summarize this for 10 marks - Introduction
Project report is the written way of communicating the results of an investigation. It is a
document which reflects about how the research is conducted, the care that has been
exercised throughout the study and the findings in a manner that can be utilised for
decision-making. It is observed that executives are rarely interested in the methodology
adopted by the researcher in the investigation; they are interested only in the final results.
From their viewpoint, the research report is the written presentation which the executive
see about a project carried out by the researcher but initiated by the decision maker
(executive) and it conveys the information desired by the decision maker in an
understandable form. Report writing is an art, which must be learnt through hard work,
practice and effort. The information and recommendations placed before the management
are of little value unless they assist in making judgements and lead to decisions.
Therefore, a report should be written very carefully so as to stimulate thought and lead to
action. Report writers should concentrate on the collection of relevant data, organising
the data and arriving at a conclusion. The contents of the report play a very important role
in stimulating action.
12.2.2. Steps in Writing Reports
The steps needed to prepare the project report are as follows:
Step 1) Verifying the Sources of Data Collection: Verification of the sources of
information is a fundamental task which should be carried out prior to the
238 Biostatistics & Research Methodology
preparation of research report. The information can be collected from various
primary and secondary sources. More important is the research issue, more is the
verification needed.
Step 2) Formulating a Rough Pattern: During the data collection, researcher notes
down the significant and related information that can be included in the research
report. As the researcher proceeds in noting down the information, he formulates
a pattern to identify relevant and irrelevant information.
Step 3) Formulating Final Pattern: On the basis of formulated rough pattern, the
collected data is analysed. While analysing the data, the researcher might feel
the need to collect more data, while some of the existing data may get rejected
because of their unsuitability. By analysing collected data, gradually the final
pattern of the research report is formulated which is continuously refined.
Step 4) Making an Outline: After formulating the final pattern, an outline of the
research report is made, where the researcher decides how to present the report.
Various decisions to be made in this stage are related to problem statement,
arrangement of various sections, and a logical sequencing is decided. Many
times it is not needed, but it helps in finalising the structure of report.
Step 5) Writing the First Draft: The next step is writing the first draft of report. It is a
rough draft which is prepared by researcher at first. In this stage, the researcher
is still in confusion between the notes and the outline of report. Hence, this draft
needs refinement till it is finalised.
Step 6) Presenting the Rough Draft: In this stage, a rough draft which is prepared in
previous stage, is presented in front of the management. It is very important for
a researcher to make the management understand what the report is trying to
communicate. While preparing rough draft, it should be kept in mind that the
language should be clear as well as appealing. The researcher should note down
all the suggestions that are given for the improvement.
Step 7) Refinement in Rough Draft: In this stage, all the refinements that are
suggested by the management are made in the draft. The researcher also
needs to carefully analyse the draft and make necessary changes such as
adding important details, rearrangement of text, checking of grammar and
spelling, etc. This refinement continues in a loop till the top management
approves the report.
Step 8) Evaluation of Report: After continuous refinement, an almost final report is
prepared. In this stage, the top management evaluates the effectiveness of
report. They analyse whether the research is completed as per the instructions
or not. In this step, the reliability and the validity of the report is checked
against set parameters. The report is effective when it is able to communicate
the purpose of research clearly and comprehensively without hampering the
quality of the report.
Step 9) Present and Publish the Final Report: Once the report is finally approved
after evaluation, the next thing is presenting it to the intended audience. The
presentation should be effective enough to get the attention about the research
objectives. This presentation can be enhanced with the help of diagrammatic
representation and hand-outs, interaction with audience. Once, the report is
successfully presented, it is the time to publish it so that general public can get
to know about the research. Organisations can inform the common public with
the help of various techniques, such as, bulletin boards, newsletters, etc.
Designing the Methodology (Chapter 12) 239
12.2.3. Importance of Report Writing
Project report serves many purposes for the organisation and plays a crucial role in
management. Preparing a report is important due to following reasons:
1 ) Communicates the Information: Research report can be used as means of
communicating facts and information to the top management or executives in the
organisation. With the help of reports, ideas, suggestions, and concepts of the
organisations are conveyed to their shareholders, customers, general public, top
management executives, etc. Communicating information through reports allow the
managers to make efficient decisions.
2) Helps in Evaluation: Research report helps the managers to re-evaluate their
prevailing problem as well as to plan for future efficiently. Research reports also
help various departments to co-ordinate and control their activities. Research reports
assist general public in finding probable suggestions regarding their problems.
3) Facilitates Measuring Performance: Research reports can also help in evaluating
performance of a particular department/organisation, town, district, state, or country.
It provides relevant and complete information about the performance which in turn
helps in finding out the ways for betterment.
4) Predicts Future Trends: Research reports contain the facts and figures related to
some crucial incidents or occurrence that help in predicting the future occurrences. It
can forecast the changing trends of consumer buying, upcoming variation in the
market or economy, or need of technical advancement.
5) Helps in Making Desirable Changes: Report helps in making desirable changes in
a department, organisation, market, or economy, by understanding its consequences
and giving valuable suggestions. It identifies the factors responsible for poor
performance of a particular plan, policy, scheme, or organisation and provides ideas
or solutions to eliminate those factors so that positive changes could be implemented.