Research Question/Hypotheses Title Your Name Mentor Name (if applicable) Sonoma State University Note: This template is meant only to provide suggestions for a study that follows a typical data collection/analysis/results design. Adapt/change/modify the template to fit your study as appropriate. Background Provide background information about your topic and support for the study hypotheses/research question. What do we already know about this topic, based on previous research and/or other sources? Some possibilities of what to include here: --literature review --tables, charts, graphs, from outside sources --definitions of key terms --research objective(s) --good questions to answer in the background section: -What is the significance of this study? -Another way to consider that question: what does this study mean for people, animals, or the environment? -Where does it fit in within the broader discussions of this topic? Research Question/Hypotheses Include central question or hypothesis and any related questions. You may also include a research objective or a “why?” for your study here. Results This section is just the factual results of the research you conducted. Here are some things to include in this section: --tables, charts, graphs --photos, if they visually represent your findings --key ideas that came out of the research (don’t offer any commentary in this section—commentary is for the discussion section) --themes from interviews Discussion In your own words, summarize your results and discuss the implications. Here is where you can offer your commentary and/or interpretation of the results. You may also include study limitations and/or questions for future research here. Methods Give a detailed description of your method and procedure(s). Some things you might include here, as applicable to your project: --Study location --Number and demographics of participants --Data collection methods --Data analysis methods