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Course: PEBL 101: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY & DESIGN FOR BUSINESS > Section: UNIT 8b: RESEARCH PROPOSAL PREPARATION RESEARCH; REPORT WRITING AND DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS. PART 2 - REPORT WRITING AND DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS

Unit 8b Learning Outcomes

Indicative Content

Research report – importance, format and content, Dissemination of research findings

Intended Learning Outcomes for Unit 8:

By the end of Unit 8, you will be able to;

1. explain the meaning and format of a research proposal
2. prepare a research proposal
3. explain the meaning and format of a research report
4. prepare a different parts of a research report
5. use various approach to disseminate research findings

Unit 8b E-tivities

Learning Outcome(s) addressed: Unit 8b supports Module Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6.

Purpose: Each of you will get exposed to good/better approaches to compiling business-related research reports and the dissemination of research results.

Over to you: Research findings have to be reported to an audience. But before this is done, a report has to be compiled. In this part of Unit 8b, we intend to learn of and/or improve our understanding and application of the meaning of a research report, the main contents of a research report, the characteristics of a well written research report, the principles of writing a good research report and the various methods of spreading research findings.

Preparatory research: As you progress the process of preparing a research proposal:

  1. Read minilecture on research report writing here.
  2. Read minilecture about dissemination of research findings here.

E-tivity 8.2: The research report has got preliminary pages, each of which is important. In your group forums, create a new discussion topic titled ‘E-tivity 8.2’. Under that heading justify the preliminary pages of a research report. Choose a weaver who should make a 500 – 1000 word summary of the same and post it to the group forum by 1^st May 2019.

E-tivity 8.3: In your discussion groups in the online discussion forum, choose two major methods of dissemination and explain the strengths and limitations of each method. Choose a weaver how should make a summary of not more than 600 words and post to group forum by 5^th May 2019.

Link to other Units:  Unit 8b links to Units 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6 & 7

Anticipated time required for Unit 8b activities: 5 hours

Deadlines for Unit 8b activities:

E-tivity 8.2: Justifying the preliminary pages of a research report: 1^st May 2019.

E-tivity 8.3: Strengths and limitations of two major methods of dissemination: 5^th May 2019.

RESEARCH REPORT WRITING

Report writing is a major part of the research process. The purpose of a research report is communication in which the researcher informs readers of what he/she did and found.

The meaning of scientific report writing

1. Scientific writing is clear documentation, such as writing scientific papers in journals and various research reports including special projects and theses, to communicate new scientific findings to a wide audience of scientists and non-scientists.

2. A scientific paper is a written and or published report describing original research results. The paper should be written in an acceptable format.

Why write a report

a) Acquaint the reader with the problem that has been researched and explain its implications.

b) Present data fully and adequately.

c) Interpret data for readers.

d) Demonstrate exactly how data revolve around the problem.

e) Show relationships in the variables.

Characteristics of good report writing

a) It should be written in simple language.

b) Endeavor to describe and explain issues rather than convince readers.

c) Personal pronouns like I, we, me may be used in qualitative research and in quantitative research, use phrases like ‘the researcher or the investigator or the author believes…’

d) Abbreviations should not be used except after they have been defined earlier. For example Makerere University (MAK). Acronyms, well known word-like abbreviations eg UNEB, AIDS, etc.

e) Statistical formulae or computations should not be presented in the report unless it is necessary eg sample size.

f) Writing is not an easy task and therefore do not hurry writing your report but think critically.

g) Seek peer and senior advice on work.

h) Proof-read, proof-read, proof-read.

Organization of a scientific research report

Writing a research report may differ in scope and treatment from place to place and from institution to institution. The researcher is expected to find out the recommended format for the respective institution to which the report is going to be presented. For example at MAK all research reports should have the following two major parts (some of the contents were mentioned in the research proposal section);

1. Preliminary Pages (Numbered with Roman numerals except the title)

2. The Main Report

1. Preliminary Pages (Numbered with Roman numerals except the title)

These include;

Title page

Declaration

Approval

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

List of tables

List of figures and/or maps

List of abbreviations and/or acronyms

List of appendices

Abstract

Preliminary Pages

Title page

This is written on the first page and is usually unnumbered. A good title is one that reflects the contents of the paper in the fewest words. Internationally, all letters in the words of the title should not exceed 120. The title of the research study should reflect the content variables of the study and should be clear and concise. In academic research the title should be shorter than 16-words in length. Too short titles may not reflect the contents of the research report. Too long titles may contain some waste words, often at the beginning. A title should not be a sentence but rather simpler than a sentence. For an academic report, the author, degree sought and year of submission must also be indicated.

An example is shown below for research of an undergraduate degree;

i.Declaration page

This spells out your oath and confirmation that the work is your own. It should be signed by you and the date should be indicated. It aims at the researcher assuring that there was no plagiarism. Eg

I Richard Kajumbula, declare that this is my own original work and has not been presented to any university for award of a degree.

ii.Approval page

This page spells out the acceptance of the supervisor that he/she has supervised you and that you are submitting the report on his/her approval. He/she has to sign on it and include the date.

iii.Dedication

This shows the person or people or group of persons or entity to whom/which the researcher feels deserve(s) the effort and is/are inspiring.

iv.Acknowledgment page

Here the researcher expresses his/her gratitude to all those who have assisted in one way or another. Any significant academic, technical, logistic, financial, moral and material support received during the research and writing the report is acknowledged by thanking the individuals, groups of people or organizations that provided the support. One also may thank the almighty, one’s parents or guardians, teachers, lecturers, supervisors, close friends, husband or wife, or 'fiancé for contributing morally or in a special way towards the accomplishment of the work. Offensive words must be avoided. One must be careful in writing the acknowledgment lest he/she displeases any one by inappropriately thanking them. The word “wish” (e.g. “I wish to thank Prof. for his…”) and a phrase “last but not least…” should be avoided since they imply that his/her help was not substantial.

v.Table of contents

This indicates where the various topics and sub-topics can be found.

vi.List of tables (If any)

This consists of a list of tables, their numbers, titles and the pages where they are found.

vii.List of figures and/or maps (If any)

This consists of a list of charts and diagrams, their numbers, titles and the pages where they are found.

viii.Abbreviations and or acronyms

This includes all abbreviations and/ or acronyms used in the report showing their full meaning.

ix.List of appendices

This includes a list of any other attachments that support the content of the report, their numbers, titles and pages where they are found. Appendices may include the instruments, questionnaires, letters, contracts, etc.

x.Abstract (executive summary)

This is a summary of the report in a few words. The abstract clearly points out the purpose of the study, objectives, methodology, findings and recommendations briefly. About a sentence each and should not exceed one page. An abstract is a summary of each of the main sections of the research report. It should state the problem studied, main objectives, implications of the study, when and where the study was conducted, by whom, methods and tools used, main findings, conclusions and recommendations.

A well-prepared abstract enables readers to identify the basic contents of the document quickly, determine its relevance to their interests and decide whether they need to read it or not. Abstracts are written in the past tense since they refer to the work already done. They should never give any information that is not stated anywhere in the paper or report. They do not include any citation of literature and may not have paragraphs. The abstract should be no longer than one page containing between 100 and 500 words in length. However, in most cases research report abstracts are restricted to between 100 and 200 words.

2. The Main Report

This includes the following parts;

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.0 Introduction/ Overview

1.1 Background to the study

1.2 Statement of the problem

1.3 Purpose of study

1.4 Objectives of the study

1.5 Research questions

1.6 Scope of the study

1.7 Significance of the study

Chapter 2: Literature review

Suitable sections – already covered

Chapter 3: Methodology

Chapter 4: Presentation and Discussion of Findings

Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations

5.1 Conclusions

5.2 Recommendations

5.3 Areas of Further research

3. References (Already seen)

4. Appendices

Chapter 1: Introduction

This was already covered in the research proposal section of this course. However, it is noteworthy that the introduction has the following parts;

1.0 Introduction/Overview

1.1 Background to the study

1.2 Statement of the problem

1.3 Purpose of study

1.4 Objectives of the study

1.5 Research questions

1.6 Scope of the study

1.7 Significance of the study

Chapter 2: Literature review

This has already been covered in the proposal part.

Suitable sections – already covered.

Chapter 3: Methodology

It is written in the past tense, preferably in the passive voice, giving details of how the research or experiment was done so that another researcher can repeat it. Some readers may not read this section but reviewers read it thoroughly. If they find that the methodology can hardly give the results obtained following it or if it cannot be repeated, the report may be rejected or recommended for major review, such as repeating the research using different methods.

3.0 Introduction

3.1 Research Type and design

3.2 Survey population

3.3 Sampling design / methods

3.4 Sample size

3.5 Sampling procedure

3.6 Sources/ types of data

3.7 Methods of data collection

3.8 Tools of data collection

3.9 Data collection procedure

3.10 Data analysis (cleaning, coding, entering, analysing) and tools eg SPSS

3.11 Data presentation eg in charts, tables

3.12 Problems encountered during the study

Chapter 4: Presentation and Discussion of Findings

Introduction

Here the present tense is used. It is worth giving background information on the problem, rationale for the research, the objectives of the research and a brief and clear purpose of the research. The most important findings may be given. If the most important findings are not given early, readers may be bored and stop reading the report before they get to the core of it. It should be at most one page long.

Findings on Specific Objectives

This chapter is best presented in sections according to the objectives. Findings on each objective are presented in phrases, tables, charts, graphs, photographs and discussions.

In business research results and discussion are placed in one chapter but in natural sciences they are placed in two different chapters. Results should be written in simple language to communicate the new knowledge unambiguously. When presenting them, one should avoid repeating the methodology. What is already given in tables and figures should not be repeated in words but rather the implication of the figures should be discussed. The implication should be related to the objective being discussed and the general purpose of the study.

One should also avoid obscuring the true meaning of the results through distorted discussion. The past and present tenses are used interchangeably according to whether the writer is referring to other people’s previous works or his own results, respectively.

A good discussion has the following features

a) Principles, relationships and generalizations shown by the results are discussed not reproduced. Literature citation is essential for comparison of current results and documented information on the same issue.

b) Any expectations or lack of correlation and unsettled points are pointed out. Never should data be manipulated to cover for discrepancies between current and previous findings or hypotheses of the same research.

c) The way the results agree with previous published works must be shown

d) Conclusions should be stated as clearly as possible

e) Evidence for each conclusion must be shown

f) The discussion should end with a short summary or conclusion regarding the significance of the work.

Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations

5.1 Conclusions

The major findings are presented here in summary. It is preferable that they are presented in order of objectives.

5.2 Recommendations

These include areas of action that the researcher recommends ie, the steps that should be taken to improve the situation. These recommendations are based mainly on the findings. However, any other knowledge that the researcher may have or solutions arising from the literature may be recommended.

5.3 Areas of Further research

Having identified gaps either in the literature or limitation/gaps that the current research cannot fill, the researcher can recommend areas of further research. These may range from expanding the sample size, examining another group, incorporating new variables, considering other factors that had been held constant, etc. This part gives a starting point for other researchers in a similar area.

REFERENCES AND APPENDICES

3. References (Already seen)

Only authors cited in the text and should be in alphabetical order

4. Appendices

These are all the other attachments that the researcher may with to provide as additional evidence or for clarity. They are numbered using Roman numerals (eg Appendix I, Appendix II, etc) or alphabets in capital letters (eg Appendix A, Appendix B). They may include but are not limited to;

Appendix A: Instruments ie questionnaires, interview guides, etc

Appendix B: Ethical documents

Appendix C: Letter of introduction (Optional)

Other Issues to Note

1. Spacing

The APA format recommends that al manuscripts should be written in double-spacing throughout the document. Ideally this should include quotations and the references, but take note of the special exceptions cited in the section on quotations.

2. Tables

All Tables are numbered chronologically throughout the document. In the text the tables are referred to by their numbers. Each table is given an appropriate number and title that written at the top. The source must be indicated at the bottom in italics. The numbering of tables can be continuous or according to the sections. APA emphasises that the tables do not have vertical lines.

For example

The respondents were asked the frequency of assessment they encounter as far as personal graduated tax amounts are concerned and the results are presented in the table below:

Tense

Research proposals are written in the future tense. The research report is written in the past tense and past perfect tense. The discussion is written in present tense.

For more issues on the report, and using the APA format, also see

http://www.vanguard.edu/Home/AcademicResources/Faculty/DougDegelman/APAStyleEssentials.aspx

DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS

Disseminating Research Findings

Dissemination of research findings means communicating the research findings to different individuals or parties.

The parties to whom findings are disseminated may be those who need to invest in or implement the findings, those affected by the recommendations, those who funded the research, those who collaborated the research, potential funders, management, customers, potential customers, employees and potential funders.

Before dissemination is done, the researcher needs to develop a dissemination plan. He/she must identify the message and audience. Specific goals and objectives for dissemination must be determined and carefully described for each component.

Considerations for an effective dissemination plan.

http://wvctsi.org/media/1509/disseminating-findings-in-research.pdf

1. Consider all potential of audiences, their informational needs and relevant channels for reaching them
2. Have a clear timeline
3. Consider resources needed
4. Keep the information short, and to-the-point
5. Use clear, non-technical language for all audiences
6. Highlight the principal points to clearly organize the findings
7. Make information attractive to the viewers, using graphics, easy to read font, and reasonable spacing
8. Provide information that is captivating to the viewer
9. Provide conclusions and suggestions on incorporating findings into practices

Channels and methods of disseminating

1. Mass media. This includes;

a)      TV

b)      radio

c)      print media like newpapers through Press Releases, articles, adverts, pull-outs.

d)     social media outlets like WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, blogs,podcasts

e)      publications – journals, books, periodicals

f)       websites of community organizations/partners

g)      policy briefs

1. Local methods. These include;

a)      hosting or presenting at meetings, conferences, workshops, community events, seminars, formal or informal gatherings and health fairs

b)      flyers and

c)      brochures

d)     posters which can be displayed and distributed in the community.

e)      perfoming arts eg music, dance and drama through

f)       films and cinema

1. On an individual level, one can use the following:

a)       personal letters can be sent out

b)      Emails can be sent out

c)      phone calls can be made

d)     word of mouth from person to person

Principles of good dissemination

(Adopted from the National Institute of Health Research webstite at

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding-and-support/documents/funding-for-research-studies/manage-my-study/How-to-disseminate-your-research/dissemination-guidance.pdf )

1.      Stakeholder engagement: Work out who your primary audience is; engage with them early and keep in touch throughout the project, ideally involving them from the planning of the study to the dissemination of findings. This should create ‘pull’ for your research i.e. awaiting audience for your outputs. You may also have secondary audiences and others who emerge during the study, to consider and engage.

2.      Format: Produce targeted outputs that are in an appropriate format for the user. Consider a range of tailored outputs for decision makers, patients, researchers, clinicians, and the public at national, regional, and/or local levels as appropriate. Use plain English which is accessible to all audiences.

3.      Utilise opportunities: Build partnerships with established networks; use existing conferences and events to exchange knowledge and raise awareness of your work.

4.      Context: Understand the service context of your research, and get influential opinion leaders on board to act as champions.

5.      Timing: Dissemination should not be limited to the end of a study. Consider whether any findings can be shared earlier.

Please read document by CARE titled 'Strategies for Disseminating Research Findings' available here.