Chapter II

PRESENTATION SKILLS

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 Introduction
A research proposal

should be compiled before attempting to

start with a research project.

most important aspect of the research

project

should be considered carefully by the

researcher.

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 Identifying a research topic
 first step and one of the most difficult
task in research
 Defining the problem
 There is a tendency for the beginner in
research to ask questions that are usually
diffuse or vague.
 Each topic that is proposed for research
has to be judged according to certain
guidelines or criteria.

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 What is a research proposal?
 After proper and complete planning of a research,
the plan should be written down.
 research proposal
detailed plan of study.
specific course of action that will be followed.
document which sets out your ideas in an
easily accessible way.
 objective of writing a proposal is to describe
what you will do
why it should be done
how you will do it
what you expect will result.
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 Continued……………
 A vague, weak or fuzzy proposal
leads to a long, painful, and unsuccessful
research
 Getting a good idea
 depends on familiarity with the topic.
 Needs a longer preparatory period of reading,
observation, discussion, and incubation.
 Read everything that you can in your area of
interest.
Figure out what are the important and
missing parts of our understanding.
Figure out how to build/discover those
pieces.
Live and breathe the topic.

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 Continued……………….
Talk about it with anyone who is interested.
write the important parts as the proposal.
o Once a proposal has been developed and approved
 the study should be started and progressed
based on the proposal frame
 It should be adhered to strictly and should not be
changed.
 Violations of the proposal can discredit the whole
study.
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 Continued…………
A well-written proposal can be judged
according to three main criteria.
Is it adequate to answer the research
question (s), and achieve the study objective?
Is it feasible in the particular set-up for the
study?
Does it provide enough detail that can allow
another investigator to do the study and arrive
at comparable results? 7
 Issues to remember:
 Know your area of expertise:
What are your strengths and what are your
weaknesses?
Play to your strengths, not to your
weaknesses.
 If you want to get into a new area of research,
learn something about the area before you
write a proposal.
 Research previous work.
 Be a scholar.
 Before you start work on your research
proposal, find out whether you’re required to
produce the proposal in a specific format.

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Components of a Research proposal
 Title page
 Abstract
 Table of Content
 List of Abbreviations
 List of Symbols
 List of figures
 List of tables
 Introduction/Background
 Statement of the problem
 Literature review
 Hypotheses /Questions 9
Continued…………
 Conceptual framework
 Objective/Aim of the study
 Research methods, materials and procedures
Study area , Study design, Study subjects
Sample size, Sampling methods
Method of data collection
Description of variables, Data quality assurance
Operational definitions, Plan of data analysis
 Work plan
 Budget
 References
 Appendices/Annexes

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Title page
 A title
definite and concise indication of what is to come.
state your topic exactly in the smallest possible number
of words.
should almost never contain abbreviations.
 All words in the title
Should be chosen with great care
association with one another must be carefully
managed.
 Contents of title page
 Title of the research
 name of his department/ faculty/ Institution
 Name of researcher and his advisor
 date of delivery
 The title page has no page number 11
Summary/Abstract
 abstract
a mini version of the proposal.”
a concise one page brief summary the material
presented in the proposal.
needs to show a reasonably informed reader
why a particular topic is important to address
and how you will do it.
 In the abstract
◦ specify the question that your research will
answer,
◦ Establish why it is a significant question;
◦ Show how you are going to answer the question.
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Continued………………
Issues to remember:
 Though it appears at the front of the proposal,
it is written last.
 Do not put references, figures, or tables in the
abstract.
 A well-prepared summary enables the reader
to
◦ Identify the basic content of a document
quickly and accurately,
◦ Determine its relevance to their interests, and
◦ Decide whether they need to read the
document in its entirely
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Introduction/background
 Provides readers with the background
information for the research proposal.
 Its purpose is to establish a framework for
the research, so that readers can understand
how it is related to other research.
 should cite those who had the idea or ideas
first, and should also cite those who have
done the most recent and relevant work.
 Be sure to include a hook at the beginning of
the introduction.

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Continued…………….
 The introduction also should address the
following points:
◦ Sufficient background information to allow
readers understands the context and
significance of the question you are trying to
address.
◦ Proper acknowledgement of the previous work
on which you are building.
◦ Sufficient references such that a reader could by
going to the library, achieve a sophisticated
understanding of the context and significance of
the question.

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Continued……………….
 the introduction/background section should
contain a rationale for your research.
◦ Why are you undertaking the project?
◦ Why is the research needed?
◦ This rationale should be placed within the
context of existing research or within your own
experience and/or observation.
◦ You need to demonstrate that you have
knowledge of the literature surrounding this
topic. 16
Statement of the problem
 “Statement of the problem encapsulates the
question you are trying to answer.”
 The researcher should think on what caused
the need to do the research (problem
identification).
The question that he/ she should ask
him/ herself is: Are there questions
about this problem to which answers
have not been found up to the present?
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Literature review
 asks how similar and related questions have been
answered before.”
 The stages of a literature review
1. Define the problem
2. Initial appraisal (evaluation) from raw
bibliographical data:
What are the authors’ credentials?
Are they experts in the field?
Are they affiliated with a reputable organization?
What is the date of publication,
is it sufficiently current or will knowledge have
moved on?
If a book, is it the latest edition?
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Continued……………….
3. Appraisal based on content analysis:
Is the writer addressing a scholarly audience?
Do the authors review the relevant literature?
Do the authors write from an objective viewpoint, and
are their views based on facts rather than opinions?
If the author uses research, is the design sound?
Is it primary or secondary material?
Do the authors have a particular theoretical viewpoint?
What is the relationship of this work to other material
you have read on the same topic?

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Continued……………….
Issues to remember:
 A literature review must do the following
things:
◦ be organized around and related directly to the
research question you are developing
◦ synthesize results into a summary of what is
and is not known
◦ identify areas of controversy in the literature
◦ formulate questions that need further research

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 Questions and/or Hypotheses
 Is a tentative proposition of the problem
statement.
Issues to remember:
 A research hypothesis is usually stated in an
explanatory form, because it indicates the
expected reference of the difference between
two variables.
 The research hypothesis may be stated in a
directional or non-directional form.
 A directional hypothesis statement indicates
the expected direction of results, while a non
directional one indicates no difference or no
relationship.
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 Objective/aim of the study
 An objective
a solution to a problem
a step along the way toward achieving a solution
an end state to be achieved in relation to the problem.
should be simple (not complex), specific (not vague),
stated in advance (not after the research is done), and
stated using “action verbs” that are specific enough to
be measured.
[SMART: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic
& Time-bounded]

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Continued……………
Classification of Research Objectives
1) General objective
 What exactly will be studied?
General statements specifying the desired
outcomes of the proposed research
2) Specific objectives
Specific statements summarizing the
proposed activities
description of the outcomes and their
assessment in measurable terms
It identifies in greater detail the specific aims
of the research project, often breaking down
what is to be accomplished


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Continued……………

Why should research objectives be developed?

The formulation of objectives will help you to

focus the study (narrowing it down to

essentials);

avoid the collection of data which are not

strictly necessary

organize the study in clearly defined parts or

phases.


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 Methods, material and procedures
 show how you will achieve the objectives, answers the
questions.”
 heart of the research proposal
 What belongs in the "methods" section of a research
proposal?
◦ Information to allow the reader to assess the believability
of your approach.
◦ Information needed by another researcher to replicate
your experiment.
◦ Description of your materials, procedure, theory.
◦ Limitations, assumptions, and range of validity.

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 Continued……………
 The proposal should describe in detail the general research
plan. (May not necessarily be true for all types of research)
Description of study area
Description of study design
Description of study participants
Description of selection process (sampling method)
Determination of sample size (if any)
Methods of data collection
Description of the expected outcome and
explanatory variables… (if any)
How data quality is ensured
Presentation of the data analysis methods


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 Work plan
 “A work plan informs the reader how long it will take to
achieve the objectives/ answer the questions.”
 The GANTT Chart
◦ Different components/phases/stages of the
study should be stated
◦ Description of activities in each phase
◦ Time required to accomplish the various aspects
of the study should also be indicated

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 Budget and funding
 shows how much it will cost to answer the question.
 proposal budget reflects direct and indirect costs.
 Direct costs:
Personnel, Consumable supplies, Equipments, Travel,
Communications, Publication
 Indirect costs:
Those costs incurred in support and management of
the proposed activities
Examples include: Overhead costs for institutions or
associations; General administrative cost; Operational
and maintenance; Depreciation and use allowance.
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 Continued……………
 Obtaining funding for research projects
Familiarize yourself with the policies and priorities of
funding agencies
 Identify the procedures, deadlines and formats those are
relevant to each agency
Obtain written approval and support from relevant local
and national authorities and submit together with your
proposal
If you are a beginning researcher, associate yourself with
an established researcher/ advisor
Build up your own list of successfully completed projects (i.
e. your own reports, publications, etc.)
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 References
 References may be made in the main text using index
numbers in brackets (Vancouver style) or authors name
(Harvard style)
 For a journal paper give:
◦ the names of the authors,
◦ the year of publication,
◦ the title of the paper,
◦ the title of the journal,
◦ the volume number of the journal,
◦ The first and last page numbers of the paper.


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 Continued……………
 For a book give:
◦ The author,
◦ The year of publication,
◦ The title, and the edition number if there is one,
◦ The name of the publisher,
◦ The page numbers for your reference.
 For an internet reference give:
◦ The author of the web page,
◦ The title of the item on the web page,
◦ The date the item was posted on the web page
◦ The date the item was accessed from the web page
◦ The complete and exact URL.

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 Appendices/Annexes

 any additional information you think might be

helpful to a proposal reviewer.

For example, include: Questionnaire & other

collection forms; Dummy tables; Biographical data
on the principal investigator.


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Technical report writing
 Writing is presentation of ideas using text.
 To structure information using both text and design to
achieve an intended purpose for clearly defined audiences
Elements of good Technical Writing
 Thoughtfulness
 Correctness
 Appropriateness
 Readability

Characteristics of good research report

 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

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Continued …………..
Steps in Writing:
◦ Preparing
◦ Organizing
◦ Composing
◦ Reviewing with the view to revise

 Key Elements that should be remembered during writing

 Purpose
 The target audience

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 Organizing a technical report
◦ Decide on the structure and outline it
◦ Prepare a complete outline for each element of
the structure
◦ Decide on and make the basic units of the
structure
◦ Organize the Units
◦ Ascertain the organization is logical and efficient
◦ Write an outline for every chapter/section
◦ Outline: make a story line
◦ Select the main points or ideas to be included and the
order of their presentation

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 Continued……………
 Write the outline
◦ Message 1
Support 1-1 for message 1
Support 1-2 for message 1
Sub-support for 1-2-1
Sub-support for 1-2-2 ….
◦ Message n
……
…


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 General structure of a research report
List of the parts of a typical scientific report:
◦ Title
◦ Acknowledgement
◦ Abstract
◦ (Table of Contents)
◦ (Lists of Figures and Tables )
◦ Introduction
◦ Materials and methods
◦ Results
◦ Discussion/Conclusion
◦ References
◦ Appendices, where applicable
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 Continued……………
 The entire technical report can be viewed as having three
basic parts: Front part, Main (body) part and Back part.
 The Front part generally include:
Cover,
Label,
Title Page,
Abstract,
Table of Contents and
Lists of Figures and Tables
 The Main part includes:
Introduction; Methods, Materials (& Assumptions);
Design parts
Results and Discussion; Conclusions;
Recommendations;
References
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 Continued……………
 The Back part includes: Appendixes; Bibliography; List of
Symbols, Abbreviations, and Acronyms

 Some Principles & Good Practices in Technical Writing

Outline your ideas before you start
Draw a diagram or mind map of relationship between
ideas.
Write the body.
Write summaries of individual sections (to be deleted
later);
Write regularly.
Talk about your ideas before, during, and after writing
them down.
Get regular feedback on what you write
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 Continued……………
Composing
 Composing: Getting ideas onto paper -paragraph and sentences
 Sentence: Consistent and simple structure; Main aim is clarity
 Notation: Avoid unnecessary notation
 Formulas
◦ Are part of the regular text
◦ Create equations with equation editors
◦ Number all equations
 Figures/Tables
◦ Better than a thousand words
◦ Explanation of the figures must be given in the text.
◦ Axes of graphs must be labeled, units shown, and
meaning explained, if necessary
◦ Use appropriate scale for eligibility of information in the
graph
◦ If colored graphics are used, let them have sharp
contrast w.r.t. the background as well as among other
graphs
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 Continued ……………
Reading and Revising
 Read the draft after some time since the first
writing
 Read the draft as if it were written by another
person
 Proofread
◦ Read for logic, cohesion and comprehension
◦ Does what you read reflect you intentions?
◦ Check the citations
 Read with one aspect or rule at a time (flow,
grammar, etc)
 Get someone to read for you.
 Always be ready to rewrite 3 to 4 times over
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Some editorial, format and layout issues in
technical writings
 Paper size
 Font type, size and typeface
 Line (and new line) spacing
 Paragraph indentations
 Columns in a page
 Page/column margin sizes
 Figures/graphs/tables
 Equations
 List of figures, acronyms

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 Oral presentation skills
 Presentation is conveying information to
others via speaking (oral) or in written
form - reports.
 Presentation has a specific purpose
 communicating with others
 persuading others
 training/teaching others
 graduating;
 etc

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 Continued …………

Speaker Audience
Wants to convey something May want to listen and
benefit
One person, usually Many persons
Familiar with the topic May not be familiar with
Planning your presentation:
topic
Issues
i. Determine the objective (type) of talk which may be
◦ Talk to present new research results
◦ Review/Overview talk
◦ Tutorial talk
◦ Training/Teaching
◦ Presentation for selling an idea or a product
(proposal)
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 Continued …………
ii. Assess knowledge level of audience
◦ Homogeneity of audience
◦ Knowledge of audience
◦ Tailor your talk to the audience
iii. Major points you want to present
◦ 3-5 points

Planning your presentation: Organizing

Why was the work done? State problem and
goal
What are possible solutions? State solutions
What findings resulted from the work? Present
the results of your work
What do the results imply? State implications/
consequences of your work
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 Continued …………
 Planning your presentation: Structure
1. Tell them what you are going to present
◦ Overview, introduction, motivation ------ 20%
2. Your main presentation Main
body of your talk {Methods, Analysis,
Results & Discussions} ----------- 70%
3. Tell what you told them again
◦ Summary {Conclusion and Recommendation}
--------------- 10%

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 Outlining and formatting oral presentations
Stylistic Issues: The Slide
Layout:
 background color of the slide & the color
of the text should have a sharp contrast
Font:
 ‘Small’case letters are easier to read than
‘CAPITALIZED’ letters
 Select a font type that is easily legible and has
sufficient spacing between letters
 font size,
may be in the range of 18 to 28
a good starting point is twenty-four,

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 Continued …………
Content of pages in the slide - Text
 The rule for technical presentations may
be the “2 minutes per slide” rule.
 One slide ~ one message!
 Don’t overdo formulas (also be created
with equation editor)
 Watch your colors (at most 3 colors)

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 Personal preparation for presentation
The Presenter: physical appearance (both for
males and females)
 Dress appropriately and also be clean,
and attractive.
 no defined dress code, but “don’ts” that
you should always follow
◦ Do not dress shabbily
◦ Do not come with unkempt/undressed hair
and untreated beard
◦ Do not wear slippers
◦ Do not wear jeans and T-shirt, or
◦ other extremely casual clothing 49
 Continued …………
The Presenter: emotional tensions and
Others related issues
 Language (English)
◦ Keep it simple (concise/short but accurate)
◦ Emphasize the key points (and minimize on
less essentials)
◦ Check the difficult pronunciations
 Ending a point and beginning a new point
◦ Slow down and higher volume
◦ Short pauses
◦ Appropriate expressions
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 Continued …………
 Interact with audience
◦ Questions to audience (not frequently)
◦ Be open to questions

 Questions and Answers (Q&A)

 Visual Aids (Computer & LCD projector)

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 Chapter III
Management aspect of
Research and Development
(R&D) works and outputs

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 Discussion forums
 Live auditorium based (or live online)
forms include
Seminars:- (course & research)
Workshops:- Is period of discussion and
practical work on a particular subject,
when a group of people share their
knowledge and experience. e.g. A theatre
workshop
 panel discussions:- A panel is a group
of people chosen to take part in a
discussion, debate
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 Discussion forums
 Symposium:- Small conference for
discussion of a particular subject

 Conference:-Is a meeting (usually large)

for discussion or exchange of scientific
views.

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Management of finalized, active and prospective
R&D works
 Journals - a magazine or periodical, especially
one published by a specialist or professional
body for its members
 Transactions – proceedings (the published
records) of a learned society (in which reputed
researchers/ experts have document their R&D
works)
 Magazine: a periodical publication issued at
regular intervals, usually weekly or monthly,
containing articles, stories, photographs,
advertisements, and other features, with a page
size that is usually smaller than that of a
newspaper but larger than that of a book.
 Proceedings – published records of a meeting
or conference (in which active R&D outputs are
documented 55
 Continued ………………..

Periodical: is a magazine or journal published at

regular intervals, especially weekly, monthly, or
quarterly
Newsletter: a printed report or letter that contains
news of interest to a specific group, e.g. the
members of a society or employees of an
organization, and is circulated to them periodically
Bulletin: is a newsletter issued by an organization
or institution
Equipment manuals: a book that contains
information and instructions about the operation of
a machine or how to do something
Books: a published work of literature, science, or
reference, or a work intended for publication
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