HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH REPORT

1
HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH REPORT

• Select a topic not too broad or too narrow

• Know the Purpose of the report or type of report

• Analyze break things into parts to find how
  they relate
• (evaluate, examine, explain, describe).

• Argue or support take a stand for or against
  and give reasons

• Describe recreate details so audience can
  understand it

• Discuss tell about topic from more than one
  perspective
• (different aspects of topic, or different points)

• Develop a thesis statement read about topic and
  then decide
• a sentence (or two) that tells what you plan to
  research
• the point you want your reader to get

2
HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH REPORT

• Search for information know the Dewey Decimal
  System

• Prepare a preliminary bibliography note cards
  work well

• Critically evaluate sources fact vs opinion
  bias knowledgeable

• Take notes
• write main ideas with page numbers and reference
  
• use short forms and phrases
• place quotation marks on quotations
• use ellipsis () if words left out

• Avoid plagiarism by correctly
• Summarizing reduce what you have read to a few
  main points
• Paraphrasing restate all that you have read in
  your own words
• Quoting record word for word and use quotation
  marks

3
HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH REPORT

• Organize Design a plan
• Standard form is the 5 paragraph essay, even if
  longer the
• pattern is the same

• Introduction
• Includes thesis statement main idea point of
  the paper
• Grabs attention story or quotation background
  info
• Surprising facts important definitions reason
  for choice

• Body Paragraphs
• Provide details about the thesis statement
• Appear in logical order
• Begins with topic sentence that ties into
  preceding one
• has several points of support

• Conclusion
• Restate thesis and shows how its been supported
• Ties details together and brings reader to same
  conclusion as you

4
HOW TO CITE SOURCES

• Basic Rules are as follows
• Authors last name first, followed by a comma,
• then the first name. If there is more than one
  author,
• write the first authors last name first,
  followed by a comma
• and the first name, then list the rest of the
  authors.
• Begin the first line of an entry on the left
  margin,
• then indent 1 cm for the remaining lines of that
  entry.
• Double space all entries.
• Capitalize the first letter of each word in
  titles.
• Underline (or italicize, if using a computer) the
  names of books,
• journals, magazines, newspapers, and films

5
BASIC FORMS OF CITATIONS FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY

• A book
• Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare, Viking
  Press, New York, 1993.

• An article in a periodical
• Cox, Beverly and Martin Jacobs. Spirit of the
  Harvest. Native People Magazine.
• Volume 10, Number 2 (1997) Pages 12-17

• A Web Page
• Nigro, Frank G. Franxfiles. Revised 18 January
  1999. 21 June 1999.
• http//shastacollege.edu.english/fnigro/.

• Article from a reference book
• Mandarin. Encyclopedia Americana. 1980

• An interview that you conducted
• Rogers, Melvin R. Personal Interview. 12 November
  1999.

• CD-ROM
• The CIA World Factbook. CD-ROM. Minneapolis
  Quanta, 1992

6
FOOTNOTES, ENDNOTES, PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

• Footnotes
• appear at the end of each page within the text of
  the report itself
• A number is placed in superscript at the end of
  the sentence,
• And at the beginning of footnote

• Endnotes
• Appear at the end of the report
• More popular now

• Parenthetical Citation
• Easiest to use when reading or writing
• Place name of author and page number of the
  source in
• parenthesis at the place where the source has
  been referred
• The complete biographical info is at the end.

7
HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH REPORT

• Checklist
• Is your thesis clearly stated?
• Do your paragraphs follow in a clear, logical
  order?
• Does the report follow the outline you wrote?
• Have you cited your sources?
• Have you made sure you have not plagiarized?
• Are your ideas clear?
• Have you used good transitions?
• Co you have clear topic sentences for paragraphs?
• Have you used good sentence variety, and
  descriptive verbs etc.
• Have you used proper grammar verb tense SV
  agreement
• Fragments spelling active voice punctuation
• This borrowed largely from How to Write a
  Research Report,
• Mari Lu Robbins, Teacher created Materials, Inc.