REPORT WRITING AND

MARKING
 PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Characteristics of Good Report Writing
Preliminaries
Introduction (Chapter one)
Literature Review (Chapter two)
Methodology (Chapter three)
Findings and discussions (Chapter four)
Conclusions and Recommendations (Chapter Five)
References
Appendices
Others
 Characteristics of Good Writing.
Five of the most important characteristics of good writing are:
Parallel structure
Conciseness
Sentence variety
Correct spelling and grammar
Effective paragraphing.
 PRELIMINARIES
Title:

 Should be short 10-20 words

Shows variables in it (independent and dependent variables)

Get to know which words to capitilise

 PRELIMINARIES Continues
Abstract:
• Declare the problem being researched on
• What does the problem cause
• How has the problem been solved:
Type of study
Area of study and sample
Methods used to collect and analyse data
Findings (the main ones) and their use
Recommended actions based on the findings
 PRELIMINARIES Continues
The followings elements should be indicated and properly described:
Title page
Copyright
Dediction
Declaration by the candidate
Approval by the superviser
Acknowledgements
List of abreviations and acronyms
Abstract
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
 INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE)
Background to the Problem:

Introduce the topic being investigated

Global, regional, national and local situations briefly described

Potray the status quo across on the problem

 INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Statement of the Problem:
• Narrow the problem
• States what has been investigated as narrowed to what is needed?
• States the case for the research?
• Shows the referred relevant literature as an authority on the problem
• Declares clearly how the researcher undertook the study and used
appropriate verbs to describe the tasks
• What actions taken and why?
• Should be one paragraph
• Two statements for broad study (multipurpose)
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Objectives of the Study:
Should be clearly stated and should have been tested
Are specific than purpose
Are crucial in the study:
Questions to address the problem should have been asked
One objective for one question, can cover more but control them
Formulated hypothesis to address the problem
One objective for one question, can cover more but control them
Data collection and analysis methods used
Objectives should be clear, unambiguous and brief
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Research Questions-
These are questions must have been answered by the researcher.
Hypothesis
Directional (positive or negative).
Non-directional.
Directional (some information on the phenomenon is available –past
experience, literature and existing theory).
Some studies need no hypotheses (such studies are exploratory
studies of qulitative studies).
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Theoretical Background or Framework
Theories, propositions, concepts about relationships exist and so
expressed.

Needs to declare the need to test the elements stated above.

Show how the study relates or spefically tests the relationships.

Describe each element and explain how it fits in.

INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Conceptual Framework
This allows one to see the relationships between and among variables
Can show graphically or diagrammatically relationships among
variables
Reader can quickly see proposed relationships among variables
Allows the model of conceptual framework tested to establish
significance of proposed relationships
Using significance to reduce model or suggested modification
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Significance of the Study
Show reasons for the conducting the research
Highlights the importance of the research
Shows gaps of knowledge being filled by the research
Describes the use of the results from the research
States who benefits
Declares what the results are at the end
Tells the worth of the study that it warrants use of time, energy and
money.
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Assumptions
These are facts presumed but not actually verified
They are unique conditions under which a study is carried out
They justify findings
Results are unique in the light of assumptions
The research done can disagree with assumptions
Assumptions influence the acceptability of the findings
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Delimitations (Scope) of the Study
Which areas were studied?
Who was in the sample?
Theories, propositions and concepts on which relationships are based
Time duration
This unit is about marking boundaries of the study (where does it begin and
end)
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Limitations
 These are aspects that may negatively affect the generalization of the results
 Research may have no control at all over it
 Most limitations are on
 Sample size
 Length of study
 Data collection procedures
 Research must be honest because there is no study that is perfect that it lacks limitations
 Researcher ought to indicate how the limitations were handled in order to give credibility to the
results.
 Readers have to make intelligent deductions from the results
 Limitations influence the acceptability of the findings.
INTRODUCTION (CHAPTER ONE) Continues
Definitions of Terms
Theories or propositions to defined

Concepts or terms to be defined

Independent and dependent variables to be defined

Operational definitions of the above to show how they are used in the study must be
done

Put the definitions in the alphabetical order and under specified categories as necessary
LITERATURE REVIEW (Chapter Two)
Introduction (optional)
States what has been done in a particular field
Alerts on the achievement and procedures that could be done
Suggests variables and procedures that could be used
Reports the finding of different studies already done by others using themes
Analyses findings to show gaps and how the findings support the objectives
of the study
Literature should lead logically to the objectives and hypotheses of the
intended study
Summary at the end of the literature review highlights the main ideas and
issues. It should be done
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Materials and Methods)

Introduction optional
Research Design:
What types of research designs have been used?
Why choose those designs for the study?
Population and Sample
What was the target and accessible population to give sample needed
What was sample size?
Was sample selection purposive or random (probability sampling)?
Was the sample representative of the population studied?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Materials and
Methods) Continued
Instrument
Each instrument used must be described
Key variables what each measures this should be shown

Data Collection Procedures

Who collected data (researchers)?
Quality control (training to ensure it)
Pilot testing and its results
Organisation of each instrument used
Handling of returned instruments
Coding of the results
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Materials and
Methods) Continued
Data Analysis
Must be clearly thought out
Note that more than one technique could be used
The type used depends on research type, objectives, research
questions and hypotheses.
Whether descriptive or inferential statistics or both was used.
What was achieved?
The advantages of the techniques used
Use a table to clearly show how the variables were analysed
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Materials and
Methods) Continued
Statistical tests to be done- The table above should be filled
appropriately
Objectives Research Independent Dependent Relationship Statistical test
Question/ Variable variable /Analysis form
Hypothesis
FINDINGS AND DISCUSIONS (Chapter Four)
Findings
The findings presented should be objectives by objective/instrument by instrument
The findings should be summarised
The major findings should be highlighted
The tables, charts , graphs used should be appropriate.
The description of statistics used should be appropriate.
The inferential methods are used should be appropriate.
If qualitative analysis was used, is the narrative and conclusions logical
Discussion
Are the findings discussed, objective by objective?
Discussion indicate agreement of the disagreement with literature
SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS (Chapter Five)
Are the conclusions practical and related to problems
Implications
Are the recommendations logical
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE REPORT
• TIME SCHEDULE: State the activities to that were done and time taken for each
activity
• BUDGET: Detail how much money was used for the entire research
• REFERENCES
• List all the works cited correctly using the help of an approved manual such as APA
manual (American Psychological Association manual)
• Lists works alphabetically by author and year
• Reference are useful because they show where the problem has been addressed
• Do it correctly for Books, Journals, Newspapers, Official documents, Internet and
Personal Communication.
• APPENDICES
• This is the section for extra things that cannot go into main body or text of the report.
MARKING GUIDE FOR RESEARCH
Chapter Layout and Technical Aspects of the Report
Is the title clear and conclusive?
Does the title reflect the content of the study?
Does the preliminary section contain all aspects ?
Are all chapters clearly identified and numbered?
Are references correctly written?
Are the appendices identified and included?
MARKING GUIDE FOR RESEARCH
Introduction and Problem Statement
Is adequate background provided?
Is the background provided relevant to the problem?
Does the background provide the origin of the problem?
Is reference made to what is lacking in practice or gap in knowledge in the
problem statement
Does the formulation of the problem statement convince the reader that the
problem exists?
Is general purpose stated related to the problem?
Are objectives clear and concise, are they related to the problem?
Significance of findings practical?
Conceptual and geographical scope given?
MARKING GUIDE FOR RESEARCH

Review of Related Literature

Is correct method of citation used?

Does literature relates to the problem?

Is history of problem/or gap in literature identified

Are research questions/hypotheses clearly stated?

MARKING GUIDE FOR RESEARCH
Methodology
Are the subjects indicated?
Is the population/sample adequately explained?
Are measuring instruments explained? And suitable?
Is data collection procedure explained?
Is data processing methods explained?
Is data processing method appropriate?
Experiment method and materials?
MARKING GUIDE FOR RESEARCH
Presentation of Data
Are findings presented objectives by objective/instrument by instrument
Are findings presented in summary
Are major findings highlighted?
Are tables, charts , graphs used appropriate?
Are description statistics used appropriate?
If inferential methods are used are they appropriate?
If qualitative analysis is used, is the narrative and conclusions logical
Discussion
Are the findings discussed, objective by objective?
Discussion indicate agreement of the disagreement with literature
MARKING GUIDE FOR RESEARCH
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
Are the conclusions practical and related to problems
Implications
Are the recommendations practical and logical
 PUBLICATION/ROLL OUT
After every good job done on the project and well
written report it is necessary to make work public for
the following reasons:
You get the patent for your hard work
You earn the credit for your hard work
To attract support to implement/continue/roll out your
project/research