Writing a research report

The last step in the research process is writing the research report. Each step of the process is important for a valid study, as negligence at any stage will affect the quality of not just that part but the whole study. In a way, this last step is the most crucial as it is through the report that the findings of the study and their implications are communicated to your supervisor and readers. Most people will not be aware of the amount and quality of work that has gone into your study. While much hard work and care may have been put into every stage of the research, all readers see is the report. Therefore, the whole enterprise can be spoiled if the report is not well written. As Burns writes, ‘extremely valuable and interesting practical work may be spoiled at the last minute by a student who is not able to communicate the results easily’ (1997: 229).

In addition to your understanding of research methodology, the quality of the report depends upon such things as your written communication skills and clarity of thought, your ability to express thoughts in a logical and sequential manner, and your knowledge base of the subject area. Another important determinant is your experience in research writing: the more experience you acquire, the more effective you will become in writing a research report. The use of statistical procedures will reinforce the validity of your conclusions and arguments as they enable you to establish if an observed association is due to chance or otherwise (i.e. whether a relationship is spurious or non-spurious) and indicate the strength of an association so readers can place confidence in your findings. The use of graphs to present the findings, though not essential, will make the information more easily understood by readers. As stated in the previous chapter, whether or not graphs are used depends upon the purpose for which the findings are to be used.

The main difference between research and other writing is in the degree of control, rig­orousness and caution required. Research writing is controlled in the sense that you need to be extremely careful about what you write, the words you choose, the way ideas are expressed, and the validity and verifiability of the bases for the conclusions you draw. What most distinguishes research writing from other writing is the high degree of intellectual rigour required. Research writing must be absolutely accurate, clear, free of ambiguity, logi­cal and concise. Your writing should not be based upon assumptions about knowledge of your readers about the study. Bear in mind that you must be able to defend whatever you write should anyone challenge it. Do not use ornamental and superficial language. Even the best researchers make a number of drafts before writing up their final one, so be prepared to undertake this task.

The way findings are communicated differs in quantitative and qualitative research. As mentioned earlier, in qualitative research the findings are mostly communicated in descrip­tive or narrative format written around the major themes, events or discourses that emerge from your findings. The main purpose is to describe the variation in a phenomenon, situ­ation, event or episode without making an attempt to quantify the variation. One of the ways of writing a qualitative report is described in Chapter 15 as a part of the content analysis process. On the other hand, the writing in quantitative research, in addition to being descriptive, also includes its quantification. Depending upon the purpose of the study, statistical measures and tests can also become a part of the research writing to support the findings.

Source: Kumar Ranjit (2012), Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, SAGE Publications Ltd; Third edition.