KENYA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WORK AND COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT (KISWCD)

DIPLOMA LEVEL - GENERAL FORMAT FOR KISWCD PROJECTS 2013

INTRODUCTION
All students will be required to write project paper on a subject of their own
and which they will find more comfortable and competent to research and
write on. KISWCD will not bar any student from writing on any subject, so
long as it is within the subjects covered during the course.
Students are advised to trim their documents to be within 20 - 50 pages
typed paper on one side. The research problem must remain in focus
throughout the paper. It will be desirable to ignore information that does not
further the objectives of the paper. All project documents must be typed and
bound. Students are asked to make 3 copies, which will be certified. KISWCD
will remain with a copy, the sponsors and one for the researcher.
General format of the project
Font 12
Spacing 1.5
Format Justified
Font type Times New Roman
Front Matter (Preliminary Pages)
(i)
Title page.
(ii)
Declaration.
(iii) Dedication (optional).
(iv) Table of contents (including list of tables and figures)
(v)
Definition of terms
(vi) Acronyms
(vii) Acknowledgements.

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(viii) Abstract.

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Body of the project

CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction of chapter contents
1.2 Background to the study.
1.3 Statement of the problem
1.4 objectives of the study
1.5 Research question(s).
1.6 scope of the study
1.7 Assumptions.
1.8 Limitations of the study.
1.9 Significance of the study.
1.10 Theoretical framework.
CHAPTER TWO - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Introduction.
2.2 General review
2.3 Critical review
2.4 Summary and research gaps to be filled
2.6 Development of the conceptual framework.
CHAPTER THREE - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research design
3.3 Target population
3.4 Sampling design
3.4.1 Sampling strategy
3.4.2 Sample size
3.5 Data collection methods and procedure.
3.6 Data analytical techniques.
CHAPTER FOUR - RESEARCH FINDINGS
4.1 Introduction.
4.2 Analysis of the response rate
4.3 Analysis of background information
4.4 Quantitative data analysis
4.5 Qualitative data analysis
4.6 Summary of research findings
CHAPTER FIVE - DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction.
5.2 Summary of findings
5.3 Answers to research questions
5.4 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations for policy and further research
REFERENCES

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APPENDICES
EXAMPLE
Appendix 1- Data collection instruments
Discussion of the Preliminary Pages (Front Matter)
The front matter or preliminary pages include the title page, declaration,
dedication, table of contents, acknowledgement and abstract. Let us now
discuss the contents of each of these pages.
Title Page
The title page must be brief yet descriptive. It contains the information such
as the title of the research, the student's name and registration number, and
the statement that it is submitted for partial fulfillment for the requirements
of a Diploma or Certificate of KISWCD.
A Sample of Title Page
FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN DISASTER
MANAGEMENT IN KISWCD
BY
KORIR OBI
DLP/DMM/0007/06
A PROJECT PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE
DIPLOMA IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT OF KISWCD 2013
Declaration
The declaration page contains information from the candidate declaring that
the work submitted is original and has not been submitted to any other
diploma programmes in any college. The Project supervisor must also
indicate that the thesis has been submitted by his/her approval as a college
supervisor. Both the candidate and supervisor must sign and put the date.
A Sample of a Declaration
DECLARATION
This is my original work and has not been presented for any of the study
programme in any college.

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KORIR OBI
December 2009

ADM NO. DLP/DMM/0007/06

DATE: 20th

This project has been submitted for examination with my approval as the
college supervisor.
JOHN MUNENE
January 2010

SUPERVISOR

DATE: 20th

This page is optional, but one can dedicate the paper to a parent, husband,
wife, child, or creator or an institution.
A Sample of Dedication
DEDICATION
This research project paper is dedicated to the Almighty God, who gave me
the physical and mental strength to undertake and accomplish this project in
the prescribed period of time.

Table of Contents Page

In preparing the table of contents and titles of tables and figures, you should
keep in mind the fact that these materials should follow parallel grammatical
construction. In other words, chapter titles, headings and titles of tables and
figures should be prepared so they are consistent in wording and
grammatical construction.
Acknowledgements
The contents of this section are to express appreciation to some key people
or institutions that might have assisted you in the study. The first individual
or individuals to be thanked are the project supervisors. The other is the
institution offering the programme or the sponsoring agency, then the
colleagues (both at the college and own school), the respondents or subjects
who participated in the study, family members for their support, the typist
and own (very indirectly).
Abstract
This section gives an Executive Summary of the entire project. The major

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parts of the abstract are the statement of the problem, the rationale for the
study, the purpose of the study, the methodology (including the design and
sample selection, data collection and analysis) and the major findings and
recommendations emanating from the study. .
Body of the Project
The project typically consists of five chapters. The five chapters explain what
the study was all about, why the study was worth doing, how the study was
conducted and the major findings, discussions, conclusions and the
recommendations emanating from the findings.
Chapter One - Introduction
Generally, the purpose of this chapter is to introduce the research project
along with all details to the readers. It should contain a clear statement of
the objectives of the research, i.e. enough background should be given to
clearly indicate why the problem was considered worth investigating and
exactly what the research was all about. A brief summary of the research
may also be stated so that the present study can be seen in that context.
The hypotheses of the study, if any, and the definition of the major concepts
employed in the study should be explicitly stated in the introduction.
In a project, chapter one is usually the introductory section which begins with
a presentation of the background to the study, followed with the statement
of the problem, the purpose of the study, the research question(s) and/or
hypotheses, the assumptions, limitations of the study, and the definition of
central terms. It should be reiterated that this introductory chapter, which
usually starts with the background and statement of the research problem,
helps the reader to develop an appreciation for the problem's practical and
theoretical significance. The specific statement of the study's research
objectives, questions and hypothesis assists in focusing the study and
enabling the researcher to explain how the study was conceptualized.
The researcher should try and prepare a good rough draft of the introductory
chapter from the proposal stage while the study is in progress. Most writers
and researchers have established that if they prepare a rough draft and then
set it aside for a week or two, weaknesses that would not have been
apparent are usually detected. Also, new points and different approaches to
organizing the chapter and mode of presentation (aesthetics) often come to
mind during the intervening weeks. If you wait until all the data have been
collected and analyzed to start writing the project, you may not have
sufficient time to lay aside each section for this period of incubation and
reflection. This, in fact underscores the fact that .students and researchers
should keep their diskettes in duplicates right from the proposal stage and
edit the work as it progresses.
Another advantage of drafting the early chapters of the project right from the
proposal stage while the study is in progress is that a less demanding
schedule of ,writing can be followed particularly in congested programmes
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such as the diploma and post-graduate diploma. Most students find it difficult
to write steadily for any period of time. It is much easy to write a few pages
and then put the work aside and do something else. This option is not
available if you wait too long to start preparing the project.
A well-written introduction chapter should be able to address the following
questions: Is the background well developed from the international, national
and to the local context? Is the problem stated in specific and terse terms?
Are the purpose and objective(s) of the study well stated and consistent with
the title of the study? Are research questions and/or hypothesis relevant to
the study testable? Does the significance of the study differentiate the practical and theoretical aspects of the project? Are the definitions of central
terms well stated and logical as used in the study?
Students will be asked to give reasons why they thought it paramount to
study or investigate this problem. Give convincing reasons for their decision
and show how by studying this problem, the community, country and the
world at large will benefit. It will be fair to give strong reasons for this
decision.

Chapter Two - Literature Review

In a project, chapter two is usually devoted to the review of literature
relevant to the study. This chapter is meant to give the reader an
understanding of previous relevant contributions to the problem so that they
can better understand the purpose and methodology of the study. As was
mentioned at proposal level, the first step in preparing this chapter is to
make an outline of the major topics or objectives of the study.
The bibliographic card prepared during the review of literature is very
helpful at this stage.
For each objective or topic, you will usually find two or three studies that are
most relevant and methodologically sound. These studies should be
discussed in detail. If other studies produce similar findings, they can be
summarized in a statement such as: findings of the above studies generally
have been supported by other studies that employed essentially the same
approach. The supporting studies can be cited using the format: studies by
Abagi (1999) on "Factors Influencing Wastage in Primary 5,'chools in
Kenya" have been supported by Orodho s (2002) study which
employed essentially the same methodology. There should be linguistic
variation of the presentation of the literature review. In fact, a pitfall to avoid
in preparing a literature review is that of presenting each study in essentially
the same way. For example, some students do not vary their writing style
and also fail to devote literature space to each study reviewed according to
its importance and relevance. This type of review is tiresome and
monotonous to read and thus does not provide a good understanding of what

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is known about the research problem.

Another weakness of some literature reviews, especially for beginners, is
excessive use of quotations. Quotations should only be used when authors'
statement is relevant and well written, and when it can be inserted without
spoiling the continuity of the presentation. Nothing is more tiresome than a
literature review that is merely accumulation of quotations, each linked to
the next by a few sentences written by the reviewer. The best way forward is
that only relevant articles should be cited and commented upon. It is useful
to group the articles into different categories related to particular objectives
of the study.
The process of literature review should be finalized with the development of
conceptual framework in a diagrammatic fashion of how variables reviewed
in the study are linked to the anticipated dependent variable.
Secondly, ensure that the publications cited in the text refer to the author's
name (without initials) and year of publication, followed, if necessary, by
appropriate pages. Examples: Njeru and Orodho (2003) have shown that ...
and this is in agreement with earlier findings by Abagi (1999) who stressed
that...
Third, for reference in the text by more than two authors, the name of the
first author should be used (without initials) followed by e.t.al. and year of
publication. This indication of etal. However, should not be used in the list of
references. In the list of references or bibliography, the name of the first
author and co-authors with their initials should be indicated followed by year
of publication (in brackets).
Fourth, references cited together in the text should be arranged
alphabetically, for example: (Abagi, 1999; Eshiwani, 1990; Orodho, 2002).

Chapter Three - Research Methodology

The methodology adopted in conducting the study must be fully explained.
The scientific reader would like to know in detail about such things as: How
was the study carried out? What was its basic design? If the study
was
an
experimental
one,
what
were
the
experimental
manipulations? If the data were collected by means of questionnaires
or interviews, then exactly what questions were asked? The major issues
should be highlighted, but the details should be carried in the appendix. If
measurements were based on observations, then what instructions were
given to the observers? Regarding the samples used in the study, the reader
should be told: How many were they? The data analytical procedures must
be stated.
This chapter would provide a basis for appreciating how the study reported in

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the research was done. The chapter should have separate sections
describing the research design and locale, target population and
sampling procedure, research instruments and data collection
methods, and the analytical techniques used.
Research Design and Locale
The first section provides a description of the type of research design that
was used e.g. a descriptive case study, survey, correlational or experimental.
The extent to which the study relied on qualitative or quantitative
methodology should also be discussed. The locale of the study and
justification of its choice should also be stated.
Study area
Please give as much details as possible on the following regarding the study
area.
Geographical locations. (Provide a map if possible)
Geology / soils / relief and drainage / climate / temperatures / rainfall etc.
Vegetation and population patterns
Transport and communications
Socio - economic activities of the community
Culture and beliefs
Land use etc.
Please summarize all information
Target Population and Sampling
The chapter proceeds with a detail description of the target population and
the sample. The description is needed by the reader to determine the
population to which the research results can be generalized. The description
varies with the nature of the study, but it often includes such information as
the distribution by gender, the geographical distribution, the socio-economic
status, etc. The method of selecting the sample should be described in
detail. If random sampling was employed, a detailed description of the
procedure and techniques should be given. If stratified sampling was used,
the procedure for identifying subjects for each stratum should be described.
If a non-random selection such as purposive or snowball was used, it is
particularly important to describe the procedure in detail so that the reader
has a basis for judging the study's generalizability.
Research Instruments and Data Collection
This section of the chapter should provide a description of the type of
research instruments used, how they were developed, piloted and
administered to the subjects. This description should provide insight on how
the research design was implemented. Any discrepancies between planned
procedures and procedures actually used should be noted.
The description of data collected should include any unusual occurrences

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that might have influenced the results, for example, changes in the schedule
for administering the instruments, disturbances during the data collection
session, any unexpected reactions by subjects, etc. If some of the subjects
were absent from a scheduled data collection session, follow-up procedures
should be described.
Analytical Techniques
.
Data analysis entails the computation of certain indices or measures along
with the search for patterns of relationships that exist among the data
groups. Analysis particularly in the case of surveyor experimental data
involves estimating the values of unknown parameters of the population and
testing of hypotheses for drawing inferences.
Analysis may, therefore, be categorized as descriptive analysis or inferential
analysis. Descriptive analysis is largely the distributions of one variable. This
truly provides you as a researcher on profiles of instructions, workgroups,
persons and other subject on any of a multitude of characteristics such as
size, composition, performance, efficiency and preferences. This sort of
analysis may be in respect of one variable (described as unidirectional
analysis) or in respect of two (described as bivariate analysis) or in respect of
more than two variables (described as multivariate analysis). In this context,
you should be able to work out various measures that show the size and
shape of the distribution.
We may also talk of correlation analysis and/or causal analysis. Correlation
analysis studies the joint variation of two or more variables for determining
the amount of correlation between the variables. Causal analysis is
concerned with the study of how two variables or more affect changes in
another variable. It is, thus, the study of functional relationships existing
between one or two variables through regression analytical technique. In a
nutshell therefore, this section should give a description of the statistical
procedures used in processing and analyzing the research data.
In general, the section should enable a researcher to answer the following
questions: Are the specific characteristics of the sample related to the stated
problem? Were the procedures for selecting the samples appropriate? Are
the instruments for collecting data appropriate, well piloted to establish their
validity and reliability and well presented? Are the variables stated in
measurable terms? Were appropriate procedures for data collection used in
conformity to the right ethical and human relation principles? Are the
analytical strategies and tools appropriate for the study?
Chapter Four - Research Findings
Presentation of Findings by Objectives or Research Questions
The fourth chapter of the thesis presents the research findings. While
presenting findings, you should bear in mind that results are the product of
data analysis. As such very often they consist of statistics generated by the
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analysis and may also consist of summary statements synthesized from

other secondary sources of data. Hence your critical concern about
presenting the research findings in a report is to present the results in a
clear, well-organized manner. Results can be organized in a number of ways.
If several dependent variables are included in the study, the results may be
grouped according to the dependent variables.
Presentation of Data Using Tables and Figures
The most appropriate way of preparing the results chapter is to start by
putting the results for each objective or hypothesis in tables and figures. This
is particularly so if dummy tables were prepared during the construction of
data collection instruments. They describe statistical results more clearly and
economically than words. After presenting each table or figure, you can write
a paragraph or two explaining what it contains and drawing the reader's
attention to noteworthy findings. Avoid discussing every entry in the table or
figure whether significant or not because this style of presentation is boring,
and it defeats the purpose of using tables and figures.
The results of a qualitative study are generally presented using words rather
than figures or numbers. Therefore, use of a proper language is critical. For
instance, the writing of a case study requires a literary flair in order to bring
the subject being studied alive to the reader. Thus, linguistic prowess should
be the overriding principle case studies. It is usually necessary to write
several drafts of each case study, and elicit critical feedback from colleagues
on each draft. The feedback should focus on such matters as whether: (i) the
writings include sufficient descriptive details; (ii) important phenomena have
been distinguished from the trivial; (iii) research perspectives and values are
explicit; and (iv) multiple sources, if available, have been used to document
the findings. The researcher should ensure a logical and smooth flow of
factual knowledge.
By the end of writing chapter four, the following issues should be clear:
The data is clearly and appropriately presented;

The statistical techniques and procedures used to analyze and present

data are appropriate;
The tables have adequate details and have been clearly labeled;
There is correct interpretation of results;
The interpretation of results is related to other research results as per
literature review.

Chapter Five - Conclusions and Recommendations

The last chapter of a project usually contains the summary of the findings,
discussions, interpretation of each result in the form of conclusions and the
implications of the findings. The title of this chapter is usually names such as
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conclusion and discussion or conclusion and recommendations. This should

pave the way for appropriate recommendations emanating from the study to
be made.
The section usually commences with a brief re-statement of the research
problem and, possibly, the main points of how the study was done. The
conclusions must follow logically and should avoid undesirable repetition of
the results section. One common error with projects is that students are
usually reluctant to draw conclusions and, instead, repeat results and pass
them off as conclusions. The number of conclusions drawn depends partly
upon the complexity of the results. Supposedly, at least on substantial
conclusion can be drawn: otherwise, it would hardly be worth conducting;
much less reporting the research is desirable.
In addition to conclusions, the section should contain a summarized
discussion that can tie the conclusions into those of related studies and
indicate how the research either supports or refutes conclusions or results of
other researchers. Recommendations and implications may also be
presented. Partially, any study has limitations, methodology or otherwise,
and they should be identified (Wiersma, 1990:308). The results and, possibly,
the limitations should generate recommendations for further research in the
area. Implications should stay within the mainstream of the research study,
and tangential or peripheral areas should be brought in only when their
relevance can be clearly described.
Therefore, the most important task in writing this chapter is to identify and
interpret the important statistical results. As you examine each result, you
should ask yourself questions such as: Is this a noteworthy result, and, if so,
why? Is it consistent with results of previous research? If not, why not? Is
there an existing theory that can explain the result? Does the result merit
further investigation to clarify it? If so, what form might such an investigation
take? What are the policy implications (if any) of the findings?
Your answers to these questions will be of great interest to other researchers
for several reasons including the fact that you were an eyewitness to the
data collection process. As an eyewitness, you have a better feeling for what
the data mean than other researchers who must rely on your report or
understanding of what happened. It is desirable to add a section on
implication of the findings. You should also make recommendations for
further research. This is a worthwhile exercise, because your experience in
doing a study has put you in a good position for judging the important
questions that should be answered next. Other researchers can combine or
duplicate your design with the likelihood of yielding important new
knowledge.
By the end of chapter five, you should check through the work and ensure
that the following features stand out clearly:
Summary is simple, short and clear

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The discussion, conclusions and the implications are related to the

purpose and significance of the study.
The commendations are realistic and emanate from the findings and
conclusions drawn from the research findings.

Back Matter
For any kind of research repot, the back matter usually consists of references
(bibliography) and appendices.
Bibliography/References
Towards the end of a research report, following conclusion and the
recommendations section, a bibliography or list of references should be
inserted. This is a critical and necessary part of the report, even if footnote
references were not made in the main body.
The bibliography must list all references that were cited in the body of the
thesis. The bibliography must have a particular format, and the chosen
format must be consistent. The most common error is mainly that of
inconsistency i.e. inconsistent punctuations; inconsistent use of the authors'
first name with some references having the full name whereas others have
only an initial; and use of abbreviations for some journal titles and not
others, among others.
The reference list must be comprehensive including all those cited in the
report. The names of authors must be arranged in alphabetical order. The
reference list should provide full information on the cited sources, and where
applicable, using the following order for books: (i) author(s) or editor(s) if no
author is listed, (ii) date, (iii) title, (iv) editor, if provided in addition to author,
(v) edition, if not the first one, (vi) volume(s), (vii) title of the individual
volume, (iii) series title, (ix) city, (x) publisher.
The details included in the reference list entries for journal/periodical articles
are (i) author's name and initials, (ii) year, (iii) title of article, (iv) title of
periodical, (v) issue information (volume, issue number, month or season),
and (vi) page reference. Title of books, periodicals, plays and long poems are
italicized, whereas titles of book chapters, articles, short poems and the like
are given in normal style without being enclosed in quotation marks. Titles of
unpublished works (theses research papers) are not italicized. The titles of
periodicals are capitalized in headline style; all other titles in the reference
list are capitalized in the sentence style, i.e. only the first character in the
title and subtitle, proper nouns and proper adjective are capitalized.
The following should also be checked while preparing the bibliography:

The use of author and etal should not be used in the bibliography. In the

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bibliography, the name of the author (with initials) and co-authors (with
initials) followed by the year of publication (in bracket) should be used.
The title of the article, publisher and city of publication indicated.

References cited together in the text should be arranged alphabetically by

authors' name (last name) and chronologically for authors with more than
one publication.

If an author's name is also mentioned with other authors, the following

order should be used:
Publications of the single author, arranged according to publication dates
Publications of the same author with one co-author, and then
Publications of the same author with more than one co-author.

Publications of the same author(s) in the same year should be listed as

follows: 2002(a); 2002(b); 2002(c), etc.

Appendices/Annextures
An appendix or annex is included only if it is necessary as when there are
materials that do not fit quite well in the main body of the report. In other
words, appendices are used to present information that is not critical to the
study or that will be of interest only to some readers. Appendixes commonly
include: (i) tables that are very long or contain statistical results not essential
to the study, (ii) locally developed research materials, such as research
instruments (questionnaires, interview schedules, and observation guides),
(iii) psychometric data such as item analyses, and (iv) maps or budget.
After writing the back matter (bibliography and appendices), you must
ensure that:
References are complete as cited in the study and consistent.
References are arranged in alphabetical and chronological order.
Appendices are labeled and are useful.

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MARKING

Length
Abstract
Statement of the topic
Operational definitions and concepts
Justification of the study
Objectives of the study
Scope of study
Literature review
Study area
Research methodology
Research findings
Summary of findings and conclusions
References
Bibliography
Appendices
Simple and understandable language
Typed and spiral bound.
Neatness
Spelling mistakes

3 marks
3marks
5 marks
3 marks
4 marks
5 marks
3 marks
8 marks
5 marks
5 marks
39 marks
5 marks
3 marks
3 marks
3 marks
3 marks
3marks
3 marks
3 marks

TOTAL

100 Marks

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