Processing The Findings And Writing Up Report And Presenting

Processing, analyzing and interpreting data/ findings

In a research process, reviewing the literature at a superficial level is essential for formulating and clarifying topic. Critically reviewing the related literature in detail must be done after developing a research design or a research proposal. Some of the tasks of reviewing a literature can also be done during the report writing stage if you feel to do so.For the research process, following tasks is needed to be performed:

1) Identifying and getting the related literature as many as possible.

2) Taking the notes of main findings so as to make the summary of the existing stock of knowledge on the topic being studied.

3) Examining the findings critically so as to know what is lacking in the existing stock of knowledge and what is to be added to it.

4) Identifying the need of current study by proving that the findings of the previous studies are doubtful or some new sources of information may be required to shed the new light on the topic.

After developing a research design or submitting a research proposal, you should collect the required data. There are four ways of collecting the data in social sciences. They are:

1) Asking people( survey method)

2) Observing behavior( observation method)

3) Experimenting activities(experimental method)

4) Analyzing existing materials and records( document study method)

The data collection stage is also known as the execution of the research project. In the case of small- scale studies, researcher himself or herself collects the data. In large-scale studies, the researcher must hire, train, and supervise the enumerators so as to use them in an effective way to obtain the reliable and valid data.

Once the data have been collected they should be coded, edited and tabulated for the statistical descriptions and inferences. Since the same crude data can be tabulated and interpreted in several ways, you should be cautious to check your personal biases.In the case of the hypothesis testing studies, as a data analyst, you should prove that your working hypothesis is formally accepted, rejected or modified on the basis of the empirical data. In the case of hypothesis formulating studies, the goal of analyzing data is to formulate empirical generalization. The generalization made by one researcher becomes a source of formulating hypothesis to the other researchers.

Writing up the report and Presenting

In a research process, report writing is a final stage. The research project cannot be accomplished without writing a report. If data are collected and analyzed but the report is not written then the research project becomes worthless. In short, a good research report must have the following features:

a) It should be written in a scientific style.

b) It should be able to explain the methods used in detail.

c) It should contain the useful findings.

d) It should present the whole information in an appropriate reporting format.

In order to write a report, you have to write several times until you think it is the best you can do. In order to complete a research project, the required time vary from case to case mainly because of the variation in type and scope of research, researcher's knowledge and availability of the resources. However, as an advisor of Masters degree dissertation, the writer experienced that the new research students tentatively require about 100 days to accomplish their research. Moreover, the breakdown of the total time for each stage of the research is given below:

Stages of research time required(days)

1) Formulating and clarifying a topic 20

2) Developing a research proposal 5

3) Reviewing a related literature 15

4) Collecting a primary data 20

5) Analyzing and interpreting the data 15

6) Preparing a report 25

Total days 100

So, a report is written with some purpose for a specific audience of a specific area. The information is formulated, developed, reviewed, collected, analyzed and finally a report is prepared. Various sections and the heading are added so that the information is easy to study and analyze. Making the sections as well as the heading helps the reader to achieve their findings from the report very easily.The briefs we provide from the report gives us the guidelines as well as the hits to study research in brief. In order to complete a research project, the required time vary from case to case mainly because of the variation in type and scope of research, researcher's knowledge and availability of the resources.

Hence, the research report is the means of scientific communication so as to tell the reader whole process of the research project including the result of the investigation. The purpose of the research report is to convey the reader or the interested person about the research problem, and the result of the investigation. The report writer should communicate such information to the readers effectively, systematically and objectively as far as possible. The quality of the research report depends on the researcher's skill of the scientific writing. The forms, contents and the styles of the reporting vary greatly from discipline to discipline and context to context. Mathematicians and chemists write their reports of the investigation by using the mathematical symbols and formula.

References

Kerlinger, Fred N., 1978. Foundations of Behavioural Research, (2nd Ed). New Delhi: Surjeet Publications

Young, P.V., 1975. Scientific Social Survey and Research. New Delhi.

Scott, Willim P., 1986 Dictonary of sociology.

Reejal, P.R., 1995. Fundamentals of public policy analysis. Kathmandu: Mrs Indira Reejal.