WEEK 1

CRITERIAS WHEN CHOOSING A RESEARCH TOPIC

1.0 RESEARCH PROBLEM

The selection of the research topic is one of the most important considerations of
every research. A research topic forms the basis for all the efforts a researcher puts
in his/her research. For some people it is easy to choose a research topic as they
find some idea in their surrounding or through brainstorming. In general, it is not
easy to choose a research topic especially when you do not know what are the
qualities of a good research paper topic.

1.1 CRITERIAS WHEN CHOOSING A RESEARCH TOPIC

When looking out for research topics, below are few criteria’s you need to look out
for;

1. Narrow down your research topic

Even if you are comfortable with a topic and you feel like you want to write
your research paper you need to know how to narrow down your research
topic so it is workable. You have to formulate a research problem that is
focused, directional, clear and specific in nature. This needs a lot of
brainstorming and looking at the research topic from all prospects.
Sometimes there are very interesting topics that could not be narrowed down
such topics cannot make a good research topic. For students it is often
difficult to understand how to narrow down our topic. You should ask help
from your supervisor, advisor, mentor or any other person who has expertise
in research. Giving full time and attention to choosing the right research
topic will be always beneficial.

2. A topic you are curious about

Choose a topic that you know a little about but still you have a quest to
know more about it. If you choose a topic that you already know everything
you will bring up everything that you already knew onto a piece of paper.
 This is not the aim of writing a research paper. Your research paper is your
journey to know the answers to a question that you are curious about.

3. A topic that interests you

Choose a topic that seems interesting to you this is very obvious. If you do
not have any interest in a topic you will not be able to do it in the best
possible manner. Even professionals and researchers in advance level
conduct research on topics that they are curious about. They do not take any
random question and start a research on it. If you are interested in the topic
that you have chosen you will put more effort and will have better end result.
To know what interests you, you should consider over the course of studies
what topics did you study with passion. Ask yourself what are the most
interesting topics in your course that you want to explore. Apart from your
interest it is also a good idea to think that the topic you have chosen is one
that interests students in your class. Having interest in the topic you are
studying is important but the topic should be still objective, directional and
researchable.

4. A topic that is manageable

Your topic should be one that can be managed in the limited resources that
you have. Choose a topic that you can easily justify with in the given time
frame. When you are writing a research paper as a student you have a time
frame in which you have to complete your research. We all get compelled by
topics that seem interesting. The topic should be practical to be undertaken
considering the time frame and other resources that you have.

5. A topic that is significant

Ask yourself what change the research on your chosen topic can bring to the
world around you. Your preference should be a topic that can solve some
problem in real life. Everyone enjoys reading a research paper that has a lot
of practical implications. Such topics are all time favorites of the teachers as
well as other readers. A significant topic is the best topic to do in research.
However, this does not mean that you can choose any topic that promises a
solution. There are sometimes such topics that are very engaging, promising,
and have significance but you cannot manage them in the given time. So this
 should be your secondary preference when writing a research paper as a
student.

6. Avoid over-exhausted topics

Do not get compelled by popular topics that have been over exhausted.
Popular topics have a lot of information available that you can quote in your
research paper. On the other hand, popular topics do not catch the attention
of the teachers and the readers. They also have nothing left to be researched
on. If you choose such topic you might end up writing duplicate content
even if you did not aim to do so.

7. A topic that is challenging

Some people enjoy writing on challenging topics that are also demanding.
Picking a topic that is challenging can be daunting as it requires more of
your resources. You can select a topic that present good challenge but weigh
the time that is required to finish it. You are bound by the time requirement
so select if it is appropriate for you.

8. Availability of sources

There should have to have enough sources available so that you can quote in
your research paper. Selecting a topic on which there is not any source
material available can make your writing very difficult. Ample reference
material is necessary as you will be at ease to finish the research on time.
You can ask the librarian about the source material before you finalize your
topic. It is easier to make any changes to the topic you have selected but as
you have started writing the research paper it will be difficult to change the
topic.

Finally, make sure that you narrow down your topic several times before you have
the final topic that you want to write a research paper. Make any changes at this
step if you are not satisfied with the topic. Ask the help of your teacher if you are
not sure whether the topic you have chosen will work or not.

 brainstorm for ideas

 choose a topic that will enable you to read and understand the literature
  ensure that the topic is manageable and that material is available
 make a list of key words
 be flexible
 define your topic as a focused research question
 research and read more about your topic
 formulate a thesis statement

Be aware that selecting a good topic may not be easy. It must be narrow and
focused enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information.
Before selecting your topic, make sure you know what your final project should
look like. Each class or instructor will likely require a different format or style of
research project.
 WEEK 2

RESEARCH PROBLEM

2.0 RESEARCH PROBLEM

In a glance we will say a research problem is a statement about an area of concern,

a condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question
that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that points to the need for
meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation. In some disciplines the
research problem is typically posed in the form of a question. A research problem
does not state how to do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present
a value question.

2.1 IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The purpose of a problem statement is to:

1. Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied. The reader
is oriented to the significance of the study and the research questions or
hypotheses to follow.
2. Places the problem into a particular context that defines the parameters of
what is to be investigated.
3. Provides the framework for reporting the results and indicates what is
probably necessary to conduct the study and explain how the findings will
present this information.
 WEEK 3

LITERATURE REVIEW

3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic.

The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant
to a particular area of research. The review should enumerate, describe,
summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research. It should give a
theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of
your research. The literature review acknowledges the work of previous
researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader that your work has been well
conceived. It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of study,
that the author has read, evaluated, and assimilated that work into the work at hand.

A literature review creates a "landscape" for the reader, giving her or him a full
understanding of the developments in the field. This landscape informs the reader
that the author has indeed assimilated all (or the vast majority of) previous,
significant works in the field into her or his research.

In writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the reader what
knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and
weaknesses are. The literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (eg.
your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your
argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a
set of summaries. literature review may consist of simply a summary of key
sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational
pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific
conceptual categories. A summary is a recap of the important information of the
source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a
way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The
analytical features of a literature review might:

1. Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old

interpretations,
 2. Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
3. Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the
most pertinent or relevant research, or
4. Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in
how a problem has been researched to date.

3.1 PURPOSE OF LITERATURE REVIEW

The purpose of a literature review is to:

1. Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the

research problem being studied.
2. Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
3. Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
4. Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
5. Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
6. Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
7. Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
8. Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very
important].
 WEEK 4
DATA COLLECTION

4.0 DATA PRESENTATION

Data is a collection of facts, such as numbers, words, measurements, observations

or even just descriptions of things. In general, data is any set of characters that is
gathered and translated for some purpose usually analysis. Data are characteristics
or information, usually numerical, that are collected through observation.

4.1 SOURCES OF DATA IN RESEARCH

1. Primary Data Collection

Primary data is that data collected by a researcher from first-hand sources using
methods like surveys, interviews, and so on. Primary data sources include
information collected and processed directly by the researcher, such as
observations, surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

2. Secondary Data Collection

Secondary data is information which has been collected in the past by someone
else, for example researching the internet, newspaper articles and reports.
Secondary data sources include information retrieved through pre-existing
sources: research articles, Internet or library searches, etc. Pre-existing data may
also include records and data already within the program: publications and
training materials, financial records, student/client data, performance reviews of
staff, etc.
 4.2 TECHNIQUES OF DATA COLLECTION

I. Laboratory data collection

II. Field survey/measurement
III. Questionnaires
IV. Oral interview

I. Laboratory data collection: Laboratory-based data collection involves collecting

data in an environment where all of the variables and conditions are controlled.
This is so that you are only measuring the variables in the question. You are
controlling all your variables so you know that you are only measuring the aspect
you want to measure. This is usually carried out in the Laboratory where results
are afterwards obtained.
II. Field Survey data collection techniques: The term field survey in research refers
to the geographical setting where data collection takes place. Field survey is
defined as collection and gathering of information at the local level by conducting
primary surveys. The primary surveys are also called field surveys. These are an
essential component of geographic enquiry and are carried out through
observation, interviews, sketching, measurement, etc.
III. Questionnaires: Questionnaires is a set of printed or written question with a
choice of answers, devised for the purposes of a survey or statistical study. It is a
research instrument consisting of a series of question for the purpose of gathering
information from respondents. Questionnaires have advantages over some other
types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the
questioner as verbal or telephone surveys, and often have standardized answers
that make it simple to compile data. However, such standardized answers may
frustrate users as the possible answers may not accurately represent their desired
responses.
IV. Oral interview: An Oral interview are primarily done in qualitative research and
occur when researchers ask one or more participants general, open ended
questions and records their answers. It is a conversation for gathering information.
An oral research interview involves an interviewer, who coordinates the process
of the conversation and asks questions, and an interviewee, who responds to those
questions. Oral Interviews can be conducted face-to-face or over the telephone.
 WEEK 5 - 8

DATA PRESENTATION IN THE FORM OF TABLES, CHARTS, GRAPHS AND BARS

5.1 What is Data Presentation?

Data can be presented in various forms depending on the type of data collected.
Data presentation refers to the organisation of data into tables, graphs or charts so
that logical and statistical conclusion can be derived from the collected
measurements. Representation of data is the base for any field of study. Whenever
collection of data is started and the range of data increases rapidly, an efficient and
convenient technique for representing data is needed. Therefore, it is required for
presenting the data in such a manner that enable reader to interpret the important
data with minimum efforts and time.
Techniques for data presentation are broadly classified in two ways:
1. Non graphical techniques: Tabular Form

2. Graphical techniques: Pie Chart, Bar Chart, Line Graphs.

1. Non graphical techniques

TABLES

This is better known as numerical data tables. Tabular form is the most commonly
used technique for data presentation. This technique provides correlation or
measurement of two values/variables at a time. One variable is represented in
columns and other in rows. Combination of row and column is known as cell, data
is stored in cells and can be retrieved with the row and column notations

Tables are useful to highlight precise numerical values; proportions or trends are
better illustrated with charts or graphics. Tables summarise large amounts of
related data clearly and allow comparison to be made among groups of variables.
Generally, well-constructed tables should be self explanatory with four main parts:
title, columns, rows and footnotes.

a. Title. Keep it brief and relate clearly the content of the table. Words in the title
should represent and summarise variables used in the columns and rows rather
than repeating the columns and rows’ titles. For example, “Comparing full
blood count results among different races” is clearer and simpler than
“Comparing haemoglobin, platelet count, and total white cell count among
Malays, Chinese and Indians”.
b. Columns and rows. Columns are vertically listed data, and rows are
horizontally listed data. Similar data ought to be presented in columns. Often
these are dependant variables and allow clearer comparison among groups.

CHARTS

Charts is a graphical representation of data, in which the data is represented by

symbols such as bars, pie and line charts. The main functions of a chart are to
display data and invite further exploration of a topic. Charts are used in situations
where a simple table won't adequately demonstrate important relationships or
patterns between data points.

Chart is a formal type of diagram and there are many constraints for constructing a
chart. Simply charts are used as a map designed to aid navigation by sea or air.
Such charts are map showing special conditions or facts e.g. weather report. A
sheet exhibiting information in tabulated or methodical form is also known as
chart. Chart is a graphical representation of data as by lines, curves, bars etc. of a
dependable variable e.g. temperature, price etc.
Note: our brains process graphical data in a different way to text. Your audience
will subconsciously seek a visual centre that draws their attention. Only use bright
colours for areas that you want to emphasize, and avoid tilting or angling your
chart, as this can cause confusion

GRAPH

Graph is a diagram showing the relationship between two or more things by a

number of distinctive dots, lines, bars, etc. Another formally defined class of
diagram is graph. Graph is simply a diagram in mathematical or scientific area of
study. A drawing representing the relationship between certain set of numbers or
quantities by means of a series of dots, lines, bars etc. plotted with reference to a
set of axis is called graph. Graph can also be defined as a drawing depicting a
relationship between two or more variables by means of a curve or surface
containing only those points whose coordinates satisfy the relation. In term of
computer science graph is a network of lines connecting some points.

There are variety of ways for graphical representation. Few commonly used
graphical representations of data are listed below:

i. Histogram

ii. Bar diagram or Bar graph or Bar chart

iii. Frequency polygon

iv. Cumulative frequency curve or Ogive

v. Line graph or stick graph

vi. Pie chart

vii. Pictogram

viii. Line chart

ix. Stem leaf diagram

x. Scatter diagram

BAR GRAPH

A bar graph is a way of summarizing a set of categorical data, it displays the data
using a number of rectangles, of the same width, each of which represents a
particular category. It can be displayed vertically or horizontally, it is a chart that
uses either horizontal or vertical bars to show comparisons among categories. One
axis of the chart shows the specific categories being compared, and the other axis
represents a discrete value. Some bar graphs present bars clustered in groups of
more than one (grouped bar graphs), and others show the bars divided into subparts
to show cumulate effect.

How to use it:

i. Determine the discrete range. Examine your data to find the bar with the
largest value. This will help you determine the range of the vertical axis and
the size of each increment. Then label the vertical axis.

ii. Determine the number of bars. Examine your data to find how many bars
your chart will contain. These may be single, grouped, or stacked bars. Use
this number to draw and label the horizontal axis.

iii. Determine the order of the bars.

iv. Draw the bars. If you are preparing a grouped bar graph, remember to
present the information in the same order in each grouping. If you are
preparing a stacked bar graph, present the information in the same sequence
on each bar.

v. Label and title the graph.

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Series 3
50%
Series 2
40% Series 1
30%
20%
10%
0%
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

HISTOGRAM

A histogram is a way of summarizing data that are measured on an

interval scale (either discrete or continuous). It is often used in exploratory
data analysis to illustrate the features of the distribution of the data in a
convenient form.
 5

4.5

3.5

3
Series 1
2.5 Series 2
Series 3
2

1.5

0.5

0
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

PIE CHART

A pie chart is used to display a set of categorical data. It is a circle, which is

divided into segments, Each segment represents a particular category. The
area of each segment is proportional to the number of cases in that category.
 Sales

1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr

LINE GRAPH

A line graph is particularly useful when we want to show the trend of a variable
over time, Time is displayed on the horizontal axis (X-axis) and the variable is
displayed on the vertical axis (Y-axis).
 6

Series 1
3
Series 2
Series 3
2

0
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

USE OF MATHEMATICAL TOOLS TO FIND MEANS, AVERAGES,

AND PEAK

1. Measure of central tendency

2. Average

3. Mean (arithmetic mean)

4. Mode

5. Median

Objectives

1. Learn how to calculate measures of central tendency--mean, median, and

mode

2. Know what each measure of central tendency says about a data set

Lesson
 To characterize or describe a data set, we must learn the meaning and
purpose of several different types of statistical values. Two important
statistics are measures of central tendency and dispersion. As the name
indicates, a measure of central tendency attempts to describe the "centre" of
a data set--this centre might be the most common value, the value that lies in
the middle of the range of values in the data set, or some average of the
values in the data set. (You've probably heard of and used averages before;
we will here delve into averages and similar measures in greater detail.) This
lesson is devoted to measures of central tendency; later, we will also
consider dispersion, which is a measure of the "spread" of data around some
centre, and asymmetry, which measures how data is "skewed" to either side
of the centre. A data set such as that shown in the following histogram
displays a fairly obvious centre: the centre bar. If you are familiar with
averages (means), you can probably already point to the average of the data,
which is the central (and tallest) bar in the graph (assuming that the data
values to which the bars correspond are evenly distributed, as would be the
case in a histogram).
 WEEK 9 – 11

DATA ANALYSIS

9.1 Mean (Average)

A mean (average) is perhaps the most well-known measure of central

tendency. In baseball, fans might talk about a pitcher's earned run average
(ERA); students in a class might be interested in their grade point average
(GPA). The average (also called the arithmetic mean--this is the typical
sense when just the word mean is used) of a data set is the sum of all the
data values divided by the total number of values in the set. (Note that we
use the Greek character μ, indicating that this is a population mean; the same
formula applies when calculating the sample mean--you might see the
sample mean expressed using in this case, for instance. The bar notation
simply indicates a mean.) More generally, if we have a set of values {x1, x2,
x3,., xN} with associated frequencies {f1, f2, f3,., fN} (recall how we
defined a frequency in the previous lesson-here, we are simply saying that
the data value xi occurs fi times in the data set). The numerator of this
expression simply says that the sum consists of each value multiplied by the
number of times it occurs in the data set. The denominator is simply the total
number of data values in the set (each value may occur more than once, so
the denominator does not equal N).
9.1.2 Median

The statistical concept of the median is a value that divides a data sample,
population, or probability distribution into two halves. Finding the median
essentially involves finding the value in a data sample that has a physical location
between the rest of the numbers. Note that when calculating the median of a finite
list of numbers, the order of the data samples is important. Conventionally, the
values are listed in ascending order, but there is no real reason that listing the
values in descending order would provide different results. In the case where the
total number of values in a data sample is odd, the median is simply the number in
the middle of the list of all values. When the data sample contains an even number
of values, the median is the mean of the two middle values. While this can be
confusing, simply remember that even though the median sometimes involves the
computation of a mean, when this case arises, it will involve only the two middle
values, while a mean involves all the values in the data sample. In the odd cases
where there are only two data samples or there is an even number of samples
where all the values are the same, the mean and median will be the same. Given
the same data set as before, the median would be acquired in the following manner:

2,10,21,23,23,38,38

After listing the data in ascending order, and determining that there are an
odd number of values, it is clear that 23 is the median given this case. If
there were another value added to the data set:

2,10,21,23,23,38,38,1027892

Since there are an even number of values, the median will be the average of
the two middle numbers, in this case 23 and 23, the mean of which is 23.
Note that in this particular data set, the addition of an outlier (a value well
 outside the expected range of values), the value 1,027,892, has no real effect
on the data set. If however the mean is computed for this data set, the result
is 128,505.875. This value is clearly not a good representation of the seven
other values in the data set that are far smaller and closer in value than the
average and the outlier. This is the main advantage of using the median in
describing statistical data when compared to the mean. While both, as well
as other statistical values, should be calculated when describing data, if only
one can be used, the median can provide a better estimate of a typical value
in a given data set when there are extremely large variations between values.

9.1.3 Mode

In statistics, the mode is the value in a data set that has the highest number
of recurrences. It is possible for a data set to be multimodal, meaning that it
has more than one mode. For example:

2,10,21,23,23,38,38

Both 23 and 38 appear twice each, making them both a mode for the data set
above. Similarly to mean and median, the mode is used as a way to express
information about random variables and populations. Unlike mean and
median however, the mode is a concept that can be applied to non-numerical
values such as the brand of tortilla chips most commonly purchased from a
grocery store. For example, when comparing the brands Tostitos, Mission,
and XOCHiTL, if it is found that in the sale of tortilla chips, XOCHiTL is
the mode and sells in a 3:2:1 ratio compared to Tostitos and Mission brand
tortilla chips respectively, the ratio could be used to determine how many
bags of each brand to stock. In the case where 24 bags of tortilla chips sell
during a given period, the store would stock 12 bags of XOCHiTL chips, 8
 of Tostitos, and 4 of Mission if using the mode. If however the store simply
used an average and sold 8 bags of each, it could potentially lose 4 sales if a
customer desired only XOCHiTL chips and not any other brand. As is
evident from this example, it is important to take all manners of statistical
values into account when attempting to draw conclusions about any data
sample

9.1.4 Range

The range of a data set in statistics is the difference between the largest and
the smallest values. While range does have different meanings within
different areas of statistics and mathematics, this is its most basic definition,
and is what is used by the provided calculator. Using the same example:

2,10,21,23,23,38,38

38 - 2 = 36

The range in this example is 36. Similarly to the mean, range can be
significantly affected by extremely large or small values. Using the same
example as previously:

2,10,21,23,23,38,38,1027892

The range in this case would be 1,027,890 compared to 36 in the previous

case. As such, it is important to extensively analyze data sets to ensure that
outliers are accounted for.

10.0 What is statistics?

Statistic is the science of learning data and of measuring, controlling, and

communicating uncertainty, statistics is a branch of mathematics dealing with data
collection, organization, analysis, interpretation and presentation used to describe
data or relationships. Statistics is the science of learning from data, and of
measuring, controlling, and communicating uncertainty; and it thereby provides the
navigation essential for controlling the course of scientific and societal advances.
Statistical data helps in the proper use of collecting data, employing the correct
analyses, and effectively present the results. It is basically defined as the study of
the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation and organization of data.

10.1 What is the importance of statistics in research methodology?

a) Statistics play a vital role in researches. For example, statistics can be used
as in data collection, analysis, interpretation, explanation and presentation.
Use of statistics will guide researchers in research for proper
characterization, summarization, presentation and interpretation of the result
of research.

b) Statistics provides a platform for research as to; How to go about your

research, either to consider a sample or the whole population, the techniques
to use in data collection and observation, how to go about the data
description (using measure of central tendency).

c) Statistical methods and analyses are often used to communicate research

findings and to support hypotheses and give credibility to research
methodology and conclusions.

d) Statistics is very important when it comes to the conclusion of the research.

In this aspect the major purpose of statistics are to help us understand and
describe phenomena in our word and to help us draw reliable conclusions
about those phenomena.
 e) Statistic is very important when it comes to the conclusion of the research.

f) The purpose of statistics are important for researchers and consumers of

research to understand statistics so that they can be informed, evaluate the
credibility and usefulness of information and make appropriate decisions.

10.2 What is the role of statistics in research methodology?

The role of statistics in research is to function as a tool in designing research

analysing its data and drawing conclusion therefrom. Most research studies result
in a large volume of raw data which must be suitably reduced so that the same can
be read easily and can be used for further analysis. Classification and tabulation, as
stated earlier, achieve this objective to some extent, but we have to go a step
further and develop certain indices or measures to summarize the
collected/classified data. In fact, there are two major areas of statistics viz.,
descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics concern the development
of certain indices from the raw data, whereas inferential statistics concern with the
process of generalisation. Inferential statistics also known as sampling statistics are
mainly concerned with two major type of problems:

i. The estimation of population parameters, and

ii. The testing of statistical hypotheses.

The important statistical measures that are used to summarize the survey/research
data are;

1. Measures of central tendency or statistical averages;

2. Measures of dispersion

3. Arithmetic average (mean, median and mode)

 4. Measures of asymmetry

5. Measures of relationship

The role of statistics could be simplified as below;

EXPERIMENTS (design experiments to answer research questions)

DATA (control sources of variation, detect outliers. Visualize the data; analyse
with statistics models)

KNOWLEDGE (interpret practical and statistical significance of results)

UNDERSTANDING (make scientifically sound decisions and communicate them)

SOLVE PROBLEMS AND MAKE DECISIONS

 WEEK 12 - 15

12.1 PRELIMINARY PAGE TITLE

In your research your preliminary pages come before your main work; they are
concise and they form part of your project work, it contains the following;

 Title page
 Certification page
 Dedication page (optional)
 Acknowledgements
 Abstract
 Table of contents
 List of tables
 List of figures
 Body of the report (in chapters)
The Title page

This is the first page of your research and it I written in upper case letters. It
contains the topic of your research work, your name, your registration number (that
is matriculation number), and the institution of study; the year and month your
research was completed. For example:

EFFECTIVE USE OF PALM KANEL SHELL IN CONCRETE

BY

OBAFEMI OMOKUNGBE

F/HD/18/3111118

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA (HND) IN CIVIL
ENGINEERING AND NATURAL RESOURCES

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND NATURAL RESOURCES

YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

YABA – LAGOS, NIGERIA

MARCH, 2020

Certification

This is more like your declaration but at a deeper level. This time you are not the
only one involved, your supervisor and external supervisor are also part of it. It is a
confirmation that you have performed your requirement to be awarded the degree.
 CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that this project work was carried out by Mr. OBAFEMI Omokungbe (F/HD/18/3111118) in the
department of civil engineering and natural resources, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos in partial fulfillment of
the requirement for the award of Higher National Diploma (HND) in Civil Engineering of the Yaba College of
Technology, Lagos.

……………………………..
Engr. Mrs P. Iroaganachi
Supervisor
Date:-

Dedication

You probably had someone in mind while doing your research; it could be a love
one or someone who has a significant influence in your life that you want to
dedicate the work to. Well, most people will dedicate it to God because it is His
grace that aided you in accomplishing the work.

Acknowledgement

Here is where you express your gratitude to those who have helped you doing your
research and also those saw you through your years in the university. I am sure
some significant things happened and you received help from unlikely sources that
helped you out of crisis. Feel free to thank those persons who helped you but of
course, remember your parents, siblings, supervisors, lecturers, social clubs etc.

Table of contents

I am sure you don’t want your reader turning to your work and wondering where to
find a particular information. So, your table of content would help you structure
your research. It is the arrangement of information in order of the chapters

Abstract
 I have already written about how you can write a beautiful abstract. Please, check
previous blog posts to read up on abstract.

12.2 INTRODUCTION

An introduction is the initial part of a research paper and the part that a reader is
likely to read first (at least when focusing deeply and reading your paper in detail).
Hence, definitions, notions, and some other important information required for
understanding the paper are presented/listed here.
Every research paper needs context so that readers can understand why you have
created it. This is exactly what you can do in your research paper introduction. Of
course, this can mean that your introduction is the hardest part of paper to write
first. So, it is essential that you take your time and make sure that you get it right.
The introduction of writing is going to set out your rationale, which is what a
research will be based around. Your readers will be able to tell right from the
beginning what they are going to be reading about and even whether it interests
them.
It is important that you make the beginning of your research paper interesting and
engage with your readers from the first line. This will make sure that people
continue to read research and learn about what you have found out. In addition,
you should also state hypothesis and the way that you think your work will turn out
in conclusion. It is crucial that you always include an introduction to your paper.
Here is a guideline on how to write an introduction

 Introduce your topic.

 Create some context and background.
 Tell your reader about the research you plan to carry out.
 State your rationale.
 Explain why your research is important.
 State your hypothesis.
12.3 LITERATURE REVIEW

Under this section the writer discusses the previous writings on the subject and
other relevant activities which are related and which other workers have written
about. Below is guideline on how to write a literature review
 Find a focus
 Convey it to your reader
 Consider organization
 Begin composing
 Use evidence
 Be selective
 Use quotes sparingly
 Summarize and synthesize
 Keep your own voice
 Use caution when paraphrasing

12.4 METHODOLOGY

A research methodology is a part of research paper that contains the description of

ways and means to conduct the research. The basic aim of a research methodology
is to explain what techniques are being used or will be used in order to obtain the
data or information that is expected to be gained at the end of the research.
Typically the literature review. Therefore to make sure that your readers are
focused on the central research question, you should restate it once more, in a brief
description. This will enable the reader to realign their focus on the main objective
of the research.

 Put it in Layers: While you are on to explain the techniques and methods
that you are using for your research, you need to be organized. After you
have restated the problem statement, you need to mention the context of the
methods. Only after that you should describe the individual methods. This
will be easier for the readers to comprehend.
 Reproducibility: You should draft the methods and techniques as you
perform them. Do not wait to finish the research for starting to write the
methodology. Writing while performing the methods will help you to
mention every little detail and tricks about the method. This information will
be of much value to the reader.
 Justify: Always justify the methods that you pick. Give strong reasons for
going with the chosen method and not with other counterparts. Your
justification should be convincing enough for the reader to agree with your
decision. A proper justification will get you even more readers and marks.
 Cite: This point supports the previous pointer – the justification. You should
mention the sources where from you came to know about that particular
method. Doing this will help the reader know the reference to the
methodology and thus, your method becomes justified.
 Mind the Order: This tip has a lot of relevance because this mistake is
something students generally do. They forget to put the methods they used
and the respective findings in the same order. Putting both the methods and
their respective findings in the same order is advisable. For two reasons –
One, because the reader will be able to relate the method to the finding more
easily and two, your methodology will have a cleaner look. This will make
the dissertation look even more professional.
 Research Philosophy: The research philosophy determines the way a
specific set of data has been collected, inferred and utilized for a research
work. Usually, a researcher chooses among some of the commonly used
philosophies such as positivism, realism and interpretivism. Your chosen
research philosophy should perfectly align the research objective and your
choice should be properly justified.
 Research Approach: The research approach of a study determines the
logical reasoning chosen by the researcher. Typically, it includes inductive
and deductive approaches. As a researcher, you need to choose between
these two for your study. The inductive approach allows you to form a new
theory based on the gathered data, whereas the deductive approach helps to
make sure if the gathered data aligns with the existing theories.
 Research Strategies: The research strategies include the nature and source
of the data that has been gathered to meet the objectives of the study. Based
on its nature, the data can be quantitative or qualitative. On the other hand,
 based on source of the data, it can be either be primary or secondary. The
researcher must justify his/her choice of data in terms of their relevance in
the research work.
 Time Horizon: The time horizon provides a clear idea of the timeline in
which the research work has been conducted. Usually, there are two types of
time horizons, which are: cross-sectional and longitudinal. In a cross-
sectional study, the data represents a phenomenon that takes place in a single
point in a timeline.
 Data Collection: This section highlights the underlying process employed
by the researcher to gather the necessary data for conducting the research.
As a researcher you must mention the tools that you have used and methods
that you have followed while collecting the required data. You must add
elements like sampling process, type of questionnaires, etc. You’ll have to
make sure that the gathered data are ready to be analyzed. The way you
frame your methodology determines the quality of your entire research
work.

12.5 BODY OF THE REPORT

The Introduction and Conclusions act as a frame for the body of the report, which
is where you present your own work. The information should be organised so that
the reader can follow the development of your project. You will therefore need to
put some thought into ordering the sections and choosing concise but informative
headings and subheadings.

The body of the report:

 presents the information from your research, both real world and theoretical,
or your design
 organises information logically under appropriate headings
 conveys information in the most effective way for communication by means
of:
 figures and tables
  bulleted or numbered lists
 formatting to break up large slabs of text.

12.6 CONCLUSION

The conclusion section is prepared by collating the important elements of the

results section.it states the extent to which the objectives of the study have been
met and summarizes the contribution of the project findings to knowledge . the
conclusion must be based on the findings and the explanations which the writer has
provided. Temptations to give conclusion which are based on extraneous facts
which are unrelated must be guarded against.

12.7 RECOMMENDATION

Based on the findings, comments and the conclusions, the writer provides
suggestions for further studies, future actions, uses and applications of the results.

REFERENCES

1. Google, Wikipedia

2. https://statisticsbyyjim.com

3. https://www.slideshare.net>vharshana
4. https://en.m.wikipedia.org 5:10 14/03/2020