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SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TUTORIAL
Components of a Research
Report
The six components of a research report are as follows: An abstract, introduction,
methodology, results, discussion, and references.
The Abstract
The abstract is an overview of the research study and is typically two to four paragraphs
in length. Think of it as an executive summary that distills the key elements of the
remaining sections into a few sentences.
In many cases, you can determine what is interesting about a study by analyzing the
abstract (see article by Noah Gray in The Huffington Post).
Introduction
The introduction provides the key question that the researcher is attempting to answer
and a review of any literature that is relevant. In addition, the researcher will provide a
rationale for why the research is important and will present a hypothesis that attempts to
answer the key question. Lastly, the introduction should summarize the state of the key
question following the completion of the research. For example, are there any important
issues or questions still open?
Methodology
The methodology section of the research report is arguably the most important for two
reasons. First it allows readers to evaluate the quality of the research and second, it
provides the details by which another researcher may replicate and validate the
findings. (1)
Results
In longer research papers, the results section contains the data and perhaps a short
introduction. Typically the interpretation of the data and the analysis is reserved for the
discussion section.
Discussion
The discussion section is where the results of the study are interpreted and evaluated
against the existing body or research literature. In addition, should there be any
anomalies found in the results, this is where the authors will point them out. Lastly the
discussion section will attempt to connect the results to the bigger picture and show how
the results might be applied. (3)
References
This section provides a list of each author and paper cited in the research report. Any
fact, idea, or direct quotation used in the report should be cited and referenced.
Animal Study: An animal or in vivo study is a study in which animals are used as
subjects. A common use of an animal study is with a clinical trial (see below) and as a
precursor to evaluating a medical intervention on humans. However, it is critical to
recognize that results from animal studies should not be extrapolated to draw
conclusions on what WILL happen in humans.
Case Study: A case study provides significant and detailed information about a single
participant or a small group of participants. “Case studies are often referred to
interchangeably with ethnography, field study, and participant observation.” (5) Unlike
other studies which rely heavily on statistical analysis, the case study is often
undertaken to identify areas for additional research and exploration.
Clinical Trial Study: A clinical trial study is often used in the areas of health and
medical treatments that will presumably yield a positive effect. Typically a small group
of people or animals are selected based upon the presence of a specific medical
condition. This group is used to evaluate the effectiveness of a new medication or
treatment, differing dosages, new applications of existing treatments. Due to the risk
involved with many new medical treatments, the initial subjects in a clinical trial may be
animals and not humans. After positive outcomes are obtained, research then can
proceed to a human study where the treatment is compared against results from the
existing standard of care.
Epidemiological studies are often beneficial in identifying areas for a more control
research evaluation; however all to often, readers of epidemiological research
miscategorize links and associations as causes. In addition, a common problem with
epidemiological studies is that they rely on memory recall which can be quite unreliable.
Additional Reading: To explore this topic in greater depth, please see The Craft of
Research.
copyright (c) 2016 My Athletic Life – All rights reserved. Part of the Scientific
Research 101 series.
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