Research Guidelines



114935-11493500Research Guidelines forMasters Degrees by Coursework and ResearchMM – P&DMMM – SMM- M&EMM – G&PLMM- H&DM2017Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u About this guide PAGEREF _Toc473186967 \h 4About the Research Report PAGEREF _Toc473186968 \h 4The Research Report Process PAGEREF _Toc473186969 \h 6The research proposal PAGEREF _Toc473186970 \h 6Doing the research and write-up PAGEREF _Toc473186971 \h 6The examination process PAGEREF _Toc473186972 \h 6The structure of the MM year PAGEREF _Toc473186973 \h 7Research conceptualisation and exploration PAGEREF _Toc473186974 \h 9Applied research PAGEREF _Toc473186975 \h 9Guidelines for selecting a topic PAGEREF _Toc473186976 \h 10Working with a Supervisor PAGEREF _Toc473186977 \h 12Selecting a supervisor PAGEREF _Toc473186978 \h 13The Proposal Development Course PAGEREF _Toc473186979 \h 16The Research Proposal PAGEREF _Toc473186980 \h 17The contents of a research proposal PAGEREF _Toc473186981 \h 18Research Propopsal template: PAGEREF _Toc473186982 \h 19The cover page PAGEREF _Toc473186983 \h 19Introduction/background PAGEREF _Toc473186984 \h 21The literature review PAGEREF _Toc473186985 \h 26Research methodology PAGEREF _Toc473186986 \h 26The research proposal Panel PAGEREF _Toc473186987 \h 30Outcomes of the Proposal Panel PAGEREF _Toc473186988 \h 33Accept as it stands PAGEREF _Toc473186989 \h 33Minor Revisions PAGEREF _Toc473186990 \h 33Major Revisions PAGEREF _Toc473186991 \h 33Reject PAGEREF _Toc473186992 \h 34Faculty Committee approval PAGEREF _Toc473186993 \h 34Proceeding with your research PAGEREF _Toc473186994 \h 34The research report PAGEREF _Toc473186995 \h 35Title Page PAGEREF _Toc473186996 \h 35Title: PAGEREF _Toc473186997 \h 35Author’s name PAGEREF _Toc473186998 \h 35Statement PAGEREF _Toc473186999 \h 35Date PAGEREF _Toc473187000 \h 35Abstract PAGEREF _Toc473187001 \h 37Declaration PAGEREF _Toc473187002 \h 37Dedication PAGEREF _Toc473187003 \h 38Acknowledgements PAGEREF _Toc473187004 \h 38Table of contents PAGEREF _Toc473187005 \h 38Glossary of terms PAGEREF _Toc473187006 \h 38List of abbreviations PAGEREF _Toc473187007 \h 38List of tables PAGEREF _Toc473187008 \h 38List of figures PAGEREF _Toc473187009 \h 39The body of the research report PAGEREF _Toc473187010 \h 39Introduction/background PAGEREF _Toc473187011 \h 39Literature review PAGEREF _Toc473187012 \h 39Research methodology and data collection PAGEREF _Toc473187013 \h 39Presentation of research data/information PAGEREF _Toc473187014 \h 40Analysis of research PAGEREF _Toc473187015 \h 40Conclusions/recommendations PAGEREF _Toc473187016 \h 41Template for writing up research PAGEREF _Toc473187017 \h 41Pages at the end of the report PAGEREF _Toc473187018 \h 41References PAGEREF _Toc473187019 \h 41Appendices PAGEREF _Toc473187020 \h 41Formatting conventions PAGEREF _Toc473187021 \h 42Writing the Research Report PAGEREF _Toc473187022 \h 43Academic style PAGEREF _Toc473187023 \h 43The process of writing PAGEREF _Toc473187024 \h 43The pre-writing phase PAGEREF _Toc473187025 \h 43The writing phase PAGEREF _Toc473187026 \h 44Post-writing phase PAGEREF _Toc473187027 \h 44Editing for style PAGEREF _Toc473187028 \h 44Research report specifications PAGEREF _Toc473187029 \h 45Binding PAGEREF _Toc473187030 \h 46Handing in the research report PAGEREF _Toc473187031 \h 46Assessment of the research report PAGEREF _Toc473187032 \h 46In closing PAGEREF _Toc473187033 \h 46Appendix 2 – Guidelines for examiners of WSG research reports. PAGEREF _Toc473187034 \h 50GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ALL RESEARCH REPORTS PAGEREF _Toc473187035 \h 50Examination PAGEREF _Toc473187036 \h 50Grading PAGEREF _Toc473187037 \h 50Result PAGEREF _Toc473187038 \h 51GUIDELINES FOR EXAMINERS OF MASTERS OF MANAGEMENT (50%) PAGEREF _Toc473187039 \h 52Key indicators for examiners PAGEREF _Toc473187040 \h 52Introduction PAGEREF _Toc473187041 \h 52Guidelines PAGEREF _Toc473187042 \h 52References PAGEREF _Toc473187043 \h 54About this guideCandidates for Master of Management (MM) degrees at the Wits School of Governance (WSG) are required to undertake and document research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for their degree. This guide covers the requirements for the research report which comprises 50% of the requirements of the degree In order to complete this process, you will be required to:Select a suitable research topicSecure a supervisorPrepare and then present a research proposal for approval within WSG and the FacultyPrepare a Research Report or Thesis (depending on the weight of the research in comparison to the rest of the curriculum) for submission and examination. For the purposes of this guide, we will call the product a ‘research report’. The details of size and scale of the report for the different degrees will be dealt with in this guide.This guide is designed to provide you with the information that you need to complete this key component of your degree.This guide is specifically designed to provide guidance to students that are registered for the following degrees:MM – Public & Development ManagementMM – SecurityMM – Governance & Public LeadershipMM – Humanitarian & Development ManagementMM – Public & Development Sector Monitoring & EvaluationMM – Monitoring & EvaluationAbout the Research ReportA research report for a coursework Master’s degree is a report that focuses on an area of applied research conducted over a limited period of time. It is not as big as a full Master’s dissertation, a PhD thesis, nor is it a consultant’s report. These you can do at a later stage.The purpose of the research report is to give you an opportunity to demonstrate how well you can self-manage a problem-solving exercise or research project on a topic of your choice, within limited time and resources, using a well-defined theoretical or conceptual analysis framework. Through the research report, you will demonstrate that you can design, execute, analyse and report on the issue that you have developed as the focus of your research. You have to show that you can do this in a coherent and logical way, and meet the standards appropriate for an applied research project in an academic environment.The research report process provides an opportunity for you to integrate your knowledge across the range of topics that you have engaged with in your academic careers culminating in the Master of Management. It particularly requires you to apply the learning that you have undertaken in your Postgraduate Diploma in Management to develop your analytical framework. 5448303241040The Research Report ProcessThere are key milesones in the research process. They are:The research proposalResearch conceptualisation and exploration. This includes the proposal preparation, directed reading elective, and the methodology courses that you will undertake during your Masters year.Proposal submission and defenceDoing the research and write-upData gathering Data analysis and write-upSubmission of the draftsEditing for submission for examinationThe examination processExamination Completing revisions required by examiners and submission of the final research report.In each of these stages you have responsibilities that you need to be aware of, and you have the right to expect support from the School which is described here. In your Masters year, which can be thought of as a ‘research year’, you will be given guidance through courses that you take, as well as the support of a supervisor and the academics of the school. The School has developed a range of courses to support you through the reesarch process, which are described below. Please note that the ordering of these courses may change according to timetabling requirements .The structure of the MM yearDuring the MM year you will complete a total of four courses which are designed to support the conceptualisation and execution of your research project.The proposal development course is broken into two sections. The first part is designed to get you to focus on a research topic, and to be able to start articulating your research problem and purpose, as well as your research questions. At this stage your research focus will in all likelihood be vague. You will change the problem, purpose and research question components of your research proposal many times as you go through the courses that support the research process. Constant questioning of your research problem and purpose is an integral and important process of research conceptualisation.The first part of the proposal development course will consist of three sessions which will provide you with an overview of the research process, and how to conceptualise your research. Once you have completed the three introductory sessions on the proposal development course, you will be required to provide a research overview to the school. This research overview will be used to associate you with a research mentor, who will in all likelihood become your supervisor for your research project.During the Directed Readings elective course, you will explore the bodies of knowledge that surround your research, and into which you will position your research. In the directed readings course. The outcome of the directed readings course is a literature review and an analytical framework for your research project. During this time you will be encouraged to reflect on your research problem and purpose, and refine it in terms of your unfolding knowledge. At the same time, if you have not yet been matched to a supervisor, the knowledge area will select a supervisor for you.While you are busy with the directed readings course, and later the methodology courses, workshops will be scheduled to assist you with understanding how to write the various components of the research proposal and the literature review, and these contribute to the overall proposal development course. One of the first decisions that you are required to make with respect of your research is the research paradigm. In order to facilitate this, you will undertake two methodology courses – Qualitative Research Methodology, and Quantitative Research Methodology. You are required to pass both methodology courses, as well as the directed readings elective before you will be allowed to defend your research proposal. Once you have completed the methodology courses, you will return to the second half of the proposal development course, during this course you will work with your supervisor and the research hub to hone your research proposal in readiness for your panel defence. The school will timetable two two-day defence sessions, each a month apart. The proposal development course is a pass/fail course. In order to pass it you have to successfully defend your proposal at a proposal panel at one of the scheduled defence sessions. Note that you will only be allowed to defend your research proposal once your supervisor has agreed that your proposal is fit-for-purpose.Once you have successfully defended your research proposal, and submitted any changes required by the defence panelists, you may begin to gather your data, re-work your initial chapters from the work that you have already done, and start the actual writing of the research report.Research conceptualisation and explorationAs a first step in the research report process you have to identify a research topic. WSG sets three requirements:The topic must be relevant to the degree for which you are registered;The problem must be amenable to an applied research approach;An appropriate supervisor must be available for the topic.Despite efforts to create distinct disciplines, the practice of management remains eclectic. Managers are likely to work across technical, cultural and functional boundaries and to draw on a variety of disciplines: public administration, political studies, economics, law, sociology, statistics, public health etc. Your research is therefore likely to be either multi-disciplinary or interdisciplinary. This leaves the field very wide for you to choose a topic, but it must be relevant to the particular specialisation of your Masters programme. If you are doing the Public & Development Management specialisation, you will not be allowed to pursue a topic that is private sector aligned. You may, however seek to explore how the private sector interfaces with the public and development sector in your choice of topic.Applied researchApplied research is problem-driven. It:Is intended to lead to the solution of specific problems;Usually involves working with clients who identify problems and who ultimately get results and recommendations out of the research;Often feeds into a decision-making process, and is therefore likely to be subject to tight time-frames;Is firmly hooked into an understanding of appropriate bodies of theory;Means that the applied researcher collects information in a systematic way, reports on findings and adequately and systematically analyses the information collected, making the necessary connections to existing knowledge.An applied research report is not the same as a consultant’s report. Its goal is not to make recommendations or draw conclusions (although these may well emerge from the work), but rather to demonstrate the links between what has been discovered in the course of examining a particular research ‘case’ and the body of knowledge relevant to the field.In order to gain academic approval, the report also has to move beyond pure description, and engage in an explanation and analysis of what has been discovered.Guidelines for selecting a topicThe approaches to defining research differ across supervisors. Some will insist that you start your research process with a topic (thought this may well change). Others take the approach that the research is defined by the problem and purpose that the research addresses, and that the topic will arise out of this. Regardless of the approach taken towards the topic, you will be required to have a fully developed topic for your research by the time that you defend your proposal. The defence panel may well advise you on the topic itself, but by the end of the panel you must have a final topic which is then tabled at a Faculty committee, and which becomes official and binding. You may not submit your research under a different topic title, and if your supervisor feels that the topic has shifted, a submission has to be made in writing to the Faculty Postgraduate Committee for a change.When completing the Directed Readings elective you will refine your topic under the guidance of academics that will lead you in the directed readings. The following checklist may help you to decide whether or not a chosen topic is suitable.The need for researchThe selected topic must be in a field where there is a real need for research. i.e. it must have relevance to the field of management in which you are registered (broadly, in the context of WSG these would be management, policy, regulation, governance, development), and the outcomes should not be obvious, trivial or predictable. The results should be obtainable within a time frame short enough for them to remain useful and relevant. Note that your research may repeat work that has already been done, if there is a good reason to do so: seeing whether the findings of research conducted in one locality are consistent in another; seeing if findings that came out of research done some time ago are consistent, or are consistent after there has been some particular change that would affect the research population.A report may have been published that identifies a particular issue that needs further research. Consultant reports and investigations into particular incidents often highlight problems that cannot be fully explored. You can choose to pursue one of these problems. In your daily work you may notice a pattern that could be called ‘problematic’ – a particular process that doesn’t work the way it was designed to, or a particular policy that has inintended results or consequences. While some disciplines frown on research being conducted so close to the researcher’s daily experience, it is accepted in management studies. (See for instance Brannic & Coghlin, (2007) for more on doing insider research.)Amenable to research methodsEven if a research topic meets the above criterion, it also has to be suitable for formal research methods. WSG requires evidence of sources of information on the research design and methodology. You will complete courses which will provide a substantive exploration of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. You will have to position your research in either a qualitative or a quantitative paradigm, and build your proposal appropriately. Note that you will normally not do ‘mixed method’ research for a coursework and research masters. There is a particular set of conditions and methods that apply to ‘mixed method’ research which you will not cover at this level. However if you are doing qualitative research, you will in all likelihood also have to work with number sets as part of your secondary data and develop a descriptive analysis of what those numbers say. This does not constitute a mixed methods study. Your primary data would be of a qualitative nature and therefore your research is qualitative in nature. The same will apply in the context of a quantitative study. Achievable within a reasonable timeYou should budget for roughly 800 hours to complete a 50% research project. If you have little or no previous research experience, you may have to allocate more. Make sure that your topic is manageable within this timeframe.Useful, whatever the outcomeA research project usually has more than one potential outcome: analysis of the data collected may support a proposition, not support it, or prove to be inconclusive. Don’t pick a topic where only one possible outcome would be academically interesting.Interesting to you, and within your abilitiesResearch can be difficult, lonely and almost always frustrating. If your chosen topic is not interesting to you, or is beyond your ability, you may be tempted to give up before you complete. You will invest much time and effort in the research report – choose a topic that will help your professional or personal development.Ethically appropriateAt the stage of the research proposal defence, you will be required to complete a ethics clearance form. If your research focuses on a research population that can considered ‘vulnerable’ your proposal will have to be escalated to a full sitting of the ethics committee. ‘Vulnerable’ would be for instance women that have been victims of violence, children, HIV positive people, refugees, etc. This does not mean that you cannot do research on violence against women in a particular community, only that you would have to go through approval if the population that you were using for your research was women survivors of violence. If you are working with the general female population, it would not be considered a vulnerable group. It is difficult to provide a hard rule as to what constitutes a proposal that would require clearance by an Ethics Committee. Each research project would be judged on its own merits.Access to dataIn order to do the research you will have to gather data. In almost all cases this will result in you needing to go out and get people to talk to you about, or to complete your questionnaires. You must make sure that you are able to gain access to the people that you need to talk to, and also that the topic that you have chosen will not result in people not wanting to talk to you. Some topics are particularly difficult to work with. For instance, talking to border guards about corruption and bribery patterns at the Zimbabwe/SA border is likely to result in a refusal to talk to you, or even a knife in your back. This is not to say that such topics cannot be researched. They are, but the time required in order to build trust to the extent that people will talk to you is beyond the scope of your work, and remains dangerous to you personally. AffordabilityCompleting the research project involves many costs. Normally, you are expected to cover all these from your own pocket. So look carefully at what your proposed topic and methods are likely to cost (communications, travel, producing questionnaires, using typists and editors, etc.), and make sure you can afford them.Working with a SupervisorThe following section is drawn largely from the University’s statement of principles for postgraduate supervision (S2007/476B). At WSG you are required to do the initial work on your research proposal without the assistance of a supervisor. You are given the support of the directed readings elective to exlore the bodies of knowledge that surround your work, and in that process to redefine and perfect your research problem and purpose. In addition, you should start interrogating the methodologies that are traditionally used in research in your area the mechanisms of measurement. It is only after you have completed your own academic exploration in the area that your supervisor starts to work closely with you in getting your proposal ready for panel. Remember that the research project is YOUR project, and is designed to assess how capable you are to execute a piece of research with limited assistance from a supervisor. In general you will only begin to receive active support from your supervisor during the second phase of the proposal development course.The full principles can be downloaded from the University intranet site.The undelying principle that governs the student/supervisor relationship is one of individual autonomy and the pursuit of knowledge, in a receiprocal relationship and mutual accountability between the supervisor and the student.Selecting a supervisorThere are two routes to securing a supervisor:You are strongly encouraged to identify, approach, and attempt to secure your own supervisor. You are allowed to approach any member of the academic staff (full-time, part-time or honorary). At the end of the first part of the research proposal course you are required to provide the school with a broad overview of your intended research. If you have not got a supervisor at this stage, you will be matched to a supervisor based on your research outline submission. It is important that you pay the appropriate attention to developing this document, even though it is a very early articulation of your plans, and will change radically as you go through your exploration of literature and methodologies. When you provide your research overview, it is important to provide as much detail as you can. Supervisors may be reluctant to accept students unless there is evidence of thinking and exploration that has been done before you work with a supervisor.The School does not encourage the use of external supervisors. The particular requirements of coursework and research degrees and particularly the multidisciplinary nature of management can result in supervisors that are not familiar with the terrain to cause you to do more than is required or the research component of the degree.If you plan to use a research supervisor who is not appointed as an academic at WSG, make sure that you talk to the Masters convenor about this. WSG needs to check the credentials of your chosen supervisor, and to draw up a contract which declares the expectations of the school with regard to your supervision. If the person that you would like to have as your supervisor has not yet supervised at WSG, she/he may be asked to attend a supervision workshop. The supervisor/student relationshipYou must remember that the research report is your product – not your supervisor’s. YOU need to drive your research process. You negotiate dates with you supervisor. You prepare for meetings, do drafts etc. Don’t wait for your supervisor to tell you what to do. The ultimate responsibility for understanding what your project is about and ensuring that the work gets done rests with you, not the supervisor.You can expect the supervisor to:Guide you in your research;Give you some indication of where to look for literature;Read through a minimum of one draft of your Research Report and give you feedback (you can ask for written feedback);Give you some guidance on how to analyse your data;Attend proposal meetings with you;Stick to agreed deadlines for returning your drafts (maximum two weeks) if you have submitted your work on time;You cannot expect your supervisor to:Be available 24 hours a day;Provide you with all the references for your literature review;Correct your spelling, grammar, correctness of data, references;Keep you motivated;Keep your deadlines;Be responsible for the content and presentation of your report;Drop other commitments when you need to meet a deadline and are under pressure.To avoid time problems, you need to plan very carefully about when you need your supervisor. Negotiate these plans with your supervisor. Stick to them as much as possible. Don’t miss meetings. Find out about time management and discuss with your supervisor ways in which to save time.You should plan to attend courses offered by the Writing Centre and the University’s Postgraduate Projects office on research writing and research skills.Check the busy periods for supervisors and plan accordingly: around Research Report submission and proposal deadlines, exam periods, holiday periods (yes, academics do actually deserve a holiday from time to time).Your supervisor has to declare that the research report is being submitted with their approval. If the research report if submitted without approval, then she/he is not obligated provide a comment on the work for the postgraduate committee in the event that there is a discrepancy between the external and internal examiner’s assessments. You are entitled to submit without your supervisor’s approval – but think carefully about this.If you want to change supervisors, do this as early as possible. If conflict arises, contact the Research Hub for advice on how to resolve it. The relationship between the supervisor and student should be based on mutual respect and shared interest.In order to change supervisors, you must:Discuss it with the supervisor that you wish to move from, giving your reasons. It is not acceptable to move supervisors without discussing it with the person that has given you guidance.Discuss it with the supervisor you wish to move to and get her/his approval to take you on as a new student;Obtain e-mail (or other written) approval from your supervisor to move to the new supervisor.It is extremely unlikely that you will be allowed to move supervisors more than once during the research process.The Proposal Development CourseAll students registered for a Masters degree are required to submit and defend a research proposal. The purpose of the research proposal is to assure the School that you have done due diligence to the conceptualisation of your research, have explored methodologies that apply to your research area, and have chosen one, and have described a research design. You must show that you have read and considered the literature that applies to your research area, and have developed an analytical or conceptual framework that will guide your approach to the subject. You will describe your primary and secondary data sources, and how you will go about sampling. You will provide a comment on the validity and reliability of your research, as well as an cover the ethical implications of what you are doing.By submitting and defending the proposal you provide evidence to the School that you are appropriately equipped to execute a research project.For the MM degrees that are a continuation of the PDM, the Proposal development course is broken into two sections. The first section is designed to enable you to choose a research topic that is appropriate to the scope of the Masters programme, and addresses the specialisation that you have registered for.Once you have completed this starting process you will move onto the directed readings elective, during which phase you will gather the literatures that support and position your research. This will allow you to develop a more nuanced understanding of the knowledge areas, and the knowledge gap that your research responds to.Once you have a handle on the literature, you will begin the methodology courses, which will give you exposure to both qualitative as well as quantitative approaches to research.While you are in the process of completing the directed readings elective and the methodology courses, the Research Hub will provide workshops which support you in writing your research proposal, and incorporating your learning into your proposal.At the end of the methodology courses, you will again focus on your research proposal with a view of developing a full and final research proposal which you will defend to a proposal panel.It is only after you have defended your research proposal successfully that you will be allowed to proceed to do the research. Note that there are implications that will impact directly on you if you do not keep note of, and adhere to the University deadlines that govern your registration. These can end up costing you a lot of money, and make the process of completing your degree extremely difficult and frustrating. It is your responsibility to make sure you are familiar with what the University expects of you.You are required to defend your research proposal and be allowed to proceed with your research in order to pass the research proposal course. If you do not defend your proposal within the year, you will fail the course.11493557467500The Research Proposal“Your instructions were perfect”A proposal is a plan of action. It tells the research committee three things: What you intend to research;How you are going to do the research;That you have thought through your research and conceptualised it thoroughly and understand the academic debates and the context within which your research is situated.An approved research proposal also serves as an agreement between all parties that data may be collected and the study may be completed according to the proposed plan. After it has been approved, the supervisor and members of the proposal committee cannot demand significant changes to your plan, and neither can you make significant changes to the study. But you must still adopt a flexible approach and keep an open mind on your research proposal, revisiting it whenever necessary to ‘fine-tune’ your plans.Once finished, your proposal should guide you and keep you focussed during the research process.For information on how the research outputs differ across the degrees offered at WSG, look at Appendix 1 (page PAGEREF _Ref287343541 \h 50)The contents of a research proposalThe research proposal should contain:Your research questionThe academic debates around this questionHow you will do the research: research methodology, design, strategy. For these reasons a good proposal centres on a review of the relevant literature, a statement of the problem, a purpose statement, the associated questions or hypotheses and a clear description of the methodology planned for data collection and analysis;In your proposal you must:Clearly state the essence of the problem and the questions which your research intends to explore or resolve;Convince doubters that the research is useful;Develop a solid rationale for the main focus of your proposed study;Develop a research design that will help you to achieve the objectives of your research;Demonstrate your competence to handle the research, both by what you write and how your write it.Research Propopsal template:Title and cover page;Introduction and background;The research problem statement;The purpose of the research;Research questions;Literature review (conceptual framework);Research method;Research strategy;Limitations of the research;Draft chapter outline;References;Appendices (for example, questionnaires).The cover pageThe cover page should include:A titleYour name and student numberYour supervisor’s nameThe SchoolThe degree for which you are registered, the percentage that the research contributes to the total curriculum, and the year in which you first registered.Your contact telephone numbers and e-mail addressTitleThe title of the research report is very important. It should:Reflect the essence of your study;Contain relevant keywords so that everyone can look it up in the library;Be less than 13 words (this is a Faculty requirement);Remember:If the research is conducted in South Africa, it is usually unnecessary to use the words ‘South Africa’ in the title.You don’t need to say ‘A (case) study of….’It is better to avoid word play, puns and journalistic clichés. Unlike headlines in popular publications, the purpose of a research report title is not to sell what follows, but simply to give prospective readers a real picture of what the report contains.The Higher Degrees Committee permits no double-barrelled titles. This means that you cannot have a colon(:) in your title.Abbreviations and acronyms are not, as a rule, permitted in the title.IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT!Once your title is accepted by your Proposal Committee, it is sent to the Higher Degrees Committee. Once the Committee accepts it, the Faculty Office will send you a letter with your title on it. This is the title you must have on your final research report. If you want to change it, you need to do so in writing to the Faculty Office by formally submitting the proposed new wording with a motivation and a note of support from your supervisor to the Assistant Registrar in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management. If you change the title without permission from the Faculty Office, they will ask you to rebind your final copies, and revert to the original title that was approved by the Committee. This is something you need to check. If you don’t get a letter from the Faculty Office about your title, you must follow up on this.Introduction/backgroundThis is where you introduce your research problem in general and discuss why it is interesting and useful to research. This section should introduce the reader to the context and map out the path to be followed in the rest of the proposal. This section sets the tone of the proposal. This is where you identify the problem, so include the problem statement.This section will often include both an introduction, as well as a background, as embedded sections. In general, the background should tell us what the research looks at, and where it is located, and the particular context of the location. For example: “This research focuses on communities in Mpumalanga’s Bushbuckridge area, and how, since 2005, they have used vegetable gardening as a vehicle to develop social cohesion. Bushbuckridge is considered one of the poorest municipal areas in South Africa, and a high HIV sero-prevalence rate and low numbers of secondary school learners that pass their matric examinations. The eastern part of the municipality has a high number of Mozambiquans that immigrated during the civil war years, and who now consider Bushbuckridge home.”Once you have told the reader this, they are satisfied that they know enough of the detail to continue with the context without getting frustrated because they do not know what your particular research project is about (the details of which come up later in your problem and purpose statement). The tendency for many students is to consider that the title is sufficient to focus the mind of the reader. Do not assume this. Rather provide too many focus points for a reader than too few.Your introduction should include the broad policy or management area in which the research is contextualised. It may, for instance discuss a policy change that has taken place at the broad level in the introduction. In this case your analytical lens may be policy implementation, policy development, or policy monitoring and evaluation, for example.2921011493500In the background the reader should learn about the specific case that the research looks at within the broader environment that is discussed in the introduction. Your introduction and background should include the statement of the research problem, the purpose of the research, and the research questions.Problem statementThe problem statement is a critical section which encapsulates the focus of the research. You will spend time during your research design and methods course learning how to develop your problem statement. The problem statement is made up of a series of statements designed to provide: A description of the issue that you are looking at. A position for the issue within the existing literatureA context for the issue. The place, the time, the people, the institution, the combatants.An understanding for the reader as to Why would it be interesting to do this particular piece of research? The would articulate the knowledge gap in the context of what is already available in term of existing research or in the context of documented knowledge.Together these statements provide a paragraph for your research that quickly gives the reader a clear understanding of the key issues that apply to your work. Once the reader has gone through the problem statement, you have provided a foundation for what comes next. You have sketched out the environment, and now you can begin to fill in the detail.Lets look at the components of the problem statement in some detail:A statement of the problem. One or two sentencesWhat is the problem that you are looking at? It is a stand alone simple sentence that tells us what you’re looking at. For instance:Ex combatants find it difficult to re-integrate into mainstream society.A couple of sentences that identify the knowledge gapThe knowledge gap is critical to the concept of the generation of new knowledge. All research builds on work that has been done before. In order to support your argument, and write with authority, you have to acknowledge the work of the thinkers that have come before you. You have to position your work in the context of the previous knowledge. Some of the writers will have been writing from other country perspectives; looking at different populations; addressing it from different analytical frames. How does your work compare with theirs? Do you agree with them, or do you think that their work misses out on a critical issue in the particular conditions that apply to the what you’re writing about.? For example:Much work has been done which focuses on the patterns of behaviour and identity constructs of combatants themselves, and how this impacts on their ability to re-integrate with society. Little has been done to look at the attitudes of the members of the communities which the ex combatants wish to integrate into.The context of the studyOne or two sentences that places the work in a geographical, time, cultural or political space. By including this you ground what you’re writing about and you give the reader a conceptual frame for your work.Beginning in 2005, a steady inflow of Zimbabwean immigrants settling in Sandberg in the Northern Province resulted by 2008, in 20% of the community being illegal immigrants. Half of the adult male immigrants were in the Zimbabwean armed forces before coming to South Africa, and have not developed a skill outside of the military. This has led to a relative difficulty in their being able to integrate with the community where they live.Why is this interesting?Why should your project get done? You need to persuade the reader that you are writing about an important issue, and that they should read further. In order to do this, you need to show that you have done your homework, and are basing your work on sound foundations that have gone before. Thus you will talk about the people that have written before, the policy environment that is impacted, and how your work progresses on this foundation.The May 2008 xenophobic attacks which rocked South Africa has laid the foundation for a broad academic response which has sought to understand the causes that resulted in the attacks, and the effects of the attacks on vulnerable immigrants living in South Africa (See Academic 1 2008; Academic 2, 2009; Academic 3, 2009). While this research builds our understanding from the perspectives of foreign victims, this work looks at a particular community within the broad ‘illegal immigrant’ grouping, who because of their work background are comparatively disadvantaged in terms of entry into economic activity within the host community.Together these statements provide a paragraph for your research that quickly gives the reader a clear understanding of the key issues that apply to your work. Once the reader has gone through the problem statement, you have provided a foundation for what comes next. You have sketched out the environment, and now you can begin to fill in the detail.Purpose statementIncluded in this section is the purpose of the research. In this section, you will explain the purpose of your research. Make sure that you provide a clear indicator to the reader that you are telling them what the purpose is. Complete the sentence:“The purpose of this research is to………”The purpose of the research has to respond to the problem that you have identified in the problem statement, and it has to project to the research questions that come after.As an adjunct to your purpose statement, you should specify the scope of the research clearly by stating both what you will examine, and what you will exclude. Too broad a scope will inevitably result in you running into severe resource problems. Too narrow a scope may render the results irrelevant or predictable.Research questionYou need toLink your research to your argument in the literature review (you will have to inform the reader what this argument is, and where they will find it. This is cross-linking within the body of your document);Provide a focussed research question (in the form of a question).Align your research question to the purpose of your research, and the problem that you have identified in your problem statement.An easy way to ensure that you have alignment between the purpose of your research and your research question, is to frame one key question as the purpose framed as a question:Purpose Statement:The purpose of this research is to explore the involvement of women in the development of pro-poor projects in Bushbuckridge.Research Question:To what extent are women in Bushbuckridge involved in the development of pro-poor development projects?The literature review011493500The literature review presents an argument within academic literature to show the need for your research. It is here that you unpack the concepts in your research question and discuss the relationships between them. A complete literature review is not necessary at the proposal stage but you must show that your research is situated within relevant literature and that you understand the debates.You may want to indicate areas of further literature review by, for example, appending an annotated bibliography. However, your job here is not to describe or summarise readings. Your task is to show your understanding of how the academic debates shed light on your proposed topic.Note that you will have engaged actively and in depth with the literature in the process of completing the directed readings elective. You will have developed a 15 – 20 page literature review with a full analytical framework, which should be appropriate to inform your chapter two for the final research product. In the process of completing this task, you will have explored the knowledge gap, which defines how you position your research in the body of knowledge. For the proposal, you need to produce a 5 page synthesis of this in depth analysis that you have completed. The proposal does not require the full literature review, but rather a synthesis which adequately shows that you have engaged with and analysed the bodies of knowledge that apply to your research area.Research methodologyThe methodology section describes in detail how you will go about doing your researchResearch paradigmAre you doing a quantitative or a qualitative study? Why is this method appropriate for what you are doing? Are you approaching it from a constructivist or positivist lens? Why?It is not sufficient to say that because the data comes in words it is a qualitative study – you need to argue why data in the form of words is appropriate to the purpose of the research you are doing.Note that you are encouraged when doing a qualitative study to include descriptive statistical analysis of secondary data sets that may be available. This does not make the study a ‘mixed method’ study – rather it provides additional mechanisms for triangulation and generally strengthens the analysis.Research approachAre you using critical social science (trying to uncover the subliminal underlying and unseen issues that result in what you are seeing in your research), trying to challenge the status quo with your findings, or trying through your research to dismantle structural systems that govern the way our society operates or is organized?Alternatively, you may want to look at a situation, and analyse what is happening, with no view to trying to change it, in which case you are approaching it from the perspective of interpretive social science.Research designWhat particular research design will you be using and why? Examples often used at WSG are:action research – in which you through analysis design an intervention with a view to improving the status quo, and then after implementation, do an analysis to determine whether your intervention has been successful, and possibly what else to do to improve the situationPhenomenology – in which you want to know what the shared experience of a population is with respect of a particular issueBasic interpretive study – do you want to describe and interpret what is happeningCase study – do you have a research site which is clearly boundaried by population, time and place in which you can gather a wide range of data which results in thick description?Grounded theory – we do not encourage you to take on grounded theory studies given the constraints of the scope of the research report for a 50% MM degree. But you may be using aspects of grounded theory methodology to do your analysis. Remember that grounded theory underpins all constructivist research designs in respect of the value that is awarded the data gathered, and where you are allowing data to inform the theory rather than testing the theory by applying it to a population. (inductive and deductive reasoning).Evaluation research – has a programme’s outcomes been met? Not all M&E research has to take on an evaluation study. You can ask a range of questions regarding M&E approaches, including how populations in the monitoring environment have experienced the intervention, what unintended outcomes were realized through the intervention etc. There are many other research designs available to use, and your supervisor will advise you accordingly.Data and data gatheringWhat form will your data take? Discuss the primary as well as the secondary data (in separate sections). What will the bulk of your data be – primary or secondary?Describe your data gathering tools. Are you using interviews – what kind of questions are you asking – structured/semi-structured/unstructured? Why? What are the advantages of the kind of question you are asking for your research design? Remember that you have to append the questionnaire as an appendix at the end of your proposal.Are you using observations? What are you observing for? How will these observations support your research? Where will you do the observations? How much will your sample know about your research? How will you deal with disclosure and permission to use the data?Are you doing document analysis – where will you get the documents? What access do you have to the documents.Where will you get the secondary data? What form will it take? What will you analyse it for?When writing about your data, you must provide details of your access to the data, how you will store it, and how you will ensure confidentiality and informed consent. If you are doing focus groups you cannot provide confidentiality within the focus group. You can however provide confidentiality in terms of the write-up. In some cases the University ethics committee will be very sensitive to confidentiality when doing focus groups with vulnerable populations. Unless the members of the focus group are known to each other prior to the focus group (members of an organization, or an NGO).Remember that the tools that you use must match your design and your paradigm. DO NOT mix up qualitative and quantitative tools. This will almost certainly result in major revisions to your proposal.SamplingWhat sampling system are you using, and why is it appropriate? You may need to use a combination of systems – start with purposeful sampling and then use snowballing in order to get data saturation.When you are using non-probability sampling, you need to describe the criteria that you will use to include a person in your sample. If you are going to have to sample across different groups, describe the criteria for each (for instance members of a community and officials in a service delivery department that interacts with that community).How does the sampling affect the validity of the research?How many people are going to be in your sample. You should be guided by your supervisor regarding an appropriate number.Data analysisIn this section you should describe your mechanism for data analysis. When you did your literature review, a number of themes arose which resulted in the questions you are asking, and what you are measuring. This should inform your first-pass analysis, and you should note these themes here.Are you going to wait for all of the data to be gathered before you start doing analysis, or are you going to analyse the data as soon as it has been gathered, with a view to informing later interviews? It is very unlikely that you are going into this research without some idea of what you will find. You should discuss this here.Validity and reliabilityHow will you determine validity and reliability in your research? What measures are used in the context of qualitative research? What systems of triangulation are you going to use?LimitationsWhat issues stand as constraints to your research in terms of its scope and scale? There could be budget as well as time constraints. Remember though that you are in the same boat as all MM students studying part-time, and the project has been designed knowing that you have these constraints.If one of the constraints is that you may not be able to access certain people that are important to your study, you should describe how you will adjust for this on your research.This is a good place to discuss your position in the research. Is the research being conducted in your own department? What is your relationship to the respondents (if you are in a position of power over the respondents, you will not be allowed to proceed with the research). If you have done work in this area before, and have strong opinions on the issue, you need to disclose these here so that they can be taken into account when reading your analysis.EthicsThe university takes ethics in research very seriously. You need to describe the mechanisms you will use to ensure confidentiality of your respondents (if you are going to meet your respondents, you cannot provide for anonymity). Discuss what you are going to do to ensure the safety of vulnerable groups within your research. What psycho-social support mechanisms have you lined up to deal with any trauma that arises from a person’s involvement in the study.Note that participation is voluntary, that you will get signed consent forms from all respondents, will request permission for any recordings. Note how you will store your data, how it will be destroyed once the research has been done, or whether the data will be made available to other researchers after you have finished the report.How will you provide feedback to your respondents?Project plan and budgetProvide a simple project plan indicating the timelines for the various stages of the research. Be realistic. Research takes longer than you think it does, and you need to provide enough time for the process to take place.ReferencesYou must provide a full reference list in the latest APA format (currently APA 6th edition). Look at the APA guides, and use the online guides that are available from a number of universities, and the American Psychological Association .You are strongly urged to make use of referencing software to ensure that your references are correct. There are various packages you can use (Zotero, Mendeley etc). Be sure that you check the data that the software extracts from articles as there are many errors in the import process. Do not import from Google Scholar without checking – they often get it wrong or don’t use the latest edition. AppendicesInclude your data gathering tools, informed consent letters, letters to employers or organisations, and any correspondence which would indicate that you have been given permission to do the research in a particular site. The research proposal PanelOnce you have got your proposal up to scratch, you are required to ‘defend’ it to a panel of WSG academics. The aim of this panel is to provide a forum in which you are able to get detailed input from a number of academics in addition to the input that you have received already from your supervisor. Purpose: The purpose of the defence of the proposal is for a student to engage and convince a panel of WSG academics of the feasibility of her research project – is it do-able, within time limits? The panel considers the proposal and the presentation of it and decide, via consensus and deliberation, to accept or reject it. Acceptance has several categories: with or without minor or major revisions, or outright fail. Supervisors are required not to allow a student to defend a substandard proposal that might result in a reject. This will include issues like plagiarism, referencing, writing style and the length of your proposal document. Panel composition: The RA uses a tested and tried system of grouping panels together (thematically where possible) in a manner that ensures an equitable workload distribution. A panel is chaired by the most senior academic in the room (but not the supervisor, whose task is to note the discussion and recommendations).Preparation: It is advisable for the student and supervisor to meet prior to a defence to talk through the presentation. The content of the presentation is described in more detail below.Presentation: the chair welcomes the student to the panel, makes her/him comfortable and explains the procedure. The student then presents for 10-15 minutes. Copies of the proposal and the forms to process are made available to the panel. It is assumed that panel members are familiar with the proposal, as it was circulated by the RA well in advance (hence the 10-15 minute requirement). Students should be discouraged from using powerpoint, though they may circulate a powerpoint presentation to panel members, which they can talk to.Deliberation: following the presentation the panel engages the student on the content. The logic and flow of the arguments in the proposal (context/problem/research question/methodology/literature/expected findings) is examined. Areas of strength and weakness are highlighted. The purpose of the engagement is to evaluate the student’s work and decide if it is sufficient for the student to proceed, and to support the student towards a strengthened proposal,. In addition panel members are assumed to have research experience and are expected to assist the student with understanding the complexities of field work and research in general. There is no need for the student to respond to all comments and questions. The chair and supervisor note the key messages arising out of the engagement for feedback to the student.Decision: after 30 minutes the student leaves the venue (with an ethics clearance form in hand) and the chair takes the panel through a series of decisions (captured on a standard form) for submission to the RA’s office immediately after the conclusion of the session. The overall outcome (accept/reject and the nature of the revisions if required) is communicated to the student by the supervisor, who also collects the completed ethics clearance form. Ethics: in some cases, the panel will require the student to make a submission to the university’s ethics committee for ethics approval. Normally this is a requirement where the research population includes people that can be considered ‘vulnerable’. In some cases this may be a minimum requirement of doing research within particular sectors, such as health. The onus is on the student to complete the required ethics submission following the university guidelines, and to make sure that they complete all requirements. The ethics submission is an online process, but you are required to submit hard copies of your submission to the Research Office before the Ethics Committee will consider your application. Note too that both you and your supervisor have to sign the ethics application. Follow-up: In the case of a recommendation of ‘accept’ with revisions it is the duty of the supervisor to sign off on the revised proposal after an agreed period of time. Once this final version is lodged in the RA’s office, the student proceeds with research.The Committee is likely to ask the following questions when evaluating your proposal:Is the research topic significant, relevant and interesting?Has the research problem been defined adequately?Has the relevant literature been considered?Has the theory base found in the literature been adequately related to the research problem?Has the student clearly articulated the research questions which will guide the study?Have tentative solutions/relationships been identified (in the form of propositions, hypotheses, a well-developed argument or a very stimulating set of questions)?Is the general approach to the research outlined and the choice satisfactorily defended?Have the unit(s) of analysis been identified?Has an appropriate research design been proposed which will allow the researcher to successfully study the identified topic/problem?Is the student clear on which population she/he is planning to study? If appropriate, has the sampling procedure been described?Are research techniques linked to various research questions?Have research media and instruments been developed for each technique to allow reflection on all research questions and sub-questions?Is the student clear on which analytical methods will be used on what data, in order to answer which questions?Is the proposed methodology appropriate?Can the student cope with the proposed methods and techniques?Is the literacy style and referencing according to WSG standards and requirements?Is the proposed time frame feasible?Is it likely that the research might contravene acceptable ethical standards? If this danger exists, does the researcher propose suitable measures to prevent this?You could use the points listed above as a checklist to developing your presentation. Remember that you only have 10 minutes, and you should aim to prove that you know what you’re talking about.Outcomes of the Proposal PanelThere are four possible outcomes that you can have as an outcome of the proposal panel:Accept as it standsThe panel is happy with your proposal, and you may continue with your research. This constitutes a pass.Minor RevisionsThe panel feels that your proposal is reasonably sound, but that certain aspects need some work. This most often relates to clarity of problem of purpose, nature of sampling or methodology, or alignment of the problem, purpose and research questions. If you have minor revisions, you are required to make the changes and submit them to your supervisor for signature approval. Once you have made them, your proposal is tabled at a faculty meeting for faculty approval. After this meeting your title is registered with the Faculty Office, and you are allowed to proceed with your research. Note that the title that is submitted to this committee is binding – you may not submit research under a different title after this meeting, unless you submit a written request with full motivation to the Faculty Office, with a letter of support from your supervisor.It is extremely rare that a student will be awarded an ‘accept as it stands’ outcome. There are often changes that are needed, so you should not be discouraged if you have to add some things in, or rework some of your proposal. This constitutes a pass.Major RevisionsThe panel feels that your proposal is fundamentally flawed and that you cannot proceed without substantial re-working of the project, which you have to re-defend to a proposal panel at a later date. Normally this will be a result of a project which is inappropriate to the degree you are studying for, your methodology is substantially flawed, your problem, purpose and research questions are fatally misaligned. Or if you simply have not done enough work in conceptualising your research area.In this case, the same panel that originally sat for your first defence will be convened (either physically, or by circulation), and you will re-present your proposal and go through the process again, or you will have to respond to their written recommendations if it is done by circulation. This constitutes a pass.RejectThe proposal is inadequate or inappropriate (If this happens you must produce a new proposal and go through the entire proposal committee again). This constitutes a fail.Faculty Committee approvalAfter your supervisor has approved any changes that the Committee has requested, it is tabled for the postgraduate committee. The Postgraduate Committee considers your proposal at its next meeting and registers the title and your due date, as well as officially confirming your supervisor, internal examiner and external examiner.The Faculty Office will formally advise you of the title of your research report and your supervisor (and co-supervisor, if applicable). This title is the only title under which you are allowed to submit your final report. It is critical that you complete any changes required as an outcome of the Proposal Committee and submit them with your supervisor’s approval. No documentation will be passed to the Postgraduate Committee for approval until you have completed this step. Failure to do this will result in the University not knowing that you have progressed to the research phase of your degree.Proceeding with your researchYou are only allowed to proceed with your data collection once you have the go-ahead of your supervisor. Officially this should wait until the Faculty has recorded your title, but this can cause delays, and you should proceed once your supervisor gives you the go-ahead.Do not delay in getting started with your research. Even if you are still working on coursework, you can move ahead with re-framing your introduction and background for the research report, extending your literature review with new and wider readings in your subject area, and setting up your interviews. It is a good idea to set up a dummy run of your interviews so that you know what to expect when you get to the real thing. If you are going to transcribe your interviews, look at how you will do this, and what equipment you need. Start discussing your research with your supervisor and setting up your interviews.You should be able to complete competent first drafts of your first three chapters before you even start on interviews.The research reportThe following comprises the components of the average research report. Some do vary a little, and this is fine.There is a microsoft word template with all of the document styles already set up and all chapter headings created. You can find it on the Writing Centre website under ‘resources’.Title PageThe title page of the research report should be laid out as follows:Title: Your title has to correspond exactly to the one approved by the post-graduate committee. The title should be typed in capitals with two space between each word, for example:THE HOUSING CRISIS IN GAUTENGAuthor’s nameGive your full first name and surname. Type the names in upper and lower case letters as appropriate, for example:Thandi Marie ZwaneStatementYou need to add the following statement about the status of the document:A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in 25% fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management).Be sure that you enter the correct percentage weight and correct title of the degree for which you are registered.DateGive the month and year of completion of the research report, for example:February, 2014.Example:center0THE HOUSING CRISIS IN GAUTENGThandi Marie ZwaneA research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in 50% requirement of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management).February, 201400THE HOUSING CRISIS IN GAUTENGThandi Marie ZwaneA research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in 50% requirement of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management).February, 2014AbstractType the abstract on a separate page. It should be no more than 150 words long. It should start with a sentence describing the major theme of the topic researched and continue by very briefly outlining the purpose of the research, the methodology used, the main findings and conclusions.Here is an example of an abstract report titled Consumer Perceptions of Environmentally Friendly Products‘During the past decade, concern for the environment has emerged as a major socio-political issue among developed nations throughout the world and the increase in the number of environmentally friendly or ‘green’ products has been significant. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the types of products that are considered to be environmentally friendly as well as establishing consumer perceptions of these products. One of the main findings of the research was that ‘green’ products have achieved substantial awareness among consumers and they are not regarded as gimmick or a fad. It was also established that the two main barriers that discouraged consumers from purchasing green products were a perception that such products were not price competitive and scepticism regarding their supposed environmental benefits.’ (128 words) DeclarationThe following declaration (tailored to your particular degree) should appear on a separate page:I declare that this report is my own, unaided work. It is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public Policy) in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other university.Your name and signature should follow this declaration. For example:________________Thandi Marie Zwane14 February 2011DedicationThe dedication is optional. It should appear on a separate page. This is a brief statement paying tribute to the author’s family, friends, or any other people or organisations associated with the author or the research, for example:For Modeigi, with thanks.AcknowledgementsAlthough this section is also optional, it is conventional for authors to acknowledge the role of their supervisors and other people and organisations instrumental in the completion of their research.The acknowledgement should appear on a separate page, for example:I am grateful to my supervisor, Prof. Mark Swilling for his guidance throughout the research process; Dr Mike Muller for his assistance with the statistical analysis of the data; the DBSA for making the basic data available; Pearl for her endless patience in the typing and retyping of this research report. Without their assistance, this research would not have been possible.Table of contentsThis is usually headed ‘Contents’ and includes the page numbers on which preliminary material, chapters and section headings, references, bibliography and appendices begin. The first page of the text is normally numbered Page 1. Any material after the contents page(s) but before the first page of the text is numbered in small Roman numerals (i,ii,iii,iv etc.).Glossary of termsWhen the research is conducted in an area that is rich in technical terminology which the average reader may not be familiar with, you should provide a glossary of terms. List these terms, and their definitions alphabetically. Where possible you should provide a reference for the source of each definition.List of abbreviationsThis section is optional and should only be used when you have devised your own abbreviations for commonly used terms, e.g. SMT for strategic management team. This list should only be included when there is a significant number of such abbreviations – 6 or more. List the abbreviations alphabetically, together with their meanings.List of tablesThis section is optional and depends on your own stylistic preferences and the nature of your research topic. Tables, in the text, containing details of the analysis performed, should be numbered sequentially, and the list of tables should present the table number, its title and the page on which it can be found.List of figuresThis section is also optional and the same guidelines as for the list of tables apply.The body of the research reportIn a conventional research report, the text is divided into logical chapters. The title and structure of the chapters will depend on the natural logic of the topic being researched.The following components need to be present in your research report, but how you decide to present them is up to you:Introduction/backgroundThis section sets the context for your research report. This is where you explain where your research question arises and provide some background. Since it is the first chapter, you should also explain to the reader how you will take them through the research report. Including a summary of the chapters which follow is a good idea. This section sets the tone for the report. Much of this work will have been done in the research proposal, as a statement of intent. Re-cast what you have done for the proposal in the past tense, as if you have already done it (which is what you will have done once you have finished your research). Just like you did in your research proposal your introduction and background section should include the research problem, purpose and research questions (see page PAGEREF _Ref287360121 \h 23)Literature reviewThe literature review presents an argument within academic literature to show the need for your research. It is here that you unpack the concepts and definitions in your research question and discuss the relationships between them. You must show that your research is situated within relevant literature and that you understand the debates. This section identifies your conceptual (or theoretical) framework.The links between your research and gaps, comments and conclusions about the broader literature must be made clear. Your job here is not to summarise what others have said. Your task is to show your understanding of how the academic debates shed light on your proposed topic.Research methodology and data collectionThis section should discuss the method that you adopted to approach your research. It should discuss how successful it was, whether there were any remarkable issues that unfolded in the process of carrying out the research. In your proposal you defended choices regarding who you would interview, how you would find them, and the criteria that you would apply to their recruitment. What actually happened when it came down to doing the research. Were your choices correct? Did you have to adjust in the middle of the process. Remember that the proposal was only a statement of intent. In the methodology chapter you tell the story of actually doing the research. In this chapter you allow your voice to project. This is where you persuade your reader that you have emerged from the process with authority on the methodology that you used, and an understanding of the research process.In your proposal you discussed the issue of data validity and reliability. What actually happened in the process of trying to do a triangulation or whichever method you adopted? What were the hindrances to ascertaining the validity of your data, and how did you adjust to the circumstances as they unfolded when you were collecting your data?Your account should be as detailed as possible and once again you should develop an argument.If you have done survey research, you must also include:Population and sampleResearch populationSample sizeMethod of samplingResearch instrumentJustification of the questionnaireReliability and validity.Presentation of research data/informationThe results of the research should be presented in your research report. Try to paint a picture for the reader on the topic of your research. If you are using the case-study method, this is where you present the case. Tables and figures and quotes from interviews are examples of research data. It is critical if you are doing qualitative research that the voice of your respondents emerges from this chapter. Use lots of quotes from your interviews to illustrate your discussion. Remember to reference your quotes.Analysis of research At some point, you need to focus on the meaning of the data you have collected in terms of the hypothesis/research questions and underlying theoretical concepts. You need to give the raw data meaning by telling the reader your analysis. Close off this chapter with your findings and recommendations. Conclusions/recommendationsIn the final chapter, you round off the research process. You may want to provide a few overall conclusions or additional insights on the data, the methodology or the analysis. You may also want to provide some recommendations. If you feel your project was restricted, you may want to point to further research.As mentioned before, these do not have to be separate chapters. As long as these components are included, you can let your research dictate the order and structure of the report.Template for writing up researchA template for writing your research is provided here. This is an example. You may want to present your research differently. Discuss this with your supervisor.Chapter 1: Introduction (includes background, research problem, research purpose, research question, discussion of research method, and how data/information was collected.Chapter 2: Literature review (argument linking your research to current academic debates)Chapter 3: Presentation of research results (and analysis)Chapter 4: Presentation of research results (and analysis)Chapter 5: General analysis of researchChapter 6: Conclusions and recommendationsNOTE: You do not have to have 6 chapters, you may find you need less. Give your chapters interesting titles which give the reader an indication of what will be discussed in the chapter. For example, instead of ‘Chapter 3: Presentation of results’ have ‘Chapter 3: A case Study of World Vision’.Pages at the end of the reportThe text of the research report should be followed by a list of references, strictly in accordance with the format prescribed in the APA reference guides. Do not list books, journal articles, and reports separately, and do not number your entries.ReferencesReferences must be provided using the APA referencing system. You should only reference works that you have cited in your text, and they must be listed alphabetically (not numbered).AppendicesAlthough appendices are optional, it is likely that your research report will have some detail presented in appendices. Appendices should be numbered sequentially and titled. Numbering order should follow the order in which the reader encounters references to them in the text – Appendix 1 should be referred to in the text before Appendix 2. Each appendix should contain a single, complete set of material, e.g. the questionnaire and the detailed output of some statistical analysis should be placed in separate appendices.Formatting conventionsEach chapter should start on a new page and be given a title;The typeface you choose, the way you use capitals or bold letters, italics, underlining, etc. should be consistent throughout the report;Each section and sub-section in the chapter should be numbered, titled and emphasised. A ‘decimal’ numbering system is usually the easiest the follow, but you should try not to go beyond two levels of sub-headings;If you use an alternative format or style, please ensure that it is consistent. Chapter headings, section headings and sub-headings should follow the same styles throughout;Tables and figures must be labelled, numbered and referenced;Direct quotations should appear in double quotation marks (“….”) and any insertion of words noted in square brackets, e.g.:Groenewald (1986, p34) states that “[this] limitation follows from the fact that not all documents about a given matter remain available”.Quotations within quotations should be set inside single quote marks;Foreign words should be written in italics;The use of underlined, italicised or bold print to add emphasis in the text (as opposed to headings) should be limited and preferably avoided;Spelling should be in accordance with English (not American) usage. Use the Oxford English Dictionary as the authority;Abbreviations should be used sparingly and correctly. Again the Oxford English Dictionary should be taken as the authority.When using numbers in the text, it is conventional to write the numbers zero to nine in words, and numbers of 10 and above in Arabic numerals, e.g.: “The sample comprised three unequal groups of managers, of 29, 37 and 112 respondents respectively”.If a sentence begins with a number, however small, always write it in words.Writing the Research ReportWriting up the research report is one of the most important elements of the entire project. This is where you communicate your research. Writing the research needs to be carefully planned and structured.Academic styleThe academic style is rigorous but not necessarily dull. Academic writing is meant to persuade (with evidence), so the more appealing your writing, the better. No slang is used and jargon is defined and used sparingly. Plagiarism is not accepted. Academic writing is exhaustively referenced.Your supervisor will pass your final draft through an online plagiarism checker before signing the report off for submission. If there is evidence of plagiarism at that stage, the consequences will be serious, and may include refusal to have your work submitted for marking, and the immediate withdrawal of any further supervision assistance. Your work will immediately be referred to the Plagiarism Committee, and from there to the Wits Legal Office.The process of writingYou may think about writing up your research as a process with three phases:The pre-writing phaseIn this phase, early in the project, you think what you want to write, your argument, what evidence you will bring, and how you will structure the whole research report and each chapter.In this phase you should use as many systems of organising your thinking as you can. Use mind mapping, free writing, drawings and story boards. Whatever allows you to make the connections. If you have a friend, bore them by telling them about your research. Remember that you must maintain confidentiality of your research subjects, but you can talk about what you are going through. This allows you to make linkages within your data, the literature, and what you have experienced and are experiencing. All of these techniques will move your progress quickly. Keep a research journal. Write notes about your research, what you are thinking, observations on anything to do with your research and the subjects of your research. If you keep writing these ‘research memos’ they will begin to allow you to develop an analysis model for your data. Writing the research report takes a lot of time, effort and dedication. At the end of it, you should have grown, and you should be able to recognise the difference in you from when you started. Invest in the process and make it worthwhile.The writing phaseIn the writing phase, you identify your audience and write freely knowing this is just a draft. You may want to break down your report into sections so that the whole task doesn’t become too daunting.Post-writing phaseIn the post-writing phase, you edit for specific reasons, in a series of passes over the document. This helps you to focus on all elements of producing the document. For example:Edit for content to make sure that you have said everything you want to say;Edit for style to makes sure that your writing is clear, concise and readable and that you have an academic style;Edit for formatting: Do you have headings, are the headings consistent, have you used grammar and punctuation correctly, etc.Edit for referencing: Are all the references in the text also listed at the back? Are they correct and consistent? (You MUST adhere to the APA style guide).Give your draft to a friend/colleague to read. Ask them what your argument is to check if it is being communicated clearly.Editing for styleThe aim of good writing is to communicate effectively with your chosen reader. Standards of style and usage are changing all the time, and all this guide can do is indicate the preferences of the audience for your research report: your examiners.Your report must be written in SA or UK English and follow an appropriate formal literary style. This means you need to follow British (not American) conventions of spelling and punctuation.Words ending in ‘—ize’ in US English are spelled ‘—ise’ in UK English.Use whatever facilities (spell-check, grammar-check) your computer has. (many computers have US dictionaries, and they will probably not be loaded with your specialist vocabulary, so they need to be checked. You can usually use a ‘learn’ instruction to teach computers new words or spellings).Write simply, directly, and actively. Keep your sentences short and avoid complicated constructions and language. You are being examined on what you have discovered, how intelligently you have analysed it, and how well you can communicate your ideas.Make sure you that your sentences have agreement. That is:Verb and subject must agree in number and personPronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, person and gender. (Many languages deal with the “he/she” distinction differently from English)Research is described in the past tense: it is an account of what you DID. Only move out of the past tense when you are discussing current situations (present = is) or future plans (future = will).Reported speech (without quote marks) also goes into the past tense. In both reported and direct (in quotes) speech, you must show by “[ ]” if you are changing a word the speaker used, and by (…) if you are leaving words out. Be consistent about how you use single (‘ ‘) or double (“ “) quote marks.Be sure that you understand how to use punctuation. Be especially careful with commas (most people use too many); apostrophes (for possession or to show that letter is being left out) and capital letters (at the start of a sentence and for proper names or titles only).When you use pairs of marks – commas, parenthesis, dashes or quote marks – don’t forget the second one.Avoid a monotonous vocabulary – don’t keep repeating a particular word or phrase simply because you like it. Avoid especially the repeated use of empty words like ‘nice’, ‘good’ a ‘lot’ and ‘some’ which are so vague and over-used as to have lost almost all meaning. A Thesaurus will provide alternatives.Although these are some pointers on style, there are many more, too numerous to list here. Use the vast resources available on the internet to assist you on writing academically. You should be able to trust any guide that is developed at a university (look for “….edu”, or “XXXXXXXX.ac.XX” in the URL). Also look for work put out by writing centres for English as Foreign Language learners. Often these guides are simple and to the point, and all you need to ensure clarity in your communication.Research report specificationsYou should aim for a legible and relatively simple presentation to ‘frame’ you work and ideas. Choose a simple font that is easy to read. Avoid fancy boxes, elaborate ‘bullets’ and meaningless graphics.The following requirement are mandatory. You must:Produce a report of the required length. See page PAGEREF _Ref287343541 \h 50 for details of the requirements for each degree;Select a font size of at least 12 points (10 pitch);Use 1.5 line spacing;Set the top, right and bottom margins of each page to 25mm. Set the left margin to 40mm to allow for binding;Print the research report on a laser printer (or equivalent quality).Print the research report on A4 size good quality white paper.BindingThe Faculty requirements for binding change from time to time. Check with your supervisor and the Faculty Office before binding your final report to ensure that you do not enter into unnecessary expense.Handing in the research reportThe research report must be handed to the Faculty Office, NOT to your supervisor or anyone else. The Faculty Office will require a number of temporarily bound copies before a final bound copy is required. Check the details with the Faculty Office before proceeding.In addition to this, you are required to submit two copies each of the title page and abstract, fees clearance and student card to the Faculty Office. NB: Only on receipt of the above documentation will your research report be sent for marking. Any variances from this will be at the discretion of the Faculty Office.After the approval of the final mark by the Postgraduate Committee you MUST provide the final bound (and electronic) copies to the Faculty Office as per their instruction. All copies have to be signed and dated.At this stage you will be required to submit a library clearance (that verifies that you no longer have any books out of the library). You will asked to complete a form which assesses the overall supervision process.Please adhere to the hand-in dates. If you do not complete by the end of February, you will be required to register for an additional full year, and be charged the full research fee again.Assessment of the research reportAppendix 2 provides the information that is provided to examiners of WSG research reports. Use this information when considering your own work, and write to satisfy what your examiners will be looking for.In closingThis guide has attempted to provide a broad overview of how to address the substantial task of conceptualising and writing your research report. Your relationship with your supervisor is critical to your success, so make sure that you build a relationship of mutual trust and respect. This is more important to you than it is to your supervisor, so you should take the lead in ensuring that you adhere to deadlines, execute the work that she/has set you, and that you report back regularly on your progress. The research hub at WSG has been set up as a resource for students that are in the process of completing their research. There will be an advertised series of workshops that are ongoing through the year, designed to assist you in the process. Attend, become part of the research community of practice at WSG, and use the quiet space that is provided on the ground floor of the hub. Enjoy the process.Wednesday, 09 March 2011This guide was originally developed by Dr Cecile Badenhorst, and updated by Prof. Anne Mc Lennan and Lynn Hewlett. This 2016 edition has been revised and updated by Murray Cairns. Appendix 1: Graduate School of Public & Development Management Masters Research GuidelinesDegreeMM (50%)MM DissertationWeighting50%100%Credits120240Access Criteria65% honours and testsEvidence from referee reportsWork experience65% honours, track record of research experience, appropriate topic and supervisorPrior KnowledgePassed core coursesCompleted and passed Social Theory and Research and relevant courses and committeesNature of ResearchApplied research that demonstrates links between research and a body of knowledge. The candidate conceptualises, pursues and presents research into complex public policy problems in contextualised policy environments and makes persuasive analysesMastery of the fieldCommitteesProposal Committee to approve the researchAttended by supervisor plus two other academicsProposal Committee to approve research, Committee includes members of Faculty Higher Degrees Committee.Submission Committee for quality assurance.Attended by supervisor plus two other academics. Any other relevant expertise.Proposal Length3500 – 4000 words4500 – 5000 wordsProposal Committee CriteriaCorrect format and layout (including referencing)Appropriate lengthAbility to formulate a problem statement and research question appropriate to scale and timing of research.Evidence of internal consistencyMethodology clearly articulated and appropriate to the research question.Ability to identify, select and understand theory appropriate to the research problem/questionAbility to select and collate appropriate literature in the form of a review. This includes the development of a well argued framework.References should include a minimum of 10 cutting edge, including at least 4 standard references and 4 recent (applied) articles.Spell checked and coherently written (SA English) – a finished product, not a first draft.Short Proposal:Correct format and layout (including referencing)Clearly developed problem statement and research question. Has the problem and purpose of the research been adequately conceptualised? It is an appropriate MM level study?Methodology clearly articulated and appropriate to the research question. Is the student’s research methodology and design sound?Ability to identify, select and understand theory appropriate to the research problem/question. Does the student know the appropriate literature?Ability to select and collate an appropriate literature in the form of a review. This includes the development of a well argued framework.Submission Committee:Conceptualisation of research and questionsRelevant and critical literature reviewMethodological framework appropriate to study.Clear presentation of data.Discussion of findingsLink between conclusions and research questionsLimitations, validity and reliability.Research Report Length35000 – 4000050000 – 60000Sample size guidelinesInterviews 15 - 20 in-depthCase studies 1-8 (if comparative)Surveys 30 respondentsNoted that a combination of methods is likely to be used; in which case the contribution of each individual method may be lower than the standard for each individual method if used alone.Interviews 20-30 in-depthCase studies 1-8 (if comparative)Surveys 30 respondentsNoted that a combination of methods is likely to be used; in which case the contribution of each individual method may be lower than the standard for each individual method if used alone.Research AssessmentCorrect format and layout (including referencing).Appropriate length.Ability to formulate a problem statement and research question appropriate to scale and timing of research.Evidence of internal consistency.Methodology clearly articulated and appropriate to the research question. Selected research tool and executed appropriately. Ability to process and critically evaluate different kinds of data and texts using mainstream policy analysis techniques.Literature review should demonstrate ability to articulate own position within debates and to critically evaluate limitations of different theoretical models and suggest alternatives.Analysis and description linked to research question and theoretical framework. It should also access significance of findings in research.Ability to solve complex and ambiguous problems by integrating information, theory and context.Design, execute and write up a scholarly dissertation in a satisfactory written style that contributes to the advancement of knowledge.Mastery of knowledge of the general field(s) to which dissertation belongs.Evidence of critical judgement.Evidence of critical appraisal of the work of others.Understanding of the theoretical ideas used in the dissertation.Clear link between literature review and research petence in designing and executing a theoretical or empirical enquiry.Clear link between research findings and analysis.Clarity of thought and expression.Arguments expressed and written logically and intelligibly.Capacity to assume responsibility for independent research in the field.Appendix 2 – Guidelines for examiners of WSG research reports.GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ALL RESEARCH REPORTSExaminationThe standard of examination is maintained by the appointment of an External Examiner for each Research Report. External Examiners are selected on the basis of their expertise in the area of research and their abilities to relate the academic and professional worlds. The purpose of these examiners is to ensure that the research is of an appropriate standard and to facilitate a fair and consistent assessment process.GradingMarks should be awarded in terms of the following scale:75+AExcellent. Authoritative coverage of relevant materials as well as background literature and/or related issues; outstanding presentation in terms of argument, organisation, readability and style. Demonstrates full understanding of subject matter. There should be evidence of originality, clear insight & solid depth of understanding within the parameters that can be expected of a research report or dissertation which forms a part of a coursework Masters. The description of each degree will give more information of what should be expected.70+BGenerally good, with few defects. Does not merit a distinction, but there is evidence of some originality and the document is well written. The substantive part of the work is competently covered, well organised and lucidly expressed.60+CGenerally sound, but with notable defects. Solidly executed, adequate organisation, competent methodology and conclusions adequately drawn. Very little originality, if any, but an adequate overall performance.50+DSatisfactory, but with significant problems. Sufficient to pass, but no more. No originality, but a review of the literature, a basic understanding of the significance of the issue discussed, and a fairly competent methodology. There may be problems of organisation and expression, of layout and typographical errors, but the work exhibits the main features of academic work sufficiently to pass.FUnsatisfactory – possibly because of one or more of the following: Methodology fundamentally flawed; No research question articulated; Failure to work with literature .ResultThe result decision may take one of the following forms :Pass – acceptance of the report as it stands. Mark as awarded.Acceptance of the report with minor revisions, that is, correction of small explanations, inconsistencies and typos/spelling/references – mark as awarded. Minor revisions can apply to a report from any of the grading classes.Major revision – maximum mark of 50% possible on resubmission. No mark awarded. Reworking of sections needed due to flawed analysis. This is an opportunity to pass the research, not to improve.Outright rejection – failure of the degree. Major revisions cannot correct fundamental weaknesses in design, execution and analysis of research.GUIDELINES FOR EXAMINERS OF MASTERS OF MANAGEMENT (50%)Key indicators for examinersWeighting50% of full Masters DegreeCredits120 out of total of 240Report Length35 000 – 40 000Nature of ResearchApplied research that demonstrates links between research and a body of knowledge.The candidate conceptualises, pursues and presents research into a complex problem, in contextualised environments, and makes persuasive analysesIntroductionCandidates for the 50% Masters of Management are awarded 50% of their credits on a research report, officially designated a dissertation. Students complete three core courses: Qualitative Methods, Quantitative Methods, Proposal Development and directed readings elective designed to support them through the detailed exploration of the literatures in their research area. Given the nature of the degree, candidates often choose to undertake applied research in an area, such as policy, in which they do not necessarily have a prior undergraduate degree. Supervisors, similarly, come from a range of disciplinary backgrounds and also do not only supervise in their initial disciplinary area. The WSG guidelines and criteria for the Research Proposals and Reports for the different MM degrees are attached.GuidelinesWhile a certain level of depth, rigour and analysis is required at a master’s level, the standard expected of the 50% research report is obviously lower than that of a MM by research only, or of disciplinary-based coursework masters. For example, due to time and word constraints, students are unable to cover all the literature related to their topics, nor are they expected to. They are, however, required to display a sufficient familiarity of the literature to articulate their own position in the literature, and to critically analyse the various theoretical and conceptual models presented in the literature, and possibly suggest alternatives. While admission to the degree generally requires an honours degree, given the applied professional nature of the degree, it is not possible to assume that the student has had a three year immersion into a cognate area of study. In evaluating the report, the examiner should consider whether the student has mastered the research process, whether there is a satisfactory application of a selection of literature to a defined research problem, and that a theoretical or conceptual framework has been adequately provided.The nature of the research does vary and it is not possible to prescribe a template for assessment. The following questions are provided as guidelines:Does the research report follow an appropriate and logical format and layout (including referencing)?Is the problem statement and research question appropriate to the scale (35,000 – 40,000 words) and timing of the research (10 months, taken concurrently with other courses)?Is the methodology clearly articulated and appropriate to the research question? Can the candidate explain in simple and consistent terms how they have designed, conducted and analysed the research? (Please note that the suggested minimum sample sizes are: 15to 20 interviews, 1 to 5 case studies depending on details or a minimum of 30 survey respondents).Has the candidate been able to select and collate relevant literature into a coherent, well argued framework? In other words, does the report indicate awareness of, familiarity with and capability to integrate the appropriate literature into informing and directing the research? The literature should present the theoretical frameworks that apply to the field. The student should situate the arguments within the literature that has been covered.Is the description and analysis of results linked to the research question and theoretical framework? Has the appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative analysis been used? Is the interpretation of results valid and rigorous? Is there evidence of meta-reasoning in the interpretation of the findings?Are the conclusions related to the research problem and do they follow from the findings? Are the recommendations appropriate to the research problem and purpose?Has the report been spell checked and written in clear and easily readable South African English?ReferencesBrannick, T., Coghlin, D. (2007). In defence of being “native”: The case for insider academic research. Orgnisational Research Methods. 10 (1), pp 59-74.s ................
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