1. Chapter 9 Preparing a Research Report
Introduction to Educational Research (6th ed.) Craig A. Mertler & C.M. Charles
Chapter 9
Preparing a Research Report
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2. Conventions in Research and Reporting
Conventions—agreed-upon procedures that help ensure accuracy, validity, credibility, etc. of a research study
Conventions of style:
Title—should indicate clearly what report is about; limit to approximately 15 words or less
Person and voice—typically written in third person and in passive voice
Tense—generally speaking, final reports written in past tense; proposals written in future tense
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3. Conventions in Research and Reporting (cont’d.)
Tentative versus definitive statements—conclusions usually reported with tentative statements; procedures and results of descriptive analyses can be stated more definitively
Simplicity of language—use plain, straightforward language; don’t try to impress your readers…let your research speak for itself!
Consistency—consistency throughout the report is essential
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4. Conventions in Research and Reporting (cont’d.)
Conventions of format:
Major sections of reports—not always labeled as such, but report is easier to follow if they are
Introduction (Ch. 1 of thesis/ dissertation)—includes statement of problem, questions/hypotheses, limitations/delimitations, assumptions
Review of related literature (Ch. 2) —organized from general to specific, older to more recent; use research questions/hypotheses to guide structure; end with a brief summary of the review
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5. Conventions in Research and Reporting (cont’d.)
Methods (Ch. 3)—includes description of participants and how they were selected, description of instrumentation, (including validity and reliability), data collection procedures, proposed methods of data analysis
Findings or results (Ch. 4)—summarization of new information discovered through analysis of the data; may include tables and graphs; often organized by research question/hypothesis
Conclusions or discussion (Ch. 5)—presents conclusions, implications, recommendations resulting from interpretation of the findings; only section where inclusion of researcher’s own thoughts are appropriate
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6. Conventions in Research and Reporting (cont’d.)
Front material—includes title page, signature page, acknowledgment page, dedication page, table of contents, list of tables and figures, and abstract
Back material—includes references and appendices
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7. Format of Thesis/Dissertations versus Journal Articles
Major differences with respect to:
Length of paper
Inclusion of front and back material
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8. Style Guides Many are available, including the two most commonly used:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.)…“APA Manual” *
The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (14th ed.)
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9. Applying Technology…
Web sites & software to help write research reports
APA-Style Helper 5.0 (
*** Take Note! ***
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