The document outlines a three day workshop on designing research reports and papers at the undergraduate level. It provides an overview of the key components of a research report or thesis including the research process, title, abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion, appendices and references. Each section is briefly described. The workshop also covers formulating research questions and objectives, research planning, and presenting results. Overall, the workshop aims to guide attendees on how to structure and communicate their research effectively in a written report or thesis.
The document outlines a three day workshop on designing research reports and papers at the undergraduate level. It provides an overview of the key components of a research report or thesis including the research process, title, abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion, appendices and references. Each section is briefly described. The workshop also covers formulating research questions and objectives, research planning, and presenting results. Overall, the workshop aims to guide attendees on how to structure and communicate their research effectively in a written report or thesis.
The document outlines a three day workshop on designing research reports and papers at the undergraduate level. It provides an overview of the key components of a research report or thesis including the research process, title, abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion, appendices and references. Each section is briefly described. The workshop also covers formulating research questions and objectives, research planning, and presenting results. Overall, the workshop aims to guide attendees on how to structure and communicate their research effectively in a written report or thesis.
Organized by Academic Section, Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Session 1
Research Process: Designing a Research
Report/Thesis
Dr. Neelam Gohar
Assistant Professor Computer Science, SBBWUP
September 10, 2018
Outline • Research • Thesis • Title • Abstract • Introduction • Literature Review • Methodology • Results • Discussion and Conclusion • Appendices and References Research • Research and knowledge exchange are central to the culture of intellectual enquiry. • Research informs and underpins our teaching and allows us to have significant academic, societal, economic and cultural impacts. Thesis • A thesis is a written record of the work that has been undertaken by a candidate for a degree. • Most of all, a thesis is an attempt to communicate. Science begins with curiosity, follows on with experiment and analysis, and leads to findings which are then shared with the larger community of scientists and perhaps even the public. • A thesis is therefore not merely a record of technical work, but is also an attempt to communicate it to a larger audience. Title • Title should be brief, specific and informative, indicating the nature and scope of your report. Include key words so that your work can easily be accessed by electronic methods. • Keywords are ideas and topics that define what your content is about Abstract • Use it as an opportunity to spur the reader’s interest. • The summary should highlight the main points from your work, especially the thesis statement, methods (if applicable), findings and conclusion. • However, the summary does not need to cover every aspect of your work. The main objective is to give the reader a good idea of what the thesis is about. Introduction Your introduction has two main purposes: 1. to give an overview of the main points of your thesis 2. to awaken the reader’s interest It is recommended to rewrite the introduction one last time when the writing is done, to ensure that it connects well with your conclusion. The introduction should include • The background for your choice of theme • A discussion of your research question or thesis statement • A schematic outline of the remainder of your thesis Research Questions • You need to formulate the research questions that must be answered during the course of the research project. • These questions have been selected and formulated in such a way that the answers will yield information that is useful or necessary for accomplishing the research objective. Research objectives • Specific accomplishment the researchers hope to achieve by the study • Obtaining answers to research questions • The action verbs are to assess, to identify, to find out, to describe, to find, to compare, to establish, to verify, to calculate, to analyze etc. Literature Review • The background sets the general tone for your thesis. • It should make a good impression and convince the reader why the theme is important and your approach relevant. • Even so, it should be no longer than necessary. Methodology (Materials and Methods) • The purpose of the methodology section is to detail how you conducted your research so that others can understand and replicate your approach • For example, if you have carried out interviews, you do not need to list all the different types of research interview. Research Planning • One of the remaining design activities to carry out is to draw up a plan. This refers both to processing the research project and writing the research report. • As for the process of carrying out the research project, it is not only advisable to draw up a time schedule with deadlines for various ‘products’. It is also important to specify beforehand what activities should lead to these ‘products’. Results • Present your results in a consistent manner. For example, if you present the first group of results as percentages, then present all of your figures in this way. Discussion • In many thesis the discussion is the most important section. • Make sure that you allocate enough time and space for a good discussion. • This is your opportunity to show that you have understood the significance of your findings and that you are capable of applying theory in an independent manner. Conclusion • Open research questions cannot always be answered, but if a definite answer is possible, you must provide a conclusion. The conclusion should answer your research question(s). Remember that a negative conclusion is also valid. • A summing up should repeat the most important issues raised in your thesis (particularly in the discussion), although preferably stated in a (slightly) different way. For example, you could frame the issues within a wider context. Summary • Introduction/Aim: What did you do and why? • Materials and Methods: How did you do it? • Observations/Results: What did you find? • Discussion: What do your results mean to you and why? • Conclusions: What new knowledge have you extracted from your experiment? Appendices • Only include selected material that directly supports your report. Examples of such materials include: The relevant letters to participants and organizations (e.g. regarding the ethics or conduct of the project). • The details or samples of questionnaires, surveys or other relevant instruments that were developed for the purpose of the study of background reports or raw data. • An appendix typically includes data and supporting documents used by a writer to develop the written work. References • to cover works cited • A reference list, generally, contains only sources you have cited in-text in your assignment. • An appendix contains supplementary material that is not an essential part of the text itself but which may be helpful in providing a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem or it is information that is too cumbersome to be included in the body of the paper. Task • Choose a topic to research • Design research questions • Create an outline References 1. http://www.pngall.com/team-work-png 2. https://www.google.com/search?q=research&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjY9OSBse7 YAhWyiKYKHeNYBicQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=EODOaj992Gs4nM 3. http://student.londonmet.ac.uk/your-studies/mphil--phd-professional-doctorates/research-framework/ 4. http://www.logemin.com/arcorp/- 5. https://sokogskriv.no/en/writing/structure-and-argumentation/structuring-a-thesis/ 6. https://services.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/471287/Undergraduate_research_reports_Updat e_051112.pdf 7. https://www.boomhogeronderwijs.nl/media/6/9789059315723_inkijkexemplaar.pdf 8. http://www.student.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1919239/How-to-write-a-thesis-A-working- guide.pdf 9. https://writemypaper4me.org/blog/research-paper-thesis
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