Step-by-Step Procedure to Complete MLIP-002 Project

Step-by-Step Procedure to Complete

Introduction — why this guide exists (220 words)

Completing the MLIP-002 project is one of the most important milestones of your MLIS journey. It’s where theory meets practice: you’ll design a research question, collect and analyse data, write up findings, and present your work. For many students, the project feels overwhelming because it’s open-ended and assessed on multiple criteria (research design, execution, presentation and relevance). This guide steps the whole process into tangible, achievable steps — from choosing a topic to final submission — so you can finish the project with confidence and clarity.

You’ll discover:

A step-by-step process you can use (with a sample 12-week schedule).
Real-world templates for research questions, objectives, and instruments.
Hints for literature review, data collection, analysis, formatting and referencing.
A last-minute checklist and potential pitfalls to steer clear of.
Use this as a guide: modify the specifics to your topic, your supervisor’s guidance, and the most recent IGNOU project guidelines. (Always double-check deadlines and any unique formatting guidelines located in your course guide or with your project supervisor.)

1. Know MLIP-002: purpose & evaluation (140 words)

Before beginning, be absolutely clear on what MLIP-002 demands. Generally the project is to:

Allow you to apply library & information science (LIS) theory to an actual problem.
Show your capacity for planning research, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting results.
Test your academic writing, referencing, and knowledge of research ethics.
Assessment typically takes into account: problem statement clarity, methodology soundness, review literature quality, data analysis correctness, discussion and recommendations, and presentation (formatting, referencing, annexures). Schedule a meeting with your supervisor in advance to agree on expectations and marking standards.

2. Step 1 — Read the course/project guide & speak with your supervisor (180 words)

Action steps:

Read and download the MLIP-002 project guidelines in the IGNOU course guide or project manual. Take note of submission dates, forms to be submitted, and signatures to be obtained, if necessary.
Get familiar with your supervisor (or would-be supervisors). Present your topics of interest and obtain their suggestions regarding an appropriate topic and its feasibility.
Get administrative details clarified: word limit (if any), mode of submission (soft copy/hard copy), number of copies, and whether viva/defense is necessary.
Ask about available resources: access to library databases, ethical approvals, consent forms, and permissions to collect data from institutions.
Why this matters: early clarity prevents rework later — especially about scope, deadlines and required paperwork.

3. Step 2 — Choose and refine a topic (300 words)

Choosing a topic is the foundation. Aim for specific + feasible + relevant.

How to choose:

Start broad: list areas you’re interested in (e.g., digital libraries, metadata standards, user behavior, information literacy, archives management, open access in India).
Narrow down: convert a broad area into a specific problem. For example, instead of “digital libraries,” choose “usability barriers faced by first-time users of university digital repositories in [city/state].”
Check feasibility: think about access to respondents/data, time, and resources. A topic needing large national surveys might be out of the question in a semester.
Relevance: select a topic that has practical usefulness (for local libraries, departments, or a small but identifiable user group).
Supervisory fit: select a topic your supervisor is happy to advise on.
Sample focused topics:
“Awareness and use of institutional repositories by postgraduate students at X University”
“Influence of mobile-based OPAC interfaces on search success among undergraduates”
“Practices in the preservation of locally produced audiovisual materials in municipal archives”
“School librarians in Y district perceptions of open educational resources”
Write a one-line topic statement and get it confirmed with your supervisor before moving forward.

4. Step 3 — Define the research problem, aims and objectives (300 words)

Clear objectives and questions guide the entire project.

Begin with a research problem statement (2–3 sentences) that describes the gap you will fill. Example:

“While X University has an institutional repository, usage by postgraduate students seems low. This research examines determinants of awareness and utilization of the repository among Faculty of Social Sciences postgraduates.”

Use aim (general) and objectives (definite, quantifiable):

Objective: To investigate levels of awareness and determinants of use of the institutional repository by postgraduate students of X University.
Objectives:

To quantify levels of awareness of the institutional repository by postgraduates.
To determine perceived constraints to repository use.
To suggest measures to enhance repository adoption.
Develop research questions:

What proportion of postgraduates are aware of the institutional repository?
What are the reported barriers to repository access by students?
What changes do students recommend?
Advice: Have SMART objectives — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

5. Step 4 — Literature review: search, synthesize, organize (380 words)

A good literature review sets your work in context and underpins methodology.

Practical steps:

Prepare for search: Determine keywords (main and synonyms). Sample keywords for the topic of the repository: “institutional repository”, “IR awareness”, “digital repository usage”, “[country/region] academic repositories”.
Conduct multiple sources: Google Scholar, university repositories, library science journals (e.g., JASIST, Library Hi Tech), conference proceedings, theses, and authoritative reports. Take note of bibliographic information as you go.
Build a literature matrix (Excel or Google Sheets) with columns: Author, Year, Title, Purpose, Method, Key findings, Relevance to your project, Notes/quotes.
Synthesize, not summarize: Group findings by theme (e.g., levels of awareness, usability problems, training interventions). Determine gaps that your study is filling.
Write the review: Begin with a brief introduction, report themes in chronological or thematic order, and conclude with an explicit statement of how your study fills a gap.
Length & depth: Literature review is considerable (usually 20–30% of writing) in a standard MLIP project; but scale according to project size. Prioritize high-quality, relevant sources.

Citing while writing:

Utilize a reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley) or maintain a consistent manual system.

Place citations during writing to prevent future mismatches.

6. Step 5 — Select research design & methods (360 words)

Determine if your research will be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.

Typical options:

Quantitative: surveys, ordered questionnaires; ideal for gauging awareness, frequencies, and correlations.
Qualitative: interviews, focus groups, observation; ideal for learning perceptions, barriers, and deep reasons.
Mixed methods: marrying survey data (breadth) and interviews (depth).
Design steps:

Establish variables (for quantitative) or themes (for qualitative).
Choose instruments:

Questionnaire: create closed and Likert-scale questions for measurable variables (e.g., awareness, usage frequency, perceived usefulness).
Interview guide: open-ended questions to probe experience and recommendations.
Observation checklist: to capture usability problems or physical state.

Pilot test instruments with 5–10 respondents to make wordings and flow better.
Decide sample & sampling technique:

Sample size: varies with population and method. For small institutional surveys, 50–200 may be an achievable number; for qualitative interviews, 8–20 interviews are typical.
Sampling: convenient, purposive, stratified, or simple random — select what is appropriate for your study and explain why.

Data collection plan: where and when you will be collecting data; permissions needed; how you will keep data safe.
Example methods section paragraph:

“This research took a mixed-methods approach. A 120 postgraduate students were surveyed using a structured questionnaire based on stratified purposive sampling. Furthermore, 10 semi-structured interviews were taken from library staff and postgraduate students in order to investigate barriers that emerged in the survey.”

Ethics: gain consent, maintain anonymity/confidentiality, and take institutional permission if required.

7. Step 6 — Create tools: sample questionnaire & interview guide (320 words)

Here is a concise template you may customize.

Short sample questionnaire:

Section A: Demographics

Age:
Gender:
Program/Year:

Section B: Awareness & Use (tick/select)

Have you heard of the institutional repository? (Yes / No)
Have you employed it over the past 12 months? (Yes / No)
How often have you used it? (Never / Rarely / Sometimes / Often)

Section C: Perceptions (Likert: Strongly disagree — Strongly agree)

It is easy to use the repository.
The repository has relevant content to my research.
I was trained on the use of the repository.

Section D: Barriers & Suggestions (open-ended)

Provide up to three reasons you do not currently use the repository.
Provide one change that would help improve repository use.
Sample interview guide (themes & prompts):

Warm-up: Tell me how you access the library for research.
Awareness: How did you initially hear about the repository?
Usability: Can you tell me about any challenges you encountered in using it?
Value: How valuable is the repository to your coursework/study?
Improvement: What would make you use it more frequently?
Test these tools and refine wording from feedback.

8. Step 7 — Data collection: logistics & tips (280 words)

Actionable logistics:

Permissions: Obtain signed permission where required (library head, department).
Timing: Steer clear of exam seasons; select periods when respondents are free.
Mode: Face-to-face, online form (Google Forms/SurveyMonkey), or mixed. Online is convenient but beware of low response rates.
Record keeping: Store responses in organized folders; code interview audio files and transcripts, not names.
Backup: Keep backups on cloud and local drives; have data password-protected.
Consent forms: Offer brief informed consent stating purpose, anonymity, voluntary nature, and contact information.
Response rate: Send reminders and offer small rewards (if permitted) to increase participation.
Quality control:
Inspect each questionnaire for completeness on collection day.
In interviews: record (with permission), take brief field notes, and transcribe soon.

9. Step 8 — Data analysis (320 words)

Match analysis to data type.

Quantitative data:

Clean data (check for missing values, outliers).
Utilize Excel for simple descriptive stats (frequencies, percentages, mean, median).
For inferential stats (chi-square, t-tests) utilize SPSS, PSPP or R — only if you have training and it’s needed.
Report results through tables and simple charts (bar charts, pie charts) and discuss key findings in text.
Qualitative data:
Transcribe interviews verbatim (or utilize succinct summaries).
Apply thematic analysis: read transcripts, code meaningful extracts, collate codes into themes, and write descriptions of themes with illustrative quotes.
Software (optional): NVivo, Atlasti, or manual coding in Word/Excel.
Mixed methods synthesis:
Triangulate: do qualitative themes account for or supplement quantitative findings?
Integrate findings in a combined discussion, highlighting convergence and divergence.
Reporting results:
Report primary findings clearly, without raw data dump.
Utilize tables for numerical summaries and short, well-labelled charts.
For qualitative themes, use representative quotations with respondent codes

10. Step 9 — Writing the project report (structure & content) (560 words)

A well-defined structure enhances readability and grading. The following is a widely accepted structure; modify according to your course guide.

Front matter (not included in chapter word limits):

Title page (project title, student name, enrollment number, supervisor name, institution, month/year)
Supervisor’s certificate (if necessary)
Student declaration
Acknowledgments (optional)
Abstract (150–300 words): brief overview of problem, methods, major findings and recommendations.
Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures.
Chapter 1: Introduction (≈800–1200 words recommended)
Background and context
Statement of the problem
Rationale/significance of the research
Aim and objectives
Research questions/hypotheses (if any)
Scope and limitations
Organization of the research
Chapter 2: Literature Review (1200–2000 words depending on depth)
Thematic or conceptual review
Summary of main findings from literature
Identification of gap and how your research addresses it
Chapter 3: Methodology (≈600–900 words)
Research design (qualitative/quantitative/mixed)
Population and sample (with sampling technique)
Instruments and pilot testing
Data collection procedures
Data analysis plan
Ethical considerations
Chapter 4: Results / Findings (length varies)
Report results in logical sequence (by objective or research question)
Utilize tables/charts; include brief commentary emphasizing the most significant results
Chapter 5: Discussion (≈800–1200 words)
Interpret results: refer back to literature and theory
Implications, surprises, and limitations discussed
Chapter 6: Conclusions & Recommendations (≈400–700 words)
Key findings summarized
Practical recommendations for libraries/organizations
Future research suggestions
References / Bibliography
All cited sources listed in one consistent style (APA, Chicago, etc.)
Appendices
Questionnaires, interview guides, consent forms, raw tables (if necessary), and supporting documents.
Writing tips
Write clearly and in academic language, using the active voice where possible.
Keep paragraphs streamlined: a single idea per paragraph.
Don’t quote too much — paraphrase and cite.

Introduce each chapter with a brief introduction and conclude each chapter with a brief conclusion.

11. Step 10 — Referencing, formatting & plagiarism (300 words)

Referencing:

Select one citation style (APA is widely used in LIS) and use it throughout.
Cite sources within the text and list full references in the reference list.
For web sources, provide access date and stable URLs or DOIs if available.
Utilize a reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley) for minimizing errors by hand.

Formatting:

Obey any special IGNOU formatting (margins, font size — typically Times New Roman 12pt, 1.5 line spacing).
Number pages sequentially (front matter in roman numerals at your option).
Employ clear headings and subheadings (uniform hierarchy).
Caption tables and figures and label them.
Plagiarism:
Paraphrase properly and reference the original writer.
Use a plagiarism detector (Turnitin, Urkund, or local tools) to confirm originality.
Strive for low similarity — rephrase literature review syntheses and highlight your own work. (Verify acceptable thresholds with your institution.)
Proofreading:
Read aloud to detect awkward sentences.
Ensure consistency in citations.
Double-check that appendices and in-text references are consistent.

12. Step 11 — Annexures, presentation & viva preparation (220 words)

Annexures:

Insert instruments (full questionnaire/guide), raw data summaries, permission letters, and other charts that cannot be included in the main text.
Number annexures clearly (Annexure A, B, etc.) and mention them in the text.
Presentation / Viva preparation:
Make a short PowerPoint: background, aims, methodology, 3–5 major findings, recommendations, and conclusion.
Rehearse a 10–15 minute presentation and 10–15 minutes of Q&A.
Plan for potential questions: sample selection, limitations of the study, generalizability of findings, and practical applications.

Bring copies of the abstract, a report copy (if necessary), and any permission documents.

13. Sample 12-week timeline (Gantt-style in prose) ding to your submission date.

Week 1: Read project guide; agree supervisor & topic.

Week 2: Refine problem statement, aim, objectives; begin literature search.
Week 3: Continue literature review; write first draft of literature matrix.
Week 4: Complete literature review draft; develop questionnaire/interview guide.
Week 5: Pilot instruments; finalize tools based on pilot.
Week 6: Get permissions; start data collection (surveys/interviews).
Week 7: Continue data collection; commence transcription of interviews.
Week 8: Finish data collection; commence data cleaning and preliminary analysis.
Week 9: Final quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Week 10: Compose Chapters 1–3 and results (Chapters 4).
Week 11: Compose Discussion, Conclusions, Recommendations, References & Appendices.
Week 12: Proofread, format, plagiarism check, finalize and submit.
Tip: Create buffer weeks for delays and supervisor revisions.

14. Common pitfalls & how to avoid them

Too broad a topic — Narrow down early.
Weak objectives — Make them specific and measurable.
Poor sampling — Account for sampling decisions and ensure representativeness.
Incomplete literature review — Employ a minimum of 15–25 good sources (scale to topic).
Late start — Have a schedule and start early collecting data.
Badly designed instruments — Pilot-test and revise.
Formatting errors — Use a template and consult university guidelines.

Plagiarism issues — Paraphrase, cite, and use a plagiarism detection tool.

15. Pre-submission checklist (≈100 words)

Supervisor approval/signature where needed.
Abstract, acknowledgements, declaration, certificate included.
Chapters finished and sensibly ordered.
Tables/figures captioned and cross-referenced in text.
References consistently formatted.
Appendices included (questionnaire, consent forms, permissions).
Plagiarism scanned and similarity within acceptable range.
Carefully proofread (spelling, grammar, formatting).

Submission format & number of copies per IGNOU instructions.

16. Quick sample title page template (text you can paste)

Project Title: [Your Project Title Here]

Submitted by: [Your Name]
Enrolment No.: [XXXXXXXXX]
Programme: MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science)
Course: MLIP-002 (Project Work)
Supervisor: [Dr./Prof. Name]
Institution: [Your Institution / IGNOU Regional Centre]

17. Conclusion & final tips

The MLIP-002 project is a achievable experience when divided into steps: know the requirements, select an achievable topic, build sound instruments, handle and analyze data with care, and write lucidly. Early organization, frequent meetings with your supervisor, rigorous time tabling, and precision (citations, format, ethics) will go a long way. Make the project a contribution — even little, local studies shed valuable light on libraries and users.

If you prefer, I can now:

Transform this into a downloadable project planner (12-week editable template),
Write a sample abstract with a 10-slide PowerPoint outline for your viva, or
Develop a customized timeline and checklist for your individual topic

Step-by-Step Procedure to Complete MLIP-002 Project