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Summary of Chapter 10 RSC2601 - Research In Social Sciences (RSC2601)
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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Summary including key terms and explanations of Chapter 10 of the Study Guide
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RSC2601 – Chapter 10Writing and Evaluating Research Reports
Key concept Definition Pg.
Replicate Repeat 260
Archive Safe storage of documents and records 260
Seminar Small discussion group 261
Prioritise Placing in order of importance 261
Hard copy Printed material 261
Format Style or way of organising information 261
Jargon Technical language 264
Accuracy Careful, precise 269
Relevance Relates directly to the study in hand 269
Conventions General agreement regarding certain rules 276
Parsimony Using no more than is strictly needed 278
Rationale Statements of reason 279
Assumption Accepting something as true without any evidence 281
*Look at diagram on pg. 259*
Functions and Characteristics of a Research Report
3 primary functions:
o Communicates scientific data and ideas to an audience
o Contributes to the general body of scientific knowledge
o Stimulates and directs further inquiry
Key requirement of a report:
o Must report the research as accurately as possible
This requirement helps to meet 2 of the scientific norms (sharing scientific
knowledge with others and honesty in research)
The research report is not only a record of the research process, but also a
summary of what you found
Quantitative research – need to provide sufficient information so that the
research can be replicated
As the researcher, you will take full responsibility for both the accurate
reporting and archiving of the research data
Quantitative research – research must be shown to be reliable, valid and
objective
Types of Reports
Written assignments:
Essays
Probably be given a problem that needs resolving
Will require some form of research
Assignment takes on the form of a research report
Presentation:
, Usually an oral presentation before an audience at a seminar or conference
Time limited
o Reports have to be highly focused and one needs to prioritise what is
included in the presentation
Use the purpose of the presentation as a guide
What interests the audience the most?
o Most important aspect of the presentation (findings)
Extensive use of audio-visual aids and present findings in graphic formats
Usually followed by a question-and-answer session
Often expected to make hard copies of the presentation available to audience
Journal articles:
Key to success lies in the ability to write succinctly
o Reasons for this
Professional people are usually very busy and don’t have time to
read lengthy articles
Highly expensive business to publish journals and a shorter
compact article is more likely to be considered for publication
than a lengthy one
Raw data is usually not included
Will have to economise and eliminate some essential aspects
Needs to be written and organised so that the information is accurate, easy to
find, relevant and comprehensive
If the intention is to submit the report to an academic journal, one needs to
consult the guidelines provided by the journal o that the report conforms to the
format laid down by the editor
As the target audience is peers, there is a need to pay close attention to
underlying theory, methodology and techniques of analysis and interpretation
Commission research:
Will probably deal with applied research where a practical problem needs to
be resolved
Not limited to policy, but is also used for evaluating current practices and
resolving problems in the work place
When commissioned research is to be used for decision-making processes,
you do need to offer some suggestions at the end of the report about how the
problem can be resolved
Usually limited to an in-house document intended for management, and the
report should therefore be formulated in simpler terms than a journal article
Exclude details regarding sampling, methodology and literature review
If required in an in-house report, they would be placed in an appendix at the
end of the report
Begin with an executive summary which contains the key findings and
recommendations of the research
Presentation may be required
o More flexible
The dissertation and the thesis:
Look at figure 10.2 on pg. 263 for the classic structure
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