REPORT WRITINGWhat is a research paper?"A research paper is exactly that: a paper written to reflect a search that will present information to support a point of view on a particular topic." P. Berge and C. Saffioti.

Components of Research Research Questions The research should set research questions to find

out answers to his questions. Research questions, also, help researchers to specify a general area or topic of interest for the research. Constructing research questions at the beginning helps the researcher to have a reasonable scope so that the research is neither too broad to be studied no too narrow.

Data Data refer to the information the researcher gathers

in order to answer the research questions. There are two sources of data. Primary data collection uses surveys, experiments or direct observations. Secondary data collection is collecting information from a diverse source of documents or electronically stored information.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Data are meaningless unless they are analyzed, interpreted and presented in a form that the reader can understand. Presenting data without analyzing them won’t make sense because the readers aren’t interested in data but the meaning of data.

Basic Steps in the ResearchStep 1: Ask a question Step 2: Think about how to find the answer

Use your own experience Read about it (secondary research) Observe someone / something (primary research) Interview experts (primary research)

Step 3: Conduct research using the above methods – take notesStep 4: Compile what you found out – summarize and provide detailsStep 5: Form your opinions about your findings – analyze and reflectStep 6: Reach conclusions. Did you find the answer to your question? Are you satisfied with the

answer? Is further research called for?

Quoting, Paraphrasing and SummarizingQuoting, Paraphrasing and summarizing allow you to develop and demonstrate your understanding and interpretation of a text and to avoid plagiarism .

How to avoid plagiarism: Identify all secondary source material at the time it is used (in-text citations) and write a reference page listing complete details of all sources at the end of the report. They are important tools for reshaping information to suit the many writing tasks that will be required of you.

Plagiarism is copying or borrowing of another person’s words or ideas without acknowledgement. This is a very serious offence and can lead to rejection of your paper or more serious consequences.  

What are the Differences?Quoting matches the source word for word is usually a brief segment of the text appears between quotation marks must be attributed to the original sourceParaphrasing does not match the source word for word involves putting a passage from a source into your

own words changes the words or phrasing of a passage, but

retains and fully communicates the original meaning must be attributed to the original source

Summarizing

does not match the source word for word involves putting the main idea(s) into your own

words, but including only the main point(s) presents a broad overview, so is usually much shorter

than the original text must be attributed to the original source.

Example (Short Quotation):

1- Pearl (2002) who is Hawthorne's symbol of truth, reaches a proportionately happy conclusion, becoming “the richest heiress of her day, in the New World.” (P.6)

2- Edward Zigler laments (200: 55) claimed that "One finds violence, hostility, and aggression everywhere, including TV, the movies, and in many of our everyday social relations"

Example 2 (Long Quotations, 4 lines)Robert Hastrow (1999: 61) sums up the process in the following passage, where he compares rays of light to a ball thrown up from the earth and returning because of the pull of gravity:

The tug of that enormous force prevents the ray of light from leaving the surface of the star; like the ball thrown upward from the earth, they are pulled back and cannot escape to space. All the light within the star is now trapped by gravity. From this moment on, the star is invisible. It is a black hole in space.

Practice summarizing a sample essay using paraphrases and quotations as you go. Follow these steps: Read the entire text, noting the key points and

main ideas Summarize in your own words what the single

main idea of the essay is Paraphrase important supporting points that

come up in the essay Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages

that you believe should be quoted directly.

The original passage:Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, J. (1976). Writing Research Papers. (P.46-47)

A legitimate paraphrase:An acceptable summary:

In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester, 1976).

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester, 1976).

APA Style ReferencingAPA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association and is used in most types of science and social science writing. Before you create a reference page for your papers, essays, articles, or reports, it is important to learn how to format your references in proper APA style. The following examples and guidelines can help you prepare references in proper APA format.

Reference Citations in the Text:APA Style Guide (5th edition): In-text Citations and Reference List

1. In-text citations (author, publication date) look like this:

You may refer directly to the author in your sentence.

Works by different authors in the same citation are alphabetized and separated by a semicolon.

In the late 1970s, Japan began to fix ODA commitment levels in its medium-term plans (Martinussen, 2003). By the early 1990s, Japan was disbursing aid at a faster pace than other donors (Kobayashi, 1999; Petersen, 1997). Sunaga (2004) argues that throughout this period, ODA functioned as a key instrument of Japan’s foreign policy. However, others have pointed out that Japan has been very selective in using aid to directly influence or punish another country’s behavior (Soderberg, 1996, 2003). One example was in 1995 when, “under pressure from public opinion at home,” Japan cut aid to China to protest its testing of nuclear weapons (Soderberg, 1996, p. 22). Although Japan is no longer the leading ODA donor, foreign aid is still a key foreign policy instrument.

Two or more works by the same author can be included in the same citation.

Citations usually appear at the end of the sentence.

If you include a quotation, give the exact page number.

This is how to cite different numbers and types of authors: 1 author (Green, 2001) 2 authors (Cohen & Spencer, 1994) 3 to 6 authors

First citation: (Pratkins, Breker, & Green, 1989) Subsequent citations: (Pratkins et al., 1989)

More than 6 authors (Kneip et al., 1993) Editor(s) (Migdal, Kohli, & Shue, 1994) Organization as author

First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2005) Subsequent citations: (WHO, 2005)

Institution as author The parent body precedes the subdivision.

First citation: (People’s Republic of China, Ministry of Finance [MOF], 2006) Subsequent citations: (MOF, 2006)

No author Use the first few words of the title.

Book: (Oxford, 1996) [Full title: Oxford essential world atlas] Article: (“Chinese exchange rate,” 2006)

Secondary citation Cite the source that you used.

Prasad’s study (as cited by Yang, 2005)

2 or more works by same author, same year

(Shaw, 1999a, 1999b)

2 or more works; 2 or more authors

(Shaw, 1999a, 1999b; Yang, 2005)

2. The reference list contains full information for every citation in your paper. Place it after the text and before any appendices. Here is a brief example:

Alphabetize by:

Author’s family name; use initial(s) of given name(s)

First significant word of organization’s title

First significant word of title (if no author)

Mankiw, N. G. (2006). Macroeconomics New York: Worth Publishers.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. (2004, March). 2003 Annual Evaluation Report on Japan’s Economic Cooperation. Retrieved September 21, 2006, from http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/evaluation/2003/

Provincial Government Code. (1991). Retrieved August 23, 2006 from http://www.pgc.gov/Code.aspx#b2t1c2

West, G., Leiderman, L., & Reinhart, C. (1996). Inflows of capital to developing countries in the 1990s. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10, 123-139.

Use hanging indentation.

Do not number the list or subdivide it into sections (e.g., books, articles, websites).

Multiple authors are listed in the order in which they appear on the publication.

Exercise