A research project is usually divided into five chapters (broadly) before
any further divisions. The typical formats are:
Title page
Approval page
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table Of Content
List Of Tables
List Of Figures
List Of Symbols/ Nomenclature (Where Applicable)
Main Work (Chapter One To Five)
References
Appendices (Where Applicable)
Title page: Here, the name of the institution is put, the title of the
report, the name of the Author, then the reason for the report (this is
why it is required that students add that it is 'in partial fulfilment of the
course requirement required for the award of the [Link] degree.' Then
the date is added.
Approval page: The name of the institution and department, then a
statement signifying approval for the work by the supervisor, head of
department and external supervisor. Space is reserved for signatures
of all listed parties as well.
Dedication page: This is where the researcher dedicate the research
to a deity, someone, dead or/and alive. This is different from the
acknowledgement.
Acknowledgement: The researcher here writes to appreciate all that
contributed, (technical, financial, moral and otherwise) to the success
of the research.
Abstract: This is the synopsis of the research work. It is often written
last with the tense in past. Usually less than 100 words summarizing
the problem statement, the methodology employed, the findings,
conclusion and recommendations.
Structure of a standard abstract
Overview of the study
Methods
Results or findings
Conclusion and recommendations
Table of content: The main heading s and sub-headings and page
numbers are listed. This allows for easy page identification and
reference. The table of content should be edited at the final stage as
well, to correctly capture the reflections in the work.
List of tables/figures/symbols: The list is to aid the reader in
locating tables/figures/symbols. It should contain the tag numbers, tag
which reflects the content and the page numbers. It should be well-
numbered and unambiguous. In the main content, the figure/table
should be well-labelled.
(The body of the work).
Chapter One: This is usually the introduction.
This describes the background, scope and purpose of the research. The
researcher should strive to present sufficient details regarding why the
study was carried out. It shouldn't be rushed, a gradual build-up of the
content from bottom to top is ideal. It should be closed with a linking
paragraph that would disclose the objectives, constraints and
limitations.
Background to the Study
The background sets the general tone for your study. The researcher is
expected to discuss in detail and convincingly the background, need and
rationale for the topic. It should start by introducing the broad overall topic and
providing basic background information surrounding the dependent variable of
interest from a global approach and narrowing the topic down to a more specific
research context. In other words, this should have a funnel structure.
Statement of the Problem Inform the reader of the specific problem under
study. This should flow from gaps (what has not been done before) existing
and how the present study will fill that gap.
Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is usually an amplification of
the title. Let us consider one example: “Gender Differences in Senior School
Certificate Examination Chemistry in Ikorodu Local Government Area of
Lagos State" The purpose of the study can be stated thus: The purpose of
this study is to examine the gender influence on academic performance of
students in Senior School Certificate Examination Chemistry in Ikorodu Local
Government Area of Lagos State. The specific objectives are as follows: To
assess the extent to which male and female students differ in their
Chemistry performance in the Senior School Certificate Examination.
Significance of the Study Indicate those that will benefit from findings of the
study and how.
Scope of the Study The scope of the study should cover both the content
scope and geographical scope.
Chapter two: This is usually the literature theoretical review.
This presents basically, the work done by others. It is on the ground
work done by others that the current research is to be based, hence
the review. It sums up the pros and cons of all past work but due
credit should be given to the various Authors (referencing). The use
of quotations should be less in use, more of paraphrasing (reading
and making out meaning in your own words), making comments in
the review is great as well, it just depends on the context.
Chapter three: This is usually the research methodology.
Here the language used should be in past tense. It is a sum-up of the
research design, procedures, the area and population of study. The
data sampling and data sources are detailed as well. The method used,
from all alternatives, should also be justified. The materials and
equipment used is also included.
Chapter four: This is usually for data presentation and analysis
(results and discussion). The results obtained in the research are
presented here. Visual aids like graphs, charts and the likes should be
used as well. The results should be discussed then compared with
results of past Authors. The effects and applications of the results
should be detailed as well.
Chapter five: This part houses the conclusions and recommendations.
From the results of the research, conclusions are made, then
suggestions for improvement for other researchers with similar
interest. Based on the whole happenings, recommendations are
proffered.
References: This is a list of all the relevant journals, books and all
sources of information consulted in the research work, either online or
print. Plagiarism should be avoided at all costs, all quoted and exact
words of different sources should be properly referenced, in-text and at
the references' list/bibliography. MLA, APA and Chicago style are the
commonest referencing styles. (See a comprehensive guide on this
blog)