Writing Scientific Papers: Written Scientific Reports Prof. Dr. Irena Ograjenšek irena.ograjensek@ef.uni-lj.si CONTRACTOR IS ACTING UNDER A FRAMEWORK CONTRACT CONCLUDED WITH THE COMMISSION

Characteristics of Research Systematic and well-documented collection of data. Systematic interpretation of data. Clear purpose: to test, find out, prove or disprove … something.

Wrong Use of the Term ‚Research‘ Collection of data and/or information without clearly defined research purpose. Reshuffling of facts or information without source reference and/or reference frame. Use of the term ‚research‘ to get attention for a cause, idea, product … or to turn attention away from it!

Is This Research? It is proved that the regular use of this face cream reduces wrinkles by 20%.* * 117 women observed for a period of 2 weeks

Is This Research? The majority of people die at home.

Is This Research? More planes crashed in 2015 than in 1910.

Activity 6 Read the case study on the Evergreen Company. Identify the main information needs of the company and the relevant target audience.

Key Phases in the Research Process Planning. Implementation. Reporting.

Two Vital Written Documents Research plan. Research report.

Research Plan → what we plan to do → how do we plan to do it → what are the expected implications for theory and practice → serves as a template for the introductory section / chapter

Research Report → what we did → how we did it → what are the actual implications for theory and practice → limitations of our research → challenges for future research

Steps in the Research Process - 1 Broad literature review. Critical literature review. Decision on research approach, strategy and design. Negotiation of access and ethical considerations.

Steps in the Research Process - 2 Secondary data search. Primary data collection. Data analysis and interpretation. Presentation of results.

Comments on Steps The flow is rarely linear. Some steps need to be repeated several times. Not all of the listed steps are always part of the research process!

Prerequisites for Successful Completion of Research Personal working space. IT support. Library services. Organisation of work & importance of time management. Coworkers. Supervisors.

Reading Recommendations Jeff Davidson: The Complete Idiot‘s Guide to Managing Your Time. The Complete Idiot‘s Guide to Getting Things Done. Alpha Books.

Activity 7 Read the case study on Strategic Issues in the UK Brewing Industry (Blee et al., 2003). Identify the main concepts and research questions. Identify the main research resources used.

Typology of Resources Scientific – scientific books, articles, reports. Popular – scientific findings, communicated with less rigour, e.g. in press, popular books, blogs. Official – publications and databases produced by institutional data providers; legislation.

Definition of a Research Problem A question or statement which stimulates a response in form of a structured scientific inquiry.

Properties of a Good Research Problem It is not subject to taste, personal values and beliefs, or subjective preferences. It is verifiable in a reasonable time span. It is highly specific.

Illustrative Examples of Research Problems Stated as Questions Will Western civilisation disappear? Which religion is the best? How to end the Gaza conflict? Is yellow nicer than brown? How can inflation be reduced? Which factors determine participant satisfaction with the training workshop?

Activity 8 Study the given sets of research questions and suggest possible improvements.

Types of Scientific Reports Preliminary report. Final report. Scientific article. Scientific book.

Basic Report Format Opening parts. Main body of text. Appendices.

Opening Parts Title Page. (Statement of Transmittal.) Table of Contents and other relevant tables (of figures, of tables, of graphs … ). (Executive Summary.)

Main Body of Text Introduction. (Critical) literature review. Methodology. Results. Discussion. Conclusions. References.

Appendices Details of the core case study units. Questionnaires. Interview quidelines. Transcripts of interviews. Protocols of analytical procedures. Complex figures, tables, graphs. Glossaries. …

Activity 9 Study the given report elements and determine in which of the three basic report sections they belong to. If an element belongs to the Main Body of Text section, determine the subsection.

Preliminary Report Length? Basic focus? Key messages?

Final Report Length? Basic focus? Key messages?

Scientific Article Length? Basic focus? Key messages?

Scientific Book Length? Basic focus? Key messages?

Types of Scientific Reports – Summary Overview Length Basic focus Key messages Preliminary report Depends solely on the requirements by the dissemination vehicle Preliminary findings What we did so far, what we still have to do Final report Final findings Implications, limitations, challenges for future research Scientific article Preliminary or final findings Custom-tailored to the readership Scientific book Relative placement of findings Provision of general knowledge