South African honours and BTech programmes require a research report with a formal ethics clearance step before any data collection involving people. Supervisors weigh methodological rigour and the ethics submission as heavily as the result itself.
Title page, certification, dedication, acknowledgements, abstract (150–300 words), table of contents, list of tables and figures. The abstract is written last and must state the problem, method, key finding and recommendation in that order.
Background to the study, statement of the problem, aim and objectives, research questions, hypotheses where relevant, significance, scope and delimitation, and definition of terms. Objectives, questions and hypotheses must map one to one — panels check this before anything else in a capstone project.
Conceptual review, theoretical framework with a named theory and its proponent, empirical review of recent studies, then an explicit gap statement. Prioritise sources from the last five years and include local studies alongside international ones.
Research design, population, sample size and sampling technique with the formula used, instrument, validity and reliability tests, method of data collection and method of analysis. For software or engineering work, this chapter carries system analysis, design diagrams and the development tools.
Presentation of data in tables and charts, analysis, hypothesis testing, then a discussion that connects each finding back to the literature in Chapter Two. Do not repeat the same result in a table and a chart.
Summary of findings, conclusion, recommendations tied to each objective, contribution to knowledge, limitations and suggestions for further study. Every recommendation must trace back to a finding you actually reported.
A complete reference list in the required style, followed by the questionnaire or interview guide, raw data, source code listings, and any approval letters.
Universities such as University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University issue their own templates. Where a departmental template exists, it overrides every general rule on this page.
Final Year drafts each chapter in this structure, references it in the expected style and prepares your defence slides.
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