WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT

Research
1. Definition by sir
2. Research is a systematic and scientific way of investigating and
gathering information to answer a particular problem, establish
facts, and reach conclusions. Conducting a research can be done
in various fields such as arts, humanities, social sciences, natural
sciences, technology, and health sciences (Barott & Sipacio,
2016).
3. Research is a studious inquiry or examination (Merriam
Webster, 2019).

Various Fields
1. Survey Report
- A paper which presents the results of the author’s research.
- Provides an analysis and summary of data collected from
survey findings.

2. Field Report
- Social sciences
- To link theory and application.
- It usually contains the author’s observations when out on the
field and an analysis using theoretical concepts from the
discipline.
- It can be personal and simple.
- To describe the observation of people, places, and/or events
and to analyze that observation data in order to identify and
categorize common themes in relation to the research
problem underpinning the study.
- The content represents the researcher's interpretation of
meaning found in data that has been gathered during one or
more observational events.
 3. Laboratory or scientific technical report
- Sciences
- To persuade others to accept or reject a hypothesis, record
the details for future researches, and document a current
phenomenon for future reference or comparison.
- It informs readers about research you've conducted.

Start
To begin a research, you have to determine your TOPIC, it could
be through the following:

According to Barrot & Sipacio (2016), when choosing a topic, a

researcher should consider three criteria.
1. Relevant
2. Interesting
3. Manageable

Once you have chosen your topic, you need to formulate your thesis
statement.

Thesis Statement
- It presents or describes the point of an essay.
- It answers the question you previously asked to narrow
down your topic.
- It guides and serves as a central point of all ideas in your
paper.

Research Questions

Qualities of a Good Research Question

1. Clear
 2. Requires the gathering of data to answer it
3. Address an observed problem or issue
4. Manageable
5. Ethical
6. Practical use

A research question is the fundamental core of a research project, study, or

review of literature. It focuses the study, determines the methodology, and
guides all stages of inquiry, analysis, and reporting.

A research question is an answerable inquiry into a specific concern or issue. It

is the initial step in a research project. The 'initial step' means after you have an
idea of what you want to study, the research question is the first active step in
the research project.
A metaphor for a research project is a house. Your data collection forms the
walls, and your hypothesis that guides your data collection is the foundation.
So, what is the research question? It is the ground beneath the foundation. It is
what everything in a research project is built on. Without a question, you can't
have a hypothesis. Without the hypothesis, you won't know how to study what
you're interested in.
A research question forms the base of where you are going, so we have to write
a good research question. If your foundation is built on something shifty, like a
house built on sand, then everything following that will be about correcting that
initial issue instead of on making an awesome home/research project.

Writing a Research Report

Research Report
- Expanded paper that presents results and interpretation of a
phenomenon so that readers can better understand it.
- A research report is produced through formal investigation
and scientific inquiry. [It is not a summary of different articles
or ideas that are presented uncritically, nor is it a series of
quotations and a compilation of unsubstantiated opinion.]
Parts of a Research Report
1. Title Page
- The title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A
good title contains the fewest possible words that adequately
describe the contents and/or purpose of your research paper.
2. Abstract
- Think of it as an executive summary that distills the key elements of the remaining
sections into a few sentences.
3. Introduction
- Even if this is just a course assignment, treat your
introduction as the initial pitch of an idea or a thorough
examination of the significance of a research problem. After
reading the introduction, your readers should not only have
an understanding of what you want to do, but they should
also be able to gain a sense of your passion for the topic and
be excited about the study's possible outcomes.
- “What is the current situation of the goal?”. After the research was conducted, did
the organization conclude the goal successfully or they are still a work in progress
– provide such details in the introduction part of the research report.
4. Literature Review
- Since a literature review is information dense, it is crucial
that this section is intelligently structured to enable a reader
to grasp the key arguments underpinning your study in
relation to that of other researchers. A good strategy is to
break the literature into "conceptual categories" [themes]
rather than systematically describing groups of materials one
at a time. Note that conceptual categories generally reveal
themselves after you have read most of the pertinent
literature on your topic so adding new categories is an on-
going process of discovery as you read more studies. How do
you know you've covered the key conceptual
categories underlying the research literature? Generally, you
can have confidence that all of the significant conceptual
categories have been identified if you start to see repetition
in the conclusions or recommendations that are being made
 - To help frame your proposal's literature review, here are the "five C’s"
of writing a literature review:
a. Cite, so as to keep the primary focus on the literature pertinent
to your research problem.
b. Compare the various arguments, theories, methodologies, and
findings expressed in the literature: what do the authors agree
on? Who applies similar approaches to analyzing the research
problem?
c. Contrast the various arguments, themes, methodologies,
approaches, and controversies expressed in the literature: what
are the major areas of disagreement, controversy, or debate?
d. Critique the literature: Which arguments are more persuasive,
and why? Which approaches, findings, methodologies seem
most reliable, valid, or appropriate, and why? Pay attention to
the verbs you use to describe what an author says/does [e.g.,
asserts, demonstrates, argues, etc.].
e. Connect the literature to your own area of research and
investigation: how does your own work draw upon, depart
from, synthesize, or add a new perspective to what has been said
in the literature?
5. Methodology
- This is the most important section of the report where all the important
information lies. The readers can gain data for the topic along with analyzing the
quality of provided content and the research can also be approved by
other market researchers. Thus, this section needs to be highly informative with
each aspect of research discussed in detail. Information needs to be expressed in
chronological order according to its priority and importance. Researchers should
include references in case they gained information from existing techniques.
- The methodology section of the research report is arguably the most important
for two reasons. First it allows readers to evaluate the quality of the research and
second, it provides the details by which another researcher may replicate and
validate the findings.
6. Results
- A short description of the results along with calculations conducted to achieve the
goal will form this section of results. Usually, the exposition after data analysis is
carried out in the discussion part of the report.
- In longer research papers, the results section contains the data and perhaps a
short introduction. Typically the interpretation of the data and the analysis is
reserved for the discussion section.
7. Discussion
 - The results are discussed in extreme detail in this section along with a
comparative analysis of reports that could probably exist in the same domain. Any
abnormality uncovered during research will be deliberated in the discussion
section. While writing research reports, the researcher will have to connect the
dots on how the results will be applicable in the real world.
- The discussion section is where the results of the study are interpreted and
evaluated against the existing body or research literature. In addition, should
there be any anomalies found in the results, this is where the authors will point
them out. Lastly the discussion section will attempt to connect the results to the
bigger picture and show how the results might be applied.
8. Conclusion
- After spending a great deal of time and energy introducing and
arguing the points in the main body of the paper, the conclusion brings
everything together and underscores what it all means. A stimulating
and informative conclusion leaves the reader informed and well-
satisfied. A conclusion that makes sense, when read independently
from the rest of the paper, will win praise.
9. References
- This section provides a list of each author and paper cited in the research
report. Any fact, idea, or direct quotation used in the report should be cited and
referenced.

Steps in Writing a Research Report

1. Select and narrow down the topic.

2. Conduct a preliminary research by gathering the initial
references.
3. Formulate the thesis statement and research questions
4. Prepare a preliminary outline
5. Gather additional references.
6. Prepare the prefinal outline.
7. Prepare the necessary instruments for your research.
8. Pilot the instrument and revise accordingly.
9. Gather the data.
10. Prepare the tables and graphs and analyze the collected
data.
11. Write the methodology and results section
12. Write the introduction and literature review.
 13. Write the discussion.
14. Writhe the conclusion.
15. Write the abstract.
16. Prepare the reference list.
17. Edit and format your paper.

Guidelines in Writing a Research Report

1. 50% to 75% of the paper should be devoted to results and
discussion.
2. Be sure to cite all your sources whether they are paraphrased or
directly quoted.
3. Use direct quotation sparingly. [Paraphrase as much as
possible.]
4. Strictly follow the required documentation style.
5. Topics should be relevant, interesting, current, and manageable
in terms of resources, skills needed, and time. They should not
be too sensitive and controversial as well.
6. Research questions should be directly addressing the given
topic or thesis statement.
7. Use simple language and avoid verbose words.