Writing a Research Report

• Research is a systematic inquiry that explains or describes a phenomenon, predicts an outcome, and possess questions for further studies.
• The two main purposes of research are to gather evidence and to gain knowledge.
• Research is a process to discover new knowledge.
• The purpose of research is therefore to find out what is known, what is not and what we can develop further.
• The abstract is one of most important parts of a research paper. Grabs the reader’s interest and provides a concise, informative summary of the paper. This short piece of text also tells readers what they can expect should they decide to keep reading the paper.
• The table of contents is where you list the chapters and major sections of your research paper, alongside their page numbers. A clear and well-formatted table of contents is essential, as it demonstrates to your reader that a quality paper will follow.
• A list of figures and tables compiles all of the figures and tables that you used in your research paper along with their corresponding page numbers. These lists give your reader an overview of how you have used figures and tables in your document.
• The introduction to a research paper is where you set up your topic and approach for the reader.
• A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper
• Your research methodology discusses and explains the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research.
• The methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of your research
• A results section is where you report the main findings of the data collection and analysis you conducted for your research. You should report all relevant results concisely and objectively, in a logical order.
• The conclusion of a research paper is where you wrap up your ideas and leave the reader with a strong final impression.
• Recommendations in research are a crucial component of your discussion section and the conclusion of your research paper.
• APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences.
• APA references generally include information about the author, publication date, title, and source. Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps your reader locate the source.