1. Research Report Writing How to write a complete research reportOverview

2. Purpose The purpose of this series of presentations is to help people new to the process of writing up a research report. This instructional material assumes that you have collected and analysed quantitative data to answer your research questions, and that you completed a proper research proposal ahead of conducting your research.

3. Resources Books used in the construction of this presentation series include: 1.Walonick, D. (2007). Survival statistics. Bloomington, MN, StatPac Inc. (download the E-book) 2.Pallant, J. (2001). SPSS Survival Manual, Allen & Unwin. 3.Carver, R. and J. Nash (2012). Doing data analysis with SPSS version 18. Boston, MA, Cenage Learning. Selection of “How To” Websites for Students 1.https://statistics.laerd.com - a pay site but not expensive and really easy to follow, especially useful for SPSS usershttps://statistics.laerd.com 2.http://statistics-help-for-students.com/ - a good guide to how to write up research report results as well as how to do tests.http://statistics-help-for-students.com/ 3.https://www.youtube.com/user/CreativeHeuristics?feature=hovercard – a good guide to statistical test selection.https://www.youtube.com/user/CreativeHeuristics?feature=hovercard 4.http://www.excel-easy.com/ - a very good site for learning how to use the statistical functions available in Excel.http://www.excel-easy.com/ 5.http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/researchcourse/steps.html - a general purpose research methods site that is prescriptive and easy to follow.http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/researchcourse/steps.html

4. Sections Research Reports are divided into sections (sometimes called chapters). The format is fairly standard. There are usually five chapters in a research report. The chapters in a report are: 1.Chapter 1. Introduction 2.Chapter 2. Background 3.Chapter 3. Methodology 4.Chapter 4. Results and Discussion 5.Chapter 5. Conclusion

5. CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION CHAPTER 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND What to Write in Each Part Each chapter of a report answers specific questions for the reader. Your job is to provide the details in each chapter that the reader expects to find, and to write in a way that is easy for the reader to follow. CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1.Context and setting the scene 2.Statement of the problem 3.Purpose 4.Significance of the study 5.Research questions and hypotheses CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1.Context and setting the scene 2.Statement of the problem 3.Purpose 4.Significance of the study 5.Research questions and hypotheses

6. Where to begin? Research reports are not usually written from the front (Introduction) towards the back (conclusion). Do the methodology first – it will be similar to the methodology section of your research proposal. This section contains sufficient detail for the reader to be able to repeat the research. This section is important for showing the credibility of the researcher and therefore the validity of the conclusions.

7. After presenting the Methodology… Produce the results and discussion section … and at the same time try to update the literature review. There is a close link between the literature review and the results section. Next complete a conclusion and then an introduction. The introduction is a story about your research – write the rest of the report and then the introduction last…

8. THE END OF THE OVERVIEW The next presentation introduces the parts of the Introduction section.