Chapter XVI
Writing the Research Report
A research work remains incomplete until it is reported. Research
report writing is a very important part of research and it requires special
skill.
Like an architect who designs a house, the researcher has to draw a
plan. you first have to make an outline for your report. This will contain a
head, a body and a tail.
The head consists of a description of problem, within its context(the
country and research area), the objectives of the study and the methodology
followed. The body contains the research findings. The tail finally, consists
of discussion of your data, conclusion and recommendations. [http ://
www.idrc.ca/en/ev-56466-201-1do_topic.html. (23/06/09)]
Before you start writing a report you should systematize and analyze
the data. Research report should be simple, small, specific and precise.
Use short sentences. It should be logical and systematic. Layout should be
attractive. Quality of printing paper should be good.
Main components of research report
American Sociological Association(ASA) and American Psychological
Association (APA)methods are commonly used to cite sources within the
social sciences.
According to APS, a research report consists of:
1. Title page
2. Abstract
3. Introduction
4. Method
5. Result
6. Discussion
7. Reference
8.
8. Appendix (if required)
(196)
WRITING THE RESEARCH REPORT
197
1isually a research report contains the following parts
(A) Introductory part
(B) Main body
(C) Reference part
(A) Introductory part.-It should consist-
i. Title and cover
page
ii. Summary of study design and finding
ii. Acknowledgments
iv. Table of contents
v. List of tables, figures (optional)
vi. List of abbreviations (optional)
Main body.-It should consist -
(B)
i: Introduction
ii. Objectives
iii. Method
iv. Result or finding
V. Discussion
vi. Conclusion and suggestions.
(C) Reference Part.-It should consist -
References
Annexure
Index
(A) Introduction Part
preliminary part of research report consists off
Introductory or
following sub-parts.
1. Tile page
als0 known as cover page. It
Title page is the first page of report. It is
should consist of title, the name of authors, author's title and position,
the month and year of publication.
the name of the publishing institution,
Need of uniform civil code in India
Title
Author's names K.K. Shukla
Author's Title Dr., Mrs., Mr.
Designation (position) Professor, Reader, Asstt. Professor
student
Publishing Institution Law Ministry, Delhi University,
Indian Law Institute etc.
198 LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A title page looks like.
Need of Uniform Code in India
Dr. K.K. Shukla
Professor
Department of Law
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
July 2009
2. Abstract
Second page of the report which describes the study in short is
known as abstract or summery. Summery includes:
1. Problem under study (need and object of study)
2. Characteristics of study
3. Place of study
4. Methods used (techniques of data collection)
5. Major findings of study
6. Conclusion reached by research
7. Recommendation (all or some selected)
It is like an article. In future researcher may write article with the
help of abstract.
3. Acknowledgments
You can place acknowledgment just after the abstract or even right
on the title page. It is in practice to acknowledge them who supported
researcher during his study. That support could be financial, moral,
administrative or technical. You should acknowledge direct as well as
indirect support.
4. Contents
The list or table of contents are an important part of research report,
as it provides an overview of major topic or subject of your report. Page
number should be given to contents, So that reader can go through, it in a
required arranged order.
WRITING THE RESEARCH REPORT 199
and abbreviations
5. Figures
When numbers of figures or tables arehigher, than it is convenient
research contains tables and figures, a separate page for
to list them, if
included. In legal rescarch where numerous abbreviations
each should be
are used, list
of abbreviation is a must. First time they should be stated in
short form of it. The list of abbreviations should be
full, then you can use
placed before the first chapter of the reports.
(b) Main body of Report
The main body of the research report contains chapters. This is
divided into six major sections.
Chapter-I Introduction
Chapter I Aim or objectives
Chapter - II Method
Chapter IV Result or finding
Chapter - V Discussion
Chapter VI Conclusion and suggestions
1. Introduction :
need
The introduction should consist of the statement of problem,
for research, available literature on the topic and review.
material or
If problem is of international interest, the international
interest relevant
literature should be reviewed. In the case of national
literature from that nation may be reviewed.
Discuss
The statement of problem must be clean and unambiguous.
the previous available
the importance of that problem in the research;
literature should be logically connected with the research work.
Finally introduction includes the hypotheses. The hypothesis should
be so made that it could be tested.
2. Aim and object
The main body of the research report continues with the aims and
of the study. The sequence
object part. It includes general specific objects
or
of objectives can adjust according to need and convenience. The objectives
determine the methodology and structure of report.
3. Method
The method or methodology section describes the type of study,
variable used, universe of the study (Population), method of sampling
size of sample, techniques of data collection, (Interview observation
questionnaire etc.) procedure of analysis of data.
200 LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Limitation of study means due to
any reasons you have deviated
from research proposal. You should
give statement to what extent, and
why you have deviated. It is known as limitation as
weak and biases because of it data is
possible.
are
4. Result or Finding:
The fourth section of the
main body is research finding. It is the
crucial part of the
report. The
difficult task. This "presents the systematic presentation of finding is a
data and the statistical analysis, without
discussing the implications of findings. Individual
data are scores or raw
only presented in single subject or
very small sample size studies.
relevant findings are presented; include those Al
that do not support the
hypothesis" (Singh, Y.K. and R.B. Bajpai 2007 P-330)
You can also use tables
offer
or figures
with textual material. t should
a good combination ofqualitative and quantitative data. After the
analysis of data a detailed outline has to be made for the
result or findings. presentation of
For Example.-In the study of dowry death the result or finding may
look like
1. Description of sample. The area (M.P. or U.P.) age, education,
family background, economic status of family
2 Possible reasons or cases for dowry death.
3. Variation in dowry death in different district.
4. Number of cases register or none registered.
5. Deficiencies in laws
6. Difficulties in enforcement of Dowry Prohibition Act.
That is flexible and changes according to the requirement of research.
5. Discussion
After presentation of finding, discussion section comes. The discussion
may include finding from other related studies that support or reject your
hypothesis. In this section you can include limitation of the present study
and proposed hypothesis for future research. A new hypothesis may be
proposed.
6. Conclusion and suggestions
The conclusion and suggestion should follow logically from the
discussion. After discussion you should write conclusion in short as it has
been discussed in detail under discussion section. After conclusion the
suggestion should be given. The suggestion or recommendation should be
placed in the same sequence as the conclusion. The suggestion should
take into consideration the
local characteristics, specific study and utility
WRITING THE RESEARCH REPORT 201
of that recommendation.
(c) Reference Part
Previous work on the subject is the basis for every advance research.
Tn reference section researcher pay respect to his scholarly ancestors.
The reference system can be changed according to the nature of
study. But most of the social and legal researcher use American Social
Association style.
This section has to be started with a new page. It consists of all
secondary sources or documents i.e., books, reports of committee or
commission, statutes, articles, published work, news, computer
programmes. There is a general confusion regarding bibliography and
reference. Most of the researchers use them as synonyms. But they are
different.
"A bibliography contains everything that would be in the reference
section plus other publications that are useful but were not cited in
the manuscript. Bibliographies are not generally provided for research
reports. Only references are usually included". (Sing Y.K. and R.B.
Bajpai 2007, P-331)
In the reference list material is arranged in alphabetical order by
principal author's last name. Reference should consist of last name of
author, first name of author, name of books or articles, place of publication,
name of publisher, and year of publication.
In the case of edited book, use (Ed.) after authors name. In the case
of multiple editions use (ed.) or in the case of more than one volumes give
(vol. ) or (vol. II).
How do you cite legal material:
Following llustration can be taken as an example for giving references
1. Book
tribes. New Delhi:
Purohit, Mona, Wild life laws and its impact on
Deep& Deep Publications pvt. Ltd. (2007)
2. Book in subsequent edition:
Constitution of India. (10th ed) Lucknow : Eastern Book
Shukla, v.N.,
Company (2001)
3 Edited Book:
Human Right and Poverty. vol. I. New Delhi
Choudhry, P N. (Ed).
PVT. LTD. (2001)
Deep & Deep Publications
4. Article in Jourmal
research from a behavioral perspective"
Bhatia, K.L "Labour laws
202 LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Journal of Indian Law Institute, 23 :4 (Oct-Dec. 1981), 578-83
5. Magazine:
Aqrawal, KG. 'Legal theories', Indian law bulletin (5
:8)July 2007.
6. Unpublished work
Pandey, S.K. "An analysis of tribal laws of India"
thesis, Vikram University, Ujjain.(2008) unpublished doctoral
7. Dictionaries
Black's Law Dictionary 451, 472
(7th ed. 1999).
The Plain -
Language Law Dictionary 115 (Robert E.
Stephen A. Gilbert eds, 2d ed. 1996). Rothenberg&
