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Final Technical Report Guidelines

The Final Technical Report is cumulative (covers the entire award period, including supplements) and describes project activities in sufficient detail to permit replication of the research method and design, including a review of relevant literature, methods including detailed description of data collection and analysis procedures, modifications to or problems with the original research design, findings, and conclusions. In most cases, the Final Technical Report will undergo external peer-review, and, when finalized, will be made available on the NCJRS Web site.

Below is an outline that describes the content and format of Final Technical Reports.

Report Title

Award Number

Author(s)

Abstract
The Abstract contains 600 words or less and presents a concise picture of the proposed research. Major constructs and hypotheses are included. The Abstract is the first section of the final report. The abstract should serve as a succinct and accurate description of the project. Research goals and objectives, research design, and methods for achieving the goals and objectives should be concisely described. The abstract should include statement of purpose, description of research subjects, methods, results and conclusions.

Table of Contents
The Table of Contents should be placed after the Abstract and prior to the Executive Summary.

Executive Summary
The Executive Summary contains 2,500 to 4,000 words and includes a brief synopsis of the problem, purpose, research design, findings and conclusions including implications for policy and practice. The Executive Summary should contain sufficient detail as to serve as a “stand-alone” summary of the entire project.

Main Body of the Final Technical Report
The Main Body should contain the sections listed below.

1. Introduction:
   The Introduction should be succinct and should present the background information needed to provide the context for the experimental design and approach.
   1. Statement of the problem: The general problem area is stated clearly and unambiguously. The importance and significance of the problem area is discussed.
   2. Literature citations and review: The literature cited is from reputable and appropriate sources. The literature is condensed in an intelligent fashion with only the most relevant information included. Citations are in a format similar to that used by professional journals.
   3. Statement of hypothesis or rationale for the research: The hypothesis (or hypotheses) or rationale for the research is clearly stated and is specific about what is predicted. The relationship to the problem statement and literature review is readily understood from reading the text.
2. Methods
   The Methods section includes narrative descriptions of the experimental design, methods, materials, and procedures so that readers can understand the rationale for the experimental approach as well as how the experiments were performed. Criteria for selection of subjects or samples should also be included. This section should also include descriptions of statistical methods used in the research.
3. Results
   
   1. Statement of Results: The results are stated concisely and are plausible for the research described.
   2. Tables: The table(s) is formatted and accurately and concisely presents part of the analysis. Tables should include a title.
   3. Figures: The figure(s) is clearly designed and accurately describes a relevant aspect of the results. Figures should include a title as well as a legend that concisely conveys the content displayed in the figure.
4. Conclusions
   1. Discussion of findings: The discussion should describe the significance of the results and the conclusions that were drawn. The conclusions should be linked to the goals of the study. 
   2. Implications for policy and practice: Assuming the expected results are obtained, the implications of these results are discussed in terms of public policy and practice. The author briefly summarizes any remaining problems which occurred during the study and study limitations.
   3. Implications for further research: Recommendations for further research in this area should be described.
5. References
   Citations are in a format similar to that used by professional journals, and are appropriate for the study performed.
6. Dissemination of Research Findings
   Publications and presentations resulting from this award should be listed, including the full journal citation, scientific conference and location, etc.