Writing a Research Report：写一份研究报告.ppt

1、Writing a Research Report,If research was not “written up,” did it really occur?,Writing a Research Report,Academic sociologists conduct research to discover facts, truths, and explanations about the social world. They write research reports to convey theirs and others research findings. Types of Re

2、search:,Library research refers to gathering information that others have generated. Primary research refers to generating information through data collection, analysis, and reporting findings.,Writing a Research Report,Sociologists articles, papers, or research reports come in different forms: Lite

3、rature Review: Library research that organizes facts and/or theories others in the sociological community generated (Rarely published) Research Article or Book: Ones own findings generated by a primary research project that builds on previous research by the sociological community. (Findings from ba

4、sic research, most common.) Applied Research Report: Ones findings from a primary research project that evaluates a program without drawing much from previous sociological research. (Findings from applied research, rarely published.) This class focuses on writing Research Articles.,Writing a Researc

5、h Report,A sociological article, paper, or report generally covers only one important topic of interest and conveys evidence and interpretations of evidence. Research reports are NOT creative writing, opinion pieces, poems, novels, letters, musings, memoirs, or interesting to read.,Writing a Researc

6、h Report,A sociological article, paper, or report about primary research generally takes a structure or form that seems difficult but is intended to help make reading it or using it for research quick and efficient. A research report has seven components: Abstract or Summary Introduction Review of L

7、iterature Methods Results Conclusions and Discussion References Note: Qualitative research reports will vary from what is presented here. Applied research reports may vary from what is presented here.,Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: Abstract or Summary The abstract

8、or summary tells the reader very briefly what the main points and findings of the paper are. This allows the reader to decide whether the paper is useful to them. Get into the habit of reading only abstracts while searching for papers that are relevant to your research. Read the body of a paper only

9、 when you think it will be useful to you.,Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: 1. Abstract or Summaryan example,Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: Introduction The introduction tells the reader: what the topic of the paper is in general ter

10、ms, why the topic is important what to expect in the paper. Introductions should: funnel from general ideas to the specific topic of the paper justify the research that will be presented later Introductions are sometimes folded into literature reviews,Writing a Research Report,A research report has

11、seven components: 2. Introductionan example,Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: Review of Literature The literature review tells the reader what other researchers have discovered about the papers topic or tells the reader about other research that is relevant to the top

12、ic. Often what students call a “research paper” is merely a literature review. A literature review should shape the way readers think about a topicit educates readers about what the community of scholars says about a topic and its surrounding issues. Along the way it states facts and ideas about the

13、 social world and supports those facts and ideas with evidence for from where they came (empiricism).,Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: Review of Literature Literature reviews have parenthetical citations running throughout. These are part of a systematic way to docum

14、ent where facts and ideas came from, allowing the skeptical reader to look up anything that is questionable. Parenthetical citation is our way of substantiating the claims in our paper, without breaking our flow. Each citation directs the reader to the references where complete details on sources ca

15、n be found. Therefore, information such as authors first names or titles of works do not need to be written into the text.,Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: Review of Literature Citations consist of authors last names and the year of publication. One finds complete in

16、formation on sources by looking up last names and dates in alphabetized referencesso theres no need to put all that information in the text. We have conventions that allow the reader to figure out from where information is coming . Here are some examples of the conventions for citing in text of the

17、literature review: Just pointing out where info came from: Form: blah blah (Author Year) Example: the gays are different (Lee 2004). More than one article in the same year: Form: blah blah (Author Yeara) and also blah blah (Author yearb) Example: are different (Lee 2004a), but are more pickled (Lee

18、2004b),Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: Review of Literature We have conventions that allow the reader to figure out from where information is coming . Here are some examples of the conventions for citing in text of the literature review: Where a researcher is quoted

19、: Form: blah, “Quote quote” (Author Year: Pages) Example: reveals that “the gays are different.” (Lee 2004: 340). More than one source: Form: blah blah (Author Year; Author Year) Example: bis are more adept (Lee 2004; Seymour Director and Co-Principal Investigator, Tom W. Smith; Co-Principal Investi

20、gator, Peter V. Marsden, NORC ed. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center, producer, 2005; Storrs, CT: The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut, distributor. 1 data file (53,043 logical records) and 1 codebook (2,656 pp). Website: Last Name (if available), first name

21、. Year (if available). “Article or web page title.” Journal or Report Name Volume (if available). Retrieved date (http:/address). Markowitz, Robin. 1991. “Canonizing the Popular.” Cultural Studies Central. Retrieved October 31, 2001 ( Note: Do your best to replicate this style in the case of missing

22、 information. If there is no author, use the title in that position. Always have a retrieved date and website address.,Writing a Research Report,A research report has seven components: 7. Referencesan example,Writing a Research Report,Some General Points Make accurate sociological claims in your pap

23、er. Stake out positionsa kind of, “I think I have the answer to this issue,” position. Cite facts to support your sociological claims. If you can, use theories to support your sociological claims. Every declaration or “fact claim” must be cited or overtly posed as speculation.,Writing a Research Rep

24、ort,Some General Points Anticipate your readers questions as you write: help the reader understand why your topic is important demonstrate to the reader that you adequately investigated your topic help them anticipate what youll say nexteverything you say should seem reasonable to say While writing,

25、 keep thinking “The point is to: (1) establish hypotheses (2) describe how to test the hypotheses (3) give results of tests, and (4) discuss what the reader should believe about the world.”,Writing a Research Report,Some General Points There is no right answer in a research paperJust approximate rep

26、resentations of the truth that are closer or further away from that truth. The truth is: From “Community of Scholars”: What they said about your topic in the journals, books, and other publications From you: What your methods and analyses revealed about the topic.,Writing a Research Report,FinallyAv

27、oiding Plagiarism What is it? All knowledge in your head has either been copied from some place or originally discovered by you. Most knowledge was copied. This is true in most settings. General knowledge is copied. Most teachers lectures are copied knowledge. Human culture would not exist without o

28、ur keen ability to copy! Humans are natural copiers, but that is not what is meant by the term “plagiarism.”,Writing a Research Report,The Elements of Style endorses imitation as a way for a writer to achieve his own style: The use of language begins with imitation . . . The imitative life continues

29、 long after the writer is on his own in the language, for it is almost impossible to avoid imitating what one admires. Never imitate consciously, but do not worry about being an imitator; take pains instead to admire what is good. Then when you write in a way that comes naturally, you will echo the

30、halloos that bear repeating. Copied from: ,Writing a Research Report,FinallyAvoiding Plagiarism What is it? Among other things, plagiarism refers to taking others work and representing it as if it were your own. In academics this is bad because with plagiarism: One cannot assess students development accurately The person who makes his or her livelihood by scholarly pursuit is being robbed of credit It masks the lineage of ideas and facts. “Plagiarism is to academics as Enron-accounting is to corporate America.”,Writing a Research Repo