CHAPTER 17

Writing a Research Report

Writing a research report Writing a bibliography 4) Research methodology and methods
- the main difference between research and other writing is in the degree of control, rigorousness There are several well-established systems for writing a bibliography and your - Discuss the nature of the questions you are asking and choose an
and caution required. choice is dependent upon the preference of the discipline and university. In the appropriate methodological stance for answering them.
- the use of statistical procedures will reinforce the validity of your conclusions and arguments as social sciences some of the most commonly used ones are (Longyear 1983: 83): - Describe, explain and justify the research methods you are using.
they enable you to establish if an observed association is due to chance or otherwise. And - Describe the practical and technical aspects of conducting the research.
indicate the strength of an associations so readers can place confidence in your findings. The Harvard system - Discuss any ethical issues connected with the project
- the way findings are communicated differs in quantitative and qualitative research. The American Psychological Association system
The American Medical Association system 5) Presentation and analysis of findings
Developing an outline The McGraw-Hill system -Describe what you found out and what it means.
-‘Introduction’ should be a general introduction to the study, covering most of your project proposal The Modern Languages Association system -Refer back to the literature review and your conceptual framework.
and pointing out the deviations, if any, from the original plan. The footnote system -Presentation and analysis may require several chapters.
- his chapter covers all the preparatory tasks undertaken prior to conducting the study, such as the
literature review, the theoretical framework, the objectives of the study, study design, the sampling Types of report presentation 6) Conclusions and recommendations
strategy and the measurement procedures. -Summarize the main argument, otherwise known as the thesis, of the
The second chapter in quantitative research reports should provide information about the study  The journal article dissertation.
population.  The professional conference paper -Either discuss the validity and reliability of the findings and arguments or
- provide serves two purposes:  Poster session presentations reflectively critique the account provided in the dissertation.
a) It provides readers with some backgrounds information about the population from which you -Frame the conclusions, and recommendations if appropriate
collected the information so they can relate the findings to the type of population studied. -Discuss any issues concerning the implementation of the conclusions or any
b) helps to identify the variance within a group; for example, you may want to examine how the Structuring Dissertation recommendations.
level of satisfaction of the consumers of a service changes with their age, gender or education.
1) Introduction and objectives
Writing about a variable -explain the focus of the study and its object or purpose.
-when writing about the information obtained in response to a question (variable), write as if you -explain why the study is important and to whom
were providing answers to the following questions: -explain what you want to find out and why
-set the scene and describe the context, but not in too much detail.
 Why did you think it important to study the variable? What effects, in your opinion, may this
variable have on the main variable you are explaining? 2) Critical literature review
 In the case of a cross-tabulation, what relationships have other studies found between the -identify the appropriate academic and/or professional fields of literature.
variables you are analyzing? -describe the main themes in the literature that are important and useful to your
 What did you expect to find out in terms of the relationship between the two variables? study.
 What has your study found out? -identify the connections or discontinuities between the themes in the literature.
 What does the data show? -evaluate and critique the literature
-Check whether the ideas you wish to use are robust enough.
-notice that the literature review is integrated with the findings and conclusions. -Challenge the assumptions.
-the higher the level, the more extensive the literature review, the greater its integration with your -Question whether the literature might mean something other
findings, and the more careful and confident you need to be about your conclusions. than it says it means.
- writing in qualitative research is more descriptive and narrative than analytical -create the coherent sequence of arguments from the themes drawn from the
-some researchers write everything under one heading, ‘The Findings’. This format is appropriate for literature.
a research paper, because it is short but not for a research report or dissertation.
- reader needs to refer continuously to the instrument for each question 3) The conceptual framework
-Using material from the previous chapter produce working definitions of the main
Referencing concepts you will use in your study
The report should follow an academic style of referencing. 4 referencing systems from which to
choose:
1. the short-title system;
2. the author – date system;
3. the reference by number system
4. the author – number system