writing your research report
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Writing the Masters of PublicHealth Research Report
Dr Robyn Woodward-KronInternational Student Support
ProgramFaculty International Unit, MDHS,
University of [email protected]
Overview of presentation
Scope and structure of the research report
Reviewing the literature: developing an
argument Methods: describing what you did
Discussion: discussing your findings andcontribution
Questions and discussion, evaluation
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Scope of the research report
How do research reports differ from PhDs, Masters byResearch and Minor theses?
tend not to include data collection
smaller in scope in terms of length of the report, the issue/areainvestigated, and the degree of originality expected.
What do research reports have in common with higher degreesby research? similar structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion
similar purpose. i.e. persuade the reader (the research community)that the research is important, make recommendations
similar approach: critical and analytical approach to the literatureand discussion
Types of research reports
The development of a research protocol (no data analysis)A protocol development for AIDS prevention among secondary
school students in Liangshan Yi ethnic group autonomous region,Sichuan Province, China
A clinical trial of recaldent in Tooth Mousse : Development of aresearch protocol
Analysis of existing dataThe sexual and reproductive health care needs of males with cystic
fibrosisStrongyloidiasis in Cambodian immigrants and refugees in Victoria
A literature reviewEffective elements of school-based life skills programs for HIV
prevention in Myanmar: A literature review
A meta-analysis
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Suggested structure of researchreports and actual structures (1)
Protocol developmentIntroduction (Summary of background and research methods)Background (Rationale, how will this add to existing knowledge,
statement of issues relevant to the design of research protocole.g. selection of subjects, analysis etc.)
Methods (How design will be decided on. Identification of differentmethods and consideration of different methods)
Results (Protocol design and justification of design aspects)
Discussion (How well this design will address the issues identifiedin the background)
Conclusions, ReferencesLook at the examples. How are the reports structured? How
many chapters??
Suggested structure of researchreports and actual structures (2)
Literature review
Introduction (Summary of background and research methods)
Background (Why this review is important, how it differs from otherrelevant reviews)
Methods (Statement of issue to be reviewed, methods ofidentifying and locating research, method of review of research)
Results (analytical findings including tables and figures)
Discussion (interpretation of findings in context of background)
Conclusions, References
Look at the examples. How are the reports structured? howmany chapters??
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Suggested structure of researchreports and actual structures (3)
Analysis of existing data
Introduction (summary of background and research methods)
Background (why this analysis is important, how and why the datawas collected, specifics of data)
Methods (Methods for accessing data, cleaning data, preparingdata for analysis, statistical methods used)
Results (Analytical findings using tables and figures)
Discussion (Interpretation of findings in context of background)Conclusions, References
Look at the examples. How are the reports structured? howmany chapters??
Reviewing the literature
Purpose
The literature review has a twofold purpose.
It contextualises your project as well asindicates a gap in the current research agap which your research is designed to fill.
In order to establish a research space, thewriter needs to convince the reader of theimportance of the research that he or she isinvestigating. (task)
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Reviewing the literature: task
Read the excerpt from a research report onfemale genital mutilation in the Sudan andcomplete the questions.
The literature review should be cohesive. Howdo the examples establish a thread anddevelop an argument?
Developing an argument and criticallyreviewing the literature
How could the argument in the following paragraph be improved?
The association between malnutrition, learning opportunities and
economic rewards was discussed in several studies. A study fromGuatemala, for example, shows that severely stunted men had about1.8 fewer years of education than nonstunted men, and severelystunted women had about one less year of education than nonstuntedwomen [ref 2]. Although the study in Guatemala did not clarify thecausal link between malnutrition and learning opportunities (i.e.malnutrition leading to decreasing learning opportunity or decreasinglearning opportunity leading to malnutrition), a negative associationcould be construed between malnutrition and learning opportunities.Receiving education was economically important because each yearof education added an additional 6 percent to their income [ref 4]; thusmalnutrition adversely interacts with the economy.
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Writing the methods: what you did
Purpose
the methods chapter describes what you did. It can includesections that explain data collection procedure, equipmentused, as well as the procedures that were followed.
The focus on describing howthe research was carried out hasimplications for the writers language choices. Writers tend touse the past tense combined with the passive voice to describethe steps in the research process. The passive voice
foregrounds what was donerather than who did what . Methods sections are rarely just straightforward descriptive
accounts. Frequently they address shortcomings with theprocedures and explain how the researcher compensated forthese shortcomings.
Writing the methods for a literaturereview
Things to consider:
databases searched (all)
keywords: how were they used?
inclusion and exclusion criteria
was additional literature sought?
how was the literature analysed?
(How are these aspects incorporated in theexcerpt?)
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Discussion and conclusion (1)
Purpose
The concluding chapter provides a summary ofthe findings, and discusses theconsequences or implications of theresearch. The conclusion will refer to the
initial research question and hypothesis. Itpoints out the limitations of the project. It alsomakes recommendations, and suggestsfurther research.
Discussion and conclusion (2)
How have MPH writers organised theirconcluding chapters?
What sub-headings have they used?
Persuasion and argument are importantelements of the concluding chapter. Whatpersuasive language is evident?
What sort of recommendations are made inthe concluding chapter?
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Discussing the limitations of yourproject
It is important to make appropriate claims whendiscussing the implications of your research;therefore it is necessary to point out the limitations.Some useful phrases are:
It should be noted that this study has examined only..This analysis has concentrated onThe findings of this study are restricted to
This study has addressed only the question ofThe main limitations of this study are.(Swales & Feak,
p.202)
However, you dont want to sell yourself short! How canyou counterbalance these claims?
Discussion
Discuss with people in your group the mainfindings, implications and limitations of your
research.
How will you counterbalance the limitations?
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A note on writing the abstract
Purpose and structure of the abstract
The abstract is more or less a summary of researchcompleted. The abstract should capture anaudience's attention by establishing a researchspace or niche early on the abstract, and highlightingthe importance of the research. The abstract mayalso have a catchy and informative title. The rest ofthe abstract tends to include a brief methods section,
followed by a results section and implications.
The structure and purpose of theabstract continued
Task: answer these questions about the sampleabstract A clinical trial of recaldent in tooth
moussses : development of a research protocolprovided in your handout Identify the various sections of the abstract (i.e. Introduction,
Methods, Findings, Discussion/Implications)
Comment on the length of the divisions of each section. Doyou think this would differ for a literature review project?
Circle all instances of evaluative language to strengthen thecase for the acceptability of the research.
What tenses are used in this abstract (e.g. present? past?)