COMPONENTS OF A RESEARCH REPORT

Objectives of this article;  By the end of our discussion here, the learner will be able to;

1.  State the preparations made before starting to write a research report.

2.  Mention the different sections of a medical research report.

COMPONENTS OF A RESEARCH REPORT:  Before starting to write a research report, the student should make sure all their data is analysed and ready to be presented in form of graphs and charts in chapter four On this page, we are going to look at the components of a research report.

COVER PAGE:  For any research project, a cover page will display the topic of the research project, the credentials of the researcher that is, the names and registration numbers where applicable, the date when the report was compiled and submitted and the institution under which the research is being conducted.

APPROVAL OF THE RESEARCH REPORT:  On this page, there will be signatures, names and dates when signed of the student, the research supervisor and then head of the faculty if possible.  For some institutions, there may also be a letter countersigned in that respect.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX:  In this chapter, we make conclusions about the data analyzed and presented earlier, then where possible, we make recommendations.

REFERENCES:  The references in addition to citations, is the evidence of the information used in the research project.

APPENDIX I:  DATA COLLECTION TOOLS:  The data collection tool will be the instrument used to collect data such as a questionnaire for interviews.

APPENDIX II:  APPROVAL OF THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL:  Before starting the process of data collection, a research student must ensure that the research study has been accepted and it follows the guidelines according to the responsible institution, and a letter of approval is usually attached.  This is part of medical ethics as described in details from the link below.

Ethical considerations in medical research

APPENDIX III:  MAP OF THE DATA COLLECTION AREA:  The map showing data collection area is very important to the readers of your research proposal or report in that, it gives a picture of where the data was collected basing on the readers perspective about the places known.  Usually, they will be two or three maps one showing the Country and the district or region of data collection and where applicable, the map of the District and then the map of the data collection area.  You can learn how to extract maps using Google Earth by clicking here.

APPENDIX IV:  BUDGET OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT:  The budget is simply put forward for any researcher to ensure that the expenditure for the research study will be favorable.  It should be noted that for any research project, a very high expenditure that will not be affordable by the student is as good as not conducting the study at all.

APPENDIX V:  WORKPLAN FOR THE PROJECT:  This is simply a step by step record of what was being done and when during the time of development of the research proposal to the development and submission of the research report.

RELATED;

1.  HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

2.  MEDICAL RESEARCH METHODS

3.  The most prevailing research problems 2023

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN RESEARCH

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN RESEARCH:  Professional ethics and codes of conduct are applicable to all professions and here in medical research, we will be dealing with specifically research ethics.  For any medical process, it is very important that it's progress does not put the life of the implementer and or the participants at any risk.  It is also very important that the research participants in this case, are given total freedom, with their rights respected to the maximum, and the total freedom to withdraw from the research as soon as they feel they have to, without any penalty.  In other cases, the intentions of the research may be of high requirements and the process maybe a bit time consuming for the participants that some incentives may help alleviate fears and discomfort.  If you are new in our discussions, click on the link below to read more about incentives.

Use of incentives in medical research

Generally medical research ethics begins with having a research supervisor, because most of reinforcement will be accompanied by your research supervisor.  If you have note been following us previously, click on the link below for the details about the supervisor.  Roles and duties of a research supervisor  From approval of the research topic by the Supervisor among the selected, step by step guidance is given to make sure that every piece of work complies with the institutional rules and regulations, and also in line with the overall governing body for professional research.

RELATED;

1.  HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

2.  COMPONENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

3.  ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A RESEARCH SUPERVISOR

STUDY POPULATION

INTRODUCTION:  Every study in the medical sciences has two aspects: study population and study area also known as subject area. People who you want to find out about are collectively known as the study population or simply population and are usually denoted by the letter N. It could be a group of people living in an area that is if you are interested in community research, employees of an organisation if you are interested in institutional settings, a community, a group of people with special issues, among others. 

The people from whom you gather information, known as the sample and they are denoted by n, are selected from the study population.  It should be noted that the sample is usually smaller and more refined than the study population.

HOW TO SELECT THE STUDY POPULATION:  To select the study population the research student should look at the target population and the estimated sample size, in addition to the objectives of the study.  It is wise to note that, the estimated sample size will be just a proportion of the study population.

RELATED;

1.  HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING

INTRODUCTION:  This is a way of selecting a sample where the sampling frame, depending upon the sample size, is first divided into a number of segments called intervals. Then, from the first interval, using the SRS technique, one element is selected. The selection of subsequent elements from other intervals is dependent upon the order of the element selected in the first interval. If in the first interval it is the fifth element, the fifth element of each subsequent interval will be chosen.

RELATED;

1.  TERMS USED IN SAMPLING  

2.  PROBABILITY SAMPLING

3.  RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

CONVENIENCE SAMPLING

THE CONVINIENT SAMPLING METHOD:  Convenience sampling entails using the most conveniently available people as study participants.  In most cases, this criteria will follow easy accessibility of the research participants.  Let's have some few examples; 

Example 1:  A faculty member who distributes questionnaires to medical students in a class is using a convenience sample, or an accidental sample, as it is sometimes called.  This is because these students are easily accessible and in a big number most likely to meet the required sample size. 

Example 2):  The nurse who conducts an observational study of women delivering twins at the local hospital is also relying on a convenience sample. 

LIMITATIONS OF THIS TYPE OF SAMPLING:  1)  The problem with convenience sampling is that available subjects might be atypical of the population of interest with regard to critical variables and therefore introduce bias and confounding. 

2)  Convenience samples do not necessarily comprise individuals known to the researchers. Stopping people at a street corner to conduct an interview is sampling by convenience. Sometimes, researchers seeking people with certain characteristics place an advertisement in a newspaper, put up signs in clinics or supermarkets, or post messages in chat rooms on the Internet. These approaches are subject to bias because people select themselves as pedestrians on certain streets or as volunteers in response to posted notices.

RELATED;

1. SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING 

2.  STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING

3.  RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

REFERENCES

SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION FORMULA 4

SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION FORMULA 4

Where;

n is the calculated sample size

Z is a tabulated value in relation to the significance level of the study

d is the degree of precision expressed as a proportion

P is the proportion of the population to be estimated

m is the mean of the variable of interest obtained from literature

e is the tolerance measurement error.

RELATED;

1. SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION FORMULA 1

2.  SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION FORMULA 3

REFERENCES

FOCUS GROUPS

 

INTRODUCTION:  The focus group is a form of strategy in qualitative research in which attitudes, opinions or perceptions towards an issue, product, service or programme are explored through a free and open discussion between members of a group and the researcher. The focus group is a facilitated group discussion in which a researcher raises issues or asks questions that stimulate discussion among members of the group. Issues, questions and different perspectives on them and any significant points arising during these discussions provide data to draw conclusions and inferences. It is like collectively interviewing a group of respondents.

RELATED;

1.  QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

2.  EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESIGNS

3.  RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

FEASIBILITY STUDY

When the purpose of a study is to investigate the possibility of undertaking it on a larger scale and to streamlining methods and procedures for the main study, the study is called a feasibility study.

CASE STUDY

INTRODUCTION:  The case study design is based upon the assumption that the case being studied is atypical of cases of a certain type and therefore a single case can provide insight into the events and situations prevalent in a group from where the case has been drawn. In a case study design the ‘case’ you select becomes the basis of a thorough, holistic and in-depth exploration of the aspect(s) that you want to find out about. It is an approach in which a particular instance or a few carefully selected cases are studied intensively. To be called a case study it is important to treat the total study population as one entity. It is one of the important study designs in qualitative research.

RELATED;

1.  EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESIGN  

2.  PANEL STUDY DESIGNS

3.  RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION:  This is when a study is undertaken with the objective either to explore an area where little is known or to investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study. When a study is carried out to determine its feasibility it is also called a feasibility or pilot study.  It is usually carried out when a researcher wants to explore areas about which s/he has little or no knowledge. A small-scale study is undertaken to decide if it is worth carrying out a detailed investigation.

On the basis of the assessment made during the exploratory study, a full study may eventuate. Exploratory studies are also conducted to develop, refine and/or test measurement tools and procedures.  Although, theoretically, a research study can be classified  as exploratory like described above, in practice, most studies are a combination of three aspects; they contain elements of descriptive, correlational and explanatory research.

 

RELATED;

1.  HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

2.  COMPONENTS OF A MEDICAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL

3.  THE RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMET

4.  RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

HYPOTHESIS OF ASSOCIATION

When as a researcher you have sufficient knowledge about a situation or phenomenon and are in a position to stipulate the extent of the relationship between two variables and formulate a hunch that reflects the magnitude of the relationship, such a type of hypothesis formulation is known as hypothesis of association.

RELATED READINGS; 

1.  HYPOTHESIS OF POINT PREVALENCE, 

2.  NULL HYPOTHESIS, 

REFERENCES,