March23,2015

TO:ProfessorVytautasMalesh,WayneStateUniversity
FROM:PopyAziz
SUBJECT:ResponsetoWeekTenReadings
ProfessorMalesh;
Lastweekwewriteourproposals,andfollowingtheproposalcomestheresearchpaper.
Aresearchpaperintechnicalwritingisnotatypicallabreport.Oneoftheobjectivesofa
researchpaperistoansweraquestionthatisrelevantinoneslifeorprofession/personal
lifeandallowotherpeopletogaininformationthroughthataswell.Typicallabreport
answersasetofquestions;bycollectingmaterials,theresearchisconductedinalablike
ascienceexperiment.Theresearchesintechnicalcommunicationdoesnottakeplaceina
laboratory,ratheritsmoretowardtechnicalissuesinabusinessoraproduct.
ThegeneralstyleofaresearchpaperisinMLAformatted,12pointfont,TimesNew
Roman.Itshouldbedoublespacedon81/2x11paperwith1inchmargins.Justlike
inMLAdocuments,eachpageshouldaccompanyanumberconsecutively.Donotinsert
aheadingatthebottomofthepageinwhichthetextfollowsonthenextpage,leaving
theheadingseparatefromthetextitself;addapagebreaktokeepheadingsandtextson
thesamepage.Ifatableorfigureismentiononthedocument,thetableorfigureshould
accompanythatparagraphorbeunderthesameheadingasthetext.
Thetitlepageoftheresearchpapershouldbeclearandgivethereaderanideaofwhat
theresearchwasconductedon.Thenamesofallthegroupmembersshouldbeonthe
titlepageaswellasthedate;thetitlepagehastobeinAPAformatasyouhave
mentionedinclass.Thepapershouldbeinpasttensesinceitsbeingwrittenafterallthe
researchhasbeencompleted.Thebestwaytoorganizetheresearchpaperistohaveone
mainfactsandestablishingitineachparagraph.Afterthetitlepageisthetableofcontent
whereallthemainsectionsoftheresearchpaperisinordertohelpguidethereaders.
Inthematerialsandmethodssectionoftheresearchpaper,itishardtouseactivevoice
sousingthethirdpersonpassivevoicewillkeeptheattentionawayfromtheresearchers
andmoretowardthework.Usingcompletesentencesandliststhatmakesthesection
easytofollowthroughwillkeepthereadersengaged.Rememberthatmaterialsand
methodsarenotasetofinstructionssostayawayfromexplanatoryandirrelevant
explanations.
Thelengthoftheresultssectiondependsonhowmuchillustrationneedstobepresented
toclarifytheconclusion.Thediscussioniswheretheemphasisonthefindingsand
whetherornotthehypothesiswassupported.Drawingaconclusionbaseduponthe

resultsandtreatingthestudyasafinishedworkisveryimportant.Thisisalsowhere
futuresuggestionscanbemadetoresolvethisproblem.Thelastthingontheresearch
paperisliteraturecitations;everyscholarlyarticlethatwasusedtofurthervalidatethe
resultsshouldbeontheworkscitedpageattheendoftheresearchpaper.Thissection
shouldalsobeinMLAformat,doublespaced,andinalphabeticalorder.Allthe
informationinthismemowasfromthearticlepostedonWikiaboutHowtowritea
researchpaper.Thankyouforreading.
Sincerely,
PopyAziz