Report Preparation and Presentation
Importance of the Report and Presentation
• Tangible products of the research effort
• Decisions are guided by the report and the presentation
Report Format
Length: Maximum of 10,000-15,000 words (1.5 spacing) A4 pages of text excluding front pages
before Chapter I.
• The top of the report must have the title page (Annexure 'A‘, slide # 6)
• The second page is Acknowledgement page (Annexure 'B‘, slide # 7) .
• The third page is Certificate of Originality (Annexure 'C‘, slide # 8)
• The fourth page is Table of contents
• The fifth page is List of tables
• The sixth page is List of graphs
• The seventh page is List of exhibits
• The eighth page is List of appendices
• The ninth page is Executive Summary (Times New Roman/ Arial, 12 point regular, single line
spacing). A summary of the project, of approximately 120 words, is required. This should give
a brief of the company, your study, objectives, main conclusions, etc.
All the above mentioned pages must be numbered in Roman numbering, viz. (i), (ii), .
All reports will have pages numbered from the Chapter 1 (Introduction) page onwards in Anglo-
Saxon (English) numbers, viz. 1, 2, 3, …..
Report Format
• Chapter 1, Introduction
• Chapter 2, Review of Literature
• Chapter 3, Research Methodology
• Chapter 4, Analysis and Discussion
• Chapter 5, Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
• Bibliography
• Appendices (Annexure –I, Annexure-2, …..)
In-text Citation: The Harvard or APA style of referencing should be used for citation in the text:
Examples of Harvard style referencing should be used for citation in the text are given below:
India will be developed country by 2020 (Sharma, 1997, p.7).
or Sharma (1994, p.23 ) claimed that India will be developed country by 2020
or Sharma and Dixit (1994, pp. 23-25) claimed that India will be developed country by 2020.
India will be developed country by 2020 (Sharma & Dixit, 1997, p.7).
or Sharma et al. (1994) claimed that India will be developed country by 2020.
If you are referring to any website URL address should be mentioned in the text.
How to Cite- Example
Marketing is the art of attracting and retaining customers. It is defined as a societal
process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through
creating, offering, and freely exchanging products and services of value with others.
From a managerial point of view, it has often been described as the art of selling
(Kotler & Keller, 2005).
Marketing is not a function; it is a way of doing business. Marketing should not be
left only to the marketing department. It has to be all pervasive and part of every
individual’s job description in the organisation (Drucker, 1954).
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Annexure- A
TITLE OF PROJECT
(upper case bold, minimum 18 point of Times New Roman/ Arial)
Project Report
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
(sentence case bold, 16 point of Times New Roman/ Arial)
By
Name of Student
Roll No. of the Student
Batch : 2017-19
(sentence case bold, 14 point of Times New Roman/ Arial)
Under the Guidance of
(Mentor Name)
Designation & affiliation of Mentor
L.M. Thapar School of Management
(Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala)
Dera Bassi Campus
(12 point of Times New Roman/ Arial)
6
Annexure- B
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Student Signature ……………………
Student Name ………………………….
Date ………………………..
7
Annexure-C
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I_____________________________________ Roll No __________________of Batch 2017-2019, am a full
time bonafide student of first year of Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme of L.M. Thapar School
of Management, Dera Bassi Campus.
I hereby certify that the research project report, titled “……………………………………………..” submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements of the MBA programme is an original work of mine under the guidance of
_____________________(Name of mentor, Designation & Institute Name) and is not based on or reproduced
from any existing work of any other person. Further, the project report is not based on or reproduced from any
earlier work of mine undertaken at any other time or for any other purpose, and has not been submitted anywhere
else at any time.
(Student's Signature) (Faculty Signature )
Student Name: Faculty Name:
Date: Date:
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Report Format
Introduction (Chapter I)
The chapter Introduction should include detail of concept & industry chosen for study by the student . There
should be details with respect to industry scenario, major players, product offerings, market share, major
markets, SWOT analysis of the industry, etc. Further, the concept has to be discussed in detail highlighting
its origin, evolution, contribution of thinkers, models (if any), constructs, etc. Ultimately, student has to relate
the concept & the industry in light of the project being undertaken. The theory, techniques or issues on
which your study is based should be discussed. The chapter should conclude by giving “Need of the Study”
highlighting rationale and usefulness to various stakeholders for each of the objectives covered, and clear
and concise statement of objectives concerning the study
Review of Literature (Chapter 2):
This chapter should cover the reviews of the existing studies
Research Methodology (Chapter 3) :
Research Methodology should cover : Hypothesis (if any), Research Design, Sample and Sampling Design
(Universe, Population, Sampling Unit, Sample Size, Sampling Technique), Data Collection (Research
Instrument, Data Collection Method), Data Analysis and Limitations of the Study
Analysis and Discussion (Chapter 4)
This will carry presentation and analysis of the salient information that has been gathered pertaining to the
research project. This section will vary considerably in both length and content depending on the nature of
the topic. 9
Report Format
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations (Chapter 5)
This section should include summary, conclusions and recommendations by students on the basis of
findings with respect to the research project.
Bibliography (For details, please refer : https://www.citethisforme.com/harvard-referencing)
It should be set out alphabetically, by author's family name.
Books:
Sharma, S. (2000). General insurance. 2nd ed. Mumbai: Insurance Institute of India, pp. 23-27.
Articles in Journals
Belk, R. W. and Replh, P. (1988). Possessions and the Extended Self. Journal of Consumer
Research, 15(2), pp. 139-168.
Clow, K. E., James, K. E. and Berry, C. T. (2006). The Relationship of the Visual Element of an
Advertisement to Service Quality Expectations and Source Credibility. Journal of Services Marketing,
20(6), p. 404.
Articles in Magazines
Sharma, Shakti and Dixit, Manoj (2002). The Way Forward. Business India, Feb 1-15, pp. 67-69.
Article from website
Bhat, R. and Reuben, B.E. (2002). Management of Claims and Reimbursements: The Case of
Mediclaim Insurance Policy. Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, [online], 27(4). Available at:
http://eqi.org/mgtpaper.htm [Accessed 17 Apr. 2015].
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Report Format
Appendices
These are to be used if required. Separate appendices are to be used for different
sets of detailed information that would not be appropriate to include in the main text
of the project report like:
– Questionnaire Used
– Details of population sampled
– List of organizations sampled
– Relevant extracts from standard tables (with acknowledgement of source)
Appendices MUST NOT include brochures, pamphlets, etc. obtained from
organisations. The only unlikely exception would be where you are investigating
specifically the design of the brochures themselves. Similarly, extracts from other
articles, etc. must not be reproduced.
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Report Format
• Pagination
All pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the report. Page numbers start with
Introduction chapter as page one and should be at the bottom center of the page.
• Font (Times new roman or Arial style should be used throughout the report)
– Chapter No.: Bold, 16 point left aligned, sentence case
– Headings (Acknowledgement, Executive summary, etc.) and Chapter Name:
Bold, 16 point centre aligned, upper case
– Section Heading: Bold, 14 point left aligned, sentence case
– Table Heading: Bold, 12 point left aligned, sentence case
– Text: Regular, 12 point justified, sentence case
Line spacing- 1.5 everywhere except for executive summary and bibliography where single
spacing has to be followed.
In case of bibliography 1 line spacing to be followed in between 2 references. Executive
summary has to be a running paragraph.
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Report Format
Typographical details, binding and cover
• Paper- A-4 type paper should be used.
• Type – Project reports should be in MS Word format and print copies must be
produced by laser printer or inkjet printer
• Layout -
– The margins at right hand, top and bottom should be 1 inch.
– The margin at left hand (binding edge) should be 1.5 without any gutter. Typing
should be on one side of the paper only
• Binding – Spiral or hard bound
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Report Writing
• Easy to follow. The report should be easy to follow. It should be structured logically
and written clearly.
• Presentable and professional appearance. The looks of a report are important.
• Objective. Objectivity is a virtue that should guide report writing. The rule is, "Tell it
like it is.“ and “Reader should understand it in your absence without any verbal
explanation required”.
• Reinforce text with tables and graphs. It is important to reinforce key information
in the text with tables, graphs, pictures, maps, and other visual devices.
• Terse. A report should be terse and concise. Yet, brevity should not be achieved at
the expense of completeness.
Guidelines for Tables
• Title and number. Every table should have a number (1a) and title (1b).
• Arrangement of data items. The arrangement of data items in a table should emphasize
the most significant aspect of the data.
• Basis of measurement. The basis or unit of measurement should be clearly stated (3a).
• Explanations and comments: Headings, stubs, and footnotes. Designations placed over
the vertical columns are called headings (4a). Designations placed in the left-hand column
are called stubs (4b). Information that cannot be incorporated in the table should be
explained by footnotes (4c).
• Sources of the data. If the data contained in the table are secondary, the source of data
should be cited (5a).
1a
3a
4a
1 TABLE 22.1
b U.S. Automotive Sales 1997-2001
2a
Unit Sales
MFG 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
4
b GM 4,766,000 4,604,000 5,017,000 4,953,000 4,898,517
Ford 4,432,000 4,370,000 4,787,000 4,933,000 4,661,685
Chrysler 2,312,400 2,548,900 2,693,000 2,470,000 2,196,000
Honda 940,037 1,009,600 1,076,893 1,158,860 1,207,639
Toyota 1,230,583 1,361,025 1,515,366 1,656,981 1,787,882
Nissan 658,000 628,000 713,000 744,000 695,640
Other* 1,161,980 1,444,475 1,615,741 1,901,159 1,752,637
Total 15,501,000 15,966,000 17,418,000 17,817,000 17,200,000
5a 4c
* - includes all other producers
Source: Company Websites
Guidelines Pie Charts
• In a pie chart, the area of each section, as a percentage of the total area of the
circle, reflects the percentage associated with the value of a specific variable.
• A pie chart is not useful for displaying relationships over time or relationships
among several variables.
• As a general guideline, a pie chart should not require more than seven sections.
Pie Chart of Auto Sales 2015
Fig 1.1 Pie Chart of Auto Sales, 2015
Guidelines for Graphs, Line Charts
• A line chart connects a series of data points using continuous lines.
• This is an attractive way of illustrating trends and changes over time.
• Several series can be compared on the same chart, and forecasts,
interpolations, and extrapolations can be shown.
Line Chart of Auto Sales
Fig 1.2 Line Chart of Auto Sales, 2015
Units
Year
Guidelines for Graphs,
Histograms and Bar Charts
• A bar chart displays data in various separated bars that may be positioned
horizontally or vertically. It displays categorical data e.g.
• The histogram is a vertical bar chart and in which the height of the adjacent bars
represents the frequency of occurrence of a specific variable. It displays continuous
data e.g. weight
Bar Chart Auto Sales
Fig 1.3 Bar Chart of Auto Sales by Manufacturer (2015)
60,00,000
50,00,000
40,00,000
Units
30,00,000
20,00,000
10,00,000
0
GM Ford Chrysler Honda Toyota Nissan Other
Make
