WRITING A RESEARCH

REPORT
Purposeful Writing in the Disciplines and for Professions, Reading and Writing
Skills
 DEFINITION
Research is “the systematic investigation into and study of materials and
sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions (Google).” The key to a
good research report is the phrase “systematic investigation.” Thus,
researchers follow certain processes to reach valid conclusions and
discoveries.
 RESEARCH IN OUR DAILY LIVES
How do you think the people several hundred years ago discover that the world is round rather than
flat? In another instance, how do scientists create new medicines to counter illnesses? They subject
themselves to the process of research, hence, producing innovations and discoveries.

Research is the “process of posing a research problem, gathering information, determining

relationships, and writing the paper.” After completing the process, it is usually disseminated through
publication or presentation.

Research is a skill that students can master as it requires writing skills, obtaining information, and
posing convincing arguments. The research process cannot be rushed and it takes time.

Formal research is done when you conduct a thorough inquiry on a particular topic. You determine a
research problem first and provide answers to the research questions. On the other hand, informal
research is conducted on tasks that do not require a highly structured paper as an output.
 EXAMPLE
Formal Research

• The Effects of Color on Advertising and its Relationship with Buying Power
• Determining the Motivation of Toddlers in Learning a Language
• Alternative Sweeteners in Beverages and its Effect on the Body

Informal Research

• The different colors of the rainbow

• The history of computers
• The reasons for cheating
PARTS OF A RESEARCH REPORT
 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND
REVIEWING RELATED LITERATURE
The research problem and the questions that you produce are the heart of
your research report. The research questions embody the main problem of
your research that you will answer later on. The first thing that you should do is
to have a topic in mind, ask yourself, what you are interested in. Write down
words or phrases on a piece of paper and try to make connections between
the ideas and terms that you have generated.
 EXAMPLE
The terms “poor country, “dental habit,” and “non-governmental
organization” are the simple independent ideas. By establishing connections
among the terms, research questions can be produced. Take note that the
research questions that you will produce should not be simply answerable by
"yes" or "no".

After formulating the research questions, find relevant sources for your
research paper. In some instances, research questions are not stated – a
research problem is shown instead.
 MATERIALS AND METHOD
This section of the research report should explain the methods that you will deploy and the data that you wish to
gather. There are several ways to gather data. In the sciences, you use experiments to test the hypothesis. This is
one way of obtaining data, by experimentation. In other fields, such as the social sciences and business,
researchers use survey questionnaires and interview to obtain the necessary information.

Focusing on the questionnaire, it is the instruments that you will distribute to you respondents. It contains questions
that would prompt answers from the survey population. The answer provided by the respondents will assist you in
answering your research questions or problem. Ultimately, the data from this part of the research process will enrich
the research report in totality. Before, creating the questionnaire, you have to determine your purpose.
Furthermore, all the questions that you will produce should be aligned with the research problem or questions.

Assuming that you have completed the data gathering stage, you will have to write the methodology of the
research report. You will state the following items:

The respondents of your research

The data gathering procedure
How you will analyze the data
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results contain graphic representation of that data you have processed in the course
of your research. You will provide the results of the data analysis but your are not yet to
discuss the implication of it.

You may use a table if your want to summarize your data analysis. On the other hand, you
may use figures such a charts if you want your readers to see trends in your data set.

The discussion presents answer to the research questions that you have created in the
introduction. You will relate the data analysis to the questions. Also, you have to discuss
studies that support or contradict your findings. Inferences should be made as well with the
information that you have uncovered.

In the conclusion, you have to cite inferences that you made that answered the research
questions. This can be done in bullet form or in prose form. Consequently, the
recommendation provides possible tasks to those who will benefit from the research report.
 TIPS
 To remember the parts of the research paper, remember the term IMRD that means Introduction-
Methodology-Results-Discussion.
 In creating topics, or to be more specific, research problems, think of complex ideas or issues. You
have to create research questions that are not simply answerable by "yes" or "no."
 In getting related materials for your research, use scholarly search engines. If your institution has
access to electronic databases, use it. This will ensure that you will get quality information for your
research.
 Do not change topics frequently, choose one and stick to it. Remember, research calls for you to
be patient and diligent.
 You should not copy and paste passages from other sources without citing it. Without citations, you
will be accused of plagiarism.
 If you need to copy a statement from a source directly, you need to quote it. At the end of the
quote, indicate the source. Quotations should be used sparingly. Only use this when the passage is
of high importance.
 Always summarize or paraphrase passages from another source and indicate the source at the
end using the appropriate format.