Study unit 10: Writing and evaluating research reports Flashcards
what is the main goal of a research report
The main goal, then, of preparing a research report is to make your work known to others
“research, in essence, is not complete unless it is shared with others who can benefit from it”. Research is only really useful once we tell others about what we found and the meaning of those findings
list some Functions and characteristics of a research report
communicates scientific data and ideas to an audience
contributes to the general body of scientific knowledge
stimulates and directs further inquiry
key requirement of a report is that it must report your research as accurately as possible sharing scientific knowledge with others and honesty in research. These two requirements also relate to the ethical norms of the scientific research process
provide different types of reports
10.3.1 Written assignments
In such assignments you will probably be given a problem that needs resolving. This will require some form of research, even if at an elementary level. The assignment then takes on the form of a research report. You need to be careful that you do not skip over vital steps in reporting the process. On the other hand, you need to avoid going to the other extreme — where your description is so detailed that the report becomes repetitive and much of the discussion redundant
10.3.2 Presentation
such reports have to be highly focused and you need to prioritise what you are going to include in your presentation. Use the purpose of the presentation as your guide. In most cases your findings will be the most important aspect of your presentation, since this is usually what interests the audience most. Your conclusions therefore need to be sharply focused
10.3.3 Journal articles
the key to success lies in your ability to write succinctly (i.e. briefly and to the point). The reason for this is twofold — firstly, professional people are usually very busy and do not have time to read lengthy articles. Secondly, it is a highly expensive business to publish journals and a shorter compact article is more likely to be considered for publication than a lengthy one you will have to economise and eliminate some essential aspects of your work. Your journal articles therefore need to be written and organised so that the information is accurate, easy to find, relevant and comprehensive.
10.3.4 Commissioned research
This type of research report will probably deal with applied research where a practical problem needs to be resolved commissioned research is usually based on a contract with an agency or organisation that has specifically hired you to undertake research
10.3.5 The dissertation and the thesis
The purpose of a dissertation is for students to demonstrate their research skills and prove that they can successfully undertake research independently. When writing a thesis, the student is expected to make a significant contribution to our knowledge of the subject under investigation. As a result, there is a strong emphasis on providing as much detail as possible in the report. A report for a thesis needs to give details of the following: the precise nature of the research process (eg literature survey), the research design (eg sampling, methods used for data collection), the method of interpretation used and the format of the report itself. A thesis is written at a higher level of complexity than a dissertation. Compared with the other types of research reports discussed here, the dissertation and thesis are often the longest type of report because of the detail required.
10.3.6 Newspaper reports
Media reports tend to be very short compared with the other types of report we have discussed. In a research report for the media, you cannot go into detail about your research method. Instead, you need to provide the most basic facts such as the size and nature of your sample and any possible margins of error
provide styles of writing a report about research for a newspaper.
Inverted pyramid: Most newspaper articles are written in this style simply because it presents the most important news first and is easy to edit. However, by giving readers the most important information first is also problematic as this does not encourage readers to continue reading the report. The challenge with using the inverted pyramid style lies in getting the reader to continue reading the article to the end.
Narrative: This is simply the telling of a story with a beginning, middle and an end, where the story is told using a narrator or a character with dialogue.
Wall Street Journal: This is a more focused style of writing that was adopted by one of the world’s best known newspapers, the Wall Street Journal which is published in New York. In using this style, you, as the writer of the report, need to focus on an individual or institution and then move on to the more important facts. This means that readers are encouraged to continue reading the report until the end, unlike the inverted pyramid structure.
Champagne glass: Similar to the inverted pyramid style, where the most important facts are given at the beginning, but this is followed by a chronological narrative style with a beginning, middle and end. This advantage of this style is considered to be the fact that by keeping the report in context it simplifies complex issues. However, this style is that much harder to edit.
Anecdote and nut graph: When using this style, as the writer, you need to begin your report with a long soft lead, such as a description or anecdote, a short entertaining story about a real incident or person which is connected with the report, but no hard facts are provided. The hard news, or important facts, follows from the lead or anecdote and is referred to as the “nut graph” as it provides the reader with the essential facts regarding the report. The rest of the story follows the nut graph.
Stack of blocks: This style consists of several distinct and separate sections with a strong ending. By arranging information into groups allows us to provide explanations in an easier way while allowing the reader to recall that information. This style allows for easy editing as sections can be easily removed from the report without affecting the flow of the article
which areas are to be included in your report
10.4.1 Stage 1 — defining the problem
The research problem
The problem which is being investigated drives the whole research process. The description of the nature of the problem is therefore very important. It is also necessary that the core concepts you use be clearly defined or explained.
The literature review
As the above heading suggests, this section of your report summarises work already done in your particular field of study. The purpose of this exercise is to establish some boundaries for your research work, which then helps you design your research plan
Accuracy — you need to report accurately on the main points of each study you consider for your review.
Relevance — you should avoid merely summarising any research study you include in your literature review, but you do need to discuss the relevance of such a research study to your own research
which areas are to be included in your report
10.4.2 Stage 2 — obtaining the information
Data gathering
This relates specifically to the sample you used for your research. Two aspects need to be recorded here, namely the
sample size, which should include how you selected your sample
sample characteristics, which includes a description of the sample in terms of demographics, lifestyle or other identifying characteristics
You need to mention the representativeness of your sample and events that could influence the drawing of that sample.
Method
In this section you need to explain how you undertook the research. Keep your intended audience in mind, since this determines the amount of detail you need to include in your report. Follow a logical order and try to describe your method in the same order as you actually did the research. You need to refer to things such as data collection and the measuring instrument that you used
Reliability and validity
Depending on the type of report you are using, you need to comment on the reliability and validity of your research. In the case of a journal article, you can cover this in just a sentence or two. In a dissertation or thesis you need to discuss both these issues far more extensively
which areas are to be included in your report
10.4.3 Stage 3 — analysing and interpreting the information
Results
This section of your report relates to your research findings
Illustrating your findings. Your use of charts, tables, figures and other ways of graphically representing your data should be used sparingly, particularly if you intend submitting your report to a journal for publication. However, if you are preparing a report for commissioned research or a presentation, then a visual display of data can predominate. Refer back to study unit 8 for a discussion of the description and interpretation of data, particularly section 8.3 for a discussion on the use of tables and graphs.
Description of your analysis. In the case of quantitative research, the statistical method you used should be mentioned. If you have used a common statistical method to analyse your data, such as Chi-square, you can mention it in a single sentence.
Description of findings. Your findings need to relate directly to your initial problem and also to your research questions and/or hypothesis. Your need to ask yourself if your findings confirm your hypothesis and answer your research questions.
Interpretation and discussion
Reports should always include an interpretation and discussion of what you found in your research consider interpretation as an analytical process in which you examine your research in order to develop a conceptual understanding of it.
Discussion moves beyond interpretation and provides a deeper understanding of the data gathered in relation to the supporting theory, research problem, hypothesis or research questions and explains what has emerged from your research.
Summarise the main findings.
Discuss the implications of your interpretations. See if your findings are in line with current thinking. In other words: what is the correlation with what has been done by others? If your findings contradict current thinking, then you need to explain your findings in more detail.
Limitations and practical problems need to be reported if they influence the results in any way. You are ethically obliged to report on the limitations of your research work Provide suggestions for future research. It is a generally accepted that, as you interpret your findings, you will generate questions which can form the basis for future research. However, Wimmer and Dominick (1994:398) note that such questions should be relevant, practical and researchable.
which areas are to be included in your report
10.4.4 Stage 4 — making known the results
The introduction
It may seem odd to you that we are talking about the introduction to your report at the end. But the introduction, in fact, forms part of the fourth and final stage of the research process.
The function of the introduction is to lead your reader into your report. In the introduction, you need to gain the reader’s attention and interest by providing an outline of what you have done in your research
State the problem: provide some background about the nature of the research problem. Sometimes it is necessary to give just a short summary. Begin with the aim of the research and define concepts used.
Explain the theoretical framework that you used to explain your findings. You also need to justify your choice of theory to your reader.
Justify the research: here you should address the reason(s) why it was important that you spent time and energy researching your particular problem. Of what value is the research? Either your research deals with crucial theoretical issues, has practical value or has methodological value, or a combination of these.
Indicate the aim of the research. You can end your introduction with a statement of your hypothesis or research question(s).
The conclusion
Inglish and Jackson (1977:71) emphasise that a research report should end and not just stop. Don’t leave your readers to draw their own conclusions. You need to make it clear to your reader that you have said something of importance. You can best achieve this by including a brief summary of your essential findings. You can, as in the case of applied research, include recommendations in your conclusion.
The abstract
If your research report is intended for publication in an academic journal, or takes the form of a dissertation or thesis, then you are required to provide a short summary (of between 150–500 words) in which you highlight the key points in your research work. Abstracts are published in databases, such as Dissertations Abstracts, and are useful for making your work accessible to other researchers.
list five stylistic characteristics for good scientific writing.
Write systematically — you need to organise an outline of your report in order to give a smooth and logical flow to your argument by putting your ideas into a sequence, grouping related ideas and separating the general from the specific.
Write clearly — try to avoid any ambiguities.
Write precisely — think twice about every word you use. Use words as accurately as you possibly can. Key concepts need to be clearly defined to avoid any confusion regarding what you are talking about. Avoid repetition.
Write directly and simply — try and explain your research in the simplest possible way. Establish a balance between your use of short and long sentences.
Write concisely — reports that are focused stand a better chance of being successful than long, rambling ones.
