RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND IPR

RM5151
(ENERGY & SOLAR)

K.G.MAHESWARAN
TEACHING FELLOW
 Report Writing
SIGNIFICANCE OF REPORT WRITING
• Research report is considered a major
component of the research study for the
research task remains incomplete till the
report has been presented and/or written.
• The purpose of research is not well served
unless the findings are made known to others.
• Research results must invariably enter the
general store of knowledge.
• Writing of report is the last step in a research
study and requires a set of skills somewhat
different from those called for in respect of
the earlier stages of research-
• may seek the assistance and guidance of
experts for the purpose

REPORT WRITING- slow, painstaking, accurate

inductive work
 DIFFERENT STEPS IN WRITING REPORT

• steps involved in writing report are

• (a) logical analysis of the subject-matter;
• (b) preparation of the final outline;
• (c) preparation of the rough draft;
• (d) rewriting and polishing;
• (e) preparation of the final bibliography;
• (f) writing the final draft
 Logical analysis of the subject matter:
• The logical development is made on the basis
of mental connections and associations
between the one thing and another by means
of analysis.
• Logical treatment often consists in developing
the material from the simple possible to the
most complex structures.
 Preparation of the final outline
• Outlines are the framework upon which long
written works are constructed
• They are an aid to the logical organisation of
the material and a reminder of the points to
be stressed in the report
 Preparation of the rough draft
• will write down the procedure adopted by the
researcher in collecting the material for his
study along with various limitations faced by
him.
• the technique of analysis adopted by him
• the broad findings and generalizations
• the various suggestions he wants to offer
regarding the problem concerned
 Rewriting and polishing of the rough draft

• most difficult part of all formal writing

• this step requires more time than the writing of
the rough draft
• The careful revision makes the difference
between a mediocre and a good piece of writing
• While rewriting and polishing, one should check
the report for weaknesses in logical
development or presentation
• see whether or not the material, as it is
presented, has unity and cohesion
• does the report stand upright and firm and
exhibit a definite pattern, like a marble arch?
• In addition the researcher should give due
attention to the fact that in his rough draft he
has been consistent or not. He should check
the mechanics of writing—grammar, spelling
and usage
 Preparation of the final bibliography:
• bibliography, which is generally appended to the research
report, is a list of books.

• It should contain all those works which the researcher has

consulted

• The bibliography should be arranged alphabetically and

may be divided into two parts-
1.first part may contain the names of books and
pamphlets
2.second part may contain the names of magazine and
newspaper articles
• this pattern of bibliography is considered
convenient and satisfactory from the point of
view of reader, though it is not the only way of
presenting bibliography
 entries in bibliography
• For books and pamphlets the order may be as
under:
• 1. Name of author, last name first.
• 2. Title, underlined to indicate italics.
• 3. Place, publisher, and date of publication.
• 4. Number of volumes

Example :Kothari, C.R., Quantitative Techniques, New

Delhi, Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., 1978.
 • For magazines and newspapers the order may
be as under:
1. Name of the author, last name first.
2. Title of article, in quotation marks.
3. Name of periodical, underlined to indicate
italics.
4. The volume or volume and number. 5. The date
of the issue.
6. The pagination
Example: Robert V. Roosa, “Coping with Short-term International
Money Flows”, The Banker, London, September, 1971, p. 995.
The above examples are just the samples for bibliography entries. they are not the
only acceptable forms
 Writing the final draft:
• The final draft should be written in a concise and
objective style and in simple language, avoiding vague
expressions such as “it seems”, “there may be”, and the
like ones.
• While writing the final draft, the researcher must avoid
abstract terminology and technical jargon.
• A research report should not be dull, but must enthuse
people and maintain interest and must show
originality/
• every report should be an attempt to solve some
intellectual problem and must contribute to the
solution of a problem and must add to the knowledge
of both the researcher and the reader.
LAYOUT OF THE RESEARCH REPORT
• A comprehensive layout of the research report
should comprise
(A) preliminary pages;
(B) the main text;
(C) the end matter
 (A) Preliminary Pages
1. title and date,
2. acknowledgements in the form of ‘Preface’
or ‘Foreword’.
3. table of contents
4. list of tables and illustrations
 (B) Main Text
• provides the complete outline of the research
report along with all details.
• Title of the research study is repeated at the
top of the first page of the main text and then
follows the other details on pages numbered
consecutively, beginning with the second
page.
• Each main section of the report should begin
on a new page
• The main text of the report should have the
following sections:
(i) Introduction;
(ii) Statement of findings and recommendations;
(iii) The results;
(iv) The implications drawn from the results; and
(v) The summary
 (i) Introduction:

• introduce the research project to the readers.

• should contain a clear statement of the objectives
of research i.e., enough background should be given
to make clear to the reader why the problem was
considered worth investigating.
• summary of other relevant research may also be
stated so that the present study can be seen in that
context.
• The hypotheses of study, if any, and the definitions
of the major concepts employed in the study should
be explicitly stated in the introduction of the report
• The methodology adopted in conducting the
study must be fully explained.
• The statistical analysis adopted must also be
clearly stated.
• In addition to all this, the scope of the study
should be stated and the boundary lines be
demarcated.
• The various limitations, under which the
research project was completed, must also be
narrated.
 The methodology adopted in conducting the study must be fully explained. The
scientific reader would like to know in detail about such thing:

• How was the study carried out?

• What was its basic design?
• If the study was an experimental one, then what were the experimental
manipulations?
• If the data were collected by means of questionnaires or interviews,
then exactly what questions were asked (The questionnaire or interview
schedule is usually given in an appendix)?
• If measurements were based on observation, then what instructions
were given to the observers?
• Regarding the sample used in the study the reader should be told: Who
were the subjects?
• How many were there?
• How were they selected?
 (ii) Statement of findings and
recommendations:
• research report must containa statement of
fin dings and recommendations in non-
technical language.
• If the findings happen to be extensive, at this
point they should be put in the summarised
form
 (iii) Results:
• detailed presentation of the findings of the study, with
supporting data in the form of tables and charts
together with a validation of results-comprises the main
body of the report, extending over several chapters.
• The result section of the report should contain statistical
summaries and reductions of the data rather than the
raw data.
• All the results should be presented in logical sequence
and splitted into readily identifiable sections.
• All relevant results must find a place in the report
 (iv) Implications of the results:
implications may have three aspects as stated below
• (a) A statement of the inferences drawn from the
present study which may be expected to apply in
similar circumstances.
• (b) The conditions of the present study which may
limit the extent of legitimate generalizations of the
inferences drawn from the study.
• (c) Thc relevant questions that still remain
unanswered or new questions raised by the study
along with suggestions for the kind of research that
would provide answers for them.
• finish the report with a short conclusion which
summarises and recapitulates the main points
of the study.
• The conclusion drawn from the study should
be clearly related to the hypotheses that were
stated in the introductory section.
 (v) Summary:
• conclude the research report with a very brief
summary, resting in brief the research
problem, the methodology, the major findings
and the major conclusions drawn from the
research results.
 (C) End Matter
• appendices should be enlisted in respect of all technical
data such as questionnaires, sample information,
mathematical derivations and the like ones.
• Bibliography of sources consulted should also be given.
Index (an alphabetical listing of names, places and
topics along with the numbers of the pages in a book or
report on which they are mentioned or discussed)
should invariably be given at the end of the report.
• The value of index lies in the fact that it works as a
guide to the reader for the contents in the report.
TYPES OF REPORTS
 (A) Technical Report
• In the technical report the main emphasis is
on
(i) the methods employed,
(it) assumptions made in the course of the study,
(iii) the detailed presentation of the findings
including their limitations and supporting data.
 A general outline of a technical report
1. Summary of results: A brief review of the main
findings just in two or three pages.
2. Nature of the study: Description of the general
objectives of study, formulation of the problem in
operational terms, the working hypothesis, the type
of analysis and data required, etc.
3. Methods employed: Specific methods used in the
study and their limitations. For instance, in
sampling studies we should give details of sample
design viz., sample size, sample selection, etc.
4. Data: Discussion of data collected, their sources,
characteristics and limitations. If secondary data are used,
their suitability to the problem at hand be fully assessed. In
case of a survey, the manner in which data were collected
should be fully described.

5. Analysis of data and presentation of findings: The analysis

of data and presentation of the findings of the study with
supporting data in the form of tables and charts be fully
narrated. This, in fact, happens to be the main body of the
report usually extending over several chapters.
• 6. Conclusions: A detailed summary of the
findings and the policy implications drawn from
the results be explained.
• 7. Bibliography: Bibliography of various sources
consulted be prepared and attached.
• 8. Technical appendices: Appendices be given for
all technical matters relating to questionnaire,
mathematical derivations, elaboration on
particular technique of analysis and the like
ones. 9. Index: Index must be prepared and be
given invariably in the report at the end
 (B) Popular Report
• The popular report is one which gives emphasis on
simplicity and attractiveness. The simplification
should be sought through clear writing,
minimization of technical, particularly mathematical,
details and liberal use of charts and diagrams.
• Attractive layout along with large print, many
subheadings, even an occasional cartoon now and
then is another characteristic feature of the popular
report. Besides, in such a report emphasis is given
on practical aspects and policy implications
general outline of a popular report.
1. The findings and their implications: Emphasis in the report is
given on the findings of most practical interest and on the
implications of these findings.
2. Recommendations for action: Recommendations for action on
the basis of the findings of the study is made in this section of the
report.
3. Objective of the study: A general review of how the problem
arise is presented along with the specific objectives of the project
under study.
4. Methods employed: A brief and non-technical description of the
methods and techniques used, including a short review of the data
on which the study is based, is given in this part of the report.
• 5. Results: This section constitutes the main body
of the report wherein the results of the study are
presented in clear and non-technical terms with
liberal use of all sorts of illustrations such as charts,
diagrams and the like ones.
• 6. Technical appendices: More detailed
information on methods used, forms, etc. is
presented in the form of appendices. But the
appendices are often not detailed if the report is
entirely meant for general public
 ORAL PRESENTATION
• At times oral presentation of the results of the study is
considered effective, particularly in cases where policy
recommendations are indicated by project results.
merit of this approach
• it provides an opportunity for give-and-take decisions which
generally lead to a better understanding of the findings and
their implications.
demerit
• lack of any permanent record concerning the research
details and it may be just possible that the findings may fade
away from people’s memory even before an action is taken
• Oral presentation is effective when supplemented by
various visual devices.
• Use of slides, wall charts and blackboards is quite
helpful in contributing to clarity and in reducing the
boredom, if any.
• Distributing a board outline, with a few important
tables and charts concerning the research results,
makes the listeners attentive who have a ready
outline on which to focus their thinking.
• This very often happens in academic institutions
where the researcher discusses his research findings
and policy implications with others either in a
seminar or in a group discussion
 MECHANICS OF WRITING A RESEARCH
REPORT
• 1. Size and physical design: The manuscript should be written on
unruled paper 812″ × 11″ in size. If it is to be written by hand,
then black or blue-black ink should be used.
• A margin of at least one and one-half inches should be allowed
at the left hand and of at least half an inch at the right hand of
the paper.
• There should also be one-inch margins, top and bottom.
• The paper should be neat and legible. If the manuscript is to be
typed, then all typing should be double-spaced on one side of
the page only except for the insertion of the long quotations.
• 2. Procedure: Various steps in writing the report should be
strictly adhered (All such steps have already been explained
earlier in this chapter).
• 3. Layout: Keeping in view the objective and nature of the
problem, the layout of the report should be thought of and
decided and accordingly adopted (The layout of the research
report and various types of reports have been described in
this chapter earlier which should be taken as a guide for
report-writing in case of a particular problem).

• 4. Treatment of quotations: Quotations should be placed in

quotation marks and double spaced, forming an immediate
part of the text. But if a quotation is of a considerable length
(more than four or five type written lines) then it should be
single-spaced and indented at least half an inch to the right
of the normal text margin
• 5. The footnotes:
• The footnotes serve two purposes viz., the
identification of materials used in quotations in the
report and the notice of materials not immediately
necessary to the body of the research text but still of
supplemental value.
• Footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page on
which the reference or quotation which they identify
or supplement ends
• Footnotes should be numbered consecutively, usually
beginning with 1 in each chapter separately.
• Footnotes are always typed in single space though they
are divided from one another by double space
• 6. Documentation style: Regarding
documentation, the first footnote reference to
any given work should be complete in its
documentation, giving all the essential facts
about the edition used. Such documentary
footnotes follow a general sequence. The
common order may be described as under
(i) Regarding the single-volume reference

• 1. Author’s name in normal order (and not

beginning with the last name as in a
bibliography) followed by a comma;
• 2. Title of work, underlined to indicate italics;
3. Place and date of publication;
• 4. Pagination references (The page number).
Example John Gassner, Masters of the Drama,
New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1954, p.
315.
(ii) Regarding multi volumed reference

1. Author
2. Title of work, underlined to indicate italics;
3. Place and date of publication;
4. Number of volume;
5. Pagination references (The page number).or’s
name in the normal order;
(iii) Regarding works arranged alphabetically

• For works arranged alphabetically such as

encyclopedias and dictionaries, no pagination
reference is usually needed.
• In such cases the order is illustrated as under:
Example 1 “Salamanca,” Encyclopaedia Britannica,
14th Edition.
• Example 2 “Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin,”
Dictionary of national biography. But if there should
be a detailed reference to a long encyclopedia
article, volume and pagination reference may be
found necessary
 (iv) Regarding periodicals reference

• 1. Name of the author in normal order;

• 2. Title of article, in quotation marks;
• 3. Name of periodical, underlined to indicate
italics;
• 4. Volume number;
• 5. Date of issuance;
• 6. Pagination.
 (v) Regarding anthologies and collections
reference
• Quotations from anthologies or collections of
literary works must be acknowledged not only
by author, but also by the name of the
collector.
 (vi) Regarding second-hand quotations
reference
• In such cases the documentation should be
handled as follows:
• 1. Original author and title;
• 2. “quoted or cited in,”;
• 3. Second author and work
Example J.F. Jones, Life in Ploynesia, p. 16, quoted
in History of the Pacific Ocean area, by R.B. Abel,
p. 191.
 (vii) Case of multiple authorship
• If there are more than two authors or editors,
then in the documentation the name of only
the first is given and the multiple authorship is
indicated by “et al.” or “and others”.
RESEARCH
PROPOSAL
 What is proposal ?
• A plan or suggestion, especially a formal or
written one, put forward for consideration by
others.

• A research proposal “is a document that

outlines how you propose to undertake your
research studies
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
• A research proposal is a document written by a
researcher that provides a detailed description of
the proposed program, it is like an outline of the
entire research process that gives a reader a
summary of the information discussed in a project.
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
• a research proposal’s main function is to detail
the operational plan for obtaining answers to
your research questions.
• In doing so it ensures and reassures the
reader of the validity of the methodology for
obtaining answers to your research questions
accurately and objectively.
 Importance of research proposal
• Helps examine what the researcher intends t o do.
• Research proposal can serve as a document of
contract for the project.
• Research proposals can be effective starting places
to discuss projects with your professors, too.
• The research proposal is able to give an overview of
the research project so that other people
understand the scope of the research, the
significance of the research, as well as your
proposed methodology and chosen research
method.
 Advantages of research proposal
• Fund to support your research
• Allow you to review and critically evaluate your
current research program
• Convince yourself and others that your research
is worth supporting
• Keep you focused on your research program
• Develop novel ideas during writing proposal
 a research proposal must tell
• what you are proposing to do;
• how you plan to find answers to what you are
proposing;
• why you selected the proposed strategies of
investigation.
 Relationship of research proposal with
research
• Research proposal is a plan ,and research is
action.
• Research proposal is compulsory for approving
proposed research.
• Research proposal is a schedule and research is
activity.
• Research proposal is a mirror of research
• Research proposal is a blue print of research.
• Research proposal can serve as a document of
contract for the project.
Types of research proposal
 Internal research proposal
Academic :
• An academic proposal is the first step in
producing a thesis or major project. Its intent is to
convince a supervisor or academic committee
that your topic and approach are sound.
Non-academic:
• This one is not for degree requirement that is
submitted by a university or a college teacher to
some research organization
 External research proposal
Solicited:
• Solicited proposals are those that are written and
submitted in response to the issuance of a "Request for
Proposals" (RFP), a document that identifies a specific
research problem of interest to the funding agency for
which they are specifically seeking a solution.
Interested investigator then submits a “concept” or
"white paper" briefly outlining their proposed solution
to the problem. If the funding agency or company is
interested, they may then request that the investigator
submit a full proposal for consideration of funding
 External research proposal
Unsolicited :
• Unsolicited proposals are those proposals that
are submitted by an investigator in response
to a "general call" for proposals that is issued
by a funding agency or company in a field or
area of study
 Contents of a research proposal
1. an introduction, including a brief literature
review;
2. theoretical framework that underpins your study;
3. conceptual framework which constitutes the
basis of your study;
4. objectives or research questions of your study;
5. hypotheses to be tested, if applicable;
6. study design that you are proposing to adopt;
7. setting for your study;
8. research instrument(s) you are planning to
use;
9. sampling design and sample size;
10.ethical issues involved and how you propose
to deal with them;
11.data processing procedures;
12.proposed chapters of the report;
13.problems and limitations of the study;
14.proposed time-frame for the project.
 A research proposal should
a) enable you to return to the proposal for your
own guidance in decision making at different
stages of the research process;
b) convince your research supervisor or a
reviewer that your proposed methodology is
meritorious, valid, appropriate and workable
in terms of obtaining answers to your
research questions or objectives
 The common error in proposal writing
• Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough
detail on major issues
• Too many citation lapses and incorrect
references
• Sloppy writing Failure to state all of the basic
assumptions that are relevant to the study.
• Concerns irrelevant assumptions.
• Selecting unsubstantiated assumptions which
cannot be defended by any logic, empirical
evidence
 Evaluation of research proposal
1.Problem identification:
• Is the problem/line of enquiry clearly defined?
• Is the basic research problem well
formulated, or is it poorly and vaguely
structured?
• Is it briefly and concisely stated?
2.Background to the research problem
• Has there been an adequate description of the
background to the problem either under a
separate heading or as part of the literature?
3.Literature review
• Is there clear evidence of a thorough review of
the literature?
• Is there a theoretical engagement with the
relevant literature?
4.Conceptual framework
• Has a suitable hypothesis (or hypotheses) been
formulated, or has a suitable research question
(or research questions) been stated?
5.Objectives
• Have the objectives been stated clearly?
6.Research design
• Is the project and research design well structured
and outlined, or is it poorly articulated?
• Has the research methodology been articulated
clearly?
7.Significance
• Why is it important to undertake this research?
Whom will it benefit or to whom will it be
important?
• Has the expected outcome (or outcomes) of the
research been clearly identified?
8.Feasibility
• Is the problem researchable and is it feasible?
• Do the preliminary data and available resources
support its feasibility?
• Does the candidate’s academic profile or potential
support his/her ability to accomplish the project?
9.Other general comments
• Is the proposal well structured or poorly
compiled? If the latter, what should be done to
make it a well structured proposal?
10. Language
• Has the research proposal been proofread and
edited?