Introduction In a broad sense everyone does research, but dont write it up.

Without trustworthy and tested published research available we are dangerously lost in the experience, opinions and

hearsay. After spending days, weeks or even months working on a project, a researcher is likely to feel that prepareation of a report on that project is an anticlimactic formality.After all, it seems that the real work has all been done and it has just to be put on paper.This attitude can be disastrous.The project may have been well designed, the data carefully obtained and analysed by sophistaicated statistical methods, and important conclusions have been reached, but if the project is not been effectively reported all the preceding effort has been wasted. Many a times the research report is the only part of the project that others ever see. Users of the report cannot separate the content of the project from the form in which it is presented.If people who need to use the research report have to wade through a disorganized presentation, or have to go through some technical jargons which they dont understand, they will probably discount the report and make decisions without it- just as if the project hasnt been done. Thus, the research report is the crucuial means of communicating the whole project the medium by which it makes an impact on decisions. Why should we write up? Write to remember more accurately Write to understand better Write to gain perspective or see what you think more clearly

Why a formal report?

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Writing for others require imposing formal constraints Helps to learn more about your ideas and yourself by testing them against standards and values of others Understand your own work better in the brighter light of readers expectations

After collecting and analyzing the data, researcher has to accomplish the task of drawing inferences followed by report writing. This needs to be done very carefully. Or else misleading conclusions may lead to serious problems.And the whole purpose of doing research will be vitiated. There is no fool-proof way to ensure that no re-writing will be required.For hypothesis testing research, if the hypothesis are tested and upheld several times, the researcher can arrive at generalizations. But there are cases when there is no hypothesis and the researcher will have to start explaining on the basis of a theory. This may result in forming various other questions for which the researcher will go on and find the answers. Hence it becomes a cyclical process. All these information both analytical and conceptual need to be interpreted and communicated, mostly and preferably through a research report to the consumers/customers of the research , who may be an individual or a group of individual in a private or public organization or may be even the society as a whole.The researcher is not expected to write a world-shaking thesis , not a mammoth one. Need and Importance of Communicating in Reasearch Communication is of utmost importance in research. Research as a means to an end or a change depends substantially on effective communication. Hence, excellent research is wasteful if not communicated properly.It is similar to sharing the experience of our journey with others. Researcher owes something to the people cooperated and contributed to the research as well as those who commissioned and is waiting for the final report. Or in other words , a reward for respondents and sponsors. Continuous and clear communication with participants of the research project is as important as the final project. Ensuring that the new brick being laid is properly fitting to the building of research and contributing to the development of the building. Or in other words it means that the research results enter the general store of knowledge in the discipline .It ensures that there is no duplication of
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results.The post research evaluation helps a lot for other aspiring researchers. Effective, accurate and clear communication enables anyone to replicate the study. Lack of clear communication make people let their imagination run wide and make them look at the researcher with suspicious eyes. Post research evaluation of the study methodology and procedure could be improved. reveals how

Types of communication in Research 1. Communication within methodology/methods/tools/techniques eg: questionnaire 2. Two way communication with participants/respondants 3. Two way communication with sponsoring/participating agencies Stages of communication in research 1. Initial /proposal stage Draft proposal for comments of fellow professionals Final synopsyiss for approving authority

2. Middle/ ongoing stage Periodic reporst to commissioning body Provisional and frequent contacts with prospective respondents

3. Final /Concluding stage Contributors, respondents,commisiioning body,etc need to know the outcome, recommendations and scope of further research. There are various ways of talking and writing about the research in all these stages. This can include articles in journals, presentations in conference, final thesis report etc. The purpose writing research report is to document the research findings, to share the results with other interested groups, and apply the results in practice.It is a challenging job and requires imagination, creativity, and resourcefulness. The research report aims at telling the readers the problem identified, investigated and methods adopted, the results found and the conclusion reached. The highest standard of correct usage of word and sentences is expected. The outcome of the study should be presented in a way that the consumer should understand the findings. The results can be presented through written word or through various kinds of
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pictorial displays. Graphs and tables are the two common methods of communicating results. Graphs are generally used to describe the data in question, and tables are used to summarize the findings (Brockopp &Hastings-Tolsma, 2003). Criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of both graphs and tables include the clarity of the presentation, its conciseness, and its adequacy in conveying appropriate information (Wilson, 1987, p.295). Bar graph, histogram, frequency polygon, pie diagram, pictorial charts are the common methods of displaying results diagrammatically. Tables are generally used to summarize the meaningful results of a study. They should be numbered in sequence and are referred with in the text. Tables should be accompanied by factual, precise description of their meaning. Scientific writing is the presentation of a set of reasons in support of a thesis, or proposition. The format suggested by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, can be consulted for detailed matters of style (web address). A scientific report also requires the same attention to good writing as does any other form of written persuasion. Key concepts are clarity, brevity, and felicity. Authors should be careful to avoid sexism and ethnic bias. References are cited in the text by author name and date of publication. Harvard style and Vancouver style are the commonly used methods of writing references.The reference list contains an entry for each work cited in the text, and no others. The parts of a research paper are: Title ,authors and their affiliations, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, references, footnotes, tables, figure captions, and figures.The title should convey the main idea of the paper in a few words. The authors of the paper are listed in the order of the importance of their contributions/or can be even in alphabetical order. The abstract is a brief summary of the paper and includes elements from the introduction, method, results, and discussion sections. The introduction states the general problem the paper deals with, discusses the relevant literature, and states what the paper will contribute to the understanding of the problem. The method section tells what you did in the experiment/exploration/research in such a way that another person can evaluate the validity of the conclusions of the study and can repeat it in all essentials.The method section describes the subjects, apparatus, design, and procedure.The results section describes the results and their statistical analysis.Graphs and tables are described here.The discussion section interprets the results and relates them to the literature.It states the contributions that the study makes to the understanding of the problem posed in the introduction, and it deals with any weakness in the data or any qualifications of the conclusions.
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The formatting style of a research article in a journal is as follows Title Abstract Introduction Experimental Details or Theoretical Analysis Results Discussion Conclusions and Summary References

Title and Title Page

The title should reflect the content and emphasis of the project described in the report. It should be as short as possible and include essential key words. It should appear on a single cover page. Acknowledgments and a table of contents can be added as preface pages if desired.

Abstract

The abstract should concisely describe the topic, the scope, the principal findings, and the conclusions. It should be written last to reflect accurately the content of the report. The length of abstracts varies but seldom exceeds 200 words. A primary objective of an abstract is to communicate to the reader the essence of the paper. The reader will then be the judge of whether to read the full report or not. Were the report to appear in the primary literature, the abstract would serve as a key source of indexing terms and key words to be used in information retrieval. Author abstracts are often published verbatim in Chemical Abstracts.

Introduction "A good introduction is a clear statement of the problem or project and the reasons for studying it." (The ACS Style Guide. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2006.) The nature of the problem and why it is of interest should be conveyed in the opening paragraphs. This section should describe clearly but briefly the background information on the problem, what has been done before (with proper literature citations), and the objectives
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of the current project. A clear relationship between the current project and the scope and limitations of earlier work should be made so that the reasons for the project and the approach used will be understood.

Experimental Details, Computation Procedures, or Theoretical Analysis

This section should describe what was actually done. It is a succinct exposition of the laboratory and computational details, describing procedures, techniques, instrumentation, special precautions, and so on. It should be sufficiently detailed that other experienced researchers would be able to repeat the work and obtain comparable results. In theoretical reports, this section would include sufficient theoretical or mathematical analysis to enable derivations and numerical results to be checked. If the experimental section is lengthy and detailed, as in synthetic work, it can be placed at the end of the report so that it does not interrupt the conceptual flow of the report. Its placement will depend on the nature of the project and the discretion of the writer.

Results In this section, relevant data, observations, and findings are summarized. Tabulation of data, equations, charts, and figures can be used effectively to present results clearly and concisely. Schemes to show reaction sequences may be used here or elsewhere in the report.

Discussion The crux of the report is the analysis and interpretation of the results. What do the results mean? How do they relate to the objectives of the project? To what extent have they resolved the problem? Because the "Results" and "Discussion" sections are interrelated, they can often be combined as one section.

Conclusions and Summary A separate section outlining the main conclusions of the project is appropriate if conclusions have not already been stated in the "Discussion" section. Directions for future work are also suitably expressed here. A lengthy report, or one in which the findings are complex, usually benefits from a paragra ph summarizing the main features of the report 6

the objectives, the findings, and the conclusions. The last paragraph of text in manuscripts prepared for publication is customarily dedicated to acknowledgments. However, there is no rule about this, and research reports or senior theses frequently place acknowledgments following the title page.

References Thoroughness and currency of literature references acknowledge foundational work, direct the reader to published procedures, results, and interpretations, and play a critical role in establishing the overall scholarship of the report. The report should include in-text citations with the citations collated at the end of the report and formatted as described in APA format or using a standard established by an appropriate journal. The citation process can be facilitated by using one of several available citation software programs. In a well-documented report, the majority of the references should come from the primary chemical literature, with any citation of Internet sources kept to a bare minimum. Significance of Report Writing Research report is considered a major component of the research study for the research task remains incomplete till the report has been presented or written. As a matter of fact, even the most brilliant hyposthesis, highly well designed and conducted research study, and the most striking generalisations and findings are of little value unless they are effectively communicated. Hence in other words we can say that the purpose of a research is not complete unless it is communicated to others, as the research is a big hub of knowledge. This explains the significance of report writing.

Categories or types of reports 1. Information reports provides preliminaries and become basis for decision and research report. 2. Decision report begins with a problem and ends with an action plan and decision plan. It also carries out a SWOT analysis , generate and evaluate options and works out contingency plans

3. Research report contributes to the growth of subject literature. It can be either technical report or popular report which emphasizes on simplicity and attractiveness Collecting and organizing information 1. Two card index boxes a. References/working bibliography b. Contacts I.e. names and addresses of people concerned 2. Skelton filing system with four slots a. Project contract and plan b. Communication with commissioning body and participants c. Financial information d. Background information and reference A research report is an oral presentation or a written statement that has the pupose of communicating research findings, recommendations for courses of action, other findings to management or other specific audiences. It various from preparation of a small report on the results or an extensive reports on projects which involves many written documents, interim reports and a long final, written report with several oral presentations. There are certain guidelines which have to be kept in mind while writing research papers .It includes the following A good design and a lucid writing style are extremely important to get one's work published in a good scientific journal Focusing on your Central Message Define the materials and methods Summarize the question(s) and problem(s) Define the principal findings and results Describe the conclusions and implications Organize and group related ideas together Identify the references that pertain to each key point Develop the introduction

Factors to be considered in writing a report

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The various guidelines for writing a Phd.thesis can be explained as follows. Before starting the writing the topic has to be defined by carefully understanding the width of the topic and the constraints of the situations. A thorough literature review will help in framing a proper channel of topic.There should be a timetable fixed which will coordinate the report writing with all other activities. The reading strategies should be such that initially it should be in an exploration phase and then it should be done critically As the reading proceeds the writing can also be proceeded and this can be done by taking notes. Writing helps to focus and clear issues. As the research proceeds, its desirous to do presentations as well as presentations are another means of shaping the thoughts of the researcher and getting inputs from the outside world. Hence the usual steps involved in writing report are : a) Logical Analysis of the subject matter : There are two ways of developing a subject logically and chronologically. While logical is based on mental connections and association between one thing and another by means of analysis.Chronological development is based on a connection or sequence in time or occurrence. b) Preparation of final outline : outlines are frameworks on which long written works are constructed. c) Preparation of the rough draft : Here the researcher sits and writes down what he has done in the context of his research study, d) Rewriting and polishing of the rough draft : This step requires more time than writing the rough draft. The researcher should give attention to the fact that he has been consistent or not. Also the grammar, spelling and usage should also be checked. e) Preparation of the final bibliography : It should be arranged in alphabetical order and may be divided into two parts books and pamphlets. f) Writing the final draft : It should be written in a concise and objective style and in simple language . It must be remembered that every report should be an attempt to solve some intellectual problem and must contribute to the solution of a problem and must add to the knowledge of both the researcher and reader. Inspite of what all has been stated, it should be kept in mind that report writing is an art which is learnt by practice and experience rather than by mere doctrination.
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