A Research report

The sources provide a detailed guide on writing a research report, outlining its purpose, format, and key components. Here are the comprehensive notes on writing a research report, drawn directly from the sources:

Purpose of a Research Report

• A research report is a document written at the end of a research study.
• It indicates how the entire research process was conducted.
• It contains the results and conclusions drawn from the study.
• The main purpose is to inform the reader about the investigated problem, the methods used for data collection, the results of the investigations, and the conclusions inferred by the researcher.

Format of a Research Report

The research report format consists of the following components:

1. Title Page

   • Shows the topic of the study.
   • Includes the name of the author.
   • Specifies the author’s institution.
   • Indicates the month and year of submission.

2. Acknowledgement

   • The researcher expresses gratitude to those who assisted with the research.
   • This includes funders, supervisors, administrators of the research area, respondents, and typists.

3. Table of Contents

   • Provides a detailed list of what is included in the report and on which page.

4. Abstract

   • A summary of the entire report.
   • Should not exceed 350 words or one page.
   • Includes:
     • The problem investigated (one sentence).
     • The research question, hypothesis, or objectives of the study.
     • Why the study was necessary (one sentence).
     • Briefly explains the methods of investigation, including the population, sample, and instruments.
     • Lists the main findings per research objective or question.
     • States the conclusion per research question or objective.
     • Offers recommendations per conclusion.

5. Chapter 1:Introduction

   • This chapter is based on the content from the research proposal.
   • The content developed for the proposal is used in the report.

6. Chapter 2: Literature review

   • This chapter is also based on the content from the research proposal.
   • The literature review section might be upgraded with additional literature read between writing the proposal and the report.

7. Chapter 3: Methodology

   • This is the methodology chapter.
   • Uses the content from the proposal, changing future tense into past tense.
   • Study limitations are not included in this section of the report.

8. Chapter 4: Results

   • Presents the findings of the study.
   • Data is presented in the form of tables, frequencies, and percentages.
   • Arranged according to the research objectives or questions.
   • Each section begins with a general statement, followed by the data.

9. Chapter 5:Discussion

   • Discusses the results per objective or question.
   • Includes conclusions, recommendations, implications of the study, and study limitations.
   • Discussion: Results are discussed in relation to related studies in the same field.
     • Example: “Our study found out that Tenofovir-based antiretroviral therapy showed superiority over zidovudine-arm in reducing HIV (viral load) more rapidly and keep it suppressed for a longer time. Very few clients (only 5%) with virological failure (viral load >1000 copies/ml at 12 months of ART) were on Tenofovir based antiretroviral compared to 24 % on zidovudine (p=0.001). This could be due to the fact that Tenofovir based ART is more efficacious than zidovudine based ART in terms of virological suppression”.
     • When there are conflicting results with other studies, it should be noted with a plausible explanation.
     • Example: “A study done in Botswana by Ndiage et al. in 2013, found out that male adolescents are at higher risk of suboptimal adherence to ART than females, which was contrary to findings of our study. It is possible that it could be due to the fact that the studies were done from two different study settings”.

10. References

    • The reference page is compiled based on the citations made in the literature review and the background section of the report.
    • Details of all cited authors are given.
    • Surnames of authors are arranged in alphabetical order.
    • Initials of first names are given, along with the year of publication, town where the publication was done, and name of publisher.
    • The list should be indented as described in the referencing section.

11. Appendices

    • The appendices include supplementary materials.
    • Items include:
      • A map of the study area.
      • Copies of all instruments, such as questionnaires.
      • Copies of letters of clearance.
    • Each appendix should be listed as “Appendix NO………” followed by the title of the appendix.