapters can be reframed in accordance with own discipline of the
researcher.

The faculty research report should normally begin with the general introduction. The
introduction should show why the topic selected is worth investigating. This will normally be
done with reference to existing research, identifying areas that have not been explored, need to

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be explored further, or where new research findings justify a reconsideration of established
knowledge. Research objectives, research questions, hypotheses, significance, and structure of
the study are major areas to be dealt with introduction in most of the disciplines.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

General review of relevant literature, specific topics directly relating to the issue under
investigation, is given in this chapter. How previous research suggests the study is
important to do further research that the proposed study will fill up the gap. Conceptual
framework can be developed based on the existing literatures, including researcher's
epistemological and ontological understandings to some extent.

Chapter 3: Methodology (or Data and Methods)

Research design, research site, methods used to collect data/research instruments,

methods used to analyse the data, details about who, how, when and why (for
ethnography, description of the setting and participants' issues of ethics and content) are
major areas in methodology chapter. This chapter requires a detailed description of the
research processes such as research participants, materials and procedures and an
explanation of the reasons for doing so. The methods used should be aligned with the
study's research objectives, research questions and theoretical assumptions. Although this
chapter varies depending on method and analysis technique chosen, the chapter describes
and justifies the methods chosen for the study. Description of the statistical analysis and
test performed should also be given as per quantitative method if the researcher has
chosen this procedure. The conceptual framework can be given at the end of methodology
as well, illustrating study variables in other way as well if it has not been given at the end
of literature review as mentioned above in Chapter 2.

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Chapter 4: Results (or Data Analysis) and Discussion

This chapter should be devoted to evaluation and interpretation of the data. The findings
of the study are given in this chapter, analysing and interpreting the data. Discussion
section can be given to discuss the results, interlinking with theories/views reviewed in
Chapter 2. Alternatively, Discussion chapter can be made separately if researcher needs to
discuss and elaborate the results extensively. In other words, data analysis chapter can be
extended into two or more than this as per researcher's own data analysis arrangement and
interpretation.

Chapter 5: Major Findings and Conclusion

This chapter briefly deals with major findings, further discussion and conclusion,
including strength of the study, policy implications and recommendation for further study.
This chapter heading's numerical order may be different depending upon number of
analysis chapter (s). The conclusion should provide answers or solutions to the questions
or problems raised in the introduction.

The Back Matter (Reference Materials)

In a faculty research report, the reference materials are arranged in the following order

i) Appendix (es)

ii) References (APA Style for Management, and Humanities and Social Sciences;
and Harvard Style for Health and Allied Sciences, and Engineering)

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 Layout and Format

One of the most important requisites in the preparation of the faculty research is the
consistency of format and adherence to the specific instructions given below:

Font

The faculty research should be written in English. It must type-written on A4 size paper in a
clear and legible font (Times New Roman 12). As far as possible use the same font for the entire
report but, if necessary, the different font may be used within Tables, Figures, Appendices, and
the words to be focused (such as italics). The faculty research has to be printed single-sided.
Double- line spacing or 1.5 line spacing should be used in the abstract and text of the research.
Single spacing can be used in the long table, block quotation separated from text, foot notes, and
bibliographical entries. The paragraph should be intended or an empty line left between
paragraphs. The research report should be free from grammatical, lexical and punctuation errors.
In addition, use the computer spellchecker. The research report should consistently use either
American or British spelling but should not alternate between the two. This is also encouraged to
use British spelling. When using the number in the text, if the first word of a sentence is a
number, it should be written in words. It is also encouraged to give the research report to
Professional English language editor before submitting it to PURC.

Chapter and Page Layout

Begin each chapter on a new page. Do the same with each element of the front matter
(Acknowledgement, Table of Content, List of Table and Figures, etc.), the Reference section and
each appendix. Avoid typing heading near to the bottom of a page unless there is room for at
least two lines of text following the heading. The chapter should begin on a new page, but
sections and sub sections should not. A “display” page (a page that shows only the Chapter title)
can be placed at the beginning of the chapters or references or appendices. Pages should be
numbered at the bottom in the center, using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) beginning with 1 on the
first page of the introduction and continuing consecutively to the end of the manuscript including

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references. The preliminary pages are numbered in upper-case Roman numeral, beginning with
the declaration page.

Margins

A margin of at least 4 cm must be left at the top and left-side of each page and at least 2.5cm on
the right and bottom. The last letter or character in the longest line on the page determines the
margins.

Appropriate Use of Headings and Subheadings

Headings should be distinguished from surrounding text by a larger font size, a different font,
bolding, italics, or a combination of these. All the headings of the same level should use the same
style, and heading at a lower level should be less prominent than those at higher levels. For
example:
Chapter Title (Times New Roman 14 point -Bold Small caps)
Heading for section (Times New Roman 12 point – Bold)
All headings should be left aligned, except chapter heading, which is centered. The
headings and subheadings can be numbered, if necessary.

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 Appendix I: Title Page

TITLE OF STYDY (Capitals, Bold and Inverted Pyramid Form)

Faculty Research Report (Grant No: Number/Year)

Submitted to

Pokhara University Research Center (PURC)

Pokhara University

Pokhara-Lekhnath Metropolitan City- Ward 30, Kaski

Submitted by

Full Name of Principal Investigator with Designation

Co-investigator/Team Members with Designation

(Year in AD)

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 Appendix II: Declaration Page

Declaration

I hereby declare that this faculty research report is my/our own work and that it contains no
materials previously published. I/We have not used its materials for the award of any kind and
any other degree. Where other authors' sources of information have been used, they have been
acknowledged. Ideas/Views expressed in this report not necessarily represent the views of
PURC. However, this will be the joint property of the research and PURC.

Signature:

Name of Principal Investigator:

Date:

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 Appendix III: Expert Evaluation Sheet

The faculty research entitled "TITLE OF STUDY"

Submitted by

Full Name of Principal Investigator with Designation

Co-investigator/Team Members with Designation

Has been evaluated by

Signature:
Name of Expert:

Designation:

Date:

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 Appendix IV: Format for Approval of Research Report by Research Evaluation
Committee (REC)

The faculty research entitled "TITLE OF STUDY"

Submitted by
Full Name of Principal Investigator with Designation

Co-investigator/Team Members with Designation

Has been approved by REC

1. Signature Chairman REC:

Name:

2. Signature Member:
Name:

3. Signature Member:
Name:

4. Signature Member:
Name:

5. Signature Member:
Name:

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