WRITING TO

INVESTIGATE
INVESTIGATIVE WRITING DEFINED
Investigative writing sets out to investigate a topic and
report the findings to the reader.
It is a document that sparks some sort of action based on
the official findings it presents.
The investigation report is also a record of the steps of the
investigation. It can be used to prove that your
investigation was timely, complete and fair.
RESEARCH
 is careful, systematic study in a field of knowledge, undertaken to
discover or establish facts or principle (Webster in David, 2002;
Garcia, 2008)
 finding new truths about specific discipline (Javier, 2004)
A systematic process of collecting and analyzing data to find an answer to a
question or a solution to a problem to validate or test an existing theory; a
process that follows systematic procedures, ask appropriate questions and
use reliable & valid instruments (David, 2002)
- The collection of data in a rigorously controlled situation for the purpose
of prediction & explanation (Quinton,2006)
CRITERIA OBSERVED BY THE
RESEARCHER
ACCURACY
PRECISION
RELIABILITY
REPLICABILITY
VALIDITY
BEING SYSTEMATIC
CRITERIA OBSERVED BY THE
RESEARCHER
ACCURACY
PRECISION
the correctness or
truthfulness of something
exactness or accuracy
ability to avoid errors:
the ability to be precise and
avoid errors
CRITERIA OBSERVED BY THE RESEARCHER

REPLICABILITY VALIDITY
 faithful copy of something: effective: bringing about
an accurate reproduction of an the results or ends
object
intended
 faithful copy of artwork: a
scrupulous copy of a work of justifiable: reasonable or
art, especially one made, justifiable in the
authorized, or supervised by the circumstances
original artist
RELIABILITY (RELIABLE) BEING SYSTEMATIC
done methodically: carried out in
trustworthy a methodical and organized
manner
able to be relied on
well organized: habitually using a
method or system for
organization
based on system: constituting,
based on, or resembling a system
GENERAL
CLASSIFICATIONS OF
RESEACH
ACCORDING TO WHO DOES THE
RESEARCH
Academic Research- ex. Term paper, reports, theses,
dissertations, seminar paper, etc.
Professional Research – ex. Proposals, feasibility studies
Government Research- ex proposals, feasibility studies
Private Research – ex. Position paper
ACCORDING TO USE
BASIC/PURE RESEARCH APPLIED RESEARCH

If it answers questions is conducted when a

with theory decision must be made
This is done purely to about a specific real-life
verify the acceptability of problem
a given theory or to know
more about a certain
concept.
ACCORDING TO DISCIPLINE

Science, applied science, technology

Social science, health, education, psychology
Humanities, history, philosophy
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH GOALS

Descriptive- describes phenomenon/na includes

case study, survey, field, library, documentary
Exploratory- uncovers data not previously or fully
known to answer research
Explanatory- tests & predicts causal relationships,
effects of intervention
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH GOALS
 Pilot Studies- research on new systems, new setups or intervention
Evaluative- comes up with impact results, effects, outcomes &
assessment research
Policy Analysis- generates information relevant to policy-making &
its impact
Feasibility Studies- decide the factors for viability or success of any
plan or course of action
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH DESIGN
Case study- having a detailed study about one person’s
situation within a considerable unit of time
Survey- gathering relatively limited data from a relatively
large number
Library research- making use of a working bibliography
available in the library
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH DESIGN

Field Research
Documentary- gathering information by examining records
and documents
Participatory- the people themselves who develop their
own theories participate in the research for solutions to
problems
WRITING A
RESEARCH
REPORT
RESEARCH REPORT

A research report is a completed study that

reports an investigation or exploration of a
problem, identifies questions to be addressed,
and includes data collected, analyzed, and
interpreted by the researcher.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESEARCH REPORT &
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
RESEARCH REPORT RESEARCH PROPOSAL

is prepared after a study is is prepared before a study

completed. begins.
communicates what was communicates a
actually done in a study, researcher's plan for a
and what resulted. study.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESEARCH REPORT
& ARTICLE
RESEARCH REPORT ARTICLE
is a primary source is a secondary source
it reports the methods and  it does not report original
results of an original study research by the author.
performed by the
researcher. 
STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH REPORT

• The research report format mainly consists of three main sections:

1) The Introductory Section
2) The Main Body Of The Report
3) The Reference Section
THE INTRODUCTORY SECTION

a) Title Page
b) Acknowledgments (if any)
c) Table of Contents d) List of Tables (if any)
e) List of Figures (if any)
f) Abstract
THE BODY OF THE REPORT
2.1. Introduction
a) Statement of the Problem
b) Significance of the Problem
c) Purpose
d) Statement of Hypothesis e)
 Assumptions f) Limitations
g) Definition of important Terms
THE BODY OF THE REPORT

• 2.2. Review of Related Literature (analysis of previous research)

• 2.3. Design of the Study
Description of Research Design and Sources of Data
 Sampling Procedures
Methods and Instruments of Data Gathering
Statistical Treatment
THE BODY…
2.4. Analysis of Data text with appropriate
 Tables
Figures
2.5. Results and Discussion
Major Findings (reject or fail to reject Ho)
2.6. Summary and Conclusions
Conclusions
Recommendations for Further Investigation
3. THE REFERENCE SECTION

References/ Bibliography
Appendices
THE INTRODUCTORY SECTION
• Title page
identifies the title of the report, the name of the researcher, the name
of the guide, institution, month and year of submission.
The title should communicate what the study is about. A well
constructed title makes it easy for the reader to understand and
determine the nature of the topic .
•  Acknowledgments
This page permits the writer to express appreciation to persons who
have contributed significantly to the research
THE INTRODUCTORY SECTION
• Table of Contents
The table of contents is an outline of the report that indicates the
page number on which each major section and subsection begins
• List of Tables
A list of all the tables included in the report along with the page
numbers should be provided.
• List of Figures
A list of all the figure included in the report along with the page
numbers should be provided. 
THE INTRODUCTORY SECTION

• Abstract
The abstract is a brief but comprehensive summary of the
research report
 It includes a concise statement of the goal of the research,
the type of participants and instruments, outlines the
methods, major results and conclusions.
Abstract must be limited to a specific number of words,
usually between 100 and 500 words.
THE BODY OF A REPORT
• Introduction
The Introduction section provides the theoretical framework of the study within
which the research has been conducted, background information of the topic as
well as the need for and rationale for the research, to make the material more
logical, useful and interesting for readers.
The introduction begins with a description of the research problem or topic and
includes objectives, significance of the problem, research questions, statement
of hypothesis(if any)
 It also includes the assumptions of the study(if any), definition of important
terms, limitations and delimitations of the study.
THE BODY OF THE REPORT
 Review of Literature
The Review of Related Literature indicates what is known about the problem or
topic.
Its function is to educate the reader about the area under study.
 Design of the Study
This section provides a detailed description of the methodology used in the
study. e.g. population, sample size and sampling techniques and tools used in
the study.
The purpose of this section is to describe in detail how a researcher performed
the study so that someone should be able to replicate the study based on the
information that a researcher provide in this section.
THE BODY OF THE REPORT
For a qualitative study, this section may also include a detailed
description of the nature and length of interactions with the
participants. The description of participants includes information
about how they were selected and mainly representative of the
population.
The description indicate the purpose of the instrument and the
validity and reliability of the instrument.
THE BODY…

 Analysis of Data
 This section describes the statistical techniques or the
inferential interpretations that were applied to the data and
the result of these analyses.
Tables and figures are used to present findings or graphic
form which add clarity in findings for a reader.
THE BODY…
 Results and Discussion
 The Results section is to tell the reader what was found in the study.
 it includes the descriptive statistics for the relevant variables (e.g mean,
standard deviation).Then tell the reader what statistical test you used to test
your hypothesis and what you found.
 The Discussion section is where the researcher interprets and evaluates the
results.
The discussion of a research report section presents the theoretical and practical
implications of the findings and make recommendation for the future research.
THE BODY…
Discuss the results of the current study, explaining exactly
what was found.
Account for the research findings, relate back to the
previous research and theories highlighted in the
introduction
Discuss the limitations of the current study and provide
ideas for future research.
End with a conclusion.
THE BODY…
 Summary and Conclusions
Conclusions is a summary of the main ideas that come out from the
discussion.
it draws all arguments and findings together.
 It indicates whether hypothesis were accepted or rejected.
It summarizes major findings of the study.
The purpose of this section is to evaluate interpret the result,
especially with respect to the original research question.
THE REFERENCE SECTION REFERENCES/
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 The References section
 provides the reader with all the information needed to seek out and
obtain all original sources used in the research. it is written in the
alphabetical order.
 Appendices
provides a place for important information.it includes tools
prepared by the researcher and used in the study.it may be lettered,
interview, names, raw data and data analysis sheets
SOURCES

• Lomer, D. (2016). The Ultimate Guide to Writing Investigation Reports. https://

i-sight.com/resources/ultimate-guide-to-writing-investigation-reports
• Zaina, A. (2015). Research Report. https://www.slideshare.net/zulfazoufishan/research-report-
45426923