Introduction,

Objectives and
Significance of the
Study
Introduction - Begin to tell a story...
Part 1 Begin with what is known
Part 2 State what is unknown
Part 3 End with what your study will answer
Introduction - Begin to tell a story...
What is known

Begin with a background statement or 2 to describe scope of study

Give enough background to introduce the problem, but not overwhelm
Give background specific to your topic
Move your story forward
Introduction - Begin to tell a story...
What is unknown

Describe what gaps your paper fills

Mention other abstracts and preliminary reports
Avoid using names of other investigators
Keep references to a minimum
Omit unnecessary details
Introduction - Begin to tell a story...
What your study will answer

State your specific research question

Precede with a phrase that the answer is coming, “In this study, we…” or “To answer this question, we…”
Repeat key terms: title, objectives, independent and dependent variables, species, etc.
Be sure what is new and what is important are evident
Awaken interest
Objectives and Significance of
the Study
Objectives of the Study
Objectives of the Study

In general, research objectives describe what we expect to achieve by a project.

Research objectives are usually expressed in lay terms and are directed as much to the client as to the researcher.
Research objectives may be linked with a hypothesis or used as a statement of
purpose in a study that does not have a hypothesis.

Even if the nature of the research has not been clear to the layperson from the hypotheses, s/he should be able to
understand the research from the objectives.
Objectives of the Study
A statement of research objectives can serve to guide the activities of research. Consider the following examples.

Objective: To describe what factors farmers take into account in making such decisions as whether to adopt a new
technology or what crops to grow.
Objective: To develop a budget for reducing pollution by a particular enterprise.
Objective: To describe the habitat of the giant panda in China.

In the above examples, the intent of the research is largely descriptive.

In the case of the first example, the research will end the study by being able to specify factors which emerged in
household decisions.
In the second, the result will be the specification of a pollution reduction budget.
In the third, creating a picture of the habitat of the giant panda in China.
Objectives of the Study
These observations might prompt researchers to formulate hypotheses that could be tested in another piece of
research. So long as the aim of the research is exploratory, i.e. to describe what is, rather than to test an explanation for
what is, a research objective will provide an adequate guide to the research.

Your objectives should be stated using action verbs that are specific enough to be measured, for example:

to compare, to calculate, to assess, to determine, to verify, to calculate, to describe, to explain, etc.

Avoid the use of vague non-active verbs such as: to appreciate, to understand, to believe, to study, etc.,
because it is difficult to evaluate whether they have been achieved.
Objectives of the Study
Objectives can be general or specific. The general objective of your study states what you expect to achieve in general
terms. Specific objectives break down the general objective into smaller, logically connected parts that systematically
address the various aspects of the problem. Your specific objectives should specify exactly what you will do in each
phase of your study, how, where, when, and for what purpose.

Research objective format:

This study aims to _____________________________________________________________. Specifically, it aims to

achieve the following objectives:
1.
2.
3.
Significance of the Study
The significance of the study is a written statement that explains why your research was needed. It’s a justification of
the importance of your work and the impact it has on your research field, it’s
contribution to new knowledge and how others will benefit from it.

The significance of the study, also known as the rationale of the study, is important to convey to the reader why the
research work was important. This may be an academic reviewer assessing
your manuscript under peer-review, an examiner reading your Ph.D. thesis, a funder reading your grant application, or
another research group reading your published journal paper.

Your academic writing should make clear to the reader what the significance of the research that you performed was,
the contribution you made, and the benefits of it.
Significance of the Study
When writing this section, first think about where the gaps in knowledge are in your research field. What are the areas
that are poorly understood with little or no previously published literature? Or what topics have others previously
published on that still require further work. This is often referred to as the problem statement.

The introduction section within the significance of the study should include you writing the problem statement and
explaining to the reader where the gap in the literature is.

Then think about the significance of your research and thesis study from two perspectives:
(1) what is the general contribution of your research on your field and
(2) what specific contribution have you made to the knowledge and who does this benefit the most?

For example, the gap in knowledge may be that the benefits of dumbbell exercises for patients recovering from a
broken arm are not fully understood. You may have performed a study
Significance of the Study
The significance of a study statement should be no more than 500 words in length when written for a thesis. Within a
research paper, the statement should be shorter and around 200 words at most.

investigating the impact of dumbbell training in patients with fractures versus those that did not perform dumbbell
exercises and shown there to be a benefit in their use. The broad significance of the study would be the improvement
in the understanding of effective physiotherapy methods. Your specific contribution has been to show a significant
improvement in the rate of recovery in patients with broken arms when performing certain dumbbell exercise routines.

Significance of the study sample format:

The results of this study will be beneficial to ________________ because ________________________. It will also be
used by _____________________ for _____________________________. The ____________________ can also
benefit from the results because ____________________________.
SAMPLE
Research Objectives

This study determined the future course of the Cagayan River that runs through the Cagayan Province that is to be
based from 1979 to the present.

This study specifically addressed the following objectives:

1. To determine the specific rates of erosion in Cagayan which is adjacent to Cagayan River;
2. To illustrate the resulting bank line of the Cagayan River in 5, 10, and 15 years from now.

Significance of the Study

This research would benefit the people adjacent to riverbanks since they are the major clientele to be affected by the
change of the pattern of the river due to erosion and deposition. The output map representing the future course and/or
pattern of the river will help the Local Government Units to decide what to do on these riverbanks. The map will also
help the LGU in planning for their Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Lastly, it will help the Department of Public Works and
Highways in their river control projects, for them to know the strategic places where to put these river control projects
and to know what part of the river has been severely eroded, moderately, and low eroding.