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Chapter 21 Preparing a Research Report
Suggested Activities
2. As I have noted before for other chapters, APA and AERA and other organizations provide
mentoring programs for students. Often these types of programs lead students to work with
scholars who do research in their chosen area of interest. These mentoring programs often turn
into great opportunities for students to receive constructive feedback on their writing. Encourage
students to apply for these programs and also to take drafts of their work with them when they
present at conferences. Often scholars are willing to help students by reading some of their work
and providing feedback. It never hurts to ask (politely)!
3. This edition of the text includes a larger section on managing citations. These programs have
become much better and more intuitive over the last few years. The text specifically notes
Refworks, Zotero, and Endnote. It may be that your institution subscribes to one in particular.
4. Show examples of your work in progress. The best way to do this is to prepare a priori and
keep everything! Your notes on the coffee shop napkin, the IRB you submitted that
described the study, the proposal or abstract that you wrote to present it at a research
conference, your outline and every draft and notes—keep it all. Students, even doctoral
students, seem to think that writing is a one-draft process. With the artifacts of a
manuscript in progress you can illustrate otherwise. Share this manuscript in progress and
ask them to provide feedback to you. This will allow you to model how to accept and use
constructive criticism and peer review to make a manuscript better.
5. You likely have developed effective strategies to make revisions to your work that students
do not yet possess. These strategies will be helpful to them so take some time to share
them. In working with a colleague (Richard Walls, a fantastic writer) on a paper a few years ago,
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since found it very helpful and the students I have worked with on dissertations lately have also
found it useful. It is particularly effective in structural revisions to introduction sections.
6. In my recent work with colleagues at Penn State on grant proposals (Linda Mason, P. Karen
Murphy, Jonna Kulikowich, and Peggy Van Meter as well as our students), we have employed a
peer-editing and revision process that we have gotten down almost to a science! Instead of using
Track Changes functions in our word processing programs that are sometimes difficult to use
7. Similarly, many writers now use Google docs to allow multiple authors to work simultaneously
8. Many institutions now have course management systems with features that can be used for
editing and peer review. One strategy I recently used with an Honors undergraduate class was to
post a section of text with numerous APA and grammatical errors. Students from the class
logged on and edited the document, this allowed a first-hand look at editing and revision and
students seemed to enjoy trying to find the errors.
9. Peer editing is often an excellent strategy to use with the class. If you have had the students do
group projects and turn in an actual report, the groups can edit others’ writing.
Discuss the peer-editing process that researchers go through before they submit work and
emphasize its importance and examples of how your writing has been ‘hacked’ and how
10. Some students have never considered the review and publication process. Providing
exposure through the notes to authors found in several journals will introduce them to the
expectations of journals regarding preparation of research for publication. Bring several to
class and have students review them in small groups and discuss the criteria. Use the most typical
journals for the disciplines represented by those in your class. Some general examples that should
have broad appeal are the AERA journals.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis is found at:
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• The library at Capital College in Connecticut hosts a website on preparing reports in APA style.
The website presents example student questions regarding APA style with answers and
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Chapter 21 Test Items
• 1. Of the following, which is an example of a style error?
a. Marcy misused semicolons in her manuscript.
b. Sean forgot the abstract in his manuscript.
c. Trudy did not use conventions for headings in her manuscript.
d. Liam forgot to provide citations in the text of his manuscript.
• 2. Of the following, which is the best example of a conclusion in a study that examined
funding for extra-curricular activities?
a. The correlation between achievement and extra-curricular activities was statistically
significant.
b. The results supported a difference in achievement between those who participated in
extra-curricular activities and those who did not participate.
c. The effect size was .58.
d. The participant stated support for additional funding for extra-curricular activities.
• 3. Chidi used the MSLQ, a commonly used measure of motivation for college students in
her study that explored college-students’ motivation at HBCUs. In which section of her
manuscript should she report the psychometric properties of the measure?
a. Introduction
b. Methods
c. Results
d. Discussion
4. The current APA manual is the ____________ edition.
a. Second
b. Fourth
c. Sixth
d. Eighth
5. One benefit of Zotero over other reference management systems is that Zotero
a. can be used with references that are not in
English and other systems cannot.
b. has the ability to handle more citations than
does any other system.
c. can be used for both Mac and any other
computer systems.
d. is free while other management systems are
commercially available.
6. When comparing qualitative research reports and quantitative research reports, one
difference is that
a. in qualitative reports there is not a literature review.
b. in quantitative reports there is not a problem statement.
c. in qualitative reports there is not a presentation of the results.
d. in quantitative reports there is not a rationale for why participants were
selected.
7. When considering qualitative and quantitative research reports one similarity is
that both
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a. avoid the use of pronouns.
b. require accuracy in reporting.
c. use the voice of the participant.
d. contain the same structure for reporting.
8. In APA style guidelines, secondary sources in the reference section should
a. include author name only.
b. include author name and year.
c. include author name, year, and title.
d. not be included at all.
• 9. When writing the research report, authors cited in the body of the text are
generally referenced by
a. first and last names.
b. first initial and last name.
c. last names only.
d. first and last initials.
10. Which of the following statements is generally accurate regarding the use of
abbreviations in research reports.
a. Abbreviations are used throughout the report.
b. Abbreviations are used in the tables.
c. Abbreviations are used in the body of the report.
d. Abbreviations are used in the abstract.
• 11. Which of the following example sentences is an appropriate presentation of
numbers in a research report?
a. 17 children and their parents participated in the study.
b. 8 children were in the control group while 11 were in the treatment condition.
c. The control group included 6 children from a similar child care setting.
d. The study included 240 children from a large school in the Midwest.
12. In a research report a condensed version of the study is generally found in the
a. hypothesis section.
b. literature review.
c. abstract.
d. results section.
13. Recognizing that a research report generally follows the steps used to conduct the research is
considered a matter of
a. Style.
b. Format.
c. Structure.
d. Word processing.
14. Style of a research report includes
a. spelling.
b. format.
c. organization.
d. headings
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15. The format of a research report includes
a. style.
b. spelling.
c. organization.
d. punctuation.
16. The acknowledgments in a thesis or dissertation are generally found in the
a. abstract.
b. discussion.
c. preliminary pages.
d. appendixes.
17. An abstract of a thesis or dissertation is generally found
a. in the appendixes.
b. after the discussion.
c. in the literature review.
d. in the preliminary pages.
18. An abstract is usually limited to approximately
a. less than 50 words.
b. less than 100 words.
ci. between 100-500 words.
d. between 500-1000 words.
19. The definition of important terms is found in the __________ section of a
research report.
a. literature review
b. method
c. results
d. discussion
20. A description of the sample participants of the study is found in the
_______________ section of a research report.
a. literature review
b. method
c. results
d. discussion
21. The steps followed to conduct the study are found in the _______________ section
of a research report.
a. participants.
b. design
c. procedure
d. results
22. A copy of the instrument used for data collection is often found in the
_______________ of a thesis or dissertation.
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a. material section
b. procedure section
c. appendix
d. introduction
• 23. Tables in a research report are referred to in text such as
a. Table 6 presents the findings of the correlational analysis.
b. The ‘Correlation of the Variables’ table presents the findings from the analysis.
c. The accompanying table presents the findings from the analysis.
d. The table at the bottom of the page presents the findings from the analysis.
24. Research reports are written in the
a. past tense.
b. present tense.
c. past and present tense.
d. present and future tense.
25. In a thesis or dissertation, the name and location of the college or university
awarding a degree is found
a. in the title page.
b. in the abstract.
c. in the appendix.
d. in the preliminary pages.
26. As part of the hypothesis statement in a research report,
a. the variables are operationally defined.
b. the procedures of the study are clearly conveyed.
c. the instruments used in the study are described.
d. previous findings from related research are documented.
27. The reference section in a research report includes
a. all sources that are referenced in the report by order of appearance in the
manuscript.
b. all sources that are referenced in the report with the most recent references
first.
c. all sources that are referenced in the text alphabetically by author’s last name.
d. all sources that are referenced in the text alphabetically by title of the
reference.
28. The statistical techniques employed or the qualitative interpretation applied in a
study appear in the __________ section.
a. method
b. procedures
c. results
d. discussion
29. In a qualitative report, a description of the context in which the participants
function is found in the ______________ section.
a. participants
b. procedures
c. design
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d. discussion
• 30. George is writing up his qualitative research study. In which section of a
research report will he indicate that he used a snowball sampling technique?
a. Instrumentation
b. Procedures
c. Participants
d. Design
• 31. Ed is writing up his dissertation study. His study was a survey study of parent
satisfaction with current advanced placement course offerings across different
schools in the state. Where in the report should Ed include a copy of his survey?
a. Introduction
b. Method
c. Results
d. Appendix
• 32. Laura, an art educator, completed her correlational study that examined the
relationship between the number of art classes taken in high school and out of school
attendance at museums and galleries. She has a correlation matrix that conveys
some of her findings. In which section of Laura’s research report should the
matrix be included?
a. Instruments
b. Procedures
c. Results
d. Discussion
33. Overgeneralization in a research report refers to
a. using instruments in the study that lack reliability and validity.
b. stating conclusions that are not warranted by the results.
c. reporting a larger response rate than actually participated.
d. conducting inferential statistics on nominal level data.
• 34. Darlene is a nonnative English speaker and is preparing her research report in
English. She has many grammatical errors. Darlene’s errors are broadly referred
to as ______________ errors.
a. style
b. format
c. organization
d. structural
35. According to your text, the limitations of a study should be reported in the
______________ section.
a. introduction
b. method
c. results
d. discussion
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• 36. Shirley found significant positive correlations between amount of independent
reading time allotted in first grade classrooms and children’s reading attitudes.
She wants to include in her report that teachers should allow more independent
reading time in their classrooms. In which section of the research report should
Shirley include this recommendation?
a. Introduction
b. Method
c. Results
d. Discussion
• 37. Abby’s research addresses children’s self-esteem. Previous self-esteem studies
have found that self-esteem is crucial for learners’ to try new and difficult
academic tasks. In which section of her report will Abby include these previous
findings?
a. Introduction
b. Materials
c. Results
d. Procedures
• 38. Audrey studies self-regulation. She has decided to implement a new assessment
strategy in her work. She must, however, compare the new method with those
previously used. Where will Audrey describe the methods used to assess self-
regulation in previous studies?
a. Introduction
b. Instruments
c. Procedures
d. Results
• 39. Michelle did not find any significant differences between the control group and
the treatment group in her dissertation study. She would likely address the
potential reasons why her hypothesis was not supported in which section of a
research report?
a. Introduction
b. Method
c. Results
d. Discussion
• 40. Cassie, a qualitative researcher, conducted focus groups for her dissertation
study. She would like to include some quotes from her interviews in her report.
Where will she likely include these quotes?
a. Abstract
b. Introduction
c. Method
d. Results
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• 41. Steve has defended his dissertation and his committee told him to submit it for
publication. One aspect of the current report he will not include when he sends it
to a journal for review is
a. the abstract.
b. the preliminary pages.
c. the method.
d. the results.
• 42. Sarah interviewed all of the members from three families living in public housing
as part of her thesis on a description of academic achievement goals of high
school children living in poverty. In which section of Sarah’s report will
transcripts of these interviews be included?
a. Method
b. Results
c. Discussion
d. Appendix
• 43. Piren conducted a study into the characteristics of minority women who pursue
mathematics and science degrees. Some of her findings suggest that Social Economic
Status is an important factor in predicting which women continue in Math and Science
and which do not. Further, parents educational background was the largest SES predictor
variable. Piren will address each of these findings in relation to her hypothesis and the
existing research in which section of her research report?
a. Method
b. Results
c. Discussion
d. Appendix
• 44. Karen presented her dissertation proposal to her committee. She is investigating how
learners’ study after viewing learning video tapes for a distance education course. One of
her committee members is confused as to how she will select who she will observe and
interview. Of the following, which is the most likely location for Karen to provide this
information?
a. Preliminary Pages
b. Introduction
c. Participants
d. Procedure
• 45. Bruce is conducting a quantitative dissertation study that addresses how children
learn from technology-rich instructional environments. He is trying to measure how such
environments can inspire student learning. In order for his readers to understand what he
is doing, he will need to define ‘inspire’ operationally. Of the following, which is the
most likely place this definition will occur?
a. Preliminary Pages
b. Abstract
c. Hypotheses
d. Results
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• 46. Maurice consistently uses the term ‘their’ instead of ‘his’ or ‘her’ in his thesis.
This subject verb agreement error is primarily a problem regarding
a. style.
b. format
c. style and format
d. neither style nor format.
• 47. Ankur is writing his report on his recent research that examined the relationship
between Lego use and problem-solving ability. He needs to be very clear about the type
of follow-up procedure he did to address differences found between groups on his
inferential statistics test. Ankur will repot the follow-up procedure in which section of
his report?
a. Introduction
b. Methodology
c. Results
d. Discussion
• 48. Roger recently finished a book on the effects of prior experiences on decision–
making for academic administration. In reading the work, I noted he used comas
unconventionally. His use of comas is an illustration of
a. format.
b. style.
c. both format and style.
d. neither format nor style.
49. According to your text, which of the following is NOT a recommendation for writing
effective research reports.
a. Establish a writing routine that includes writing each day.
b. Write with an outline to structure your thoughts
c. Revise your introduction while conducting your study.
d. Change your hypotheses to fit your results once you have analyzed the data.
• 50. Ming conducted a case study that examined teachers’ responses to English as
Second Language (ESL) children in a school experiencing a large influx of new
immigrants. When she writes her report, Ming will be careful to specify the level of the
case she has selected in which of the following sections of her report?
a. Introduction
b. Discussion
c. Method
d. Results
• 51. In a recent action research study, Joanna investigated the use of memorization
strategies for mathematics vocabulary. In which of the following sections of a research
report will she present the research problem?
a. Method
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b. Discussion
c. Results
d. Introduction
• 52. Mallika conducted a study on students’ exercise in housing projects. Of the
following, in which section of this mixed-methods study will she present a description of
the survey that she used to collect the quantitative data?
a. Abstract
b. Introduction
c. Method
d. Results
• 53. Which of the following example sentences is an appropriate presentation of
numbers in a research report?
a. The participants in the study included 4 children.
b. 500 children participated in the study.
c. There were seventeen schools that participated in the study.
d. The study included 232 students.
54. The acknowledgements page of a thesis or dissertation would most likely be found in
which of the following sections of the document?
a. The Appendix
b. The Preliminary pages
c. The References
d. The introduction
• 55. Ratiba conducted a study that examined students’ learning from web-based
instructional materials. In order for the reader to fully understand her study, Ratiba must
include a screen shot of the materials. Of the following, which is the most appropriate
place for Ratiba to place the screen shot?
a. Introduction
b. Results
c. Discussion
d. Appendix
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Chapter 21 Answers