Report writing 5 Bad Sources For Your Research

Report writing

5 Bad Sources For Your Research Project 1. Blogs 2. Personal Web Sites 3. Wiki Sites 4. Movies 5. Historical Novels

Common Errors in Student Research Papers Quotes Verb tense We sought to determine if mating behavior in Xiphophorus helleri is related to male tail length by placing combinations of two male fish with different length tails in the same tank with a female fish. We found that protein synthesis in sea urchin embryos treated with actinomycin D was considerably less than in untreated embryos. This finding agrees with the model stating that protein synthesis in 24 hour sea urchin embryos is dependent on synthesis of new messenger RNA. Proofread! Unnecessary background

Research report is a major component of any research study. Writing of research report is the last step in a research study. The following are the steps involved in writing a research report: • Logical analysis of the subject matter • Preparation of Final outline • Preparation of rough draft • Rewriting and polishing of rough draft • Preparation of Final Bibliography • Writing the Final report

Main Body 1. Introduction a. Statement of the Problem b. Significance of the Problem (and historical background) c. Purpose d. Statement of Hypothesis e. Assumptions f. Limitations g. Definition of Terms

2. Review of Related Literature (and analysis of previous research) 3. Design of the Study a. Description of Research Design and Procedures Used b. Sources of Data c. Sampling Procedures d. Methods and Instruments of Data Gathering e. Statistical Treatment 4. Analysis of Data a. text with appropriate b. tables and c. figures

5. Summary and Conclusions a. Restatement of the Problem b. Description of Procedures c. Major Findings (reject or fail to reject Ho) d. Conclusions e. Recommendations for Further Investigation C. Reference Section 1. End Notes (if in that format of citation) 2. Bibliography or Literature Cited 3. Appendix

TYPES OF REPORTS • Technical report This mainly emphasizes on Methods employed Assumptions made Detailed reports on the findings • Popular reports Attractive reports Use of many subheadings Occasional cartoons

Reports vary in length and type. • Business firms prefer reports in letter formats. • Medicos write the case history of patients. • Psychologists prepare a case study reports. • News items in the daily newspapers are also forms of report writing. • Book reviews

Citing References in the Body of Your Dissertation TIP #1: For two-author citations, spell out both authors throughout the text. TIP #2: If you cite a work by multiple authors (up to 5), name all authors the first time, then use "et al. " For example, the first time you would write "Jones, James, Smith, Harris, and Case (1995)". The second time you reference this citation, though, you would write "Jones et al. (1995)", with a period after "al". The first time an "et al. " reference in your dissertation is used in a paragraph, give the year. However, if you repeat the citation in the same paragraph, do not include the year.

TIP #3: If you are citing a work for six or more authors, use "et al. " the first time and give the full citation in the reference section. TIP #4: Many students are unsure when to use "and" or "&" in citations. If you are citing the names of more than one author, use "and", e. g. "As Jones and Smith (1995) argue". However, you would use "&" in the following citation example: "A similar method was used in an earlier study" (Jones & Smith, 1995).

TIP #5: Do not use prefixes when listing your citations in the reference section (e. g. "Jr. ", "Sr. ", etc. ). TIP #6: Alphabetize all citations in the reference section. When alphabetizing your citations, disregard apostrophes or spaces. For example, "D'Homme" would come before "Domsy" and after "De La Hoya". TIP #7: Cite single authors before multiple ones. For example, you may have cites "Jones, 1999" and "Jones et al. 1999" in your text. In the reference section, "Jones, 1999" would be listed before "Jones et al. 1999". If you have written a psychology dissertation or thesis, you will need to follow the reference section format and style outlined by the APA.

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