Parts of A Research Report

Primary objectives of business report

1) Effectively communicate the findings of the research projects
2.) Provide interpretations of the findings in the form of sound recommendations
3.) Illustrate the credibility of the research report
4.) Serve as a future reference documents for strategic or tactical decisions

RESEARCH PROPOSAL GUIDE

TITLE PAGE
 It indicates the context of the study
 Indicates the subject of the report and the name of the researcher/s
 Indicates the subject of the report
 sub-serves as the theme of the study as a whole
 gives an Instant grasp of the study is all about

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
 Indicate people who have assisted with the conduct of the study both substantively
and administratively.
 Opportunity to express gratitude to respondents or groups covered by the study and
the sponsoring company or agency who financed the research.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An abstract summarizes, usually in one paragraph of 300 words or less, the major aspects of
the entire paper

 The abstract allows you to elaborate upon each major aspect of the paper and helps
readers decide whether they want to read the rest of the paper. Therefore, enough
key information [e.g., summary results, observations, trends, etc.] must be included
to make the abstract useful to someone who may want to examine your work.
 How do you know when you have enough information in your abstract? A simple
rule-of-thumb is to imagine that you are another researcher doing a similar study.
Then ask yourself: if your abstract was the only part of the paper you could access,
would you be happy with the amount of information presented there? Does it tell the
whole story about your study? If the answer is "no" then the abstract likely needs to
be revised.
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUD

INTRODUCTION

 Discusses the general context under which a research problem is to be studied.

 Explains why the study is being conducted
 Has to explain briefly the nature and significance of the problem and how the
researcher can contribute to its solution.
 The researcher points out that the study is about a special problem different from
other problems.
 The objectives, process and methodology of the research should be given emphasis
on this section.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

 This portion states the setting of the identified research problem.

 The presentation should be directed into what the problem is investigating
 Briefly expresses the need to undertake the study.
 Gives narrative exposition on the nature and background of the problem area in
general and the rationale of the study.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

 Justifies the rationale of the investigation

 Gives the reason to search for new data and for analyzing, interpreting and
synthesizing these data.
 The framework also cites the theories on which the study is anchored

Ex. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, Elton Mayo's Human Relations theory, Max
Weber's Bureaucratic Management, Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

  The research being investigated must relate to his/her interest, background.
 It is expected to yield findings that will provide useful information in the area of the
researcher’s investigation
 In the choice of research topics originality and relevance the contemporary problems
and issues must be considered.
 The problem may be about the relationship among variables which the study aims to
establish and find out the extent of such relationship.

HYPOTHESIS
 Intelligent guess/assumption
 Must be tested statistically to solve the research problem
 States the relationship between variables and this relationship must be tested
 Is an inference which has to be proven
 Hypothesis may be accepted or rejected depending on results of the statistical tests.
 Tentative explanation about the expected outcome of the study

ASSUMPTION

 It is a statement related to the problem which is presumed to be true on the basis of

observation and experience.
 It is used to provide general direction to the study and does not require confirmation
or discussion in the thesis.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

 Expresses the value or importance of the study
 It is where significant contributions of results of the study are enumerated
 Such contributions may be viewed from the point of the targeted beneficiaries
(stakeholders)

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

 Identifies the boundaries or coverage of the area of the study in terms of subjects,
facilities, objectives, area, time, duration and the issues to which the research is
focused.

DEFINITION OF TERMS
  Include important or key terms that should be clearly defined to how they are used
in the study
 Ambiguous meaning of terms should be avoided as they could be interpreted
differently.

DEFINITION OF TERMS CAN BE CATEGORIZE INTO TWO FORMS

 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION – expresses the meaning of terms as used in a particular

field of study

 CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION – taken from secondary sources of data like books,

journals, periodicals and other reading materials.

- Carries a universal meaning that can easily be understood by readers

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

RELATED LITERATURE

 Helps shape the proposal in the previous or earlier researchers which can help in
identification of a research problem
 Serve as a guide to the researcher in the formulation of a conceptual framework and
in preparation of research design, methodology, sampling, techniques,
instrumentation and statistical analysis.
 Provides information that may support and strengthen findings of the study.
 Can provide important leads to help a researcher determine higher topic of inquiry.
 The work of other researchers may point to some gaps in the data, which may serve
as the starting point in the framing of a research proposal.

FOREIGN LITERATURE – written material, information or article and other secondary

sources which are published outside of the country, or printed abroad by a foreign author

LOCAL LITLERATURE - written material, information or article that meet the required
expression qualifies to be called literature and are related to the present problems of the
study and which are written and reported by local authors and reporters and printed in the
country.
FOREIGN STUDIES – these are studies conducted in other countries and written or prepared
by foreign researchers.

LOCAL STUDIES – studies or investigations conducted in the country in which are similar
and relevant to the present study.

METHODS AND PROCEDURE

RESEARCH METHODS
 Blueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis of data.
 Aids the researcher in the allocation of his limited resources by posing critical
choices
 Includes what research method to be used including the justification why it is the
best method for the study

SAMPLING DESIGN & INSTRUMENTION AND TECHNIQUE

 Selecting some elements in the population where we may draw conclusions about
the entire population

2 CLASSIFICATIONS OF SAMPLING DESIGN

 PROBABILITY –gives each element of the population an equal chance to be included

in the sample. (e.g. random, systematic stratified, cluster)

 NON-PROBABILITY- does not provide predetermined chance to be included in the

sample (e.g. quota, judgment, conventional, snowball, accidental, purposive)

IN SAMPLING DESIGN THE FOLLOWING STEPS MUST BE FOLLOWED

1. Defining the target population.

2. Specifying the sampling frame.
3. Specifying the sampling unit.
4. Selection of the sampling method.
5. Determination of sample size.
6. Specifying the sampling plan.
7. Selecting the sample.

SLOVIN’S FORMULA
Slovins’s formula is used to calculate an appropriate sample size from a population.
n = N / (1+Ne2)

INSTRUMENTATION AND TECHNIQUE

PRIMARY TECHNIQUE – these are characterized by the researcher’s direct interaction with
the persons who can provide information on the topic.

A. QUESTIONNAIRE – is an instrument that embodies a set of questions asked in a

standardized manner to each respondent.
B. INTERVIEWS – these techniques of data collection encompass a set of questions
raised through person to person or telephone interaction between interviewers and
respondents.
C. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION – often undertaken by an interviewer with a small
number of people who share a common interest. The interviewer meets with the
group of participants for some hours to response to open-ended questions.

SECONDARY TECHNIQUES – these includes the methods of gathering information obtained

by other entities. These techniques depend on the researcher’s ability to obtain from other
institutions or individuals information they keep.

A. STATISTICAL RECORDS – often collected regularly by institutions and have advantage

of enabling the trend of conduct studies.
B. PERSONAL RECORDS – they serve as source of raw data about the profile of people,
included personal data sheets collected by personnel.
C. DOCUMENTARY RECORDS – these documents can be used to narrate and analyze
the data collected from agencies, or individuals, within an institution,

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES

 Step by step procedures in the collection of data
 If the technique used in data collection are questionnaire discuss how the questions
will be formulated, pre-tested or validated and how this will be distributed and
collected
 If interviews will be used in gathering primary data, discuss how questions will be
formulated, interview schedule and how interviews will be conducted

STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF DATA

 Transformation of data into a form that will facilitate data analysis using statistical
methods or tools
STEPS IN DATA PROCESSING

 CATEGORIZATION/CULLING PATTERNS – formulation of categories for nominal

variables such as defining your respondent’s gender, religious profile, civil status,
educational attainment and other demographic variables.
 CODING –entails transforming responses into symbols, usually numerical especially if
the information to be processed is for computer operations.
 APPLICATION OF STATISTICAL TOOLS – for quantitative types of research problems,
you may apply statistical tools to summarize a test of data collected.
- For nominal variables univariate tables and charts may be used to simplify
gathered data.
- For continuous variables, central tendency or general patterns can be shown by
the mean, median mode.
 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS – analysis is the most precise and objective step to analyze
the result of the study.

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

 Presentation of data in textual, tabular or graphic forms
 Analysis of Data according to requirements of hypothesis
 Interpretation of data. It describes patterns of relationship between and among
variables

SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 Summary of Findings- component of summary of the findings is to provide a
discussion for each of the findings, using anchor verbiage that justifies rather than
distorts the intent of the findings. Tell us how the findings are important or relevant
based on the aim and scope of your study
 Conclusions - sums up the key points of your discussion, the essential features of
your design, or the significant outcomes of your investigation.
 Recommendations -Recommendations urge specific actions to be taken with regard
to policy, practice, theory, or subsequent research. They are specific suggestions that
you make with regard to further research on the topic.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND APPENDICES

 Bibliography – covers the different materials (e.g. books, periodicals, journals etc.)
Unpublished materials such as thesis, dissertations, and other research made in the
past can be included in this section.
 Appendices – this portion includes materials that are too cumbersome to read in the
body of the part but are useful references for some readers.