1. The Research Report
Chapter 22

2. Criteria for Evaluating Research Reports
Fundamental Criterion--communication with the reader or readers
Writing Criteria:
Completeness--whether the report provides all the information readers need in a language they understand.
Accuracy--whether the reasoning in the report is logical and the information correct.
Clarity--whether the phrasing in the report is precise.
Conciseness--whether the writing in the report is crisp and direct.
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3. Model of the Communication Process
Report
Writer
Report
Reader
Encoder
Message
Decoder
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4. An Example of an Inaccuracy in a Report
A. An Error in Addition or Subtraction
“In the United States, 14 percent of the population has an elementary school education or less, 51 percent has attended or graduated from high school, and 16 percent has attended college.”
An oversight such as this ( does not equal 100 percent) can be easily corrected by the author, but not so easily by the reader, because he or she may not know if one or more of the percentage values is incorrect or if a category might have been left out of the tally.
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5. An Example of an Inaccuracy in a Report
B. Confusion between Percentages and Percentage Points
“The company’s profits as a percentage of sales were 6.0 percent in 1997 and 8.0 percent in Therefore, they increased only 2.0 percent in five years.”
In this example, the increase is, of course, 2.0 percentage points, or 33 percent.
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6. An Example of an Inaccuracy in a Report
C. Inaccuracy Caused by Grammatical Errors
“The reduction in the government’s price supports for dairy products has reduced farm income $600 million to $800 million per year.”
To express a range of reduction, the author should have written, “The reduction in the government’s price supports for dairy products has reduced farm income $ million per year.”
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7. An Example of an Inaccuracy in a Report
D. Confused Terminology Resulting in Fallacious Conclusions
“The Joneses’ household annual income increased from $10,000 in 1970 to $30,000 in 2000, thereby tripling the family’s purchasing power.”
While the Joneses’ household income may have tripled in 30 years, the family’s purchasing power certainty did not, as the cost of living, as measured by the consumer price index, more than tripled in the same period.
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8. Structure of the Research Report
Title Page:
subject, name of organization for whom report is made, name of organization submitting it, date
Table of Contents:
the divisions and subdivisions of the report, list of tables and figures
Summary:
necessary background, important results and conclusions, sometimes recommendations
Introduction:
background information on the study including events leading up to it, definition of terms, specific objectives of the research
details of method including type of research design, how data was collected, type of sampling plan used, and why these procedures were chosen; results and supporting tables and figures
Body:
Conclusions and Recommendations:
what was found with respect to each of the stated objectives, sometimes recommendations as to appropriate course of action
Appendix:
copy of questionnaire, coding form, maps, detailed tables
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9. Presenting an Oral Report
Duration:
*1/3-1/2 allotted time for formal presentation
*Remainder for question-and-answer interaction
General Purpose
Specific Objectives
Evidence
Conclusions
General Purpose
Specific Objectives
Conclusions
Evidence
Structure: or
Tools:
*Maps--Show where
*Diagrams--Show how
*Charts--Show how much
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10. Tips for Preparing Effective Presentation Visuals
Keep them simple. Deliver complex ideas in a manner that your audience can understand. Present one point per exhibit, with as few words and lines as possible.
Use lots of exhibits. Less is more when you are speaking.
Use one minute per visual. Visuals should make their impact quickly.
Highlight and emphasize significant points. Use bullets, font sizes or styles, color, or by some other means.
Make the visuals easy to read. Use large, legible typefaces and limit the typefaces to one or two different types and no more than three sizes.
Be careful with the use of color. While color can add interest and emphasis, it can also detract if used without planning. Plan your color scheme and use it faithfully throughout.
Build complexity. If you have a complicated concept to communicate, start with the ground level and use three or four exhibits to complete the picture.
Prepare copies of exhibits. Hand them to the audience before or after your presentation. If people have to take notes, they won’t be watching or listening closely.
Number the pages in the handout. You will have a better reference for discussion or a question-and-answer period.
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11. Pie Chart
Relative Sales of the Crosby Company’s Three Leading Products Last Year Z
17% x
59% y
24%
Comments:
Especially useful for static or single point in time comparisons
Use no more than six slices
Begin the division of the pie at the 12:00 o’clock position
Arrange the sections clockwise in decreasing order of magnitude
Report whole percentages on the chart
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12. Line Chart
Sales of the Crosby Company’s Three Leading Products for the Past Ten Years
x y z
Sales in Thousands of $
Year
Comments:
Especially useful in depicting dynamic relationships such as time fluctuations of one or more series
When time is one of the variables, use the x-axis to represent time
Use a distinctive color or symbol to represent each series or variable
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13. Stratum Chart
Sales of the Crosby Company’s Three Leading Products for the Past Ten Years
x y z
Sales in Thousands of $
Year
Comments:
Also called a stacked line chart
Amounts for each variable are shown by the areas between the lines as the lines are totals or cumulative
Especially useful for showing relative magnitudes and changes over time
When time is one of the variables, use the X-axis to represent time
Use a distinctive color or cross hatching to represent each series or variable
Limit the chart to displaying no more than six components
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14. Bar Chart
Sales of the Crosby Company’s Three Leading Products for the Past Year
Product z Product y Product x
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
Sales in Thousands of $
Comments:
One of the most widely used chart forms
When time is one of the variables, use the X-axis to represent time
Permits many variations
Pictograms
Grouped bar chart
Divided bar chart
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15. Crosby Company’s Market Share Changes Last Year
Map Chart
Crosby Company’s Market Share Changes Last Year
More than a 5% increase
2 to 5% increase
-2 to +2% change
-2 to -5% decrease
More than a 5% decrease
Comments:
Especially useful when the focus is on geographic areas and the relative changes occurring in them since data maps allow the display of quantitative or statistical information
When using shading, crosshatching, or color to display different magnitudes, keep the group intervals approximately equal and use a limited number of shadings -- 4 to 7 and no more than 10.
Run the shading from light to dark with darker shadings indicating greater magnitude
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