Research Method In Software Engineering

Report Research Finding

Mulugeta A.

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Objective
 After completing this chapter you will have acquired
 the skills necessary to effectively communicate your research
findings using both a written and oral medium.
 In other words, you will be able to
 prepare a scientific presentation
 identify your audience
 organize your presentation to be informative
 consider stylistic issues to make your presentation interesting
 avoid common errors
 etc
 Some models of the research process
A simple (linear) schematic representation of the research
process
Cont.
An Engineering and Technology Research Process

Data analysis
(8)
 Writing a Scientific Report
 In today’s digitized world, written scientific reports are
ubiquitously accessible to readers all over the planet.
 Therefore, the revolutionary effect of the Internet and the
digital work place has ratcheted up the need to produce written
scientific reports that are of good quality and standard.
 In cyberspace, where a multitude of similar reports are
available,
 the only reason that a reader chooses to read a paper is if
it is informative, clear, and understandable.
 Cont.
 Today, one of the most basic means of communication in our
professional life is written presentation, such as
 scientific paper,
 conference report,
 technical report,
 abstract,
 theses/dissertation (Full-length papers),
 research (thesis) proposal
 Books,
 manuals
 assignment report,
 etc.
 Cont.
 Written presentations are exposed to readers.
 The communication between author(s) & readers are in
indirect way.
 In contrast, verbal presentations are exposed to audience.
 Writing Vs Oral presentation
 Poster is a kind of combination of
 written presentation and
 verbal representation.

 Thus, to avoid any confusion on the part of the reader, written

presentations demand logic, clarity and precision.
 Elements of good Technical
Writing
 Thoughtfulness
 What is written has been thought of several times over.
 Persuasive and economical, both in structure and words.

 Correctness
 Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and proper syntax

 Appropriateness
 Have the right tone (professional) and avoids verbosity

 Readability
 Text flows smoothly, reader knows where the paragraph is heading,
summaries may be used to assist the reader to digest the chapter or
section.
Characteristics of good research report

 Concise and formal:

 Try to say a lot in few words
 Be professional and serious
 Maintain accuracy and clarity
 Always keep your objectives and your audience in mind
 Example: writing a literature review
 “… all literature is not eligible for inclusion." Even the peer
reviewed and peer refereed publications should be
evaluated critically before inclusion in a literature review.
Cont.
 Steps in Writing

 Preparing

 Organizing

 Composing

 Reviewing with the view to revise

Preparing
 Assess your readers
 Establish clearly you writing goals
 Frame and keep
 the main points and
 the overall report in mind.
The Organization
General structure of a research report: Below are list of the
parts of a typical scientific report:

i. Title

ii. Acknowledgement

iii. Abstract
iv. (Table of Contents)

v. (Lists of Figures and Tables )

vi. Introduction

vii. Literature Review

viii. Materials and methods

ix. Results

x. Discussion/Conclusion

xi. References

xii. Appendices, where applicable

Cont.
 The entire technical report can be viewed as having three basic
parts: Front part, Main (body) part and Back part.

 The Front part

 is used to help potential readers find the report.
 will help the reader to quickly decide whether or not the material
contained within the report pertains to what they are
investigating.
 generally include:
 Cover*,
 Label*,
 Title Page,
 Abstract,
 Table of Contents and
Cont.
 Note: A cover and label are used if the report is over 10
pages long.
 The cover (front and back) provides physical protection for
the printed report.
 Plastic spiral bindings and thick, card-stock paper are
recommended.

 A label is placed on the cover to identify:

 Report title and subtitle (if a subtitle is appropriate);
 Author’s name;
 Publisher*;
 Date of publication
Cont.
 The Main part
 In it the author describes
 the Methods, Materials (& assumptions);
 presents and discusses the results;
 draws conclusions, and recommends actions based on
the results.
 may include:
 Introduction;
 Methods, Materials (& Assumptions);
 Results and Discussion; Conclusions;
 Recommendations*;
 References
Cont.
 The Back part
 Supplements and clarifies the body of the report,
 makes the body easier to understand, and
 shows where additional information can be found.
 May include:
 Appendixes*;
 Bibliography*;
 List of Symbols, Abbreviations, and Acronyms
Results
 This component is the core section of the scientific report.
 The results (and discussion) component answers the question:
 “What did you obtain from the experiments you
conducted?”.
 The results section describes
 what you learned about the problem as a result of your research,
 identifies the degree of accuracy related to your findings, and
 gives the reader your view of the significance of your findings.
 Results include
 Assumptions and definitions
 Theorems, simulations, experiments
 Limitation of your results
 Discussion, conclusion & recommendations
 Depending on your area of specialization this component may
be called discussion or conclusion.
 This component basically answers the question:
 “What do the results mean?”.
 This component (which may also be part of Results), always related
to objectives, gives

Discussions:
 Interpretation of your results
 Generalizations and abstractions from your results
 Describes how accurate your findings are
 What is the significance of the results of the research.
Cont.
Conclusion
 Is summary of the report – the work and the results.
 Restatement of results
 What are the factual findings that resulted from your research?
 What are you implying as a result of these findings?

 Concluding Remarks
 What are your opinions based on the findings and results?

Recommendations :
 may indicate a course of action on the applications of the
results and findings or
 suggestions for future work
References
 The references section is the place where the author cites all
of the secondary research sources* that were used to…
 develop an understanding of the problem
 support the information contained in the report
 This section lists all the previously published sources of
information that you have cited in the body of the paper.
 Only the papers cited, not all the papers that you have read or
consulted, are referenced.
 If you deem a source of information should be cited in the
references section, then you must have mentioned it in the
body of the paper.
 Cont.
 Sources of information are not limited to articles in
refereed journals.
 However, generally, you include
 the author/s,
 the title of the article,
 the journal name,
 the year of publication,
 the volume and number of the journal and finally
 the page numbers in which the article cited is found.

 Tools and styles are helpful for citation(APA,IEEE…)

Appendices
 The written scientific report may also include appendices.
 Examples include:
 Large tables of data
 Flowcharts
 Program codes
 Mathematical analysis
 Large illustrations
 Detailed explanations and descriptions of test techniques
and apparatus
 Technical drawings
Presentation/Communication Skill
 Most presentations are based on a written
paper
 Main benefits of presenting the work orally
as well as in written form is that
 you will get immediate feedback on your work
from other people in your chosen field

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Presentation skill-1
 Give yourself plenty of time to prepare
before your presentation
 Practice your presentation to make sure it
runs on time
 Have notes handy in case you dry up.
 Make sure notes are legible and that you are totally
familiar with the order in which you want to say
things
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Presentation skill-2
 Always start by introducing yourself and the
topic you are going to talk about
 Tell your audience exactly how the talk will
be structured
 Sup up what you have said on a concluding
slide
 Try not to cover too much ground

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Presentation skill-3
 Try not to read from a script
 Maintain eye contact with your audience
 Make sure your audience can hear you
 don’t talk too quickly, take a pause now and then

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Presentation skill-4
 Don’t put too much on each slide
 Use a large font
 Ensure slides are relevant
 Make sure any animation or sound does not
cause an unwanted destruction
 Ensure slides are free of
spelling/grammatical errors

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Presentation skill-5
 Leave time for questions, they are a good
way of getting feedback
 Consider your answer and make sure you
understand the question
 If not ask for clarification

 If you don’t know the answer, be honest and

say so
 Do not forget to thank your audience
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 End of Chapter 5

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