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Research Writing
• Like any writing,– Know audience– Know Story/Message/Subject– Follow Formats for Outlet
• Research Style– Objective, Factual– Impersonal– Dense, concise, logical
Sections
• Abstract – Executive Summary• Introd/Problem statement• Objectives• Lit Review/Background• Methods • Results• Discussion, Implications• References
Problem Statement
• Introduce topic and key concepts
• Show your knowledge of subject
• Justify importance of problem
• Fit study into larger context, delimit it
• Work from broad to narrow
• Lead up to objectives
Objectives
• Concise 1,2,3 listing
• State as questions to answer, hypotheses to test
• In evaluation study, clarify evaluation criteria
Lit Review
• Research Report – Link study to past research– Provide further background on subject and
methods
• Evaluation Study– Further background on program being
evaluated– Link with other studies, plans, …
Methods
• Study population
• Sampling Procedures
• Defn of concepts/variables
• Measurement
• Reliability / validity
• Data gathering/Field procedures
• Analysis plan
Results
• Objectives provide structure here
• Concise, precise, factual
• Save discussion, interpretation for next section
• Use Tables and Figures effectively
Discussion
• Add your interpretations of results here
• Discuss limitations and generalizability
• Implications of results, recommendations, if appropriate
• Suggestions for further research
Three Audiences/styles
• Researchers – research journal style– Technical, methods, statistical tests
• Managers – business style– Results and implications
• Public – newspaper style– Interesting, no jargon, highlights
Reporting Formats
• Written Report
• Oral Presentation
• To an individual or small group
Research vs Business Reports
• Written/Research– Problem
– Objectives
– Methods
– Results
– Discussion
• Oral/Business– Objectives
– Key Results & Recommendations
– Justify from study
– Brief methods
– Discussion