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