lecture-8-writing and presenting project report

7/28/2019 Lecture-8-Writing and Presenting Project Report

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Lecture 8


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Create time for your writing

Writing requires sustained concentration, so create time for writing

Write when your mind is fresh

Find a regular writing place One cannot write in unfamiliar surroundings. Find a place where you cannot be

interrupted, so remove all distractions including TV, magazines, computer

games, etc.

Set goals and achieve them

Use word processing

Generate a plan for the report

Finish each writing session on a high point So that it is easy to restart next time

Get friends to read and comment on your work Ask friends to read to point out difficult things that are not easy to

understand, along with all omissions, spelling, punctuations and grammaticalerrors


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Suggested structure

Abstract

Introduction

Literature review Method

Results

Conclusions

References

Appendices


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The abstract should contain four short paragraphs

that answer the following questions:

1. What were my research questions and why werethey important?

2. How did I go about answering the research

questions?

3. What did I find out in response to these questions?4. What conclusions can be drawn?


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Smith (1991) lists five principles for write a goodabstract:

1. It should be short; to a maximum of two sides of A4 or may

range between 300 500 words in case of a research report; a

quarter to one-third of a page in case of a technical research

article for a journal

2. It must be self-contained, meaning that it summarize the

complete content of the report

3. It must satisfy the readers needs; reader must be told about

problem (or central theme) addressed, the method adopted to

pursue the issue, and results found and conclusions drawn

4. It must convey the same emphasis as the report; the reader

should get an accurate impression of the reports contents

5. It must be objective, precise, and easy to read; stick what is in

the report; ensure to convey the contents of the report in as

clear and brief as possible


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The introduction should give the reader a clear

idea about the central issue of concern, and why

it was thought worth studying.

It should include full statement of research

questions and research objectives. If research is about some organization,

introduction should then also include some

details of the organization, including its history,

size, product and services. Introduction should also include a route map to

guide the reader through rest of the report

including brief on content of each chapter.


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The contents and organization of literature review

should be such that: It helps to set your study in its wider context;

it helps to explain how your study supplements the

existing work;

it helps to develop hypotheses;

it helps to identify and finalize your research

methodology; and

It helps to provide materials to give references inintroduction, as well as, in discussion where

references are needed to quote in support of or

against the researchers findings.


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This should be a complete section/chapter - giving

readers complete info - to make an estimate of the

reliability and validity of methods used

It should include information on four major points,

namely: a. research setting,

b. research participants,c. research materials and

d. procedures

a. Research setting:1. What was the research setting?

2. Why did you choose the particular setting? Its Justification?

3. What ethical issues did come out, and how were these

addressed?


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b. Participants/sampling:1. How many? Sample size?

2. How were they selected? Sampling techniques?

3. What were their characteristics?

4. How were refusals/non-response handled?

c. Materials:

1. What tests/scales/interview or observation schedules/

questionnaires were used?2. How were purpose-made instruments developed?

3. How were the resulting data analysed?


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d. Procedures1. What were the characteristics of the interviewers and observers,and how were they trained?

2. How valid and reliable do you think the procedure were?

3. What instructions were given to participants?

4. How many interviews/observations/questionnaires were there;how long did they last; where did they take place?

5. When was the research carried out?


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Two important points should be kept in mind

while writing results: The first purpose of this section/chapter is to present the facts

discovered. So you will narrate facts only, and will not includeyour opinions on the facts in this chapter/section; you will do thatin next section on conclusions.

The second purpose is to communicate the answers to yourresearch questions in a clear, logical and easily understoodmanner.

An easy way to do so is: return to your research objectives

and let these dictate the order in which you present yourfindings

Or alternatively

You may report your results thematically, in descending

order of importance.


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Saunders et al. (2009)


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* This section/chapter provides the second major

opportunity to researcher to shine, and demonstrate

the real originality of thought; he gets the firstopportunity to shine and demonstrate real opportunity

of thought when he chooses the research topic.

* The difference between the Findings chapter and

Conclusion chapter is that you make judgements in

the latter while you report facts in the former.

* For each finding, there should be at least one

conclusion. Answering the research questions,meeting the objectives, and supporting or otherwise

the research hypothesis is the main purpose of the

conclusion chapter.


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* There are practical implications of the findings; those

may form the part of conclusion chapter. Even if you donot specify any practical implications, you may

comment on what your research implies for any future

research.

The purpose of the conclusion:

To answer the research question(s)

To meet the research objectives

To consider the findings

To present any contributions to the topic displayed in

the literature

To reflect on any implications for future research


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Start your References section at thebeginning of the writing process, and

add to it as you go along; it wouldbecome a very tedious, boring and time-

consuming task if you left it until youhave completed the main body of test.

Cite all sources referred to in the text.

Check all citations to prevent plagiarism.


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Appendices should be kept to the minimum.

If material is essential to know, then it should beincluded in the main body of the report. If it isinteresting to know, then it should be includedas appendix.

Include blank copies of questionnaire, interviewor observation schedules as appendices.


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PREPARING DATA FOR QUANTITATIVE

ANALYSIS

ENTERING DATA, TAKING RELIABILITY

TEST AND GENERATING VARIBLES: A RECALL

&CHECKING FOR OUTLIERS


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SPSS Exercise (a)

We have already gone through theSPSS exercise for entering datacollected through Likert-scale

questionnaire, checking this data for

reliability, and generating variousvariables of our interest (like JS, DJ,PJ, IJ and InJ).

Today, we are going to check whetherthere are certain observations/dataon the newly generated variables,

which fall in to the category of

outliers.


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SPSS Exercise (b)

What is an outlier?

An outlying observation, or outlier, is anobservation that is much different (either very

small or very large) in relation to the

observations in the sample. More precisely, an

outlier is an observation from a different

population to that generating the remaining

sample observations. The inclusion or

exclusion of such an observation, especially ifthe sample size is small, can substantially alter

the results of regression analysis.

(Gujarati, 2007; p.399)


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SPSS Exercise (c)

Lets use the following SPSS commands,

which may help us to identify certain outliers

in our data set.

ANALYZE.....DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS.....EXPLORE......Take JB to right-hand Dependent List box and go to

Statistics, and click.....STATISTIC.....OUTLIER......

CONTINUE......PLOT.....cllick on.....Stem & Leaf, Histogram

and Normalty Plot with test.......CONTINUE.....(on-display,pick on).....BOTH....OK.

Evaluate the output in light of my attached notes on

The outlier: exploring the data

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