Academic research project refers to systematic work usually undertaken by mostly students with the aim of discovery and interpretation of new knowledge. The initial stage or document of an academic research project is the academic research proposal. An academic research project constitutes of five chapters in total. The procedure of writing an academic research project may vary in regard to certain fields study as well as the institution from which the academic research project is carried out from. Different institutions have their own procedures and standards; however there are general standards and steps that every academic research project must follow.
Academic research project gives a researcher the opportunity to study an area of interest in depth. Writing of academic research project is a requirement carried out by students from learning institutions across the world. Actually to many of the learning institutions across the globe writing an academic research project is a key requirement and students cannot graduate without having to complete the process. It is also a process carried out by other institutions such as research institutions, non government institutions as well as other institutions with the aim of identifying a problem and finding solutions to the problem.
Importance of writing an Academic Research Project
- Academic research project helps students and institutions to acquire more knowledge on an existing area of study, aimed at discovery and interpretation of new knowledge.
- It also probes further research on the same subject under study and additionally other subjects related to the subject under study.
- Research project gives the researcher the opportunity to do in-depth research on an area of interest.
- It enables a researcher to use his/her creativity and initiative while developing skills in analysis, evaluation, research as well as project management.
How to Write an Academic Research Project
An academic research project constitutes of five chapters. Additionally every chapter consists of several steps and procedures. Below is the general standard procedure to writing an academic research project.
Chapter One
Chapter one consist of the following concepts and steps:
Background of the Study
Background of the study contains information of the problem understudy. The researcher should thoroughly discuss and give an examination of the significance of the research problem. From the background your readers should be able to gain a sense that you are very familiar with the problem under study. The researcher should give an overview of the understanding of the problem both locally as well as globally.
Statement of the Problem
The researcher should be able to articulately show the existing gap in regard to the identified problem as well as describe ways in which the gap can be closed. Discuss the problem under study giving illustrations and also examples and if any statistics of past researches carried out on the same subject of study. Explain why the subject under study is unique from the past done researches on the same subject. Additionally explain to your readers what is interesting about your problem.
Objectives of the Study and Research Questions
Research objectives and research questions are two different entities though related to one another. Objectives of the study come before the research questions. The researcher must write down objectives of the study in point form starting with the general objective to specific objectives. The general object is usually derived from the research title where as the specific objectives are derived mostly from the statement of the problem.
Once finished with the objectives the research questions then follow, derived from the specific objectives. Therefore the research questions should be same number as the specific objectives, that is, if specific objectives are four in number then the research questions should also be four in number.
Justification of the Study
Discuss and explain why the research is important. The researcher should be able to outline the benefits of the research and describe those bound to benefit from the research. Show your readers why the research is important by explaining and describing its benefits.
Chapter Two
Chapters two consist of the following concepts:
Theoretical Framework
The research project should include a critical review of other literature related to the topic under study. Acknowledge other researchers whose works have formed a foundation for your research. Discuss academic theories that relates to your study and how their existence affect your study.
Conceptual Framework
Conceptual framework refers to a group of concepts related to the research study that are broadly defined and systematically organized to provide a focus, a rationale, as well as a tool for the integration and interpretation of information. It is usually expressed abstractly through word models as well as diagrams.
Critique of the Existing Literature
The researcher should be able to understand the existing literature related to his/her study. The researcher should be able to critically analyze, interpret and provide a critique to the readers of the existing literature.
Chapter Three
Chapters three consist of the following concepts:
Research Design
A research design refers to the conceptual structure within which the research is conducted. The researcher should outline the research design that is suitable for the academic research proposal. For example the researcher may decide on descriptive, experimental or even survey designs among other research designs. The researcher should justify why the decided on design is suitable for his/her proposal.
Target Population
Describe the sampling unit used for the research. Explain the reasons that led you to decide on a particular target population. Explain the benefits of the research to the target population as well as the benefits of the target population to the research.
Data Collection Method and Technique
Describe on how you purpose to collect your data. This could be through questionnaires, interviews, questionnaire surveys, interview guides among other data collection methods. Explain the benefits of your data collection method.
Data Processing and Analysis
Once data is collected the researcher should be able to edit and counter check completion of questions in order to identify which will not have been appropriately responded to. The researcher should establish and identify ways in which he/she will process, analyze and report the result. For example in a quantitative study the researcher may run the data through the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS)
Chapter Four
Chapters four consist of the following concepts:
Data Analysis, Results and Discussion
The chapter should present the analysis and findings of the study as set in the research methodology. In this chapter the researcher should address every question from the research methodology by analyzing, presenting and discussing the results. Readers should get a clear view on how each research objective and question analyzed and interpreted by the researcher. The researcher should be clear and familiar with the different methods and techniques of data analysis and presentation he/she uses. The researcher should give statistical findings and results of the study. Important to discuss research objectives into detail in this chapter.
Chapter Five
Chapters five consist of the following concepts:
Summary
The summary should be brief and to the point. It should give an overview of the study topic, statement of the problem, brief description of the methodology used as well as significance and implication of the study. In other words the researcher should give a brief discussion of every important aspect of the study.
Findings
The researcher should discuss the findings here after data collect, analysis, interpretation and presentation. Discuss what the findings reveal. Relate the findings with the findings of other researches related to your topic of study. From the findings also discuss whether your research objectives were significant or not.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Conclusion usually derived from the findings. Discuss the conclusion drawn from the findings of the study. The researcher should also discuss the recommendations made as an outgrowth of the study and suggestions for further research.
