MARKETING RESEARCH FORMAT
PREFATORY PART
I. Title page
The title page should include the title of the report, information (name, address, email, and
telephone) about the researcher or organization conducting the research, the name of the client for
whom the report was prepared, and the date of release.
II. Letter of transmittal
A formal report generally contains a letter of transmittal that delivers the report to the client and
summarizes the researcher’s overall experience with the project, without mentioning the findings.
The letter should also identify the need for further action on the part of the client, such as
implementation of the findings or further research that should be undertaken.
III. Letter of authorization
A letter of authorization is written by the client to the researcher before work on the project begins.
It authorizes the researcher to proceed with the project and specifies its scope and the terms of the
contract.
IV. Table of contents
V. List of tables
VI. List of graphs
VII. List of appendices
VIII. List of exhibits
The table of contents should list the topics covered and the appropriate page numbers. In most
reports, only the major headings and subheadings are included. The table of contents is followed by a
list of tables, list of graphs, list of appendices, and list of exhibits.
IX. Executive summary
a. Major findings
b. Conclusions
c. Recommendations
The summary should concisely describe the problem, approach, and research design that was
adopted. A summary section should be devoted to the major results, conclusions, and
recommendations. The executive summary should be written after the rest of the report has been
completed.
MAIN BODY
X. Problem definition
a. Background to the problem
b. Statement of the problem
This section of the report gives the background to the problem, highlights the discussions with the
decision makers and industry experts, and discusses the secondary data analysis, the qualitative
research that was conducted, and the factors that were considered.
XI. Approach to the problem
This section should discuss the broad approach that was adopted in addressing the problem. This
section should also contain a description of the theoretical foundations that guided the research, any
analytical models formulated, research questions, hypotheses, and the factors that influenced the
research design.
XII. Research design
a. Type of research design
b. Information needs
c. Data collection from secondary sources
d. Data collection from primary sources
e. Scaling techniques
f. Questionnaire development and pretesting
g. Sampling techniques
h. Fieldwork
The section on research design should specify the details of how the research was conducted. This
should include the nature of the research design adopted, information needed, data collection from
secondary and primary sources, scaling techniques, questionnaire development and pretesting,
sampling techniques, and fieldwork.
The material is presented in nontechnical terms and the technical details are included in the
appendix. This section also justifies the procedures adopted. This is the proof that how a
researcher has scientifically structured his research work.
XIII. Data analysis
a. Methodology
b. Plan of data analysis
This section describes the plan of data analysis, justifying the selection of the specific
techniques. The data analysis techniques are described in simple, nontechnical terms.
XIV. Results
This section is normally the longest part of the report and may comprise several chapters. Often, the
results are presented not only at the aggregate level but also at the subgroup (market segment,
geographical area, etc.) level. The results should be organized in a coherent and logical way. The
presentation of the results should be geared directly to the components of the marketing research
problem and the information needs that were identified. The details should be presented in tables
and graphs, with the main findings discussed in the text.
XV. Limitations and caveats
All marketing research projects have limitations caused by time, budget, and other organizational
constraints. Furthermore, the research design adopted may be limited in terms of the various types
of errors, and some of these may be serious enough to warrant discussion. This section should be
written with great care and a balanced perspective. On one hand, the researcher must make sure
that management does not overly rely on the results or use them for unintended purposes, such as
projecting them to unintended populations. On the other hand, this section should not erode their
confidence in the research or unduly minimize its importance.
XVI. Conclusions and recommendations
This section contains the suggestions derived from the marketing research results and states the
feasible and practical recommendations that can be used by the client for its own decision-making
purposes.
The researcher should interpret the results in light of the problem being addressed to arrive at major
conclusions. Based on the results and conclusions, the researcher may make recommendations to the
decision makers.
If recommendations are made, they should be feasible, practical, actionable, and directly usable as
inputs into managerial decision making.
APPENDED PART
XVII. Exhibits
a. Questionnaires and forms
b. Statistical output
c. Lists
* Essentials of Marketing Research – A Hands-On Orientation, Naresh K. Malholtra, Pearson Education Inc, 2015