LAYOUT OF THE RESEARCH REPORT

Research report is considered as a major component of the research study, the research task
remains incomplete till the research has been presented or written. Writing of report is the last
step in a research study and requires a set of skills somewhat different from those called for in
respect of the earlier stages of research. This task should be accomplished by the researcher with
utmost care. He may seek the assistance and guidelines of experts for the purpose. Any research
report is to be conveyed to end-user or recorded for future use. So, there is a standard design
which is to be followed for presenting report. A comprehensive layout of the research report
should comprise (A) preliminary pages; (B) the main text; and (C) the end matter.

(A) Preliminary Pages

In its preliminary pages the report should carry a title and date, followed by acknowledgements
in the form of ‘Preface’ or ‘Foreword’. Then there should be a table of contents followed by list
of tables and illustrations so that the decision-maker or anybody interested in reading the report
can easily locate the required information in the report.

Title page: The first page of the report is the title page. They include, The title of the research
study, The name of the researcher, The name of the faculty and institution to which the report is
submitted, The degree for which the report is to be presented, and The date of presenting it.

Acknowledgement: In the process of carrying out any research, the researcher would have
received help from different persons and organizations. So all those helps should be
acknowledged under this heading.

Abstract: Abstract give an overview of the research report outlining the title of the research,
objectives, shorting comings of the existing literatures, need for further research, proposed
measure of performance and research methods, result of comparison and highlights of inferences

Table of Contents: Table of contents is the catalogue of the research report which summarizes
every aspect of the report and enables to quickly locate each section of report. It includes the
chapter headings, the major subdivisions of the chapters and sometimes the topics within the
subdivisions.

List of tables: In research report, the data and results are presented in the form of tables for easy
reference. Each and every table must be numbered. The numbering should be such that it is
internal to each chapter.

List of figures: In research report, the results are presented in the form of figures for better
understanding and comparison. Each and every figure must be numbered. The numbering should
be such that it is internal to each chapter.
(B) Main Body

The main body provides the complete outline of the research report along with all details. Title
of the research study is repeated at the top of the first page of the main text and then follows the
other details on pages numbered consecutively, beginning with the second page. Each main
section of the report should begin on a new page. The main body of the report should have the
following sections:

Introduction: The purpose of introduction is to introduce the research project to the readers. It
should contain a clear statement of the objectives of research i.e., enough background should be
given to make clear to the reader why the problem was considered worth investigating. A brief
summary of other relevant research may also be stated so that the present study can be seen in
that context. The hypotheses of study, if any, and the definitions of the major concepts employed
in the study should be explicitly stated in the introduction of the report.

It usually includes: Statement of the problem Significance of the problem Purpose of the study,
Assumptions and delimitations, Definition of the concept, Objective of the study Hypothesis.

Review of literature: This section reviews the important literature related to the study. Previous
research studies are abstracted and significant writing of authors in the area under study is
reviewed. This part of the report provides a background for the development of the present study
and brings the reader up to date.

Research methodology: Research methodology aims to finalize the activities of research design
and data collection procedure which include: selection of the research approach, Design of
sampling plan, Design of experiment, Design of questionnaire, Determination of sample size,
and Design of sampling frame.

Analysis of data: In this section, the data collected with the help of research methodology are
analyzed, results obtained and discussed. The data has to be classified and tabulated and then
treated with the scientific method to get the results.

Statement of findings and recommendations: After introduction, the research report must
contain a statement of findings and recommendations in non-technical language so that it can be
easily understood by all concerned. If the findings happen to be extensive, at this point they
should be put in the summarized form.

Results: A detailed presentation of the findings of the study, with supporting data in the form of
tables and charts together with a validation of results, is the next step in writing the main text of
the report. This generally comprises the main body of the report, extending over several chapters.
The result section of the report should contain statistical summaries and reductions of the data
rather than the raw data. All the results should be presented in logical sequence and splitter into
readily identifiable sections. All relevant results must find a place in the report. But how one is to
decide about what is relevant is the basic question. Quite often guidance comes primarily from
the research problem and from the hypotheses, if any, with which the study was concerned. But
ultimately the researcher must rely on his own judgement in deciding the outline of his report.
“Nevertheless, it is still necessary that he states clearly the problem with which he was
concerned, the procedure by which he worked on the problem, the conclusions at which he
arrived, and the bases for his conclusions.

Implications of the results: Toward the end of the main text, the researcher should again put
down the results of his research clearly and precisely. He should, state the implications that flow
from the results of the study, for the general reader is interested in the implications for
understanding the human behavior. Such implications may have three aspects as stated below:

(a) A statement of the inferences drawn from the present study which may be expected to apply
in similar circumstances.

(b) The conditions of the present study which may limit the extent of legitimate generalizations
of the inferences drawn from the study.

(c) The relevant questions that still remain unanswered or new questions raised by the study
along with suggestions for the kind of research that would provide answers for them. It is
considered a good practice to finish the report with a short conclusion which summarizes and
recapitulates the main points of the study. The conclusion drawn from the study should be clearly
related to the hypotheses that were stated in the introductory section. At the same time, a forecast
of the probable future of the subject and an indication of the kind of research which needs to be
done in that particular field is useful and desirable.

Summary: It has become customary to conclude the research report with a very brief summary,
resting in brief the research problem, the methodology, the major findings and the major
conclusions drawn from the research results.

(C) End Matter

At the end of the report, appendices should be enlisted in respect of all technical data such as
questionnaires, sample information, mathematical derivations and the like ones. Bibliography of
sources consulted should also be given. Index (an alphabetical listing of names, places and topics
along with the numbers of the pages in a book or report on which they are mentioned or
discussed) should invariably be given at the end of the report. The value of index lies in the fact
that it works as a guide to the reader for the contents in the report.