ZU/WI/7/EXM/6

UNIVERSITY STUDENT SUPERVISORS ACCESS LOG

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY &
ENGINEERING
STRUCTURE FOR RESEARCH PROJECT
1. STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL
A) Title page to include:

i. Title
- A concise statement of the main topic and should identify the variables.
- Should be a reflection of the contents of the document.
- Fully explanatory when standing alone.
- Should not contain redundancies such as ‘a study of…..or ‘an investigation
of……
- Abbreviations should not appear in the title.
- Scientific names should be in italics.
- Should contain 12 to 15 words.
- A good title should display understanding of the research problem.

ii. Author’s name and affiliation

- Avoid use of words like ‘By’….. ‘from”…..
- Preferred order of names- start with 1st, middle followed by last name.
- Full names should be used, initials should be avoided.
- Titles like Dr. should not appear in the names.

Affiliation should be well illustrated i.e. ‘A proposal/ research project submitted to

Kenya national examination counsel for the partial fulfillment of the award in
diploma in information technology.’

The year should follow at the bottom of the caption.

Note:
For proposals and final report (spiral bound) the cover page should include the title,
author and affiliation (all on one page) and centered.

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B) Declaration – Should include both the candidate’s and the supervisor’s declaration
and duly signed.

This proposal/research project is my original work and has not been presented for a
diploma in any other colleges
…………………. …………………
Signature Date
This proposal/research project has been submitted for examination with my approval
as college Supervisor

……………… ……………….
Signature Date

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 Note: Paginate using roman numbers starting with the declaration page.

C) Abstract- This is a brief statement of the problem, objectives of the study, target
population, sampling technique and sample size, instruments, data collection, data
processing and analysis, key findings and major recommendations.

- Should not exceed 1000 words.

D) Table of contents – The rubric should be in title case and single spaced.
- The chapter titles should be in caps and bold.
- The subheadings should follow each chapter title and should be in title case.
- Subheading of rows should be – Chapters & Pages indicated once at the top of
each column e.g.,

CHAPTER 1 PAGE
1.1 Introduction......................................................1
1.2 Statement of the problem…................... 2

Reference
Appendices

E) List of Tables

F) List of Figures

G) Acronyms

H) Definition of terms

- Define terms in the text that are not common.

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 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

This chapter should include the following;

1.1 Background –Should show understanding and genesis of the problem within your
client operations.
- Talk about the global perspective followed by the local scenario
- A checklist would assist in coining the details

1.2 Introduction- Should introduce the research area

-Talk about the global perspective followed by the local scenario.
- A checklist would assist in coining the details

1.3 Statement of the problem

- Must indicate exactly what the problem is.
- Indicate why and how it is a problem. Give information to support this e.g. by use of
statistics or evidence. This should be derived from background information to
illustrate connectivity.
-It should show the magnitude and effects of the problem
-Must indicate exactly what the research problem is.
-This should be tied to your title/research area.
-This should have more than the physical problem

1.4 Proposed Solution

-State what will be developed. This research seeks to …… not the prototype.
-The research component should be clearly captured within the solution
-The how (e.g. the prototype of the system) should not be mentioned.
-Students need to compare recent models-globally and regionally to come up with the
best solution without giving an old technology/going backwards.

1.5 Objectives
-One general objective which should be in line with the title.
- Specific objectives- have to be in line with the variables the candidates hypothesize
to influence the phenomenon being investigated.
- Should be related to the general objective.
- Should not be questions in the questionnaire.
-These should be the student’s objectives-not the client’s. It should be measurable
within the 8 months of the projects
-They must cover research area, an implementation one and at least one to evaluate if
they have achieved what they set out to do.
-They should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reliable and Testable)
-They must be research project objectives
-They should be simple statements-not a paragraph

1.6 Research Questions/Hypothesis

- They should be in line with the specific objectives and equal in number.

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 - Have to be numbered (1, 2, 3…..) and should be questions and not
statements.(THIS IS NOT A MUST)
- Gives us a breakdown of the areas that would be covered.
-They should be broad areas that will bring value
-They should not have short answers that can be answered in a few words
-Research questions should be limited to research areas-NOT the client’s problem or
proposed prototype

1.7 Hypothesis
-If the student is doing a hypothesis driven research, a pre-literature review is
expected where the hypothesis will be stated.(THIS S NOT A MUST)

1.8 Justification
- Should illustrate why the researcher is conducting the research and whom it shall
benefit.
- Should indicate why the proposed solution will solve the client’s problem.
- What is it contributing to that research area/Problem area

1.9 Proposed Research and System Methodologies

- Briefly describe the proposed System implementation methodology-An
outline of the methodology without discussions
- Justify your choice of method
- Covers the life cycle of the research
- This is only covered in the proposal

1.10 Scope
- This is a kind of a disclaimer. It should cite the focus of the study geographical area
or target group/ population.
- State what you will confine yourself to as far as the focus

Note:
- Paragraphing should be consistent. Either leave space or indent between
paragraphs.
- Spacing and indenting should not be used together.
- One sentence paragraphs are unacceptable.
- A paragraph should have a minimum of five sentences.

Table of contents should be followed by:

- List of figures/ tables- Should be labeled as per the chapters in which they are
found e.g. the first figure in chapter one should be labeled as Figure 1.1

1.11 BUDGET
1.12 SCHEDULE
1.13. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

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