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 Cover page
Title page
Declaration
Approval
Dedication (if any)
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of symbols and abbreviations
Abstract
Body of Report
References
Appendices 3
q What is Research?
üA research is a quest into the unknown.
üAct of finding a rational explanation or
c l a r i f i c a t i o n o n fa c t s , e v e n t s a n d
phenominon which surrounds human
existence.

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üIt may be seen as an expansion of past work
in a field.
üused to develop further knowledge on a
topic, or in the example of a school final year
research project, they can be used to further
a student’s research prowess to prepare
them for future jobs or reports.
üTo t e s t t h e v a l i d i t y o f i n s t r u m e n t s ,
procedures, or experiments, research may
replicate elements of prior projects or the
project as a whole.
5
A research project consists of:
Proposal
Abstract
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Appendices
List of Abbreviations

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 Introduction
Literature Review
Data Analysis and Presentation
Methodology and System Analysis
System Implementation
Summary
Conclusion
Recommendation
References/Bibliography
Questionnaires.
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A research proposal is a comprehensive plan of
action, written in the future tense and intended to
convince others that you have the competencies and
work plan to implement the research.
uChoose the right final year research project topic.
uDevelop research questions.
uReport on the research.

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Ø Articulates the problem accurately.
u Provides appropriate background.
u It is manageable within the time.
u It is cost-effective.
u linked to defined outcomes.
u has a clear methodology.
u is seen to make a contribution to the field.
u has concise writing.
u demonstrates right team approach.

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uThis is the synopsis of the research work to
help a new reader understand the purpose
and content of the document.
uIt summarises the problem statement, the
methodology employed, the findings,
conclusion and recommendations.

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Abstracts should be about 150 -300 words, and should cover
the following content:
i. Begin with a brief statement that should ‘hook the reader’,
capturing the research problem or what makes your project
relevant. You may also want to set the scene for the project
and give some brief contextual information.
ii. Give one summary sentence per section of the dissertation,
including your key findings and conclusions.
iii. Remember, the abstract is designed to inform the reader
about the key aspects of the project, rather than teasing
them with a sense of mystery!​
iv. Finish by summarising your key findings and stating what
the project contributes to existing literature/what the project
has achieved.
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uShould be able to stand alone.
uClear, concise and single spaced.
uShould be one paragraph.
uAvoid usuage of personal pronoun.
uProvide summary of the problem,
objectives, methods and expected
outcomes.
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(a)Introduction - brief and attractive to the
reader at the same time.
(b)Research significance - this usually
answers the question: Why did you do this
research?
(c)Methodology.
(d)Results.
(e)Conclusion.
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uThis is the general introduction to the study.
uA thorough review of literature is required before
writing the background.
uIt should start with a very broad perspective of the
issue before gradually narrowing it to the central
issue.
uIt should consist of the trend in the evolution of the
problem, theories explaining the problem if any,
significance of the study and ends with a strong
need for the study.

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uThis shows the gap that the study will fill or
question that has never been answered.
uIt is sometimes written as a subheading or merge
to the background.
uThe statement of the proble m is w ri tte n by
answering the following 3 questions:
i. What should be (the ideal state).
ii. What it is today (the status today) and
iii. what is the difference between what should
be and what it is (the gap).
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uThis is the intention/aspiration of the research
study usually written in broad and specifics.
uIt is written using action or measurable verbs such
as to find out, to ascertain, to determine, to assess.
u The tangible and measurable “what” is achievable,
realistic and can be completed within the time
allowed.
uI t m u s t b e i n a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e p r o b l e m
statement of the study.
uIf an objective requires an hypothesis it must be
stated otherwise that objective will not be achieved fully.
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uThis is a statement of assumptions which could be tested
for verification in the course of the study.
uI t s h o w s t h e r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n d e p e n d e n t a n d
independent variables.
uThere are no restrictions to number of hypothesis in a
study and you can equally carry out a study without any
hypothesis.
u Hypothesis must agree with problem statement and
objectives of the study.
uIt is a good practice to state hypothesis in null form, e.g
there is no significant difference in the opinions of teachers
and students as regard the teaching styles of the teacher.
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uIt means going through existing journals, textbooks,
data bases etc. in order to:
i. bring clarity and focus to the problem of the study.
ii. improve methods of the study.
iii. broaden knowledge base in the field of research.
It should consist of theoretical and conceptual
frameworks, related empirical studies carried out by
others and gaps emerging, similarities and differences as
well as limitations.

u Only literature of not more than five years old should

be consulted except for theories that have not been
reviewed. 18
uMethod is defined as a guideline for solving a problem
with specific components such as phases, tasks,
methods, techniques and tools.
u Methodology of a research should describe the activity
components necessary for the completion of the
research work. These may include among others:
Ø Design of the study.
Ø Subject of the study.
Ø Area of the study or location.
Ø Population of the study/sample.
Ø Instrument for data collection.
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u The methodology outlines the procedure and process of
your data collection.
u You should therefore provide enough detail so that a
reader could replicate or adapt your methodology in their
own research.
u While the literature review focuses on the views and
arguments of other authors, the methodology puts the
spotlight on your project.
u Two of the key questions you should aim to answer in
this section are:
a) Why did you select the methods you used?
b) How do these methods answer your research
question(s)?
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This also include:
uPlan or method of data collection.
uMethod of data analysis /Interpretation.
uWork plan.
uBudget.

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u The purpose of the discussion section is to interpret your
findings and discuss these against the context of the
wider literature.
u This section should also highlight how your research has
contributed to the understanding of a phenomenon or
problem: this can be achieved by responding to your
research questions.
u The structure of discussion sections can vary, but let
consider the following:
i. State your major findings – this can be a brief
opening paragraph that restates the research problem,
the methods you used to attempt to address this, and
the major findings of your research.
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uAddress your research questions - detail
your findings in relation to each of your research
questions to help demonstrate how you have
attempted to address the research problem.

uAnswer each research question in turn by

interpreting the relevant results: this may involve
highlighting patterns, relationships or statistically
significant differences depending on the design
of your research and how you analysed your data.

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uDiscuss your findings against the wider
literature - this will involve comparing and
contrasting your findings against those of others
and using key literature to support the
interpretation of your results; often, this will
involve revisiting key studies from your literature
review and discussing where your findings fit in
the pre-existing literature.
uThis process can help to highlight the importance
of your research through demonstrating what is
novel about your findings and how this
contributes to the wider understanding of your
research area. 24
uAddress any unexpected findings in your
study - begin with by stating the unexpected
finding and then offer your interpretation as to
why this might have occurred. You may relate
unexpected findings to other research literature
and you should also consider how any
unexpected findings relate to your overall study –
especially if you think this is significant in terms
of what your findings contribute to the
understanding of your research problem!

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u Discuss alternative interpretations - it’s important to
remember that in research we find evidence to support
ideas, theories and understanding; nothing is ever proven.
Consequently, you should discuss possible alternative
interpretations of your data – not just those that neatly
answer your research questions and confirm your
hypotheses.
u Limitations/weaknesses of y our r e s e ar c h –
acknowledge any factors that might have affected your
findings and discuss how this relates to your
interpretation of the data. This might include detailing problems
with your data collection method, or unanticipated factors that you
had not accounted for in your original research plan. Likewise, detail
any questions that your findings could not answer and explain why
this was the case.
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u Future directions (this part of your discussion could
also be included in your conclusion) – this section should
address what questions remain unanswered about your
research problem. For example, it may be that your
findings have answered some questions but raised new
ones; this can often occur as a result of unanticipated
findings.
u Likewise, some of the limitations of your research may
necessitate further work to address a methodological
confound or weakness in a tool of measurement.
Whatever these future directions are, remember you’re
not writing a proposal for this further research; a brief
suggestion of what the research should do and how this
would address one of the new problems/limitations you
have identified is enough. 27
u Don’t rewrite your results section – remember your goal
is to interpret and explain how your findings address the
research problem.
u Be clear about what you have found, how this has
addressed a gap in the literature and how it changes our
understanding of your research problem.
u Structure your discussion in a logical way that highlights
your most important/interesting findings first.
u Be careful about how you interpret your data: be wary
over-interpreting to confirm a hypothesis. Remember, we
can still learn from non-significant research findings.
u Avoid being apologetic or too critical when discussing the
limitations of your research. Be concise and analytical.
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The conclusion is your opportunity to synthesise
everything you have done/written as part of your
research in order to demonstrate your understanding.
A well-structured conclusion is likely to include the
following:
uIn clear language, state the conclusions from your
research. Crucially, this not just restating your
results/findings: instead, this is a synthesis of the
research problem, your research questions, your
findings (and interpretation), and the relevant
research literature. From your conclusions, it should
be clear to your reader how our understanding of the
research topic has changed.
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This is your opportunity to highlight (potential) wider
implications of your conclusions. Depending on your
discipline, this might include recommendations for policy,
professional practice or a tentative speculation about how
an academic theory might change given your findings. It
is important not to over-generalise here; remember the
limitations of your theoretical and methodological choices
and what these mean for the applicability of your
findings/conclusions.
If your discipline encourages reflection, this can be a
suitable place to include your thoughts about the research
process, the choices you made and how your
findings/conclusions might influence your professional
outlook/practice going forwards. 30
31
APA- American Psychological Association.
(1) Print Sources – Book:
u In the text, it is required that the author and year of
publication is used. In parenthesis or only the year of
publication in parenthesis, e.g.: (Usman, 2020) or according to
Usman (2020)…..
u At the citation page/list of references/bibliography, it is written
out in full:
The author(s) surname is written, then a comma and initials. The
year of publication in parenthesis. The title of the work in italics,
with edition and particular pages in parenthesis. Then the publisher’s
details. e.g.: Usman, A. (2020). Blasting Control (1st ed.) (Pg. 45).
Lagos State : Research Publishers.
Same principles for more than one author, ‘&’ is used.
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(2) Print Sources – Journal:
uSame in text citation, but in the list of references,
the article title is not italicized. The journal title is
italicized. The journal volume and page number
could be added.
uE.g.: Usman, A. & Marry F. (2020). Blasting Control.
Journal of Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers, Vol
3, 250-252.
uMcCoy, S. and Rubin, E. (2008). An engineering-
economic model of pipeline transport of CO 2 with
application to carbon capture and storage. Int. J.
Greenh. Gas Control 2, 219–229. 33
(3) Print Sources – Magazines, Newspaper
and Encyclopaedia.
uSame in text citation, but the publication date is in
full. The newspaper/magazine/encyclopaedia article
title is not italicized. The newspaper/magazine title
and volume is italicized. The page is then added.
uE.g.: Usman, A. (2020, October 3). Blasting Control.
Jmining Magazine, Vol 2, 129-132.

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(4) Online Sources

u For articles in Journals, newspapers, encyclopaedia and

magazines, it is referenced as above but the URL and
date retrieved online is added.
u E.g.: Usman, A. (2020, October 3). Blasting Control.
Jmining Magazine, Vol 2, 129-132. Retrieved Novemver
3, 2020 from http://researchclue.com/blasting.

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uAppelbaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E.,
Nezu, A. M., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article
reporting standards for quantitative research in
psychology: The APA Publications and Communications
Board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 3.
uLevitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M.,
Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal
article reporting standards for qualitative primary,
qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research
in psychology: The APA Publications and
Communications Board task force report. American
Psychologist, 73(1), 26.

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u to determine the focus and direction of the dissertation,
particularly in terms of identifying a topic of interest and
research question.
u to work independently to explore literature and research in
the chosen topic area.
u to be proactive in arranging supervision meetings, email
draft work before meetings for feedback and prepare
specific questions and issues to discuss in supervision time.
u to be honest and open about any challenges or difficulties
that arise during the research or writing process.
u to bring a problem-solving approach to the dissertation (you
are not expected to know all the answers but should show
initiative in exploring possible solutions to any problems that
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might arise).
Meeting your supervisor can feel daunting at first but your
supervision meetings offer a great opportunity to discuss your
research ideas and get feedback on the direction of your
project.
u You are in charge of the agenda. If you arrange a
meeting with your supervisor, you call the shots! Here are a
few tips on how to get the most out of the time with your
supervisor.
u Send an email in advance of the meeting, with an overview
of the key ideas you want to talk about. This can save time in the
meeting and helps to give you some structure to follow. If this
isn't possible, run through these points quickly when you first sit
down as you introduce the meeting - "I wanted to focus on the
literature review today, as I'm having some trouble deciding on
the order my key themes and points should be introduced in.“ 38
u What do you want to get out of the meeting? Note down
any questions you would like the answers to or identify what it is
you will need from the meeting in order to make progress on the
next stage of your dissertation. Supervision meetings offer the
change to talk about your ideas for the project, but they can also
be an opportunity to find out practical details and troubleshoot.
Don't leave the meeting until you have addressed these and got
answers/advice in each key area.
u Trust your supervisor. Your supervisor may not be an expert in
your chosen subject, but they will have experience of writing up
research projects and coaching other dissertation students. You
are responsible for reading up on your subject and exploring the
literature - your supervisor can't tell you what to read, but they
can give you advice on how to read your sources and integrate
them into your argument and writing.
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u Choose a short section to discuss in the meeting for
feedback - for example, if you're not sure on structure, pick a
page or two that demonstrate this, or if you want advice on being
critical, find an example from a previous essay where you think
you did this well and ask your supervisor how to translate this
into dissertation writing.
u Agree an action plan. Work with your supervisor to set a goal for your
next meeting, or an objective that you will meet in the week following
your supervision. Feeling accountable to someone can be a great
motivator and also helps you to recognise where you are starting to fall
behind the targets that you've set for yourself.
u Be open and honest. It can feel daunting meeting your supervisor, but
supervision meetings aren't an interview where you have to prove
everything is going well. Ask for help and advice where you need it, and
be honest if you're finding things difficult. A supervisor is there to
support you and help you to develop the skills and knowledge you need
along the journey to submitting your dissertation. 40
uIn research, we dig into past and similar work.
u..We must give due credit to the authors of what-
so-ever sentence, experimental work, or excerpt
adapted into your work.
u…This is to acknowledge their efforts, sponsor
hard-work and discourage theft of any form.
u..It also helps the readers/reviewers of your work
locate the past work and go over.

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 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Mining of solid minerals like coal has the potential of causing environmental
degradation. Land degradation Associated with coal mining in Maiganga includes
deforestation, soil erosion, gullying and disconfiguration of the landscapes.

Mine reclamation create useful landscapes that meet a variety of goals ranging
from the restoration of productive ecosystem to the creation of industrial and
municipal resources. Mine reclamation is a regular part of modern mining
practices. Modern mining reclamation minimizes and mitigates the environmental
effects of mining.

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 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.2 Statement of Problem

Mining operations severely alters the landscape, which reduces the

value of the natural environment in the surrounding. ……………………

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim is to assess reclamation and rehabilitation techniques being

practice at Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN), Sokoto.

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The specific objectives of the study are:
i. To review reclamation and rehabilitation techniques at BUA
Cement Company Plc. Quarry;
ii. To compare BUA Quarry reclamation method with Nigeria extant
laws on reclamation and rehabilitation; and
iii. Identify the level of compliance by the Company.

1.4 Significance of the Study

1.5 Scope the Study
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 CHAPTER TWO
REVIW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Occurrences of Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as
rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts
of other elements; chiefly

2.1.2 Types of Coal

Coal is classified based on the level of carbon it contains and the amount
of energy it can produce. Coal that contains a high amount of carbon is
referred to as high rank coal. They have a low hydrogen and oxygen
content and have a high heat value. Low rank coal has low carbon content
but contain a high amount of hydrogen and oxygen. The various types of
coal include:.
2.2 Geology of Maiganga Coal 45
2.3 Mine Reclamation Process

2.4. Methods of Mine Reclamation

Mine reclamation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…

(i) Hydraulic Reclamation Method
(ii) Sand spreading.
(iii)Direct dumping and
(iv) Pumping inside the Bunds

2.4.1 Hydraulic Reclamation Method

2.4.2 Sand Spreading

2.6.5 Revegetation
2.6.6 Tailings Storage Facilities

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 CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research methods will include the following.

i. Field Visitation;
ii. Design and Administration of Questionnaires;
iii. Interview; and
iv. Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel/any other software chosen.

3.1 Design and Administration of Questionnaires

3.2 Field Visitation

3.3 Interview;

3.4 Data Analysis using Microsoft Excel

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