Proposal and Report

Writing

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The Importance of Writing
All researchers must be able to use language with a degree of
skill and accuracy to produce Research Report – clear
and coherent
 Clear thinking precedes clear writing – writing can be a
productive form of thinking itself – when writing ideas
down on paper.
1. Must identify the specific ideas you do and do not know
about your topic.
2. MUST clarify and organize thoughts sufficiently to
communicate them to your readers.
3. May detect gaps and logical flaws in your thinking.

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The Importance of Writing
 Writing about a topic actually enhances the writers
understanding of that topic.
 If wait until all thoughts are clear before start writing,
you may NEVER begin.
 Begin with a TITLE and PURPOSE statement
 Commit title to paper, keep it in plain sight as you
focus your ideas.
 Title can provide focus and direction
 Clear and concise statement, “The purpose of this
study is….” you are on your way.

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 Writing to Communicate
1. Say what you mean to say – Precision is of utmost
importance – choose words and phrases carefully so that you
communicate the exact meaning, not vague approximation –
clear, concise, effective sentences and combine these
sentences into unified and coherent paragraph.

2. Keep your primary objective in writing your paper in mind

at all times, and focus discussion accordingly – Novice
researchers try to include everything they have learned –
everything you say MUST relate directly or indirectly to
your research problem.

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 Writing to Communicate

3. Provide an overview of what you will be talking about – Your

readers can more effectively read your work when they know
what to expect as they read – overview and order, topics
relationship.
4. Organize your ideas into general and more specific categories.
Use headings and subheadings a simple way to make scheme
crystal clear.
5. Provide transitional phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that
help your readers follow train of thought – give signal when
change course of discussion.
6. Use concrete examples to make abstract ideas more
understandable.
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Writing to Communicate
7. Use appropriate punctuation – help communicate
meanings.
8. Use figures and tables when such mechanisms can
more effectively present or organize your ideas and
findings.
9. At the conclusion of a chapter or major section,
summarize what have been said – things that are the
most important.
10. Anticipate that you will almost certainly have to
write multiple drafts – revise several times – novice or
expert.

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 A comma, kills a person
There was a prisoner of war captured by some soldiers who were in a troop
far from high officials.
 This is a true event but I cant find the original contents to post so i am
writing in my own way, to make you feel the IMPORTANCE OF
PUNCTUATION.

Yes, so the soldier by some means, like telegraph or i dont know how wrote
to the commander that the man (enemy) they were looking for was captured
and they were waiting for orders as to what to do with him!
 The commander who was 500 kilometres away from the troop sent written
message to another troop who in turn wrote that message to the concerned
troop.

 The commander wrote this: " kill him not, wait for me.“ and when this
message reached to the chief of the troop who had captured that soldier the
message was written like this: " kill him, not wait for me."

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 The Proposal

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The Research Proposal
 Research is never a solo flight, an individual excursion
 It is not a “do-it-in-a-corner” activity
 It involves many people and requires access to and use of resources far
beyond one’s own
 For that reason, it must be carefully planned, laid out, inspected, and, in
nearly every instance, approved by others
 The graduate student conducting research for a thesis or dissertation
must get the approval of an academic committee
 A researcher seeking grant funding must get approval from the
university or the organisation for which he or she works, and the project
must be deemed worthy of funding by the grant-awarding agency.

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Researcher and Architect: Planners in
Common
 A proposal is as essential to successful research as an
architect’s plans are to the construction of a building
 Planning is the essence of their art - same orientation
 An architect plans the structural concepts of buildings, whereas
a researcher plans the structural concepts of the solutions to
problems
 Proposal ~ architect’s drawing
 No one would start building a structure by rushing out to dig a
hole for the foundation without knowing in detail how the
building will look when it is finished

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Proposed Research Project
 Show the viability and the plan in the research proposal
 The problem and its subproblems are clearly stated
 Hypotheses or questions are articulated
 All necessary terms are defined
 Delimitations are carefully spelled out
 The reason for conducting the study - why it’s important - is
explained
 Every anticipated detail of acquiring, organising, analysing,
and interpreting the data is specified

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The Proposal
 Nothing is overlooked
 All questions that may arise in the minds of those who review
the proposal are anticipated and answered
 Any unresolved matter is a weakness in the proposal and may
seriously affect its approval
 Sometimes young researchers think the proposal is merely a
necessary formality and thus do not give it the serious
consideration it deserves
 No matter whether you are seeking funding for a project from a
grant foundation or seeking approval for a thesis or dissertation
from a university faculty committee, a clear, well-written
proposal is essential
 Nothing is a substitute for an explicit setting forth of both
problem and procedure
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A Proposal is a Straightforward
Document
 A proposal should not be cluttered with extraneous and
irrelevant material
 It opens with a straightforward statement of the problem to be
researched
 It needs no explanatory props – no introduction, prologue
(introduction to a play, poem,etc.)
 Such information may be interesting, but none of it is
necessary or appropriate

 You capture or lose your reader with the first sentence

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A Proposal is a Straightforward
Document
 Keep in mind the meaning of proposal
 The word suggests looking forward, to what the researcher plans to
do in the future – not history
 If a writer intends to make an analytical comparison of the past and
present social and economic conditions of minority groups, he or she
might begin, “This study will analyse the social and economic status
of certain minority groups today in comparison with their similar
status five decades ago for the purpose of …”
 This is a no-nonsense beginning, and it indicates that the writer
knows what a proposal should be
 Employ future tense, for example, “The study will analyse …”

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A Proposal is Clearly Organised
 Proposals are written in conventional prose style, and thoughts
are expressed in simple paragraph form
 The organisation of the thoughts is outlined by the proper use
of headings and subheadings
 Organisation and outline are essential
 They hint at an orderly and disciplined mind – one of the
highest tributes to a researcher’s qualifications
 No indented outline – it is not conventional - hint a brevity
(shortness)  hint a superficiality (on the surface only, not
thorough or deep)  suggest undesirable quality of researchers

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A Proposal is Clearly Organised
 In professional writing, headings and subheadings are the
single most commonly used strategy to express the
writer’s overall organisational scheme
 You should communicate the outline of your thoughts to
your own readers in the same fashion

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Formatting Headings and Subheadings
You must use different formats to indicate the different levels
of headings you use
 The most important headings are in ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS and centred on the page. These are headings of the
largest units of writing; for instance, they may be the titles of
the various chapters in a proposal or research report
 The next important headings are in ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS and left justified on the page
 The next headings are in Capital and Lowercase Letters

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Example of Structural Outline
4. THE REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
4.1 UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF REVIEW
4.1.1 The Purpose of the Review
4.1.2 How to Begin
4.1.2.1 Go to the indexes and abstracts
4.1.2.2 Database access
4.1.2.3 Go to the library
4.1.3 How to Write the Section
4.1.3.1 Get the proper
4.1.3.2 Have a plan
4.2 POINTS OF DEPARTURE
4.2.1 Abstract
4.2.2 Indexes
4.3 FOR FURTHER READING
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Success Begins with Initial Proposal
 Frustrating experience if proposal rejected by graduate
committee

 Success begins long before activity begins – the planning

 How data will be interpreted – will determine success or failure

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 Proposal Writing
• A Research proposal is
– a short document designed to express your
intentions and future plans
– a reasoned, critical research plan that includes
the pitfalls of your approach and how you will
handle them.
– similar in a number of ways to a project
proposal;
• however, a research proposal addresses a
particular project: academic or scientific
research.

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 What are possible parts / topics (in
order) in a proposal?

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
Elements of a proposal
I. Title
II. Introduction
III. Statement of the Problem
IV. Purpose/Objective of the study
V. Literature review
VI. Approach /Methods and procedures
VII. Significance of the Study / expected benefits
VIII. Duration and plan of action
IX. Cost
X. References
XI. Appendixes
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 Proposal writing …. cont’d

Title
– An obviously important part of the process.

– You need to engage the reader with a short,

relevant title that clearly demonstrates what
the problem is and why this is important.

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
Introduction
– Provides readers with the background information for
the research reported in the paper.
– Establishes a framework for the research, so that
readers can understand how it is related to other
research
– In an introduction, you should
• create reader interest in the topic,
• lay the broad foundation for the problem that
leads to the study,
• place the study within the larger context of the
scholarly literature, and
• reach out to a specific audience.
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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
• Statement of the Problem
– A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in
the literature, theory, or practice that leads to a need
for the study”

– It is important in a proposal that the problem stand

out—that the reader can easily recognize it.
– Sometimes, obscure and poorly formulated problems
are masked in an extended discussion.
– In such cases, reviewers and/or committee members
will have difficulty recognizing the problem.

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
• Effective problem statements answer the question

– “Why does this research need to be conducted.”

• If a researcher is unable to answer this question clearly

and succinctly, then the statement of the problem will
come off as ambiguous.

• Make sure to state the problem in terms intelligible to

someone who is generally sophisticated but who is
relatively uninformed in the area of your investigation.

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 Proposal writing …. Cont’d
Purpose/Objective of the study
• “The purpose statement should provide a specific and
accurate synopsis of the overall purpose of the study”

• Briefly define and delimit the specific area of the

research.

• Describe the hypotheses to be tested or the questions to

be raised (if any)

• Try to incorporate a sentence that begins with

– “The purpose of this study is . . .”

• Clearly identify and define the central concepts or ideas

of the study.
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 Proposal writing …. Cont’d
Literature review
– The review of the literature provides the background
and context for the research problem.
– Establishes the need for the research and indicate
that the writer is knowledgeable about the area
– Demonstrate to the reader that you have a
comprehensive grasp of the field and are aware of
important recent substantive and methodological
developments.
– the literature review should be generally brief and to
the point.

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 Proposal writing …. Cont’d
• Methods and Procedures
– This is the heart of the research proposal.
– The activities should be described with as much detail
as possible
– Indicate the methodological steps you will take to
answer every question or to test every hypothesis
illustrated in the Purpose of the study
• Clearly describe
– The sampling techniques
– Data collection instruments
– Data collection plan
– Specify the procedures you will use to analyze the
data
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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
• Significance of the study
– Indicate how your research will refine, revise, or
extend existing knowledge in the area under
investigation
– Thinking about the significance of your study, ask
yourself the following questions.
• What will be improved or changed as a result of the
proposed research?
• Will results influence programs, methods, and/or
interventions?
• Will results contribute to the solution of a problem
facing the society?
• Will results influence the decision making process?
• How will results of the study be implemented, and
what innovations will come about?
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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
• Duration and plan of action
– Indicate the length of time required to complete the
research
– The proposal must produce a reasonable plan of action
for the duration of the proposed research and an
estimated completion date
– The Plan of action
• gives a brief outline of the estimated time needed to
complete each section of the research.
• makes you be more certain that you are not
proposing to do too much work.
• Financial cost
– Prepare a budget for your project that shows what you
anticipate the cost of conducting the research to be.
– Be honest and reasonable in preparing the budget
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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
• References
– references cited in the research proposal
should be included in the reference list
– Follow a specific and consistent guideline
regarding use of references in text and in the
reference list.

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
References - Five rules
1. Any work not your own should be clearly
marked
2. Any quotations within quotation marks
3. Every reference in the text should be listed
4. Every item in the list must have a reference
in the text
5. Every table , figure or photograph must have
a reference in the text

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
• Appendixes (Optional)

– The need for complete documentation generally

dictates the inclusion of appropriate appendixes in
proposals

• The following materials are appropriate for an

appendix.
• Questionnaires
• Interview protocols.
• Sample of informed consent forms.
• Cover letters sent to appropriate stakeholders.
• Official letters of permission to conduct research.

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 Writing Research Report

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 Report Writing
A report is a communication of
information, from a person who has
collected and studied the facts.

What are the basic suggested parts

research report?

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 Outlines of a research report
The following are suggested outline of
chapters and sections of your report
Preliminary Pages
• Title Page
• Acknowledgement
• Abstract
• Table Of Contents
• List Of Tables
• List Of Figures
• List Of Acronyms
• Declarations
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 Outlines of a research report … cont’d
• CHAPTER I – Introduction
o Background
o Statement of the problem
o Research questions and/or hypotheses
o Purpose/Objective
o Significance of the study
Scope/limitation
• CHAPTER II –Literature Review and Related Works
o Literature review
o Related Works

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 Outlines of a research report … cont’d
CHAPTER III – Methodology
oGeneral Approach
o Data Source - Population and sampling
o Data collection methods and process
o Instrumentation (include copy in appendix)
o Validity and reliability (Results from pilot test)
oAnalysis/design Procedures/settings
oEvaluation approaches and procedure if applicable

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 Outlines of a research report … cont’d
• CHAPTER IV –Design/Experimental Results and Discussion
oExperimentation and Findings
oDiscussion of Results
• CHAPTER V – Conclusions and Recommendations
o Summary (of what you did and found)
o Conclusion (What you conclude from your
findings)
o Recommendations (based on your findings)
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX
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 Writing Tips

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 Writing Tips
• Reading will help you write.
– Train yourself to read like a writer—
• examine structure,
• writing style,
• overall organization,
• such as use of subheads.
• Once you are already familiar with the process of
Research, writing is a similar process.

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 Writing tips … cont’d

• Write your abstract first for the first draft

– Abstract is a few short paragraphs that
identifies
• the key questions
• importance of your research question.
• The approaches you have employed
• Findings
• The Title and Abstract should reflect the focus of
your work.
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 Writing tips … cont’d
Edit for Clarity
– Define abbreviations.
– Use proper transitions from paragraph to paragraph and
section to section.
– Don’t bury your point underneath long introductory
clauses.
– Vary sentence length.
– Rewrite ambiguous sentences.
– Correct grammar
– Correct spelling and punctuation

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 Writing tips … cont’d
Edit for Appearance
– Consistent font
– Consistent line spacing
– Break up text with bullets
– Use drawings and figures when possible
– Use subheads

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 Writing tips … cont’d

Strive for Perfection

– No one can sit down and write the perfect
paper in one draft.
– A paper goes through several revisions, each
one improving on the previous version.
– You will never prepare a proposal or a report
that’s free of any errors or ambiguities. Try
anyway.

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 Writing tips … cont’d
Be ready for comments
– Write your first draft
– Have a Colleague/experts, Read your writing
– You don’t want to hear how wonderful a writer you
are, you want substantive feedback.
– Don’t take criticism personally
– Edit your report
– Produce final report

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 Presentation /Communicating your Work

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` Presenting your paper
• Most presentations are based on a written paper

• Main benefit of presenting the work orally as

well as in written form is that you get immediate
feedback on your work from other people in
your chosen field

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 Presentation
Presenting Skills
your -1
paper
•• Give
Most yourself plentyare
presentations of time toon
based prepare before
a written paper
your presentation.

• Main benefit of presenting the work orally as

• Practise your presentation to make sure it runs
well as in written form is that you get immediate
to time.
feedback on your work from other people in
your chosen field
• Have notes handy in case you dry up. Make sure
the notes are legible and that you are totally
familiar with the order in which you want to say
things.

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 Presentation Skills – 2
• Always start by introducing yourself and the
topic you are going to talk about.
• Tell your audience exactly how the talk will be
structured.
• Sum-up what you have said on a concluding
slide.
• Try not to cover too much ground.

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 Presentation Skills - 3

• Try not to read from a script

• Maintain eye contact with your audience

• Make sure your audience can hear you - don’t

talk too quickly, take a pause now and then

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 Presentation Skills – 4
• Don’t put too much on each slide.

• Use a large font.

• Ensure slides are relevant.

• Make sure any animation or sound does not

cause an unwanted distraction.

• Ensure slides are free of Spelling/Grammatical

errors.

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 Presentation Skills - 5
• Leave time for questions, they are a good
way of getting feedback.

• Consider your answer and make sure you

understand the question - if not ask for
clarification.

• If you don’t know the answer, be honest

and say so.
• Do not forget to thank your audience

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 Miscellaneous issues

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Task of reviewer/ referee

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Cont…

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Find an Advisor and a Project
 Start early
 Get info about profs’ research
 home pages, research papers, word of mouth, …
 Schedule meetings with several professors
 email, appointments
 Choose a professor
 Know how to “manage”

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Find an Advisor and a Project
 Decide on a project
 Students come up with their own
 Profs suggest choices
 A combination
 Mutual agreement, interest, enthusiasm
 Write brief description of project and get Advisor’s email
commitment to advise you

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Find an Advisor and a Project
 More Topics/areas that may be possible research areas;
 AI
 Education aids
 Language recognition/translation
 Wireless
 Web mining
 Big data
 Sentiment /Opinion Analysis
 Social networking

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Checkpoints and Talks
 Arrange talks (3 to 4) about your work, at different stages
of the work.
 Purpose is not to give you “busy work”
 Main purpose: To provide opportunities to re-evaluate and re-
formulate your project and plan
(Trust me, you will need to.)
 Secondary purpose: To get practice presenting your work.

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Final Project Results Talk
 Convince or ……
 Review the problem description and proposed approach –
give “the theme”
 Give details (e.g., of implementation) to support “the
theme”
 Give key results to support “the theme”
 Summarize “the theme”

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Once again : a view of your research

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Notice
 Assignment on citation submission – Jan 24, 2024
 Pdf format
 With subject of: RM – ASS I – ASU

 Proposal submission – ???

 Exam: Feb 31, 2024

 Sending sample exam questions

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 Please !!!! Please !!!!Please!!! Read
Research is enjoyable once you are in,
like swimming

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