Research Methodology
C25: Communicating Research Results: Report Generation, Oral
Presentation, and Follow-Up
Communication Process
Communication process is process by which one person or source sends a message to an audience or
receiver and then receives feedback about the message.
Several elements influence successful communication.
• the communicator : the source or sender of the message
• the message : the set of meanings being sent to or received by the audience
• the medium: the way in which the message is delivered to the audience
• the audience : the receiver or destination of the message
• feedback : a communication, also involving a message and channel, that flows in the reverse direction and
that may be used to modify subsequent communications
Research Report
Research report is an oral presentation and/or written statement whose purpose is to communicate
research results, strategic recommendations, and/or other conclusions to management or other specific
audiences.
Research Report Format:
1. Title page (sometimes preceded by a title fly page)
The title page should state the title of the report, for whom the report was prepared, by whom it
was prepared, and the date of release or presentation. The title should give a brief but complete
indication of the purpose of the research project. Addresses and titles of the preparer and recipient
may also be included. On confidential reports, the title page may list the people to whom the report
should be circulated. For the most formal reports, the title page is preceded by a title fly page, which
contains only the report’s title.
2. Letter of transmittal
Relatively formal and very formal reports include a letter of transmittal. Its purpose is to release or
deliver the report to the recipient. It also serves to establish some rapport between the reader and
the writer. This is the one part of the formal report in which a personal or even slightly informal tone
should be used. The transmittal should not dive into the report findings except in the broadest
terms.
3. Letter of authorization
The letter of authorization is a letter to the researcher that approves the project, details who has
responsibility for it, and describes the resources available to support it. Because the researcher
would not write this letter personally, writing guidelines will not be discussed here. In many
situations, simply referring to the authorization in the letter of transmittal is sufficient. If so, the
letter of authorization need not be included in the report. In some cases, though, the reader may be
unfamiliar with the authorization or may need detailed information about it. In such cases, the
report should include this letter, preferably an exact copy of the original.
4. Table of contents (and lists of figures and tables)
A table of contents is essential to any report more than a few pages long. It should list the divisions
and subdivisions of the report with page references. The table of contents is based on the final
outline of the report, but it should include only the first-level subdivisions. For short reports it is
sufficient to include only the main divisions. If the report includes many figures or tables, a list of
these should immediately follow the table of contents.
5. Executive summary
briefly explains why the research project was conducted, what aspects of the problem were
considered, what the outcome was, and what should be done. It is a vital part of the report. Studies
have indicated that nearly all managers read a report’s summary, while only a minority read the rest
of the report. Thus, the writer’s only chance to produce an impact may be in the summary. he
summary contains four elements. First, it states the objectives of the report, including the most
important background information and the specific purposes of the project. Second, it presents the
methodology and the major results. Finally, the conclusions of the report are presented. These are
opinions based on the results and constitute an interpretation of the results. Finally come
recommendations, or suggestions for action, based on the conclusions. In many cases, managers
prefer not to have recommendations included in the report or summary. Whether or not
recommendations are to be included should be clear from the particular context of the report.
6. Body
The body constitutes the bulk of the report. It begins with an introduction section setting out the
background factors that made the project necessary as well as the objectives of the report. It
continues with discussions of the methodology, results, and limitations of the study and finishes with
conclusions and recommendations based on the results.
7. Appendix
Any material that is too technical or too detailed to go in the body should appear in the appendix.
This includes materials of interest only to some readers or subsidiary materials not directly related to
the objectives. Some examples of appendix materials are data collection forms, detailed calculations,
discussions of highly technical questions, detailed or comprehensive tables of results, and a
bibliography (if appropriate). Since the advent of company intranets, much appendix material is
posted on internal Web pages.
Graphic Aids
Used properly, graphic aids can clarify complex points or emphasize a message. Used improperly or sloppily,
they can distract or even mislead a reader. Graphic aids work best when they are an integral part of the text.
The graphics should always be interpreted in the text. This does not mean that the writer should
exhaustively explain an obvious chart or table, but it does mean that the text should point out the key
elements of any graphic aid and relate them to the discussion in progress. Several types of graphic aids may
be useful in research reports including tables, charts, maps, and diagrams.
Table
Line Graph
Pie Chart
Bar Chart
Oral Presentation
Oral presentation is A spoken summary of the major findings, conclusions, and recommendations, given to
clients or line managers to provide them with the opportunity to clarify any ambiguous issues by asking
questions. The purpose of an oral presentation is to highlight the most important findings of a research
project and provide clients or line managers with an opportunity to ask questions. The oral presentation may
be as simple as a short video conference with a manager at the client organization’s location or as formal as
a report to the company board of directors.
Reports on the Internet
Many clients want numerous employees to have access to research findings. One easy way to share data is
to make executive summaries and reports available on a company Intranet. In addition, a company can use
information technology on the Internet to design questionnaires, administer surveys, analyze data, and
share the results in a presentation-ready format. Real-time data capture allows for beginning-to-end
reporting. A number of companies offer fully Web-based research management
Research Follow-Up
Research reports and oral presentations should communicate research findings so that managers can make
business decisions. In many cases, the manager who receives the research report is unable to interpret the
information and draw conclusions relevant to managerial decisions. For this reason, effective researchers do
not treat the report as the end of the research process. They conduct a research follow-up, in which they
recontact decision makers and/or clients after the latter have had a chance to read over the report. The
purpose is to determine whether the researchers need to provide additional information or clarify issues of
concern to management.
References :
Zikmund, Babin, Carr, and Griffin (2010). Business Research Methods. 8th Edition. South-Western, Cengage
Learning.
