1. Soc 3306a Lecture 12: The Research Report
Revisiting the Guidelines for a Quantitative Research Report

2. Keep in Mind….. Babbie’s Forensic Dictum
“Tell them what you're going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them.”
You will be marked on both the content of the report and your writing style
Be clear and concise, check for spelling errors or typos, and be very careful about citations

3. Layout and Formatting Title Page
Report title, your name/student ID, course, date
Index for headings, tables and figures, appendices
Abstract (write this afterward)
Main body of report
Use section headings and sub-headings where needed
Use 12 point font and 1” margins and number all pages
Use ASA/ASA guidelines for citations
Appendix section for additional information referred to in report
List of references/bibliography
Follow ASA/ASR guidelines
Alphabetical by author, list only sources used in report

4. Body of the research report
Introduction: purpose and overview
Literature review and theoretical framework
Summarizes and evaluates the scientific research and theory. Should lead into your hypotheses and model.
Study design: the sample and method
brief description of population, sampling frame, sampling method, sample size, data collection method, completion rate (from CCHS documentation)
methods of data processing and analysis
Results of analysis including tables and figures
Discussion section (your interpretation of findings)
Summary and conclusions
Summarize most significant findings, point to directions for future research

5. Using the Checklist from Leedy and Ormrod
The Problem
Literature Review
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
Research Variables
Hypotheses
Sampling - use CCHS
Research Design documentation
Data Collection Method
Data Analysis
Interpretation and Discussion of Findings

6. Three Examples of Quantitative Research Papers Using Regression Analysis
Predicting General Well-Being from Self-Esteem and Affectivity: An Exploratory Study with Scottish Adolescents (Karatzias, Chouliara, Power, Swanson, 2006)
Perceived Stress, Internal Resources, and Social Support as Determinants of Mental Health among Young Adults (Bovier, Chamot, Perneger, 2004)
A Multivariate Model of Job Stress and Alcohol Consumption (Harris and Fennell, 1988)
Examples retrieved from JSTOR, 23/11/2011

7. Oral Report of Findings
or give me one powerpoint slide of your most important results or of your causal model with path coefficients
Prepare a 5 minute (no more) summary explaining your research problem, your main hypotheses, and your findings.
Reports will be given in alphabetical order at the last class on Dec. 1

8. Lecture References Lecture 4 Writing the Research Report Sept. 29
Soc3306a Research Report Guidelines
Leedy and Ormrod Critiquing a Research Report
Leedy and Ormrod Ch. 4 The Literature Review
Gray and Guppy Ch. 4 esp. p. 40 – 41
Babbie The Research Report (Appendix C online)