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UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, KUMASI

FACULTY OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

TRADITIONAL RESEARCH REPORT FORMAT FOR BACHELOR’S DEGREE

PROJECT WORK

The Frontal Matter

Cover page

Title page

Acknowledgements

Students declaration

Supervisors declaration

Abstract

Dedication (if any)

Table of contents

List of Tables (if any)

List of figures (if any)

Cover page: This page begins with the name of the University at the top of the page. Next you

have the title of the report, followed by the name of the author. The month and year of submitting

the report appear below your name. Information on the cover page appears in centred capital

letters.

Title page: This page begins with the title of the study at the top of the page. Next, you have the

name of the author, followed by the statement that reads “a research report submitted to the

Department of……at the University of……in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award

of the bachelor of….Degree in…..Studies.” the month and year of submitting the report appear

below the statement. Information on the title page appears in inverted pyramid formatting style

and title case centred capital letters.

Acknowledgements: you may wish to acknowledge the help you received from people in

conducting your study and preparing your report. If so, acknowledgements and thanks come after

the title page.

Students declaration: The declaration of authorship serves as a binding undertaking on the part

of the student. The student signs the declaration and generally claims that the study is one’s own

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work. The student also declares that the report has never been presented for another degree in

any university including the students own university.

Supervisor’s declaration: The supervisor declares about the authenticity of the students work.

The declaration of authenticity serves as a binding undertaking on the part of the supervisor. The

supervisor signs the declaration and generally claims that the students work was supervised in

accordance with the university’s guidelines and regulations.

Abstract: the abstract is a single paragraph, comprehensive, self-contained summary of the most

important elements of the study. An abstract should answer these four questions in not more than

250 words:

Why did you do this study or project? The purpose of the study

What did you do and how? The methodology for data collection and analysis

What did you find? Key findings of the study

What do your findings mean? General implications of the findings to theory and/or

management

The abstract therefore highlights the main points made in the Introduction, Methods and Results

sections of the report. It contains the following information:

Purpose of the study

Type of the research design that you used

The sampling size and sampling methods that you used.

Data collection instruments that you used

The intervention strategies that you used

Data collection procedures that you adopted.

Data analysis techniques that you employed

The major results of the study that you employed.

Authors own conclusions relating to the general implications of the findings to theory

and/or management

Key limitation (s) of the study

Here are some other points to keep in mind about abstracts:

1. We always read the abstract along the title of the report so do not repeat or rephrase the

title.

2. We always read the abstract with the rest of the report. However make it complete

enough to stand on its own.

3. Do not refer in the abstract information that is not in the report

4. Avoid trade names, acronyms, abbreviations or symbols.

5. The abstract does not contain statistics and references.

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6. Do not indent the first line of the abstract as in the case of other paragraphs.

7. All numbers in the abstract are typed in digits except the numbers begin a sentence.

Dedication (if any): This is an optional page. In this section you pledge your underlying

devotion to your goldfishes.

Table of contents: The table of contents lists all the items covered in the report including the

initial pages as they appear in the report. Do not include a range of pages for the items in the

table of contents.

List of table (if any): This is an optional page. The list of tables shows the exact titles of the

tables (including the initial pages where they may be found) as they appear in the report. Do not

include a range of pages for the items in the list of tables.

List of figures (if any): This is an optional page. The table of figures shows the exact titles of

figures (including the initial pages where may be found) as they appear in the report. Do not

include a range of pages for the items in the list of figures.

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Example of Cover Page

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

(COLLEGE OF TECHNOGY OF EDUCATION, KUMASI)

EXAMINING BUSINESS STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ABOUT RESEARCH METHODS AT

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, KUMASI

MACKIN ERIC ATO

(5101020055)

JULY 2014

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Example Of Title Page

EXAMINING BUSINESS STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ABOUT RESEARCH METHODS AT

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, KUMASI

NB: (The topic should be researchable, not too broad or too narrow, not more than 16 words,

minimize the use of prepositions, articles and adjectives, avoid abbreviations in topic,

grammatically correct, should be interesting, don’t begin with general expressions like: a study

of, an investigation into, use specific expressions like: Examining, Assessing, Evaluating,

Exploring, Impact of, Effects of, Perception of, etc.)

BY

ERIC ATO MACKIN

(5101020055)

A PROJECT REPORT PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT

STUDIES EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL

FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF

SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION DEGREE

JULY 2014

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STUDENT’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this project report is the result of my own original research and that no part

of it has been presented for another degree in this University or elsewhere, except for quotations

and information from other sources which have been duly acknowledged.

Signature:……………………………………………….. Date:…………………

(ERIC ATO MACKIN)

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SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this project report was supervised in

accordance with the guidelines on supervision of the project reports laid down by the University

of Education, Winneba.

Signature: …………………………………………………… Date: ………………….

(MR. SIMON GYASI NIMAKO)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLES PAGE

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURES PAGE

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LIST OF APPENDICES (If any)

APPENDIX PAGE

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Body of the Report

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION*

1.1 Introduction**

o Describe briefly the content of this chapter. E.g.: This introductory chapter covers the

background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose, specific objectives,

significance of the study, limitations, delimitations, and organization of the study.

1.2 Background to the Study

o Give readers a general idea or background information about the topic or problem.

This enables readers to get a clear picture of your concepts about the topic.

o Write the background from general to specific perspective like a funnel

o Highlight the importance of the topic in the background

o Provide a basis or justification for the study. This means discuss why you have

chosen that topic and why that particular research context (area of study or

geographical location)?

o Support your discussions and statements of fact with the appropriate citations or

references of other authors or previous research in the background. Do not write the

background solely from your own opinion.

o For effective flow of thought, make an outline of the main points for writing

background before you begin to write it. E.g. For the above sample topic, an outline

of points could be this:

i. Research methods is part of the mandatory courses for bachelor’s degree

students in many higher education institutions. (develop this point into one or

two paragraphs)

ii. Research methods is important for students’ professional and academic

development. (develop this point into one or two paragraphs)

iii. Many students appear to have negative perceptions about research. (develop

this point into one or two paragraphs)

iv. At the college of technology education, Kumasi (COLTEK) students offer

Research methods in the third academic year and write research project in

their final academic year. (develop this point into one or two paragraphs)

v. It is of great importance to research into students’ perception about Research

methods at COLTEK for effective teaching of the course, among other

empirical and managerial benefits. (develop into one or two paragraphs).

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1.3 Statement of the Problem

o The problem statement should help you answer the question “why does this research

need to be conducted?”

o A research problem is whatever calls for scientific research to be conducted.

o There following six situations can be described as research problems, based on which

you can develop the problem statement. Thus, the research problem can be discussed

in terms of any or a combination of these six situations:

1. the need to find solutions to what is wrong with an existing situation;

2. the need to provide empirical evidence to establish the truth about a

phenomenon that is unclear.

3. the need to conduct more empirical research on a topic or research area that

has received limited research attention or few research work done

4. the need to evaluate the effectiveness of a programme or policy or

management strategy for it to be improved.

5. the need to research into the limitations of previous research in terms of:

differences in geographical locations or contexts

areas of the topic not covered in a previous research

methodology –sample used, data collection and analysis methods used

in a previous research

6. the need to get empirical knowledge in an entirely new area or subject matter

that has not been researched before.

o Justify briefly your research problem in terms of how it will contribute to theoretical

knowledge (theory) and/or professional knowledge (practical development)

o The statement of the problem should end with one or two sentences that state

precisely the main problem or question of the study. E.g. As the main problem: The

main problem of this study is whether business students hold positive or negative

perceptions about Research Methods at the College of Technology Education,

Kumasi.

OR As the main question: The main question of this study is: What positive or

negative perceptions do business students hold about Research Methods at the

College of Technology Education, Kumasi?

1.4 Purpose of the Study

o The purpose of the study is always one.

o The purpose of the study can be derived from the topic.

o State your general aim or purpose or goal for doing the study. State the goal in terms

of what the study intends to accomplish. E.g. The main purpose of this research is to

examine students’ perceptions about teaching and learning of Research methods at

the College of Technology Education, Kumasi.

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1.5 Objectives of the Study

o Unlike the purpose of the study, the specific objectives to address the purpose can be

two or more.

o Objectives are specific things about the research problem that you want to find out.

o The specific objectives also provide areas for literature review, design of data

collection instruments, presentation of results and discussion, as well as the

implications/recommendations of the study.

o List a number of specific objectives based on part or parts of the topic that

specifically interest you. These specific objectives are specific issues you want to

address in your study. They are the outcomes you want to achieve for doing the study.

o Research objectives can be stated qualitatively or quantitatively depending on the

type of research design you have chosen.

o For quantitative studies, research objectives are stated in more precise, testable or

measurable terms than those of qualitative studies.

Example of quantitatively-stated objectives:

This study is guided by the following specific objectives:

1. To measure students’ perceptions of specific areas of teaching and learning of

Research methods.

2. To measure students’ interest for Research methods.

3. To assess students’ motivation for learning Research methods

4. To determine whether male and female students have different perceptions of

Research methods.

For qualitative studies, research objectives are stated in more explorative, indeterminate

and unquantifiable terms than in a quantitative study.

Example of qualitatively-stated objectives:

This study is guided by the following specific objectives:

1. To examine students’ perceptions of specific areas of teaching and learning of

Research methods.

2. To explore students’ interest for Research methods

3. To examine students’ motivation for learning Research methods

4. To compare and contrast male and female students’ perception of Research

methods.

1.6 Research Questions or hypothesis

o Research questions are developed to address the research objectives.

o Ideally, research question could be derived from the research objectives, such that

each research question could be derived for its corresponding research objective.

o Use either research questions for qualitative study

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o Use qualitative research questions when your study is not theory driven and where a

great deal of previous research does not exist on the topic.

o Use the words “what”, “how”, “to what extent”, or “in what ways” to pose qualitative

research questions.

o Use either hypothesis or multivariate research questions for quantitative study

o Use hypothesis when your study is theory driven and where a great deal of previous

research exist on the topic.

1.7 Significance of the Study

o State the importance of the study to interested parties such as scholars, professionals,

government agencies, educators, students or customers or clients, among others

o Ask yourself “why is the study important?” or “to whom is the study important?” or

“what benefits will interested parties get from using the results of the study?” or “who

would use the study?” and “how would the study benefit the user?”

1.8 Limitation of the Study

o Limitations are potential weaknesses of a study that are beyond the control of the

researcher.

o State clearly the potential weakness and explain why they are weaknesses in the study

o The source of the weakness may be the sample size, the sampling method used, the

instruments used to collect the data, the way you collected the data using the

instruments, how you presented data and how you analyzed data.

o Remember that limitations are not the problems you faced in doing the study. They

do not have anything to do with financial constraints, transportation problems,

teaching workload, etc. that confronted you in your classroom as a teacher.

1.9 Delimitation of the Study

o State the areas or scope covered by the study. These include the various restrictions

you placed on yourself in doing the study.

o The scope of the study is your sampling frame and the areas covered by the specific

objectives.

1.10 Definition of Terms (If any)

o Explain uncommon words or technical terms in your study, or common ones you used

in special or unconventional ways in the study. For example you can define

performance of respondents as “the scores respondents got in tests, examinations,

class exercises and assignments.”

o You can find the words or the terms that need definition in the topic, purposes,

objectives, and research questions sections.

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o Do not write dictionary or encyclopedia definitions for your special words or terms.

In addition, the full words of abbreviations are not definitions of terms or words that

you need to define under this section so do not provide them.

1.11 Organisation of the Study

o Describe briefly the structure of the study. Example: This study is organized into five

chapters. Describe briefly, the headings or the content of each chapter.

o Use your table of content as a guide.

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Introduction**

o Restate the purpose of the study as you stated in chapter one. Then, briefly describe

the content of the chapter.

2.1 Concept Review

o This is a review of key concepts implied in the topic.

o This review must provide theoretical understanding of the nature of some key concepts.

E.g., The Concept of Perception, How Perception affects Individual Behaviour and

Learning, The Concept of Satisfaction, The Nature of Social Media, The Concept of

Reputation, etc.

o Group this review under suitable headings and provide appropriate in-text citations or

references.

2.2 Theoretical Review

o This is a review of the relevant theories and models on which the study is based

o Review briefly only the relevant theories and theoretical models for the study.

o For each theory or theoretical model, cite or identify the authors, their purpose of

study, methodology used, key findings and some limitations of their study.

o Group this review under suitable headings and provide appropriate in-text citations or

references. These headings must address the focus of the study and correspond with

the specific objectives. For example, if you are concerned about leadership styles of

supervisors in an organization, then review theories such as competency (trait) theory

of leadership, and transformational theory of leadership.

o Use paragraph headings for the subheadings under the theoretical review.

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2.3 Empirical Review

o This is a review of specific past studies or research work done by other researchers

that are relevant to your research topic.

o Review briefly only past studies or past research reports related to the topic or the

objectives of your study.

o Like the other reviews, group the empirical review under suitable headings and

should be well-referenced. These headings must correspond to the specific objectives

of the study. For example if you are concerned about leadership styles of supervisors

in an organization, then review past research studies such as characteristics of

effective leaders, behavioural factors influencing leadership effectiveness, leader

behaviours influencing employee performance and satisfaction, gender issues in

leadership.

o Use paragraph headings for the subheadings under the empirical review.

2.4 Industry Review

o This is a review of the industry in which the topic is focused. E.g. A Review of Higher

Education in Ghana, A Review of Computer Market in Ghana, A Review of Mobile

Telecommunication Industry, A Review of Banking Industry in Ghana, A Review of Oil

and Gas Industry, A Review of Software Development in Ghana, etc.

o Discuss the industry’s key players or institutions, industry regulators, regulatory

instruments or laws, competitors, key products or services provided, challenges,

prospects, and brief industry statistics and analysis, if available (e.g., market share,

revenue, profit, and other important trends).

o Justify why you have chosen that industry for the research.

o Enrich this review with appropriate referencing

o Use paragraph headings for the subheadings under the industry review.

2.5 Conceptual Framework for the Study

o The conceptual framework is a display of the key concepts, constructs, variables and

dimensions, and how they are related to each other in addressing the research

problem. The display could be graphical or mathematical.

o This is a framework of the factors, contracts, variables you wish to include in your

study. So the conceptual framework for the study is developed by the researcher to

show his or her model for the research. It could also be called the researcher’s model.

o The conceptual framework could be developed for both qualitative and quantitative to

serve as a frame of reference for understanding the direction and dimensions of the

research problem being addressed.

o Discuss the conceptual framework by explaining every concept, construct and

variable in it and justify the proposed relationships between them (if any).

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o If your study has hypotheses, provide a theoretical justification leading to each of the

hypotheses for the study. This means that if there are hypotheses for the study, each

of them should be discussed in this section to show how the proposed relationships

between and among dependent and independent variables can be justified

theoretically (or supported using findings from previous research work).

o Use paragraph headings for the subheadings under the conceptual framework.

o An example of a conceptual framework is displayed in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4:

Figure 1 Conceptual framework and hypotheses

Example of a mathematical model: ADI + ADR- ADP = ROA

Figure 4 Conceptual framework for complaining motives

Trust

Information

quality

Satisfaction

Loyalty H2+

H5+ H3+

H1+ H4+

Remedy

Apology

Service

improvement

Complaining motives

Compensation

Examples of Conceptual framework

for Quantitative research

Example of conceptual framework

for a qualitative research

ADI

ADP

ADR

Profitability

(ROA) H2+

H3-

H1+

Perceived

ease of use

Perceived

usefulness

Use of

Technology H2+

H3+

H1+

Attitude

to tech.

Figure 2 Conceptual

framework

Figure 3 Conceptual framework

ADR- average receivables

ADI – average inventory

ADP – Average payable

ROA – Return on Assets

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CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY*

3.1 Introduction

o Restate the purpose of the study as you stated in chapter one. Then, briefly describe

the content of the chapter.

3.2 Research Design

o Briefly describe the type of research you did (e.g. historical research, exploratory

research, explanatory research, explanatory research, experimental research, quasi

experimental research, correlational research, casual comparative research, survey,

case study, ex post facto study, basis research, applied research, evaluation research,

assessment research, ethnography, phenomenology, biography, grounded theory,

action research)

o Give reasons for doing that type of research, explaining its strengths and weaknesses.

3.3 Population and Sampling

o Describe in detail the population of the study.

o Mention the sample size and its composition (e.g. total number of respondents who

took part in the study, gender distribution of respondents who took part in the study,

etc).

o Describe in detail the procedures and the reasons for selecting the

respondents/documents for inclusion in the study (i.e. the sampling strategy/strategies

used in selecting the respondents and documents, how the selection was done, and the

reasons for using the particular strategy/strategies).

3.3 Data Collection Instruments

o Mention the instruments used to collect data.

o Give a detailed description of each instrument that you used to collect data. Explain

what specific questions are in the instruments and why they are there.

o For most studies, the questions or items on the instruments must be supported by

previous research.

o Remember: the questions on the instrument(s) must address all the areas of the

research objectives.

o Explain how you established validity and reliability for each instrument that you

used.

o Use paragraph headings for each of the instruments you used to collect data.

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3.4 Data Collection Procedures

o Give a step by step description of how you collected data using each of your data

collection instruments

o Give reasons for using those data collection procedures.

o Explain how you addressed ethical issues in your study

o Use paragraph headings for each of the means by which you collected data.

3.5 Data Analysis

o Give a brief overview of how you recorded, presented and analysed your results in

chapter four.

o Mention the descriptive and, or inferential statistics you used in analysing data and

your reasons for using them.

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS OF THE STUDY*

4.1 Introduction**

o Restate the purpose of the study as you stated in chapter one. Then, briefly describe

the content of the chapter.

4.2 Background Analysis of the Data (if any)

o Present data not related to the research questions but that are essential for analyzing

and understanding the results of the study. Examples include data on respondents’

profile such as gender, age, income, education, marital status, level of study,

programme of study, service experience, religious background, etc.

4.3 Results of the Study

o Results of a study are the data collected from the field work or from respondents of

the study. Findings of a study are the conclusions drawn from the results of the study

o Present your results in summary form, using tables, figures and text formats.

o Group and present the findings according to your research questions

o If you use tables and figures, then briefly analyse or describe the meaning of the data

presented in tables and figures that contain your results.

o Use subheadings that correspond to those you used in chapter two for the review of

the actual studies.

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4.4 Discussion of the Results and Findings

o Group and discuss the results and findings according to your research

questions/objectives of the study. Once again, Results of a study are the data collected

from the field work or from respondents of the study. Findings of a study are the

conclusions drawn from the results of the study

o In discussing the results and findings, compare and contrast your findings with the

results of previous studies that you reviewed in Chapter two. In addition relate your

findings to theory and norms of accepted practice. This means show how your

findings confirm or contradicts some past research work, or helps to proof or

disproves an existing theory or policy.

o This section should be enriched with appropriate references.

o Remember that describing the figure in tables and figures is not the same as

discussion of results of the study.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION*

5.1 Introduction*

o Restate the purpose of the study as you stated in chapter one. Then, briefly describe

the content of the chapter.

5.2 Summary

o Provide a summary of the entire study: the problem, the themes upon which you

developed the literature review, the methodology, and the major findings.

5.3 Conclusion (s)

o What inference(s) can you make about the study? Tie the inferences or conclusions to

the findings as well as the theoretical framework you covered in Chapter two.

o Remember that conclusions are not the same as findings so they should not restate the

findings.

5.4 Implications of the Study (Contribution to research and recommendations to management)

o The study may have important implications to scholars/researchers, to

management/practitioners, and to policy makers. What does the study imply to

theory, policy and practice?

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o Separate this section into two or three sub-sections since it may be appropriate to state

the implications to scholars/researchers/theory, to management and to policy makers.

o The implications of the study to scholars/researchers/theory refer to what the study

has contributed to research or theory in terms of:

i. increasing the literature in an area or topic

ii. confirming or contradicting other past research findings

iii. confirming or disproving the application of a theory to a particular research

context

iv. refining, modifying or improving a theory or research model

o The implications of the study to management/practitioners/policy refer to

recommendations to managers, professionals and policy makers. In this section,

suggest actions that people in authority should take.

o Base your suggestions/recommendations/implications of the study on the results and

findings in Chapter four.

5.5 Suggestions/Recommendations for Further Research

o Suggest possible areas of your topic that you did not investigate for future research by

others.

o The possible areas are those you did not cover in your research objectives.

REFERENCE*

Provide a list of references, in alphabetical order, of all the works that you cited in the

study.

Do not include the reference list works that you did not cite in your report.

Follow the APA Style in the providing the references.

APPENDIX*

Attach to the report all the instruments that you used to collect data.

You may also attach your internship letter that allowed you to practice in the school.

Distinguish between attachments by labeling them as Appendix A, Appendix B,

Appendix C, etc.

Please Note

* Centre chapter numbers and chapter heading. In addition, centre the reference list and

appendixes. Write the chapter numbers and headings on different lines.

* The main chapter headings are not numbered, but it is implied that they are 1.0, 2.0, 3.0,

4.0, and 5.0 so that the chapter introductions should be 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1 and 5.1 respectively.

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** The subheading “Introduction” to each chapter is necessary but could also be titled

“Overview”. However, there should be consistency. This means if one chapter has an

introduction, then the chapters must also have introductions.

STYLES AND FORMATTING PREFERENCES

REFERENCES*

Provide a list in alphabetical order, of all the works you cited in the study. Do not include

you include in the study.

Follow the APA style in providing the references.

APPENDIX*

Attach to the report copies of all the instruments you used to collect data.

You may also attach copies of your letter of introduction and your students letter of consent.

Distinguish between the attachments by labeling them as Appendix A, Appendix B, e.t.c

Typing

1. Spacing: Double-space throughout the entire report, including the title page, abstract,

references, appendixes, footnotes, tables, figures captions and sentence terminators such as

the period or full stop (.), question mark (?), and exclamation mark (!). In addition, double

space between lines of body text and titles, headings and block quotations. Again, do not

leave extra spaces between headings and body text.

2. Margins: Use one inch margins on the left, right, top, and bottom of the page.

3. Paragraph Indentation: indent the first line ½ inch for all the paragraphs in the report except

the abstract, block quotes, titles and headings, subheadings, references, tables, notes, and

figure captions.

4. Font size and Type: Use 12-point font and Times New Roman for the text of the report.

Use 12-point font Ariel for Figure labels.

5. Pagination and Numbering: Insert the page number one inch from the top right edge of the

paper on the first line of every page (except Figures), beginning with the title page. Number

the pages preceding chapter one with small Roman numerals. Number the pages from the

chapter one to the end of the report in Arabic numerals.

6. Capitalisation: Capitalisation the first letter following a colon if the clause following the

colon is a complete sentence.

7. Alignment: Make sure the text is left aligned and not justified ( creating uneven right

margin)

8. Hyphenation: Do not hyphenate (split) words at the end of a line.

9. Title: Centre the title of the report. Use uppercase or capital letters.

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10. Headings: Centre the main chapter numbers (e. g. Chapter one, Chapter two, e.t.c) In

addition, centre chapter headings such as introduction, Review of Related Literature,

Methodology, Results of the Study, Summary and Conclusions, References, and Appendix.

Use capital letters for the chapter numbers and chapter headings. Flush left, and use capital

and small letters for subheadings such as Samples, Instruments, and Procedures.

Writing in General

1. Language Use: Simple, clear and direct language. Avoid flowery language and ambiguity.

2. Sentence Structure: Use Complete sentences. In addition, the first sentence of a paragraph

must be independent or able to stand on its own.

3. Slang: Try not to use the slang or archaic expressions.

4. Contradictions: Do not use contractions. That is instead of its, use it is.

5. Spelling: If you are doubtful about the spelling of a word, do not guess. Look up the correct

spelling in an appropriate reference source. In addition, do not mix up American and British

spellings use one type only, preferably British spelling.

6. Edit: proofread the copy that you submit. Correct Minor typographical errors, formatting,

spellings or even the wording. these corrections are inevitable and will communicate that

you are serious about your work.

7. Sexist language: Avoid the use of sexist language. Avoid the use Pronouns.

8. Unnecessary words: Avoid using empty words or words that serve no purpose. For

example, in the Mordedzi (2008) study it was found that… should read more like Mordedzi

(2008) found that…

9. Voice: Generally use the active voice rather than the passive voice. For example use the

“this study shows that…” rather than “this study has shown that…”

10. Tense: Use the past tense in the abstract, purpose statement, literature review, and methods.

use the past or present tense perfect tense in the other sections of the introduction. Use the

past tense to present to present the findings. use the present tense to discuss the results and

present research conclusions and interpretations. Do not use the future tense, except, in

research proposals. the following are examples:

I collected data as follows

I found that….

the data suggested the following conclusions

data in the table 1 show that….

The purpose of this study was….

11. Verb usage: Do not use the verb as an adverb or adjective.

12. Person: Use the singular form of the first person personal pronoun. Donot use the third

person in a classroom action research report. That is, use the term I rather than the

researcher in a classroom action research report.

13. Definitive and tentative statements: Be definitive about procedures, data and statistics. Be

tentative about interpretations and conclusions. Do not present conclusions and

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interpretations as if they are certain. The following are examples of definitive and tentative

statements:

The mean and the standard deviation was….(definite statement)

Seventy five Percent of the respondents indicated that…(definitive statement)

The coefficient of correlation was…(Tentative statement)

the following conclusions appear to ….(tentative statement)

the true mean probably lies between…(Tentative statement)

14. Consistency: Be consistent in style, wording and the use of special and terms throughout

the report. Use the same term each time you mention a variable in a quantitative study or a

key concept in a qualitative study or a key concept in a qualitative study. Avoid shifts in

tense and subject verb agreement. in addition do not use synonyms.

15. Coherence: use coherence to add to the readability of the research report. sentences,

paragraphs, and chapters must flow smoothly into each other. You can achieve coherence

in the following ways

Repeat variables in the title, purpose statement, research questions, hypothesis, and

the literature review headings.

Use transitional words, phrases, or sentences to connect sentences and paragraphs.

Numbers

1. Report all measurements in Metric units. In other words, use centimetres and metres rather

than inches and feet.

2. Spell out the numbers zero through nine (except except when it is a table or figure number,

or a metric measurement, etc.). The numbers 10 and above are written as numbers.

3. Capitalise nouns followed by numerals or letters that denote a specific place in a numbered

series. For example, As can be seen in Figure 3, during Block 4 of session 2 the

performance of the students improved by 15%.

4. In the abstract, use digits for all the numbers except when they begin a sentence.

5. Spell out any number when it begins a sentence. For example, the sentence 34 students

were used, at the beginning of the sentence should read Thirty four students were used.

6. Try to be consistent with the number formats. That is, if you are reporting a series of related

numbers, they should all be presented with the same number of decimal places.

Abbreviations

1. When abbreviating any terms, spell them out the first time (in both the abstract and again

in the body of the manuscript, if need be). For example The Learning Style Inventory (LSI)

was used to…

2. Do not use too many abbreviations. Whereas one, two, or three can be helpful, four or five

can be confusing.

3. You will often see the following Latin abbreviations in a research report:

26

cf. compare etc. and so forth

e.g., for example i.e., that is

et al. and others vs. versus, against

4. Except for et al use these abbreviations in a parenthetic material. In non-parenthetic

material use the English translation.

5. Do not use E and S as abbreviations for experimenter and subject.

6. Do not use periods with the following common abbreviations.

cm centimeter s seconds

mg milligrams min minutes

g grams hr hours

M mean IQ intelligence

For example, the bar was 2.5 cm wide and 1.0 cm high.

References APA Style

1. Present any works cited in the report in this section. That is, if you have not cited something

in the text, then it should not appear in this section. in other words, this is not a

bibliography.

2. In any of the previous sections, whenever you say something like studies have shown you

must provide a citation. This section tells readers where they can find these citations.

An Anonymous book

The Chicago manual of style: fourteenth edition. (1993). Chicago: The University of Chicago

Press.

A latter edition of a book

Mouton, L. (1998). Computer Graphics (new revised edition). Seattle: Litware.

Lind, D. A., Marchal, W. G., & Wathen S. A. (2005). Statistical techniques in business &

economics (12th ed.) Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin

A work in more than one volume

Wood, F. & Sangster, A. (2005). Business Accounting (Vol. 1-2) (11th ed.). London

FT/Prentice Hall.

27

A signed article in a journal

Mordedzi, B. (2007). Responsibility for corporate debts in Ghana: A conceptual perspective.

Pent Vars Business Journal, 1 (1), 61 – 70.

A signed article in a monthly or weekly magazine

Hoffman, K. (1995, January) Hardware innovations. Awesome computers, pp. 14-17.

A signed article in a daily newspaper

Akosa, F. (2009, May 9). The banning of extra classes in public schools. The Ghanaian Times, p.

8

An unsigned article in a journal

The role of weather in economics. (2008, December 14). Quarterly Journal of Economics, IV, pp

16-21.

Web document on University programme or department Web site

Dangelman, D., & Harris M. L. (2000). APA style essentials. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from

Vangaurd University, Department of psychology Web site:

http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796

Stand-alone Web document (no date)

Afrifah, M. E. (n.d). Chieftaincy Culture and Religion, Retrieved March, 13 2009, from

http://www.culwww.com/culrelrelig/curelpr.htm

Stand-alone web document (no author, no date)

Gender and Society. (n.d). Retrieved December 3, 2001, from http: //uew.edu/:mbdp/gender.htm.

Journal article from data base

Ato, A., & Banor, M. (2006). Correlates of drug abuse and maternal aggression, Journal of

interpersonal violence, 15, 503-522. Retrieved May 20, 2009, from ProQuest database.

Abstract from secondary data base

Manu, K., & Degbor, D. (2004). Effect of server introduction on Restaurant tipping. Journal of

applied social psychology, 20, 168-172. Abstract retrieved January 23, 2009, from

PsycINFO database.

28

Journal article Internet-only journal

Mordedzi, B. (2008, May). Mentoring beginning teachers in business education, Journal of

teacher education, 4(1). February 1, 2009, from http://uew.edu.gh/v4n1/teachered.html

Article chapter in an edited book

Amanor, J. D. (2006). Religion and sexual adjustment. In J. F. Achiaw (ed.), Religion and mental

health (pp. 70-84). Accra: Assembly Press.

3. Alphabetise the references section by the surname of the first author involved in the study.

Where there is no author, use the first important word in the title. Do not use “the,” “an,”

or “a.”

4. Format entries as hanging indents. If an entry runs more than one line, use a hanging indent

for each reference. That is, do not indent the first line but indent the rest ½ inch fro the left

margin.

5. For each author, give the last (surname) name followed by a comma. Use only initials for

the author’s first and middle names followed by periods.

6. Separate multiple authors with commas and the last author with the ampasand (&) rather

with the word “and”.

7. After the author(s) comes the year (in parentheses and followed by a period).

8. For a journal articles, italicise the title of the journal and the volume number. Issue numbers

are typically not included. If necessary include issue numbers in parentheses and followed

by a comma. Finally, include the page number of the article. Also capitalize the important

words of the journal title. Do not put quotation marks around titles of articles.

9. Italicise titles of books. Capitalise only the first word of the title, any proper nouns, and the

first word to follow a colon. Include the city, state (as a two-letter abbreviation without

periods) and the publisher’s name.

10. Italicise the names of magazines, newspapers, journals, without underlines and quotation

marks. Capitalize all important words.

11. List titles of articles from magazines, newspapers, journals without underlines and

quotation marks. Capitalize only the first word of the title, any proper nouns and the first

word to follow an internal colon.

12. Arrange entries in the following order: (1) author name. (2) date. (3) title information, (4)

publication information, (5) periodical page range.

Example of APA Reference Style

A book with one author

Osei, J. (2007). Accounting for companies in Ghana: An instructional approach. Kumasi: UGC

Publishing House.

29

A book with two authors

Agyedu, G. O., Donkor, F., & Obeng, S. (2007). Teach yourself research methods. Kumasi:

Wynkad.

A book with an editor

Berzins, M. (ed.). (1991). Writing clearly: bullets, white space and common sense. New York:

Scootney Publishing.

Figures: APA format

1. Figure captions should be brief and explain the figure content. Use these wisely to explain

what is going on in the figure. In other words do not be afraid to be a little bit verbose in

your figure captions.

2. Figures should not duplicate the same information in the table. Likewise, you should not

repeat the data point values in a figure in the text of the manuscript.

3. Figures are more expensive to include in the manuscript than text. Therefore, if you include

one, it should include a reasonable number of data points. In other words, if you only have

a few data points to present, do it in the text of the manuscript rather than in a figure.

4. Capitalize the first letter of each important word in the title of a figure.

5. Refer to a figures in the text by their numbers (without italics). For example, figure 1 shows

that….Describe to the reader what should be seen in it.

6. Italicise the word figure and the number, followed by a period. For example, figure 1.

7. Do not italicise figure captions, but end the caption with a period.

8. Centre each figure on the page vertically as well as horizontally and arrange for the figure

to use the bulk of the page.

9. If the figure is a chart or graph, verbally label the axes (do not use “X” and “Y”) and

provide a key if necessary (e.g. explaining what open vs. filled circles are).

10. In a research report, the figure, the figure number and caption appear under the figure.

30

Figure 1. Percentages showing the Performance of Students in Financial Accounting in December

2008 before Intervention.

Figure 1 shows the percentages associated with the performance of my students in December 2008

before I introduced changes in the class. About half of the students in the class obtained Grade C.

Only a few of them failed. In addition, none of them had grade A or B.

Tables: APA format

Tables provide a summary of result. The following are guidelines for creating tables in APA

format.

i. Tables are more expensive to include in a manuscript than text. Therefore, if you include one,

it should include a reasonable number of data points. In other words, if you only have a few

data points to present, do it in the text of the manuscript rather than in a table.

ii. Tables should not duplicate the same information in a figure. Likewise, you should not repeat

the data point values in a table in the text of the manuscript.

13.3

30

10

16.720

10

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

A B2 B3 C4 C5 C6 D7 E8 F9

31

iii. Label each table using consecutive Arabic numbers (e. g., Table 1).

iv. Refer to tables in the text by their numbers (without italics) and describe to the reader what

should be seen in it. For example, Table 1 shows that…

v. Table titles should be brie and explain the table. Use it wisely to explain what is going on the

table. In other words, do not be afraid to be a little verbose in your table titles.

vi. Type the table number and then (on the next double spaced line) type the table title flush left

and italicized. Do not use periods after the table number or title.

vii. Do not italicise table numbers (e.g table 1, not table 1)

viii. Capitalize the first letter of each important word in the title. Italicise table titles, for example,

Frequencies and Percentages of Academic Achievement.

ix. Tables drawn in APA format do not contain vertical lines. So do not draw them in or use your

word processor to generate them. Use horizontal lines in the body or in more complex tables

to divideit into sections. Provide a title in the centre at the top of each demarcated section. In

addition, set off a heading with a horizontal line if a subheading is below it.

x. When using columns with a decimal numbers, make the decimal points line up. Report decimal

values to two decimal places. In addition, report p values to two decimal places.

xi. You may use abbreviations for statistical indices (e. g. M for mean and SD for standard

deviation). In addition, italicise all statistical indices except subscripts and Greek symbols.

xii. You may present notes at the bottom of the table. Use general notes to provide information

about the table as a whole. Designate a general notes by the word Note. Ue specific notes to

refer to specific columns, rows or individual entries in the table. Designate specific notes with

superscripted lowercase letters. Use probability notes to refer to levels of significance.

Designate probability notes with asterisk (e. g. *p<.05)

xiii. In the text of the manuscript, draw the reader’s attention to the highlights of the information

presented in the table. Do not reiterate in the text all the information in the body of the table.

32

Examples of a table in APA Format

Table 1. Frequencies and Percentages showing the Performance of Students in Financial

Accounting in December 2008 before Intervention.

Grade obtained

Frequency Percentages

A

0 0

B2

0 0

B3

0 0

C4

4 13.33

C5

9 30

C6

3 10

D7

5 16.67

E8

6 20

F9

3 10

TOTAL

30 100

Table 1 shows the frequencies and percentages associated with the performance of the students in

December 2008 before changes were introduced in the class. About half of the students in the class

obtained Grade C. Only a few of them failed. In addition, none of them had a Grade A or B.

33

Table 2. Means and Standard Deviations for Junior and Senior High School GPA Scores of

Students by Gender.

Boys Girls

GPA Scores M SD M SD

Junior High School GPA 2.63 .92 2.65 .82

Senior High School GPA 2.35 .40 2.83 .37

Table 2 shows the means and standard deviations of the Junior High School and Senior High

School GPAs of the students by gender. The mean and standard deviations of the junior high school

were relatively similar for the boys and the girls. However, on the average, girls had higher senior

high school GPAs than boys.