Introduction

What is a research?
search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of
finding solution to a problem or establishing facts/principles.

process of arriving on a dependable solution to a problem through

the planned and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of
data

systematic process of collecting, analyzing,

and interpreting information in order to increase our
understanding of the phenomenon about which we are
interested or concerned
 Characteristics of Research

• Controlled: in real life many factors that affects an

outcome. A particular event is seldom the results of
one to one relationship.
• Rigorous: ensure that procedures, followed to find
answers to questions are relevant, appropriate and
justified
• Systematic: follow a certain logic sequence
• Valid and verifiable: conclusion based on findings
can be verified
• Empirical: conclusion are based upon hard evidence
• Critical: foolproof and free from any drawbacks
 Purposes for Research

• Description: Wants to describe situations and events. Asks

questions like who and how many?
• Exploration: want to know more about situations and events.
Used more to gain insight than to find definitive answers To gain
familiarity with a phenomenon
• Explanation: Wants to describe situations and events. Interested
in cause and effects and often asks why something is the way it is
To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables
• Evaluation: Wants to know policies or programs are having the
desired effect, what effects they do have , and/or how to improve
them
************
• with the aim of adding, maybe small and specific, yet
original, contribution to that existing body of knowledge
 Classification of Research

Objective Inquiry Mode

Application

Pure Applied Descriptive Exploratory Quantitative Qualitative

Research Research Research Research Research Research

Mixed Method
Research

Evaluation Explanatory
Research Research
 RESEARCH PROCESS IN FLOW
CHART

general Preliminary Formulating Intensive

the research Design
area of Literature Literature
problem and Research
interest Review Review
Objectives

Collect data Analyze Interpret Conclude and

data data Recommend
 Selecting a research topic.
Good sources of ideas are:
i. Result of exposure to that topic in their preceding
years of study.
ii. own work experience
iii. Reports of research, such as those published in
peer-reviewed journals,( implications or
suggestions for future research (e.g. still
unanswered questions, unresolved debates, new
ideas that have emerged as a result of the research,
etc.).
 Selecting a research topic.
Good sources of ideas are:
iv. The media, both general and
business/professional, ( an applied variety).
v. Talking to practitioners can provide
interesting insights into key issues –
vi. Funding body, either government or private-
sector, makes it known – by public
advertisement or by contacting select
individuals or organizations – that it wishes
to have research undertaken on a particular
topic
 Research title
Gap(s) in current research that you what to fill
Questions to ask
i. Interest: Will it keep me interested for a long
period?
ii. Magnitude: Can I answer it with the time
and resources I have?
iii. Level of expertise: Do I have some idea of
how to go about answering it?
–Is there someone who can supervise me and
can I get on with them?
 Research title
Questions to ask
iv. Relevance: Will it bridge current gap(s)
v. Availability of data: Can I access the
required data?
vi. Ethical issues: what are the ethical issues
and how to overcome them?
 Research overview
Your research describes your proposed plan of
work:
• What you intend to study (scope and research
questions).
• How you intend to study your topic (methodology).
• Why this topic needs to be studied (significance).
• When you will complete this work (timeline).
• (Occasionally) Where you will conduct this work.
 ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
• The topic/problem should be clearly stated.
• The objectives of the research should be clearly defined.
• The rationale of the research should be provided.
• The existing literature should be reviewed.
• The theoretical/conceptual framework should be clear.
• The research methodology should be clearly described.
• A timetable and a budget (where relevant) should be
provided.
 introduction and background
sections
• An overview of main area under study:
introduces the research area in its broad sense
• Shows historical perspective (development,
growth) pertinent to the study area
• Main findings relating to key issue(s)
• Indicates knowledge gap from the previous
researches (deficiencies)
• defines the context and boundaries of your
proposed research.
 introduction and background
sections
• knowledge of the literature surrounding this
topic.
• If there is no ( or unable to find) any other
research which deals specifically with your
proposed research; need to say so, illustrating
how the proposed research will fill this gap.
• If there is other work which has covered this
area, you need to show how your work will
build on and add to the existing knowledge.
 introduction and background
sections
• Facts included must contain a citation of their
source.
• Direct quotations must have a page citation
• Conclusions about what needs to be studied
based on the literature
 Writing research titles
A good title should….
i. Predict the content
ii. Reflect the problem you are/ wish to
investigate
iii. Contain key words that will make it easy to
access through computer search.
iv. Catch readers interest
To check if you have a good title answer the
following questions….
• What is my research about?
• What techniques /designs will I use?
• Who/What will be studied?
 How to do it
• Build a sentence with a key words
• Delete all unnecessary words
• Delete non-essential words and re-word
• It is recommended that the title should not
exceed 14 words
 Apply your knowledge: Comment on the titles

S/N Proposed Research Title

1
Microalgae from textile bioremediation as a
feedstock for biodiesel production.
2
Traffic control and Monitoring on operations of
Bus Rapid Transit using intelligent
transportation system.
3
Framework for Risk Management in water
project.
4
Assessment Of The Challenges Facing Local
Government Revenue Collection Information
System
5
Investigation of Energy Conservation
Techniques for Hvac System Operating
Parameters
 Apply your knowledge: Comment on the titles

S/N Proposed Research Title

6 Mitigation Of Wax Deposition When Transporting
Dry Gas In Deep Water Subsea System
7 The Impact Of Over The Top (Ott ) Applications To
Licenced Telecommunications Mobile Operators In
Tanzania
8 Evaluation Of Challenges In Managing Hazadous
Waste In Manufacturing In Industries
9 Assessment of Potential for Energy Performance
Improvement in Malawi's Ethanol Production
Plants.
 Apply your knowledge: Comment on the titles

S/N Proposed Research Title

10An assessment of challenges contributing to poor
performance of small and medium contractors in
Tanzania. Case study Dar es Salaam
11Evaluation of Multi-phase flow challenges in a subsea
to shore LNG development in Tanzania
12Design of Logistics Network for Perfomance
Improvement of Scanning Process at Tanzania Port
Authority
13Success criteria and critical success factors for
Tanzania Large Contractors in venturing international
projects.
14Management and Effects of Coal Bed Methane
produced water- a case of Botswana
 Apply your knowledge: Comment on the titles
S/N Proposed Research Title
15The use of the modern construction
methodology to resolve the social housing
deficit
16Comparative Analysis of Project Performance
Executed by Private Consultancy Firms Vs
Project Performance Executed by
Government Agencies, focusing on Cost,
Duration and Customer/Client Satisfaction
17The use of Big Data in Telecommunication to
perpetuate customer retention. (Case study
TTCL)
18Prediction of the Remaining Useful Life of
Subsea Components
 Formulating a research problem
Problem Statement: what issue or concern need to
be addressed? What is the situation that lead to
present study?
• Presents the reason behind the proposal i.e. what
will change when this research is done or what
would happen if the research is not done
• A problem statement is the description of an issue
currently existing which needs to be addressed. It
provides the context for the research study and
generates the questions which the research aims to
answer
 Formulating a research problem
In a nut shell the section states
What is known (status quo- knowledge already
established by other scholars)
What is not Known (deficiency /knowledge gap)
Show clearly the focus of the study (focus and
significance/ address/find out what is not
known, a specific statement of what the
research will do
)
The literature clearly shows need for a further study since the
solution to the problem cannot be adequately gleaned from the
existing literature
 Formulating objective
An objective is a clear statement of something
that needs to be accomplished over a period of
time. SMART objectives are:
Specific – states exactly what you need to achieve
Measurable – includes a quality or quantity measure
Achievable – How can the objective be accomplished
Realistic – can be challenging but must be achievable
Timebound – with a clear end date or timescale
 Formulating Objectives
• Main Objective
– is the overall statement of the main associations and
relationships that you seek to discover or establish.
• Sub-objectives
– Specific aspects of the topic under investigation
– Worded clearly
– Each subobjective contains one aspect of the study
– Use action oriented words or verbs (to determine, to
find out, to explore, to characterize)

• Ensure that objectives flow logically from the problem statement and address the problem
 Why Formulate Objectives
Help to
Focus on the study
Avoid collection of data that are strictly not
necessary for understanding and solving the
problem
Organize the study in clearly defined part/phase
Facilitate the development of research
methodology
 Operational definition
• To find out the number of children living
below the poverty line in Tanzania
• To measure the effectiveness of a retraining
program design to help young people

Identifying Variables
• Variable: a concept that can be measured
(varies and take two or more values)
 Objective examples
The main objective of the research was to analyse the effects of unlawful

vehicle modification practices in Tanzania.

Specific Objectives

The specific research objectives were:

(i) To determine the common vehicle modification practices in Tanzania.

(ii)To investigate the legality of the modifications against the Tanzania

Road Traffic Act.

(iii)To analyse the effects of modifications in relation to vehicle safety.

 Objective examples
The main objective of the research was to assess the effect of project
planning on road project performance

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

In order to achieve the main objective, the following are the specific
objectives of the study
a) To identify the variables of effective road project planning
b) To establish indicators for road projects success
c) To identify challenges facing effective road project planning
d) To formulate a regression model indicating the effect of project
planning on road project performance.