A Student Guide to Writing Research Reports, Papers, Theses and Dissertations PDF
Preview A Student Guide to Writing Research Reports, Papers, Theses and Dissertations
A Student Guide to Writing Research Reports, Papers, Theses and Dissertations This useful guide for students combines all the guidance, advice and key tips needed to write successful research reports, theses or dissertations, exploring, in detail, each of the elements involved in writing an academic paper. The book will guide you through all the key sections of a report including the introduction, literature review, method, results, discussion and more. Each chapter contains instructions and advice aimed at three different levels of report writing e xperience – ‘ The basics’ covers the basic purpose and structure of each section as well as the most common mistakes, ‘ Refinements’ helps you to develop your report writing skills beyond the basics, adding polish and depth, and ‘ Advanced’ offers advice and insight into the most complex issues in report writing. In addition to the guidance, there are examples to show you the prin- ciples of report writing in action and exercises which allow you to test your understanding as you learn. An essential reference for any student writing an academic paper, A Student Guide to Writing Research Reports, Papers, Theses and Dissertations is the ideal resource to be used as part of your independent study or when working with a supervisor. Cathal Ó Siochrú is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Education Studies at Liverpool Hope University, UK. A Student Guide to Writing Research Reports, Papers, Theses and Dissertations Cathal Ó Siochrú Cover image: © Getty Images First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Cathal Ó Siochrú The right of Cathal Ó Siochrú to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library C ataloguing-i n-P ublication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978- 0-3 67-6 2103-2 ( hbk) ISBN: 9 78-0 -3 67-6 2104- 9 ( pbk) ISBN: 978- 1- 003- 10796-5 (e bk) DOI: 10.4324/ 9781003107965 Typeset in Bembo by codeMantra To Jules, without whom none of this would have been possible. Contents Foreword ix Author biography xi 1 Overview 1 2 The introduction 13 3 The literature review 37 4 The method 63 5 The results 89 6 The discussion 117 7 Abstracts, references and appendices 145 8 Desk- based research 169 9 Academic writing 197 Index 221 Foreword Just another book on how to do research? Well, no: this is the book that we have needed for a long time. The book that guides you to success in the job that is done by practically every student in further and higher education, every researcher, everyone carrying out an investigation: writing that final report. It’s the e nd- product of all your work and it’s the way you tell the world about it. So many of those books on research methods include, if we’re lucky, a chapter near the end on writing up research, almost as an a fter- t hought. But writing the report is surely the most important part of your investigation. It’s probably the longest piece of writing you’ll do, it’s complicated and it’s a highly specialised form of writing. Getting it wrong is easy and good guidance can be hard to find! I’ve taught in higher education for many years and helped students with hun- dreds of dissertations, special studies and reports; so I should be good at it, but there are always difficult questions. For example, many of my students were writing library studies on early years learning theories and they’d ask, “ What do I write in the methods bit? Do I just say I’ve been reading books and journal articles?” I remember that question most of all because it was a repeated one, and I never felt I really answered it properly. This book gives explicit guidance in producing the ideal final report for research in all forms and in all subjects. Like all good teachers, Cathal has carefully judged the way ideas and materials are presented and explained to make sense to the reader. Each chapter offers three levels of access: for the undergraduate beginner through to the experienced researcher and tutor, so all can read selectively. He also helps you to check and reflect on what you have learned, so the exercises at the end of each chapter give a thorough testing of your understanding. The structure of the report is explained chapter by chapter on each of its different sections, but I would draw your attention to C hapter 9 on ‘ Academic Writing’. This is often left unexplained, but is a skill which many students find new and challenging. The chapter will help you explicitly to take up the style and type of writing you need to convince your reader that you are a serious academic. You may also want to check out C hapter 8, which talks about how to write a report on a library study or non- e mpirical research, offering guidance on many aspects, including that tricky methods section.
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