Eapp

• Concept


  An abstract representation or general notion
• Concept paper


  An academic or research paper that is written with the primary purpose of identifying and explaining an idea or concept related to a particular scholarly field or discipline before conducting a research
• Two classifications of concept papers

  • Retrospective - analyzes the events of information that had already occurred in the past, after the collection of data the research question is framed
  • Prospective - are done in the present to analyze the outcome in the future. The information is required to be generated and is not available before the start of the study
• Structure of a concept paper

  • Title Page - state your research title
  • Background of the study - provide the current state of the field you are researching on
  • Preliminary Literature Review - provide related studies that will help you in conducting the research or analyzing and discussing the data
  • Statement of the Problem/objectives - state your specific research questions or objectives
  • Abridged Methodology - provide the instruments to be used
  • Timeline - provide a timeline set in months and year
  • References - provide a list of books, journals, and other resources cited in your paper
• Purpose of a concept paper


  • Serves as a foundation of the full proposal
  • Helps determine whether a certain project is feasible or not
  • Used to pique the interest of the potential funding agencies
  • Used to obtain informal feedback on the ideas prior to preparing the full proposal
• Guidelines in writing a concept paper

  • Cost and methodology should be reasonable
  • Budget, methodology and timeline should be clearly mentioned
  • Use statistics and figures when discussing the rationale for the project
  • Limit only to 5 pages or less (excluding the title page). Do not overwhelm the readers with unnecessary details
  • Never request funding for planning the proposal
  • Refrain from using jargon when your targeted readers are not professionals or experts
  • Include the overview of the budget if it is required or you may simply include the type of support you require or need
  • Be sure that the basic format details are incorporated, such as page numbers
  • Cite your references
• Definition


  A method of identifying a term and making its meaning clearer
• Explication


  A method of explanation in which sentences, verse, quotes, or passages are taken away from a literary or academic work and then, interpreted and explained in detailed way
• Clarification


  Entails the analysis of the concept by looking at the examples
• Position paper


  A common type of academic argumentative essay in which you present to readers your position on a topic and then support it with well-researched arguments
• Elements/structure of a position paper

  • Introduction
  • Body
  • Conclusion
• Survey


  The collection of information from a sample of individuals through their responses to questions
• Classification of surveys

  • Interview based - Face to face, Interview over the phone
  • Self completed - Hand delivered questionnaire, Web questionnaire
• Types of survey questions

  • Open ended
  • Close ended
• Steps to conduct an effective survey


  • Determine who will participate in the survey
  • Decide the type of survey (mail, online, or in-person)
  • Design the survey questions and layout
  • Distribute the survey
  • Analyze the responses
  • Write up the results
• Experiment


  A study that strictly adheres to a scientific research design, including a hypothesis, a variable that can be manipulated by the researcher, and variables that can be measured, calculated and compared, completed in a controlled environment
• Steps of the scientific method


  • Pose a Testable Question
  • Conduct Background Research
  • State your Hypothesis
  • Design Experiment
  • Perform your Experiment
  • Collect Data
  • Draw Conclusions
  • Publish Findings (optional)
• Observation


  A way to gather data by watching people, events, or noting physical characteristics in their natural setting
• Techniques for collecting data through observation


  • Written descriptions
  • Photographs and artifacts
  • Documentation
• How to conduct observations for research


  • Identify Objective
  • Establish Recording Method
  • Develop Questions and Techniques
  • Observe and Take Notes
  • Analyze Behaviors and Inferences
• Survey report


  A formal piece of writing based on research/surveys
• Steps in writing a survey report


  • Break the report into separate sections with headings
  • Write a 1-to-2-page executive summary paraphrasing the report
  • State the objectives of the summary in the background section
  • Provide background information by explaining research and studies
• Guidelines in writing the survey report

  • Value Communicated - Objective, accurate and honest presentation of facts and results
  • Basic Content - May consist of eyewitness accounts, facts, data, figures, or statistics, materials and procedures or methods
  • Modes of Ordering - Chronological, Geographical, Logical, Problem-Solution, Cause and Effect, Formal, Abstract-Introduction-Background-Statement of the problem, Materials-Method-Results-Discussion-Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
  • Basic Qualities of a Good Report - Objective, Accurate, Honest, Brief and direct
• Structure of a survey report

  • Introduction - State the purpose/aim of the report, and when and how the information was gathered
  • Main Body - Present all the information collected and analyzed clearly and in detail
  • Conclusion - Sum up the points, and include a recommendation if necessary
• Field report


  A written document from data gathered outside the office or field and intends to describe an observed person, place, or event
• Purpose of a field report


  To describe the observation of people, places, and/or events and to analyse that observation data to identify and categorize common themes in relation to the research problem underpinning the study
• Content of a field report


  The researcher's interpretation of meaning found in data that has been gathered during one or more observational events
• 5 essential steps in writing a field report


  1. Formulate your research problem

  2. Elaborate theoretical framework

  3. Specify your methodology and scope of work

  4. Conduct your field research

  5. Write your field report
• Techniques to record observations


  • Note taking
  • Photography
  • Video and audio recordings
  • Illustrations/drawings
• Examples of things to document while observing


  • Physical setting
  • Objects and material culture
  • Use of language
  • Behaviour cycles
  • The order in which events unfold
  • Physical characteristics of subjects
  • Expressive body movements
• Parts of a field report


  • Introduction
  • Theoretical framework
  • Observations
• Scientific technical report


  An academic paper commonly used to report experimental research includes a thorough discussion of the materials, methods of experimentation used and discussion of the result
• Parts of a scientific technical report


  • Front matter
  • Body of report
  • End matter
• Front matter


  • Title page
  • Back of the title page
  • Table of contents
  • List of abbreviations, acronyms, or terms
  • Preface
• Title page


  The first recto page of a report and the preferred source of bibliographic information required for efficient document processing and retrieval
• Elements of a title page


  • Full name of the issuing organization and its logo
  • Title of the report
  • Author/s' name and institutional affiliations
  • Report identifiers
  • Place and date of publication
• Back of the title page


  • Abstract and key words
  • Name and e-mail address of the corresponding authors
  • Sources of support in the form of grants
  • Copyright
  • Date of submission
  • Place and date of publication
• Table of contents


  Essential to provide an immediate understanding of the content of the report and facilitate the online input and use of each part of the document
• List of abbreviations, acronyms, or terms


  When a report contains many abbreviations or acronyms, they may be listed with their definitions before the body of the report
• Preface


  A preliminary comment on the content of the document and may be signed by a person different from the authors of the report