Educational Research

Chapter 21Preparing a Research Report

Gay, Mills, and Airasian

Topics Discussed in this Chapter

General guidelines for writing a research report Outlining General writing rules

Format and style Common components of a research

report

Outlining Material Imposes organization, sequence,

and clarity on the report Characteristics

Involves the identification and ordering of major topics

Differentiates each major heading into logical subheadings

Objective 2.1

General Writing Rules Provide an accurate description of the

study for the reader Write clearly, simply, and in a

straightforward style Avoid abbreviations

Exceptions include commonly used terms like IQ or GPA

Acronyms must be identified in parentheses after the first use of the reference

American Psychological Association (APA) American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Objective 2.2

General Writing Rules Refer to authors by last name only

Richards (1982) not Sam Richards (1982) Kirby (2002) not Dr. Kirby (2002) Anderson (2001) not L.W. Anderson (2001)

Express numbers in words only if they are less than 10 they are the first word in a sentence

Proof the report carefully at least twice

Objective 2.2

Format and Style Definitions

Format – the general pattern of organization and arrangement of the report

APA format MLA format

Style – the rules of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and word processing

Follow APA format and style unless otherwise directed

Objective 2.3

Components of a Report Three major sections

Preliminary pages Set the stage for the report to follow and indicate

where each component, table, and figure can be found

Main body of the report Information about the topic, literature reviewed,

hypotheses, participants, instruments, procedures, results, discussion, and references

Appendices Data and information pertinent to the study but not

important enough or too lengthy to be included in the main body of the report

Objective 1

Components of the Preliminary Pages

Title page – indicates the major focus of the study

Acknowledgements – expresses appreciation to people who have contributed significantly to the completion of the report

Table of contents – an outline of the report which indicates the page of each major section

Objective 1.1

Components of the Preliminary Pages

List of tables and figures – identifies the location, number, and title of each table and figure

Abstract – describes the most important aspects of the study Topic Participants Instruments Data collection procedures Results Conclusions

Objective 1.1

Main Body of the Report Introduction

Statement of the problem – indicates the variables examined in the study

Review of the literature – indicates what is known about the problem

Statement of the hypotheses Quantitative - states the relationships between

variables in operational terms Qualitative – sense of what the study might show

Significance of the study – explains why the study is important

Objective 1.2

Main Body of the Report Method

Participants Quantitative - describes how the subjects were

selected, the population they represent, the sample size, and major characteristics of the subjects

Qualitative – includes information about the site and the participants

Instruments - describes all data collection procedures and protocols indicating their purpose, application, and technical characteristics (i.e., validity, reliability, and scoring)

Objective 1.4

Main Body of the Report

Method (continued) Design – describes the rationale for the

selection of a specific design, a description of the threats to validity, and steps taken to minimize these threats

Procedures – describes chronologically the steps followed in conducting the study in sufficient detail to allow for replication

Objective 1.4

Main Body of the Report Results – describes the statistical

techniques applied to the data and the results of these analyses

Discussion – interprets the results, draws conclusions, states implications, and makes recommendations Discussions of the results in terms of their

relation to the topic studied A conclusion is not a result

Objective 1.2

Main Body of the Report

References – alphabetically lists all the relevant information for the sources used in the report by authors’ last names APA format for references Different formats for different types of sources

Journal articles Books Papers Personal communication Electronic sources

Objective 1.2

Appendices Appendices – includes information

and data pertinent to the study but not sufficiently important or too large to include in the main body of the report Raw data Tests Questionnaires Cover letters Objective 1.2