2024

Guide Lines for Research Project Document

 Research Project Document

Research Project Report

As part of the Program, a learner has to undertake a Research Project in an area of their
Elective (Specialization) and submit a report. The research project provides an
opportunity for the students to apply classroom learning and practice in an industry
environment. The research has to be conducted by a learner as an independent and
individual study. The research project may be based on a specific organization or a
general area in which the learner wants to conduct an in-depth study. The duration of
the project is 8 weeks during which the learner is expected to complete the research
and submit the report to the University in the prescribed format. Learners are
encouraged to convert their research study into a research paper/case and publish it
in association with a mentor.

General Guidelines
• The project may be a descriptive study, empirical or exploratory one. A sample list
of research topics is provided in Annexure – 1 to assist the learner with a better
understanding of areas of research.
• For a learner It is not mandatory to conduct the study in any Organization. Thus, it
is not mandatory to provide an Organization/Company Certificate in the Research
Project report. However, if a learner wishes to take up a study for an Organization,
it is mandatory to obtain prior permission from the concerned Organization to
conduct the study.
• Learner must ensure that the project undertaken is an original study.
• The research can be based on either primary data or secondary data depending on
the relevance of the study.
• A learner should submit a synopsis of the research study before the end of the first
week of the research. The format of the synopsis is provided in Annexure – 2.
• The Research Project report should be submitted in the format as provided in
Annexure – 3.
• Learners are encouraged to convert their research study into a research article by
taking mentorship from a research guide allotted by the University.
• It is mandatory to provide references for any external data/ articles/ websites/
books/ journals etc. that have been used in the research. The references have to be
provided in APA format.

Assessment
Assessment of performance in Research Project is based on – Online Viva Voce
Examination (30%) and Report Evaluation (70%).
The assessment of the Research Project report will be according to pre-defined Rubrics
based on performance indicators like Relevance of the study undertaken, Similarity
Check (Plagiarism up to 30%), Quality of References, Continuity of Work, Attainment
of Learning Outcomes and Overall Quality in terms of the potential of Publishing/
Patenting. Thelearner has to upload the Research Project report on the LMS platform
in PDF file format as per the due date. Every learner should also additionally provide a
No Objection Certificate of the study being published or patented under the name of
VIGNAN Online (Deemed-to-be University).
A learner shall be declared to have passed in Research project if he/she secures:
i) A minimum of 40% marks in aggregate (Total of Viva Voce and Report Evaluation);
and
ii) A minimum of 25 marks out of 70 marks in the Report Evaluation at the end of the
Semester.

Allocation of Research Guide

A Research Guide will be allotted to a learner who intends to parallelly convert the
Research Project into a research publication in the prescribed journal (refer to
Annexure – 4 for a list of prescribed journals). The research article will be published in
the joint name of the learner along with the research guide under the aegis of VIGNAN
Online (Deemed-to-be-University). The publication charges, if any, has to be borne
solely by the learner. The learner is required to be in contact with the guide via the
facility on the LMS and follow the timelines provided in the research calendar.

Rejection of the Research Project Report

A report can be rejected on the following grounds:

• If it is found that it is not an original work of the learner.

• If the data used is inaccurate or outdated.
• If the analysis is incorrect.
• If the format used is not according as per University guidelines.
• If the timelines are not met by the learner.

Research Project Journey

For effective research study and proper utilization of time, it is advised that the learner
follows the following schedule and timeline:
 Annexure 1: Sample Topics
Sl. No. Elective Title of the Research Project

1) A study on the psychological determinants of Retail Investors

before and after Covid
2) A detailed study on the Budgeting process at ABC Ltd A
3) study on the financial performance of the automobile sector
1 Finance using key financial metrics
4) A study on the correlation between Indian and US Equity
Indices.
5) A study on working capital management in ACC Ltd

1) To study the Customer Satisfaction of selected existing

subscriptions of India Today magazine in Bangalore A study
2) on Digital Marketing initiatives at XYZ Ltd
2 Marketing 3) A study on pricing strategies of luxury cars in India
4) Market research on the acceptance of electric cars in Indian
Markets
5) A study on the effectiveness of advertising strategies adopted
by online gaming companies
1) A study on the employee retention strategy adopted by XYZ
Ltd
Human Resource 2) A study on practice adopted by ABC Ltd. to reduce the
3 Management Attrition rate
3) A study on HR Management Practices adopted by modern
organizations
4) A study on talent acquisition process in XYZ Ltd

5) A study on HR outsourcing in IT companies

1) A study on the effect of Marketing Strategies on Net Profit at

ABC Ltd
Finance and 2) A study on effectiveness of advertising strategies adopted by
4 Marketing Neo Banks
3) A study on the effectiveness of mutual fund marketing
Strategies
1) A study on HR practices that helps organizations to project
themselves in the Marketplace
2) A study to determine the most effective media of advertising
Marketing and at XYZ Ltd
Human Resource 3) A study on Digital marketing practices adopted by
5 Management Ecommerce organization
4) A study on Branding strategies used by B2B and B2C
Organizations
1) A study on Training effectiveness and its impact on net profit
Human Resource at ABC Ltd
Management and 2) A detailed Cost Benefit Analysis of selected HR practices at
6 Finance XYZ Ltd
 3) A study on collaborative working between HR and Finance on
Human Resource Accounting
1) A study on Employee Motivation practices adopted at ABC
Ltd
General 2) A study on emerging practices adopted at XYZ Ltd. and its
impact on employee performance
Management
3) A study of Industry & Competitive analysis in a Chosen
7 industry of your choice
4) A study on employee engagement practices used by Indian
Banking & IT industry
5) A study of managing diversity in a workplace

6) A study of Knowledge Management in the workplace

1) A detailed study on the application of world-class

manufacturing practices at ABC Ltd
2) A study on the application of Lean concepts at XYZ Ltd A
3) study of Operation Strategies adopted by successful
Systems and organizations
Operations 4) A study on 6 Sigma practices used by Indian manufacturing
8 Management Companies
5) A study on Supply chain strategies used by Automobile &
Retail industry
1) An empirical study of performance parameters with IT
implementation in a Retail organization
2) A comprehensive study of Management Information
Systems and their role in supporting different levels of
Information management to improve business decision making
.
Technology 3) A study of impact of adaptation of AI technologies in an
9 Management Organization
4) A study of enterprise applications and their role in
streamlining business processes
5) A study of business value generated in supply chain by
deploying Predictive Analytics
1) A study on the performance and reasons for success at one
selected Unicorn
2) A study on the leadership traits of a selected entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship
that led to success or failure
and Leadership
3) A study on investment preferences of private equity investors
10 in Indian start-ups
4) A study on post-listing performance of Zomato

5) A study on top management exits and impact on business

performance
11 Project 1) A study on the correlation between Cost Management and
Management Time Management in a selected large infrastructure project
2) A study on the Turnaround strategy adopted by a Project
Leader to turn around the Project
 Annexure 2: Synopsis Format

• Title
 A self-explanatory title/headline should be associated with your research
objective.
• Problem Statement
 Introduces the primary research topic or problem statement and the
specialized niche within which the learner will conduct the research.
Objectives of the Research
 Should clearly indicate the objective of the research, as well as the
significance of the chosen project.
 The final objective is a statement describing the learner’s contribution to
the field of study.
• Research Methodology
 Provides a brief overview of the methodology.
 Type of Research (Descriptive/ Exploratory/ Empirical)
 Data Collection Methods (Primary/ Secondary)
 Limitation
 Provides an understanding of the subject knowledge by specifying aspects
of the problem that will not be addressed by this research study. Work Plan
 Provide an outline of planned research tasks that will be conducted during
the eight weeks of the research project.
 Annexure 3: Report Format

The Research Project report should be between 45 – 65 typed pages. An indicative

number of pages for each chapter is given below for your reference.
Chapter No. Title No. of Pages

I Introduction and Background 9 to 15

II Review of Literature 9 to 12

III Research Methodology 3 to 5

IV Data Analysis and Interpretation 20 to 25

V Findings, Recommendations and Conclusion 3 to 5

A. Preliminaries Section
• Title Page
• Company Certificate (if applicable)
• Declaration of the student
• Acknowledgment
• Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Graphs

B. Main Section
Chapter I Introduction and Background
1.1 Purpose of the Study
1.2 Introduction to the Topic
1.3 Overview of Theoretical Concepts
1.4 Company / Domain / Vertical / Industry Overview
1.5 Environmental Analysis (PESTEL Analysis)

Chapter II Review of Literature

2.1 Domain/Topic Specific Review
2.2 Gap Analysis
 Chapter III Research Methodology
3.1 Objectives of the Study
3.2 Scope of the Study
3.3 Methodology
 Research Design
 Data Collection
 Sampling Method (if applicable)
 Data Analysis Tools
3.4 Period of Study
3.5 Limitations of the Study
3.6 Utility of Research

Chapter IV Data Analysis and Interpretation o

Tables, Charts, Analysis and Interpretation

Chapter V Findings, Recommendations and Conclusion

5.1 Findings based on observations
5.2 Findings based on analysis of data
5.3 General findings
5.4 Recommendations based on findings
5.5 Suggestions for areas of improvement
5.6 Scope for future research
5.7 Conclusion

C. End Section
• Bibliography
• Appendices
• Annexures

Format to be followed for the Report

There should be consistency of style in terms of margins, page numbers, paragraphs,

bulleted lists, numbered lists, the font used in headings, and so on.

• Margins: Left 25mm (1”), Top 25mm (1”), Right 25mm (1”), Bottom 25mm (1”)
• Font: Times New Roman
• Font Size: 14 points for Headings (boldface) and 12 points for body text
• Text Alignment: Centre for Heading and Justified for body text
• Line Spacing: 1.5
• Page Number: At the Bottom in the Middle of the Page (Start Page Number
from the Main Section)

• Figures and Tables – Centered placed. Titles and Headings used for tables,
graphs and other illustrations should be standardized and also be numbered
sequentially.
Annexure 4: Prescribed List of Journals

• UGC Care List Journals

• Web of Science Journals
• Scopus Indexed Journals
• ABDC Journals