Unit 4-Lesson 13-Writing a Research Report

Objectives
• Determine the purpose and features of various
kinds of reports;
• Gather data through surveys, experiments, and
observation;
• Write a report that summarizes the findings
through narratives and visual forms;
• Define the context when writing a report;
• Use transitions to connect ideas; and
• Write various kinds of report effectively.
 Warm up Activity
• Work in groups of five. Discuss the following questions
and base your answers from the lecture of Dr. Danilo
M. Gerona:
1. In your opinion what are the characteristics of a good
research?
2. What are the habits of a good researcher?
3. What are the do’s and dont’s when writing a
research?
• Present the answers to your discussion through a
group reporting then submit your reports.
 Let’s Learn
• This lesson is the culmination of your journey
to become proficient in writing for academic
and professional purposes.
• Do not be intimidated because your primary
goal as a student-researcher when preparing
reports is simply to have an opportunity to
learn so you may apply your knowledge in the
future.
 What is Research
• Research is a systematic and scientific way of
investigating and gathering information to
answer a particular problem, establish facts,
and reach conclusions. Research can be done
in various fields such as arts, humanities,
social sciences, natural sciences, technology
and health sciences.
 Research Papers in Various Fields
• Survey report-a paper which presents the results of the author’s
research.
• Field report-usually used in the field of social sciences to link
theory and application. It contains the author’s observations
when out on the field and an analysis using theoretical concepts
from the discipline. Unlike research papers, field reports can be
personal and simple.
• Laboratory or scientific technical report-written by those in the
sciences mainly to persuade others to accept or reject a
hypothesis, to record the details for future researches, and to
document a current phenomenon for future reference or
comparison.
 Choosing a Topic
• To begin a research, determine your topic.
• Asking questions is one useful way to focus a
topic easily and quickly.
• Sample Question Form Topics:
- How does inflation affect the economy of the
Philippines?
- What are the psychological effects of online
games?
 Criteria in Choosing a Research Topic
1. A research topic should be relevant. A relevant topic
addresses a particular problem or issue.
2. It should be interesting, especially for the researcher.
Interest and natural curiosity in the topic will
encourage greater commitment to the research.
3. A topic should be manageable, something you can
undertake within your ability and within a limited
time, should not be too broad or too narrow, and
achievable using available financial, human and
material resources.
• After choosing a topic, formulate your thesis
statement which answers the question you
previously asked to narrow down your topic.
• Thesis statement guides and serves as a central
point of all ideas in the paper.
• Ex. General Topic: What are the major physical
effects of too much dieting?
• Thesis statement: Too much dieting can lead to
starvation, loss of strength, and different diseases.
 Research Questions
• These questions are supposed to be answered to
support your research.
• In the example given, the following specific
research questions can be drawn:
1. How does too much dieting lead to starvation?
2. How does too much dieting lead to loss of
strength?
3. How does too much dieting lead to different
diseases?
Qualities of a Good Research Question

1. It should be clear, especially to a lay person.

2. It should require the gathering of data to
answer it.
3. It should address an observed problem.
4. It should be manageable in terms of your
skills and resources.
5. It should be ethical.
6. It should have a practical use.
 Determine whether the following research
questions possess the qualities outlined above.
1. What is cloud seeding?
2. Who is affected by typhoon Ompong?
3. How does eating a lot of food make my
siblings feel?
4. What is the best torture method to take
enemies of the state?
5. How does gender discrimination negatively
affect women in the service industry sector?
 Writing a Research Report
• A research report is an expanded paper that presents
results and interpretation of a phenomenon (something
that can be observed or studied and that typically is
unusual or difficult to understand or explain fully) so that
readers can better understand it.
• It is not a summary of different articles or ideas that are
presented uncritically.
• It is not a series of quotations and a compliation of
unsubstantiated opinion.
• A research report is produced through formal investigation
and specific inquiry.
 Some Requirements to Consider to
Complete a Research Report
• Topic (field specific or general)
• Type of paper (journal format or thesis format)
• Length
• Number of sources required (usually at least 10 reputable
references)
• Type of sources (books, journals, periodicals, and other
online sources)
• Documentation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE)
• Deadlines
• Parts of the research report
 Parts of a Research Report
1. Title page
2. Abstract
3. Introduction
4. Literature review
5. Methodology
6. Results
7. Discussion
8. Conclusion
9. References
1) The Title page describes the content of the
paper, name of author/s and their addresses
or affiliation, and date when it is submitted.
Ex. 1. Effects of Facebook on Academic
Achievement of First Year Students
2. Development and Validation of a
Software for Detecting Plagiarism
2) The Abstract contains the summary of the
findings and conclusions.
- In 100 to 250 words, it briefly presents the
context of the study, research questions or
objectives, methodology, major findings,
conclusions, and sometimes implications, with
minimal number of citations and statistical
data.
3) The Introduction explains the current state of
the field of discipline and identifies research
gaps and puts the research topic in context.
• It usually tanges from 3 to 5 paragraphs in
length.
4) The Literature review contains the summary and synthesis of all
available sources directly related to the study.
• It is divided into two sections: the related concepts and related
studies which both help the researcher explain the phenomena
which may arise during the study.
• Literature review ends with a paragraph that synthesizes all of the
studies presented and puts the study into context.
• Related concepts explain some of the fundamental concepts
needed by readers to better understand the study. Here, some
concepts and theories are defined, explained and described.
• Related studies are based on previously conducted studies directly
related to the paper.
5)The Methodology contains the processes and
steps taken in gathering data for the research.
• This contains the context and participants, the
instruments used, data gathering procedure,
and data analysis.
• The context and participants section explains
the number and demographic profile of
participants involved as well as the place where
the study was conducted.
• The instrument section presents the tools used in
gathering the data which it may include a
questionnaire, interview, focus group discussions,
and tests, among others. All instruments used and
the method of validating them should be described
in detail.
• The data gathering section presents the details on
how data were collected.
• The data analysis section presents how the data was
analyzed, qualitatively or quantitatively.
6) The Results factually describes the data gathered.
• It usually contains tables and graphs that summarize
the collected data along with their respective
interpretations.
• The interpretation should end with a conclusion based
on the given information.
• The flow of the results section should follow the flow of
the research questions/problems/objectives.
• For each research problem or objective, corresponding
results should be presented.
 What to remember when Interpreting
Graphs and Tables?
• The first sentence should contain the figure or
table number and the title.
• The succeeding sentences should focus on the
most important information in the graph or
table.
• The trends or the gaps that you notice may be
included in the body of interpretation.
7) The Discussion presents the why’s of the
results.
• It provides an explanation for all the results in
relation to the previous studies presented in
the literature review.
• Here, the research problems or objectives in
the first paragraph as well as the major
findings are restated.
• The succeeding paragraphs should explain
whether the study supports or rejects the
previous findings and cite the reason. New
findings should also be stated here.
• As in the results section, the discussion must
follow the flow of the research problems or
objectives.
8) The Conclusion restates the major findings,
limitations of the study, recommendations, and
implications.
• In some cases, the conclusion is integrated into
the discussion section.
9) The References section contains the sources
used in the study such as academic books,
journals, and other online sources, and its
format usually varies.
Steps in Writing a Research Report
1. Select and narrow down the topic. Pre-
writing techniques such as freewriting,
clustering, listing, and brainstorming to focus
on a topic may be used.
2. Conduct a preliminary research by gathering
the initial references.
3. Formulate the thesis statement and research
questions.
4. Prepare a preliminary outline.
5. Gather additional references with the use of
the preliminary guideline as guide.
6. Prepare the prefinal outline.
7. Prepare the necessary instruments for your
research.
8. Pilot the instrument and revise accordingly.
9. Gather the data.
10. Prepare the tables and graphs and analyze the collected data.
11. Write the methodology and results section.
12. Write the Introduction and Literature Review.
13. Write the Discussions and be sure to link it with the Literature
Review.
14. Write the Conclusion.
15. Write the Abstract.
16. Prepare the Reference List by listing all items cited in the
Body.
17. Edit and format your paper.
 Guidelines in Writing a Research Report

1. Results and Discussions should comprise 50%

to 75% of the paper.
2. Cite all sources whether paraphrased or
directly quoted.
3. Use direct quotation sparingly with
paraphrased sources.
4. Stricly follow the required documentation
style.
5. Topics should be relevant, interesting, current,
and manageable in terms of resources, skills
needed, and time, and should not be too
sensitive and controversial.
6. Research questions should directly address
the given topic or thesis statement.
7. Use simple language and avoid verbose
words.
 Final Task
I. Write a research report. Assume the persona
of student researchers writing a research
report for a government agency to address
current social or economic issues.
A. Select a general topic from your field of interest
by considering its manageability and relevance.
B. Set the context for writing research report by
stating the topic, general purpose, specific
purpose, and target output.
C. Conduct a preliminary research by gathering the
initial references. Get at least 10 reliable
references directly related to your chosen topic.
D. With the help of your initial references,
formulate a thesis statement and the
corresponding research questions.
E. Prepare your preliminary outline. At this stage.
You may use a simple topic outline, but you can
use other types of outline.
F. Finalize your outline using additional references you
have gathered.
G. Once your outline is finalized, you may start preparing
the appropriate instrument.
H. Start gathering your data. Since gathering of data will
be done outside the classroom and class hours, you
may start writing the methodology inside the class.
I. After collecting the raw data, write the results section.
Analyze your data and present them using appropriate
graphs or tables.
J. After completing the methodology and results,
start writing the introduction and literature
review.
K. Write the discussion section. Link your
discussion to the ideas in the literature review.
L. Write the conclusion section of your paper.
M. Once all sections are finished, write the abstract
of the paper, then consolidate the whole paper
as one.
O. Once consolidated, start preparing the
Reference list. Be sure to list all items cited in
the paper. Use the appropriate documentation
style. Online tools can be used in preparing
the reference list.