ACADEMIC RESEARCH Preliminary pages

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Preliminary pages includes:
(this may vary from institution to institution)

√Title page

√Declaration

√Dedication

√Acknowledgement

√Table of contents

√ List of tables

√List of figures

√Operational Definition of terms

√ Abbreviation and Acronyms

√ Abstract

ACADEMIC RESEARCH The Structure

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

The Structure: Different institutions have different structures for their thesis/project. However the general structure is as below:

1. Preliminary pages
2. Chapter One: Introduction
3. Chapter Two: Literature Review
4. Chapter Three: Research Methodology
5. Chapter Four: Data Analysis
6. Chapter Five: Conclusion
7. References
8. Appendices

Items 1,2,3,7,8 are referred to as the research proposal and are written in future tense.

Items 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 are the research project and reporting language is used when writing them.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH. Research Project or Thesis?

ACADEMIC RESEARCH.

Research Project or Thesis?

Its essentially the same thing and most academic institutions require students to write either and submit on a partial qualification to their diploma, degree or advanced degrees.

The structure of both is the same but different universities and colleges have their own specific structure.

However a thesis/project submitted by doctoral students is much more detailed.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH Defination

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

√Research is carrying out a diligent inquiry or a critical examination of a given phenomenon.

√Research involves a critical analysis of existing conclusions or theories with regard to newly discovered facts i.e. it’s a continued search for new knowledge and understanding of the world around us.

√ Research is a process of arriving at effective solutions to problems through systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data.

√It is a systematic inquiry whose objective is to provide information to solve managerial problems

(Cooper and Schindler, 2003).

ACADEMIC RESEARCH Title page

ACADEMIC RESEARCH
‪#‎AcademicResearch‬

Title page

√It includes the research title, author’s name and affiliation.

THE TITLE

√A brief and to the point statement of the main topic and should identify both the independent and dependent variables.

√The scope of the study should be clear.

√ The title should be a reflection of the contents of the thesis/project.

√ The title should be fully explanatory when standing alone.

√Should not contain abbreviations

√Scientific names should be in italics.

√Should contain maximum of 15 to 21 words.

RESEARCH PROBLEM FORMULATION (CHOOSING A TOPIC) Part 1 of 5: Introduction

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

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RESEARCH PROBLEM FORMULATION

(CHOOSING A TOPIC)

Part 1 of 5: Introduction

√Problems in research are unresolved questions that call for an investigation

√Formulating a research problem requires considerable preliminary work, knowledge, and a logical analysis of the problem.

√It entails asking a previously unanswered question(s) for which an answer(s) is sought.

√It also entails stating clearly:

~the research objectives and hypotheses,

~defining precisely all key terms and concepts and,

~describing the research procedures to be applied.

RESEARCH PROBLEM FORMULATION Part 2 of 5: Sources of Research Problem

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

‪#‎AcademicResearch‬

RESEARCH PROBLEM FORMULATION

(CHOOSING A TOPIC)

Part 2 of 5: Sources of Research Problem

√Personal experiences: Own observations, questions or hunches for which no satisfactory explanation exists may suggest research questions.

√Previous research: From previous research one may identify gaps, which appear to justify additional research.

√Current social and political issues: Contemporary issues, debates, concerns or movements may lead to a research. The attempt may be to gain more knowledge about recent changes.

√Related literature: Reading textbooks and articles on an area of interest gives the reader an insight into various issues that could be studied or replicated.

√Deductions from theory: Existing theories can suggest research problems. A research may arise in an attempt to challenge what existing theories postulates.

√Practical situations: Your day-to-day work may suggest the need for a research to unravel or manage a new situation.

√Research themes given by funding agencies such as UNDP, OSSREA, Association of African Universities, GTZ, The World Bank, The IMF, USAID, among others.

√Researcher’s interest: Carefully observing existing practices in one’s area of interest at work, at home, at workshops, seminars among others.

√Declarations (such as world declaration of the Rights of children), conferences (such as NEPAD, AU), workshops and seminars

√Advanced graduate courses taught in Universities.