1. Chapter 21 Preparing a Research Report Gay, Mills, and Airasian
Educational Research
Chapter 21
Preparing a Research Report
Gay, Mills, and Airasian

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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