STEPS IN DRAFTING

RESEARCH REPORT
UNIT III
 WHAT IS A REPORT?
A report is a very formal document that
is written for a variety of purposes in the
sciences, social sciences, engineering and
business disciplines.
The final and the last step in any
research is to make report of the findings
accessible to all.
• “Research reports are detailed and
accurate accounts of the conduct of
disciplined studies accomplished to solve
problems or to reveal new knowledge”
 SIGNIFICANCE OF REPORT
WRITING
Research report is considered a major component
of the research study
Remains incomplete till the report has been
presented and/ or written.
The purpose of research not fulfilled unless the
findings are made known to others.
The task of report writing must be accomplished by
the researcher with utmost care and he may seek the
assistance and guidance of the experts.
 DIFFERENT STEPS IN WRITING REPORT
• The usual steps involved in writing
report are
1. Logical Analysis of the subject matter
2. Preparation of the final outline
3. Preparation of the rough draft
4. Re- writing and polishing
5. Preparation of the final bibliography
6. Writing the final draft.
 Logical Analysis of the Subject Matter:
It is the first step which is primarily concerned with the development of the subject.
 Preparation of the final outline:
The next step in writing a research report is to outline or to make a frame upon which
long written works are constructed.
 Preparation of the rough draft:
The researcher prepares a rough draft of his research work. He will have to put his work
in pen and paper now so that he can ask his critics to comment upon it.
 Re-writing and polishing:
The careful revision makes the difference between a mediocre and a good piece of
writing. In this step, the researcher should check the report for weakness in logical
development or presentation.
• Preparation of the final Bibliography:
• The bibliography is a list of books which are used as a reference for the
preparation of the report.
• It should contain all those works which the researcher has consulted.
• The bibliography should be arranged alphabetically and may be divided into two
parts.
• The first part may contain the names of the books and pamphlets, and
• Second part may contain the names of the magazines and news paper
articles.
• Also the page numbers of the books being referred and the edition
and the volume of the magazine being referred must be mentioned.
• Writing the final Draft: The final draft should be written in a concise and objective
style and in simple language, avoiding vague expressions. Also the researcher must
avoid abstract terminology and technical words.
 MECHANISM OF WRITING A REPORT
Selecting the topic
Planning the paper
Developing the statement of purpose
Gathering the Information
Connecting your thoughts
Giving credit where credit is due
Quoting, Summarizing
Citations (Crediting Sources within the paragraph)
Editing and Proof reading
General guidelines for reference listings
LAYOUT OF A RESEARCH REPORT
 LAYOUT OF THE RESEARCH REPORT:
• The person who is reading the report, must necessarily be conveyed
enough about the study.
• The layout of the research report should compromise
A. Preliminary Pages
B. Main Text
C. The End matter
Preliminary Pages:
The report should have
• The title with the date
• Acknowledgement in the form of Preface or the Foreword.
• The table of contents (list of tables and illustration)
FORMAT FOR WRITING REPORT
• 1. Preliminary Page
• Title page
• Approval sheet
• Acknowledgement
• Preface or forward
• Table of content
• List of tables
• List of figures
 Main Body of the report
I. Introduction Section
 Problem statement
 Assumptions
 Operational definitions
 Variables
 Objectives
 Review of related literature
II. Methodological Section
 Research design
 Research approach
 Research setting
 Population
 Data collection tool
 Data analysis
• III. Result Section
• Study findings can be represented in graphical or non graphical
form
• IV. Ethical Section
• Summary
• Discussion
• Conclusion
V. Implication Selection
• Utilized in the field of nursing administration, education and
clinical practice
• Limitations and recommendations
• Bibliography of references
• Appendix
 Main Text
• Introduction:
• The purpose of the introduction is to introduce the research topic to the
readers.
• It should clearly indicate the objectives of the research.
• Methodology:
• The methodology adopted in the study should be carefully explained.
• The main questions that should be kept in mind while deciding the
methodology are;
• How was the study carried out? What was its basic design?
• Analysis of data :
• The analysis of data in the form of tables and charts should be properly
narrated in the report.
• Statements of Findings and Recommendations:
• The report must contain the statements of findings and recommendations in
the language easily understood by a layman.
• Conclusions or Implications of the results:
• The researcher should again put down the results of his research clearly and
precisely.
• It is considered a good practice to finish the report with a short conclusion which
summarizes and recapitulates the main points of the study.
• Summary:
• It has become customary to conclude the research report with a brief summary
of the report:
• Brief the research problem,
• the methodology,
• the major findings and
• the major conclusions drawn from the research results.
• End Matter:
• At the end of the report, appendices should be enlisted in respect of all technical
data such as questionnaires, mathematical derivations etc.
• The bibliography should also be given at the end of the report.
 PRECAUTIONS FOR WRITING RESEARCH
REPORTS

The research report should be long enough to cover

the subjects but short enough to maintain the
interest.
The report should not be dull, it should sustain the
reader’s interest
Abstract terminology and technical language
should be avoided in a research report.
The report must provide a readily availability of the
findings.
The layout of the report must be in related with the
PRECAUTIONS FOR WRITING RESEARCH REPORTS

The report should be original in nature

Appendices should be properly listed to avoid any confusions.
Bibliography of sources is a must and chronologically arranged.
The report must be attractive in its appearance.
The objective of the study, the nature of the problem, the methods
employed and the analysis techniques adopted must all be clear.
The limitations related to the study must indicated in the research
report.
QUIZ
1. Choose the correct sentence:

A. A gentlemen was walking along a road dressed in blue with green trees in both sides.

B. A dressed in blue gentlemen was walking along a road with green tress on both sides.

C. A gentlemen was walking along a road with green tress on both sides dressed blue.

D. A gentlemen dressed in blue was walking a road with green tress on both sides.
• 2. In Microsoft Excel, you select the row headings 10,11
and 12 then choose the menu option Insert --> Row. What
will happen?

A. Three rows will be inserted after a row 12

B. One new row will be inserted after a row 12
C. Three rows will be inserted after row 9
D. One new row will be inserted after row 9
 Error Detection
• Read the following research report excerpt and identify
the errors:
"The survey was conducted among 100 respondents, which
was selected randomly. The data was analyzed using SPSS
software."
• Thank you