Chapter 1

The Problem and Its Background

 DATAMEX COLLEGE OF SAINT ADELINE, INC.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Chapter 1: Problem and Its Background

 The Introduction
 Background of the Study
 The Problem Statement
 The Objectives
 Theoretical Paradigm
 Conceptual Paradigm
 Research Postulates
 Scope and Limitations of the Study
 The Explication of Terms

Font Style: Times New Roman

Font Size: 12
Margin: 1.5 inches on the left, 1 inch each for top, bottom and right
Paragraphs per chapters: double spaces, first line indented 0.5 inch, widow and orphan
protection on (required), no hyphenation (recommended); justified
Block quotes: indent the left margin of your paragraph
Size: 8.5" x 11" (Letter)

Headings
 1st Order Headings - are centered with all words capitalized
 2nd Order Headings - are flush with the left margin with only the first letter of
each word capitalized, excluding articles, prepositions, etc.
 3rd Order Headings - are indented five spaces from the left margin, with the first
letter of each word capitalized, excluding articles, prepositions, etc.; text begins
on the next line.

2
 DATAMEX COLLEGE OF SAINT ADELINE, INC.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

THE FIRST ORDER OF HEADING

The Second Order of Heading

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer dictum dapibus
varius. Phasellus maximus ligula nec odio iaculis commodo. Pellentesque sodales purus
nec leo consequat, vel viverra massa iaculis. In lorem magna, mattis vel justo vitae,
hendrerit pretium tortor. Nullam lobortis purus magna, ac finibus metus feugiat sagittis.
Aenean finibus arcu eu tortor congue, eget sollicitudin libero ullamcorper. Vestibulum
ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Nullam quis
facilisis nulla. In tristique ut turpis id vehicula. Quisque mollis libero augue, eget volutpat
sem accumsan id. Fusce aliquam placerat eros, eget vulputate lacus gravida et. Aliquam
fringilla at ante eu bibendum. Nulla molestie nisi in enim bibendum mattis. Nam eros
nulla, laoreet eu libero in, placerat condimentum nibh.

The Third Order of Heading

Proin eleifend sodales erat, sit amet convallis justo tempor facilisis. Praesent nec
semper sem. Aliquam gravida vestibulum mauris, at consectetur felis bibendum id. Proin
imperdiet est dui, id sodales ligula aliquam nec. Morbi at vestibulum ligula. Vestibulum
nec arcu mauris. Aliquam feugiat congue risus quis accumsan. Integer nunc leo,
venenatis sed convallis sit amet, sollicitudin efficitur orci. Aliquam mollis dictum arcu
quis tincidunt. Donec orci felis, euismod at sollicitudin quis, viverra id eros. Aliquam
luctus eu quam vitae tristique. Mauris tempus posuere feugiat. Donec ligula magna,
feugiat ac dapibus eget, finibus elementum urna. Suspendisse vitae consectetur augue.
Proin at congue nulla, ultrices volutpat nunc.

3
 DATAMEX COLLEGE OF SAINT ADELINE, INC.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Introduction

1. state the general topic and give some background

2. provide a review of the literature related to the topic
3. define the terms and scope of the topic
4. outline the current situation
5. evaluate the current situation (advantages/ disadvantages) and identify the gap
6. identify the importance of the proposed research
7. state the research problem/ questions
8. state the research aims and/or research objectives
9. state the hypotheses
10. outline the order of information in the thesis
11. outline the methodology

Background of the Study

The reader should be able to understand your topic and its importance. The length and
detail of your background also depend on the degree to which you need to demonstrate
your understanding of the topic. Paying close attention to the following questions will
help you in writing the background information in your research paper:
 Are there any theories, concepts, terms, and ideas that may be unfamiliar to the
target audience and will require you to provide any additional explanation?
 Any historical data that need to be shared in order to provide context on why the
current issue emerged?
 Are there any concepts that may have been borrowed from other disciplines that
may be unfamiliar to the reader and need an explanation?

Your introduction is different from your background in a number of ways.

 The introduction contains preliminary data about your topic that the reader will
most likely read, whereas the background clarifies the importance of the paper.
 The background of your study discusses in depth about the topic, whereas the
introduction only gives an overview.
 The introduction should end with your research questions, aims, and objectives,
whereas your background should not.

4
 DATAMEX COLLEGE OF SAINT ADELINE, INC.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

The Problem Statement

A problem statement is a concise description of the problem or issues a project seeks to
address. The problem statement identifies the current state, the desired future state and
any gaps between the two. A problem statement is an important communication tool that
can help ensure everyone working on a project knows what the problem they need to
address is and why the project is important.

A problem statement is important to a process improvement project because it helps

clearly identify the goals of the project and outline the scope of a project. It also helps
guide the activities and decisions of the people who are working on the project. The
problem statement can help a business or organization gain support and buy-in for a
process improvement project.

The Objectives
In general, research objectives describe what we expect to achieve by a project.

Research objectives are usually expressed in lay terms and are directed as much to the
client as to the researcher. Research objectives may be linked with a hypothesis or used
as a statement of purpose in a study that does not have a hypothesis.

Even if the nature of the research has not been clear to the layperson from the hypotheses,
s/he should be able to understand the research from the objectives.

5
 DATAMEX COLLEGE OF SAINT ADELINE, INC.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Theoretical and Conceptual Paradigm

A conceptual framework is the researcher’s idea on how the research problem will have
to be explored. This is founded on the theoretical framework, which lies on a much
broader scale of resolution. The theoretical framework dwells on time tested theories that
embody the findings of numerous investigations on how phenomena occur.

The theoretical framework provides a general representation of relationships between

things in a given phenomenon. The conceptual framework, on the other hand, embodies
the specific direction by which the research will have to be undertaken. Statistically
speaking, the conceptual framework describes the relationship between specific variables
identified in the study. It also outlines the input, process and output of the whole
investigation. The conceptual framework is also called the research paradigm.

Examples of the Theoretical and the Conceptual Framework

The difference between theoretical framework and conceptual framework can be further
clarified by the following examples on both concepts:

Theoretical Framework: Stimulus elicits response.

Conceptual Framework: New teaching method improves students’ academic

performance.

Research Postulate
When you postulate, you're saying "let's all agree for the purposes of this discussion that
(something) is true."

When you hypothesise, you're saying "Let's speculate about what would happen if
(something) was true".

Postulate – a thing suggested or assumed as true as the basis for reasoning, discussion, or
belief.

6
 DATAMEX COLLEGE OF SAINT ADELINE, INC.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The scope details how in-depth your study is to explore the research question and the
parameters in which it will operate in relation to the population and timeframe.

Limitations vs Delimitations
Delimitations refer to the boundaries of the research study, based on the researcher’s
decision of what to include and what to exclude. They narrow your study to make it more
manageable and relevant to what you are trying to prove.

Limitations relate to the validity and reliability of the study. They are characteristics of
the research design or methodology that are out of your control but influence your
research findings. Because of this, they determine the internal and external validity of
your study and are considered potential weaknesses.

Explication of terms
1. You should define important terms and concepts at the start of your research
paper. Typically, they go after the paragraph that introduces the study purpose and
before the major content.
2. It is recommended to use one paragraph for each term that you define. You can
provide several definitions and outline the one you are going to use in your paper.
3. Many writing manuals suggest starting with adjective and noun combinations. In
other words, you pick terms from your main statement and explain their
meanings. You should stay specific, for instance, define a term as “illegal
immigration” instead of just “immigration.”
4. Do not forget to specify what combinations of verbs and adjectives mean in your
research. For example, phrases such as “is considered more effective” or “is
worse” may have very different meanings in different kinds of studies. The same
refers to combinations of adverbs such as “positively” and “negatively,” as well
as verbs.
5. One of the most important things to keep in mind is to define your own terms.
You can use the following template: in current research, the term term1 is used to
mean the following explanation.
6. Some students provide terms in a list format. This makes your research
assignments easier to read, especially if you format a defined term in italics.
However, you may also find examples where they use one paragraph for each
term.
7. It is necessary to mention that you need to cite sources from where you borrow
definitions. You should cite as you write. Check with your supervisor whether
you can use footnotes in order to make the text more reader-friendly.
8. To prepare a strong definition section, you will have to use many dictionaries, as
each of them provides a slightly different meaning and it takes some effort to
choose the most appropriate definitions.
9. Though it is better to avoid many quotes in a research paper, you can quote from
the dictionary in your work.

7
DATAMEX COLLEGE OF SAINT ADELINE, INC.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
10. The length of your definition paragraph depends on the number of definitions you
want to provide, so make sure to select the key terms.