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

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

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

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

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

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

Oral Report of Findings Email 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

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)