This presentation addresses how to write a research report or paper effectively. Besides, it explains plagiarism and how to avoid it. There is also more information about APA references and its application.

1. HOW TO WRITE
A RESEARCH
REPORT
EFFECTIVELY
Author: M. Mehrpouya

2. AUTHOR
VERSUS
READER
BEHAVIOUR

3. STYLE
AND
LANGUA
GE
• Refer to the journal’s author guide
for notes on style
(see Publishing Skills Web-
Bibliography for examples)
– Some authors write their paper
with a specific
journal in mind
– Others write the paper and then
adapt it to fit the
style of a journal they subsequently
choose
• Objective is to report your findings
and conclusions
clearly and concisely as possible

4. STRUCTURE
OF A
PAPER/REPOR
T??

5. STRUCTURE OF
A
PAPER/REPORT

6. ABSTRACT
• Briefly summarize (often 150 words) - the
problem,
the method, the results, and the conclusions so
that
– The reader can decide whether or not to read
the
whole article
• Together, the title and the abstract should
stand on
their own
• Many authors write the abstract last so that it
accurately reflects the content of the paper
See: The Structured Abstract: An Essential Tool
for Research
http://research.mlanet.org/structured_abstract.

7. INTRODUCTION
• Clearly state the:
– Problem being investigated
– Background that explains the problem
– Reasons for conducting the research
• Summarize relevant research to provide
context
• State how your work differs from published
work
• Identify the questions you are answering
• Explain what other findings, if any, you are
challenging or
extending
• Briefly describe the experiment,
hypothesis(es), research
question(s); general experimental design or

8. METHODS
• Provide the reader enough details so they can
understand and replicate your research
• Explain how you studied the problem, identify
the
procedures you followed, and order these
chronologically where possible
• Explain new methodology in detail; otherwise
name the
method and cite the previously published work
• Include the frequency of observations, what
types of
data were recorded, etc.
• Be precise in describing measurements and
include
errors of measurement or research design

9. RESULTS
• Objectively present your findings,
and explain what was found
• Show that your new results are contributing
to the
body of scientific knowledge
• Follow a logical sequence based on the tables
and
figures presenting the findings to answer the
question or hypothesis
• Figures should have a brief description (a
legend),
providing the reader sufficient information to
know
how the data were produced

10. CONCLUSIO
N
• Describe what your results mean in
context of what
was already known about the subject
• Indicate how the results relate to
expectations and to
the literature previously cited
• Explain how the research has moved
the body of
scientific knowledge forward
• Do not extend your conclusions
beyond what is
directly supported by your results -
avoid undue
speculation
• Outline the next steps for further
study

11. WHAT IS
PLAGIARISM?
Plagiarism is the
representation of
another author's
language, thoughts,
ideas, or expressions
as one's own original
work. In educational
contexts, there are
differing definitions
of plagiarism
depending on the
institution.

12. PARAPHRA
SE
• Paraphrasing is
presenting ideas
and information
in your own
words and
acknowledging
where they come
from

13. EXAMPLE
PARAPHRASI
NG
One author
A flexible organization structure design consists
of three groups of people; professional core,
contractual fringe, and flexible labour force
(Brooks, 2003, p. 109).
Two to five authors
There are five methods for accessing sources:
questioning, observation, measurement
instruments, content analysis, and search
methods (Verschuren & Doorewaard, 2010, p.
220)
Six or more authors
Occupational therapy increases the quality of life
of elderly people with dementia and their
caregivers (Voigt et al., 2009, p. 1).

14. QUOTE
Quote
• A quote is always placed between quotation
marks.
• The quote is followed by a reference
between brackets (last name author(s), year,
page number(s)) or by referring to the
author(s) within the text.
Internet sources do not need a page number,
with the exception of documents with page
numbers, such as an article from a journal
which has been uploaded as a pdf-document.

15. QUOTE WITH REFERENCE
BETWEEN BRACKETS
"Many people would
suggest that attitudes
and values are closely
related, yet it may be
strongly argued that
values are deeper than
attitudes and more
embedded in our
character” (Brooks,
2003, p. 31).
“Each research project
aims to provide
knowledge, insight and
information that can
contribute towards
solving a problem”
(Verschuren &
Doorewaard, 2010, p.
33), as does our
research project.

16. QUOTE WITH AUTHOR(S) IN
TEXT
Brooks (2003) says “many
people would suggest
that attitudes and values
are closely related, yet it
may be strongly argued
that values are deeper
than attitudes and more
embedded in our
character” (p. 31).
Verschuren and
Doorewaard (2010) claim
that “Each research
project aims to provide
knowledge, insight and
information that can
contribute towards
solving a problem” (p.
33).

17. PARAPHRASI
NG VS.
QUOTING
The difference between
paraphrasing and quoting is that
when quoting you use the
author's exact words, and when
paraphrasing you use the
author's ideas but put them in
your own words.

18. REFERENCES
• Whenever you draw upon previously published work,
you must acknowledge the source
• Any information not from your experiment and not
‘common knowledge’ should be recognized by a
citation
• How references are presented varies considerably -
refer to notes for authors for the specific journal
• Avoid references that are difficult to find
• Avoid listing related references that were not
important to the study

19. APA
CITING
• In text citations
• Quote
• Reference list

20. REFEREN
CE LIST
Book:
Author, A. (year of publication). Title
of book. Location: Publisher.
• A second or later edition is added
between brackets after the title.
• If there is no author but there is
an editor, the editor is added
between brackets in the same
language in which the book is
written.
• If there are multiple authors or
editors, an ampersand (&) is
added before the final name.

22. EXAMPL
ES
Examples
Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly
effective people. New York, NY: Free Press.
Baxter, H. T., Berghofer, J. A., MacEwan, L.,
Nelson, J., Peters, K., & Roberts, P. (2007). The
individualized music therapy assessment profile:
IMTAP. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Brooks, I. (2003). Organisational behaviour:
Individuals, groups and organisation (2nd ed.).
Harlow: Prentice Hall.
Malchiodi, C. A. (Ed.). (2003). Handbook of art
therapy. New York, NY: Guildford Press.
Verschuren, P., & Doorewaard, H. (2010).
Designing a research project (2nd ed.). The
Hague: Eleven International.

23. THANK YOU