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WRITING YOUR PROJECT REPORT. Lecture 12 Professional Development and Research Lecturer: R. Milyankova. Objectives of the lecture. View the writing of the final project report Write in such a way that you can reflect on all you have learned while conducting the research - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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WRITING YOUR PROJECT REPORT
Lecture 12Professional Development and Research
Lecturer: R. Milyankova
Objectives of the lecture
View the writing of the final project report Write in such a way that you can reflect
on all you have learned while conducting the research
Write a final project report that presents an authoritative account on your research
Ensure that your report meets the necessity assessment criteria
Getting started with writing
Writing is the only time when we really think
Writing while studying in school or university is rehearsing the ideas of others (that is why boring)
Start writing the moment you start working on the project
Do not worry that most recent publications will not be included – they can be easily incorporated
Getting started with writing
Create time for your writing – you need concentration. In order to write 2000 words you need a day
Write when your mind is fresh – writing is a highly creative process
Find a regular writing place – combine the psychological comfort with the practical features of your writing place
Set REALISTIC goals and achieve them – this needs self-discipline; if the goals are too ambitious the quality of your work may suffer as you rush to meet the goal
Use a word processor – longhand writing and then verbatim; word count is a priority; make enough copies
Getting started with writing
Generate a plan – set your own system, generate stages:
- write the main topic in the middle of the page;- jot down the other ideas that occur to you at other points
on the page;- as the page begins to fill, relationships between ideas
suggest themselves and lines between the ideas may be drawn;
- this allows you to group the ideas into discrete but related “chunks”, which enables to form a section or a chapter.
Finish the writing session on a high point - if it is a complex session you may forget the main idea
Get friends to read your work – your project tutor should not be the first to read your work
Starting your project report
1. Suggested structure:▪ Rationale and research questions▪ Literature review▪ Methods▪ Findings▪ Analysis and conclusions▪ References▪ Appendices
This structure helps when you select the deductive approach
It could be different when you select the inductive approach
Starting your project report
a/ The rationale – most important, contains four short paragraphs, answering the questions:
- What are my research questions and why are they so important- How will I go about answering these research questions;- What will I find out in answer of my research questions;- What conclusions shall I draw regarding my research questions. It should be short (i.e. 300 – 500 words) It must be self-contained – it must summarize the complete
content of your report Must satisfy the reader’s needs Must convey the same emphasis as the report itself – the
reader must get and accurate impression of the report’s content
Should be objective, precise and easy to read
Starting your project report
b/ The literature review – informs directly about any specific hypothesis that your research is designed to test
c/ Methodology – should help in understanding the reliability and validity of methods, selected by you and includes:
Setting:- what was the research setting- why did you choose it - what ethical issues are raised with this
study and how are they addressed
Starting your project report
Participants in the sample:- how many- how were they selected- what were their characteristics - how were refusals / non-returned handled Materials- tests / scales / interviews or observation
schedules / questionnaires that were used- how were these instruments developed- how were the resulting data analyzed
Starting your project report
Procedures- What are the characteristics of the interviewers
and observers, how they were trained- how valid and reliable you think the procedures
were- what instructions were given to participants- how many interviews, observations, questionnaires
were there, how long did they last, where did they take place
- when was the research carried out
Starting your project report
d/ Findings – here you report the facts and that is most easy to write,
- present just facts and do not start to discuss them- structure your findings in a clear and easily understood
manner – use tables, graphs, diagrams e/ Analysis and conclusions – as long as Findings- for each finding there should be at least one conclusion- you may use a matrix to easily explain the resultsf/ References – - Footnotes- Harvard / APAg/ Appendices – should be kept to the minimum
About the writing style
Clarity and simplicity –one idea, one sentence
Write simple sentences – they speak about common sense
Avoid jargon – even the professional one Check your spelling and grammar – the
word processor does not help when you want to use “morale” instead of “moral”
Use the proper person, tense and gender – be careful with passive and active voice,
Meeting the assessment criteria
They depend on the research programme
Lower levels - Show knowledge and comprehension of the topic covered
Intermediate levels – show application and analysis
Higher levels – show synthesis and evaluation