{"id":62,"date":"2016-02-01T10:46:44","date_gmt":"2016-02-01T15:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.clas.ufl.edu\/tmp-sites\/?p=62"},"modified":"2023-12-08T15:06:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T20:06:49","slug":"research-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portal.clas.ufl.edu\/writing--wdkb-v1\/assignment\/research-reports\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing Research Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

Writing is\/should be an integral part of research, not a separate activity…focus research on getting the information needed for the paper, rather than on wandering randomly in intellectual phase space. Writing a Scientific Paper<\/a>, George M Whitesides<\/small><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>Research begins with a question and ends with communication. Communication can happen in the lab, in informal conversation, in progress reports to the Principal Investigator, in blog posts, and\u00a0in conference presentations, but to really get credit for your work, communication ends with a written report, submitted for publication.<\/p>\n

Consider for a moment what you expect when you sit down to read a piece of research. What do you want to know? Most readers answer with\u00a0\u201cWhat happened?\u201d and “Why should I care?\u201d These are the two main questions that any research report has to answer. Historically, scientists themselves created a standardized format through which to answer these questions \u2192 this is the \u201cresearch report\u201d, and while each discipline has a somewhat\u00a0different take on how to write one, all\u00a0research writing has conventionalized forms for communicating results to readers<\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0Why the italics? Three\u00a0concepts nestled in those words are particularly important for research writers to grasp from the outset: “conventionalized”, “communication” and “readers”. The research report, whatever its disciplinary form, is not<\/strong> the research itself — it’s not literally\u00a0what you, the researcher-scientist-scholar did and thought throughout the process. Instead, it is a representation of the work and ideas for consumption by a reader. It is an act of communication.<\/p>\n

Method and Machinations<\/h5>\n

Research reports come in two flavors: quantitative and qualitative. They are distinguished principally by the methodology<\/em> used to collect data and the type of analysis used to assess the research. These methodological (and to some extent, philosophical) differences are reflected in the way the research report gets written.<\/p>\n

In quantitative studies<\/strong>, the research question is tested using methods that will produce numerical results. In other words, the research design (method) counts stuff. Outcomes (results) are presented statistically, employing tables and figures, and also in sentences such as “Seventy-six percent of Group Y do not believe in Concept X.”\u00a0 Readers are very familiar with this kind of research because it is so strongly associated with the scientific method. Quantitative research reports are written using primarily functional subheadings in the classic IMRD form: \u00a0“Introduction\/Methods\/Results\/Discussion”.<\/p>\n

Qualitative research<\/strong> poses research questions that are best answered by words:\u00a0 data is generated by purposeful observation, open-ended questions, and critical analysis. Results are not typically numerical, but represented through text using categories and explanation. Qualitative research is often employed at the\u00a0 beginning of a new area of study \u2013 we have to observe and learn what something is<\/strong> before we can ask measurable questions or plan well-directed experimentation. Qualitative research reports employ both functional headings (especially Introduction and Discussion) as well as topical headings which organize the results of the research.<\/p>\n

The relative value of each kind of research is sometimes hotly debated. Here is our official stance on this debate:<\/p>\n

“For many of us…, this kind of polarized debate has become less than productive. And, it obscures the fact that qualitative and quantitative data are intimately related to each other. All quantitative data is based upon qualitative judgments; and all qualitative data can be described and manipulated numerically.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

William Trochim, Research Methods Knowledge Base, Types of Data<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In fact, Trochim’s Research Methods Knowledge Base<\/em> is one of the best web-based resources for understanding research.<\/p>\n

Contents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
\"337px-Haeckel_Actiniae\"<\/td>\n\n
Writing Quantitative Research Reports<\/a><\/h6>\n
\"335px-Haeckel_Discomedusae_8\"<\/td>\n\n
Writing Qualitative Research Reports<\/a><\/h6>\n