FORMAT OF RESEARCH REPORT

o    RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES

Ø  ANSWER TO LONG QUESTION: EXPLAIN THE FORMAT OF A RESEARCH REPORT TAKING A HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE

• MEANING OF REPORT

a)       A RESEARCH REPORT IS A DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE OF THE RESEARCH EFFORTS. IT SERVE AS A GUIDE FOR THE AUTHORITIES TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF THE ENTIRE RESEARCH EFFORT AND DECISIONS ARE GUIDED BY THE RESULT PRESENTED IN THE REPORT.

b)       ONCE THE DATA HAVE BEEN COLLECTED AND ANALYSED, THEN REPORT IS PREPARED WHICH PUTS THE RESEARCH RESULT SYSTEMATICALLY. THE REPORT IS THE STATEMENT THAT CONTAINS A BRIEF THE PROCEDURES ADOPTED AND FINDING ARRIVED AT BY THE INVESTIGATOR OF A PROBLEM

c)        A REPORT IS NOT A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HAS BEEN DONE DURING THE PERIOD OF SURVEY.IT IS ONLY BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FACTS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR THE UNDERSTANDING THE GENERALIZATION DRAWN BY THE INVESTIGATOR.

• TYPES OF REPORT
• THE WRITTEN REPORT: CLASSIFICATION ON THE BASIS OF LENGTH OF A REPORT: SHORT REPORT LIKE A MEMORANDA OR PROGRESS REPORT AND IT MAY BE LONG REPORT.

a)       CLASSIFICATION ON THE BASIS OF FUNCTIONAL BASIS AS INFORMATIONAL REPORT WHICH IS FACTUAL REPORT WITHOUT ANY ANALYSIS OR CONCLUSION,EXAMINATION REPORT ANALYSES THE FACTS AND ANALYTICAL REPORT ALSO GIVES RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSIONS ALSO

b)       REPORTS CAN ALSO BE CLASSIFIED ON THE BASIS OF ADMINISTRATIVE,PROFESSIONAL AND INDEPENDENT

c)        REPORT MAY BE TECHNICAL REPORT OR POPULAR REPORT

• ORAL REPORT:-PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION THROUGH SPOKEN WORDS
• REPORT FORMAT
• A REPORT IRRESPECTIVE OF THE TYPE HAS A SET OF COMPONENTS THAT ARE PLACED IN LOGICAL ORDER. EACH REPORT IS UNIQUE. A REPORT MUST USE THE FORMAT THAT BEST FITS THE NEED AND WANT OF THE READER. THE BASIC FORMAT OF A REPORT CONTAINS :

1. PREFATORY INFORMATION
2. MAIN BODY
3. END SECTION

• PREFATORY INFORMATION
• TITLE PAGE:

a)       TITLE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT

b)       THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS PRESENTED

c)        PLACE WHERE IT IS PRESENTED

d)       THE NAME OF THE RESEARCHER OR THE ORGANIZATION CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH

e)       THE NAME OF THE CLIENT OR THE ORGANIZATION TO WHOM THE REPORT IS TO BE SUBMITTED

• FOREWORD:-THIS SECTION SERVES TO INTRODUCE THE AUTHOR AND RESEARCH PROBLEM.IT IS GIVEN BY THE A PERSON WHOM THE RESEARCHER THINKS AS HIGHLY  EXPERT
• PREFACE:-GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND USEFULNESS AND INCLUDES ACKNOWLEDGMENT. HERE THE RESEARCHER EXPRESSES HIS/HER GRATITUDE TO ALL THOSE WHO  HELPED IN COMPLETING THE RESEARCH WORK. THE RESEARCHER PUTS SIGNATURE,PLACE AND DATE AT THE END OF THE PREFACE.
• LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL:-A FORMAL REPORT GENERALLY CONTAINS A LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL THAT DELIVERS THE REPORT TO THE CLIENT AND SUMMARIES THE RESEARCHER’S OVER ALL EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROJECT WITHOUT MENTIONING THE FINDING.
• LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION:-IT IS LETTER FROM THE CLIENT TO THE RESEARCHER AUTHORIZING HIM TO CONDUCT THE REPORT

• TABLE OF CONTENTS: THE TABLE OF THE CONTENTS SHOULD LIST THE TOPIC COVERED AND THE APPROPRIATE PAGE NUMBER. IN THIS TABLE MAJOR HEADING AND SUBHEADING INCLUDED
• LIST OF TABLES:- ALL THE TABLE USED TO PRESENT THE DATA MUST BE GIVEN ALONG WITH THE PAGE NUMBER ON WHICH THEY APPEARED IN THE REPORT
• LIST OF FIGURES: THIS LIST INCLUDES FIGURES,CHARTS,DIAGRAMS,PICTURES GIVEN WITH IN THE REPORT ALONG WITH THE PAGE NUMBER ON WHICH THEY HAVE APPEARED.
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:-ONCE THE REPORT IS COMPLETED, THEN SUMMARY IS PREPARED WHICH SUMMARIZES THE PROBLEM,RESEARCH DESIGN AND MAJOR FINDING.

• MAIN BODY

1. INTRODUCTION:-BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM, IMPORTANCE OF THE PROBLEM, PREVIOUS RESEARCH DONE AND RELEVANCE  OF THAT TO THE PRESENT REPORT
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE :THIS SECTION DEALS WITH THE EXISTING STUDIES AVAILABLE ON THE RELATED TOPIC AND TO EXPLORE THE RESEARCH GAP. PREVIOUS STUDIES ARE EVALUATED FOR JUSTIFICATION OF THE NEED AND IT ALSO GIVES THE BROAD IDEAS REGARDING THE COMPLETION O THE PRESENT RESEARCH WORK.
3. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE AND HYPOTHESES:-OUTLINE THE OBJECTIVES. IF SOME HYPOTHESES ARE TO BE TESTED IN THE RESEARCH THEY ARE ALSO STATED HERE.

4. NEED AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY
5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: THIS SECTION  DETAILS THE METHODOLOGY ADOPTED TO COLLECT THE  RELEVANT INFORMATION. IT INCLUDES OVERALL RESEARCH DESIGN, SAMPLING PROCEDURE, THE DATA COLLECTION METHOD AND STATISTICAL TOOLS USED FOR ANALYZING THE DATA.

6.       FINDING:-THIS SECTION IS THE LONGEST SECTION AS IT PRESENT THE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA.VARIOUS MATHEMATICAL,STATISTICAL AND ACCOUNTING TOOLS ARE USED TO ANALYSE THE DATA.

7. LIMITATION: IT STATES THE LIMITATIONS FACED BY THE RESEARCHER. IT MAY BE DUE TO TIME AND BUDGET CONSTRAINS.
8. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:- THIS SECTION INTERPRETS THE FINDING STATED EARLIER BY CORRELATING THE DIFFERENT VARIABLES. RESULTS ARE INTERPRETED IN THE LIGHT OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY.RECOMMENDATION WILL FLOW FROM THESE CONCLUSIONS WHICH WILL ACT AS USEFUL INPUTS TO DECISION MAKING.

• END SECTION

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: IS A DESCRIPTION OF A BOOK OR ANY OTHER SECONDARY SOURCE RELATED TO RESEARCH TOPIC HAS BEEN USED. IT IS THE LIST OF SOURCES ARRANGED IN ALPHABETIC ORDER. APA( AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ) OR MLA(MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION ) CAN BE USED.
2. APPENDICES:-CONTAINS ALL TECHNICAL INFORMATION, TABLES,INSTRUMENTS USED FOR COLLECTION OF DATA
3. GLOSSARY:- MAY CONTAIN A GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT ITEMS. IT IS AN ALPHABETICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE TERMS WITH A BRIEF DEFINITION OF THE TERM