It is conventional for students doing research for a degree to first submit an overview or research proposal to the faculty for approval. The research adviser evaluates the value of the proposed study and talks with the student about the appropriateness of the chosen topic and the suggested study design. The faculty’s review aids in elucidating the students’ thoughts regarding the appropriateness of the problem chosen and the suggested technique. Additionally, the student saves a significant amount of time and effort by not having to spend it on a poorly constructed study that would have been rejected.

Though there is some variation in the format prescribed by different universities, the following information is most often required about the research proposal:

• Statement of the problem.
• Purpose, objective, and significance of the study.
• Definitions, assumptions, and limitations.
• Review of related literature.
• Theoretical framework.
• Hypotheses and questions.
• Proposed research procedures.
• Time schedule.

The aforementioned topics will be covered in detail in the upcoming parts, giving you the confidence to create a research proposal.

As you may remember, research is done when the intended goal appears to be tough to achieve. Research in this area is required as the existing testing method is only recognized for promoting memorization and does not assist in identifying potential. Conversely, because the family planning program is not assisting in slowing down the pace of population increase, a study on family planning practices and current attitudes towards different family planning devices must be done. The application of research to real-world issues is what makes it so valuable. Research should be appropriately conveyed to field people for it to be useful.

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The basic purpose of the research report is to communicate to others in the field, complete and accurate information about what was done, how it was done, and what results were obtained.

How to Write the Research Report: A Guide

The writing of the research report should be undertaken after all the data have been collected and analyzed, and the conclusions based on these data have been drawn and firmly established. The researcher should follow the outline that he submitted for the approval of his adviser/thesis committee. However, the preliminary research outline should only serve as a guide. Sometimes changes are introduced in the course of conducting a research study because the preliminary tryout may indicate that certain methods should be abandoned and new ones introduced. The research report should reflect what was done. The research report should describe as clearly, directly, and briefly as possible exactly how the research was conducted, how the data were collected, and how the conclusions were drawn.

Clarity is the best quality of a study report. Experience has proven that removing any superfluous, pointless, and unnecessary information from the report may help it become more clear. The writer should not disrespect the intellect of the people for whom the research reports are made or waste his time, since they are all familiar with the fundamentals of the subject and have a basic understanding of the background information. If the writer feels that a certain amount of basic background information is necessary, he should only mention it very briefly.

There should be thorough documentation in the research report. This implies that every assertion should have its source cited. Please note that the following claims do not require supporting documentation.
• claims that are regarded as fundamental presumptions, such as the following: using audio-visual aids enhances teaching-learning environments, production is required for the development of human resources, and education investments provide greater rates of return.
• statements based on firsthand observation, such as the inability of primary school pupils to remain still for extended periods, the reluctance of women to discuss their age relative to that of males, the tendency of eastern mothers to be overly protective of their children, etc.

Standard Format of the Research Report

There are several excellent and appropriate methods to deliver a research report in writing; there is no one right approach. However, some types of information must always be provided. Because of this, the reports’ formats are essentially the same.
The fresh information collected from the research investigation forms the fundamental basis of the research report. However, the research report has to make it very apparent what the issue was and how it was investigated to demonstrate that this new information is pertinent and useful. Therefore, there are three main sections in every study report, which are as follows:

1) The introductory explanation

2) The presentation of the data collected and its analysis

3) A summary of the general conclusions.

Documentation may be included in the text itself or the form of footnotes. Regardless of the format, the source from which the statement was derived as well as the author to whom credit is due must be mentioned. If the assertion came from a written, published source, it should be stated with the publication’s title, publisher’s name, and year of release. Documentation should be used to provide credit to the expert who provided the view.

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Nature and Background of the Study

A research report should begin with an introduction that covers the purpose and context of the study as well as setting the scene for the main body of work. The study’s justification is given in this section. The primary subjects that need to be covered in this section are.

A. Statement of the problem:

The problem statement should be concise and direct. Just describe the study’s purpose and topic matter at this point. No rationale for doing the study has to be given. Giving a clear image of the study’s topic and the framework it will be done inside should be the goal.

B. Reasons for doing the research:

Here, the researcher has to explain why the study was carried out. A reader should be able to comprehend the challenges and barriers encountered in the field that made the study necessary after reading this subsection.

C. Review of related literature:

The researcher should acknowledge what was already understood about the issue before beginning his investigation. Any gaps in prior information may be highlighted, and shortcomings in the approaches used by earlier researchers may be identified. In a sense, the evaluation of relevant literature would provide his findings even more support. It is not necessary to attempt to present a review of every piece of literature that is currently accessible on the subject. Reviewing previous research should only include information that is pertinent to the components of the issue that the study addresses.

D. Further elaboration of the problem:

This subsection addresses topics such as problem delimitation, subproblems, hypotheses taken into consideration during research project development, etc.

F. General hypothesis:

At this point, the researcher ought to outline the hypothesis he intends to investigate. As such, the introductory chapter needs to set the reader up for the primary study and its conclusions. As previously said, if a chapter gets too long, it could be divided into two or more chapters. The division of the chapter is what explains the surface variations across various report formats.

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Approach to Data Analysis and Presentation

This section of the research report constitutes the essential core. It is here that actual research is described in de’tails4nd the basic data collected are presented.

A. Actual steps followed in the course of the research:

If feasible, the researcher should provide enough data about his process so that other researchers might recreate the work if they so want.

B. Tools employed in data collection:

Every tool used in the research for collecting data—tests, surveys, forms, etc.—should be explained. The Appendix after the text should provide an example of each of these instruments. It should also be made clear why each of these tools was utilized and what stage of the study it was used for:

C. Validity and reliability of instruments:

The validity and reliability of the instruments employed determine the level of trust that can be put in the study findings. The researcher must furnish sufficient details on the validity and reliability of the instruments employed. If instrument pit testing was done, specifics about the findings must be provided.

D. Population and sample studied:

Information should be provided about the population studied and how the sample was drawn – characteristics of the sample – should be provided.

E. Summarizing the collected evidence:

Here, the researcher should provide the information obtained through charts, graphs, tables, and other visual aids. Analysis and interpretation of the data are necessary. Tables that summarise the essential facts for understanding the interpretation should be included in the text, whereas comprehensive tables go in the appendix. The data presentation ought to be organized by the subproblems and sub-hypotheses.

F. Summary of the findings

For the convenience of the reader, a summary of data and their interpretation should be presented towards the end of this chapter and point out what has been revealed by the data.

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