Ch20 - The Written Research Report

Which of the following statements is TRUE? a. Because the research report is all that most executives will see of a project, it is the basis for their evaluation of the research project. b. If the research team has worked exceptionally hard on the project at hand, a sloppy report will still show the amount of effort explained. c. Executives are easily convinced of the usefulness of the report's findings with a lot of statistics in the body of the report. d. The research report does not need to describe the research method because it is over the heads of the audience. e. All of these statements are false.

a. Because the research report is all that most executives will see of a project, it is the basis for their evaluation of the research project.

Report writing should NOT be evaluated on which of the following criteria? a. Inclusion of technically sophisticated explanations of data analyses b. Completeness of the report c. Conciseness of the writing style d. Accuracy of the information presented e. Clarity of the writing style

a. Inclusion of technically sophisticated explanations of data analyses

Completeness of the research report should be evaluated from the perspective of the reader. a. True b. False

T

The most important part of a written research report is the introduction. a. True b. False

F

Completeness of the research report should be evaluated from the perspective of the researcher. a. True b. False

F

Including too much information in a research report actually makes the report more usable. a. True b. False

F

It is not in the best interests of the researcher to point out the limitations of the research to the reader. a. True b. False

F

The methods, results, and limitations of the research project are presented in the introduction of the written report. a. True b. False

F

The most important part of a written research report is the appendix. a. True b. False

F

The most technically oriented material in the report will usually be found in the introduction. a. True b. False

F

When it comes to the actual writing of the report, you should use short paragraphs and long sentences. a. True b. False

F

An incomplete report probably means that you'll have to write supplementary reports. a. True b. False

T

Definitions of unfamiliar terms should be included in the introduction. a. True b. False

T

Definitions of unfamiliar terms used in the report should be defined in the introduction. a. True b. False

T

Results that are interesting but irrelevant in terms of specific research problems should be omitted. a. True b. False

T

Tables, charts, and exhibits of other kinds can't replace text completely. a. True b. False

T

The appendix usually contains the most technically oriented material in the report. a. True b. False

T

The fundamental criterion by which research reports are evaluated is communication with the reader. a. True b. False

T

Using a good outline can help you achieve clarity, accuracy, and completeness in your report. a. True b. False

T

Definitions of unfamiliar terms used in the report should be defined in the a. introduction. b. summary. c. body. d. conclusions. e. appendix.

a. introduction.

Which section usually makes up the bulk of the report? a. Summary b. Results c. Method d. Introduction e. Appendix

b. Results

Which section of the report is considered one of the most difficult to write? a. Executive Summary b. Conclusions and Recommendations c. Methods d. Results e. Introduction

c. Methods

The basics of the sampling plan used in the research project are typically presented in the ____ of the written report. a. summary b. conclusions and recommendations c. method d. introduction e. appendix

c. method

Which of the following is NOT true when presenting the results in the body of the report? a. Tables and figures should be used sparingly because they can be included liberally in the appendix. b. Each table should address only a single problem. c. Numbers in tables should be rounded to two effective digits. d. Irrelevant information should be omitted. e. Tables and figures should be logically ordered.

a. Tables and figures should be used sparingly because they can be included liberally in the appendix.

Which of the following is TRUE about the technical aspects of a research report? a. The technical sophistication of the report reader should act as a guide for the technical sophistication of the report. b. Technical jargon impresses the report reader. c. The technical capacity of the reader is unimportant as far as the research report is concerned. Rather, the reader's interest is critical in determining the content of the report. d. None of these are correct. e. All of these are correct.

a. The technical sophistication of the report reader should act as a guide for the technical sophistication of the report.

The most technically oriented material in the report will usually be found in the a. appendix. b. introduction. c. summary. d. conclusions and recommendations. e. bibliography.

a. appendix.

The most important part of a written research report is the a. summary. b. body. c. appendix. d. conclusion. e. introduction.

a. summary.

Which of the following is FALSE? a. A good test of a summary is self-sufficiency in that a summary should not require the appended full report but should be able to stand on its own. b. In general, it is not desirable for the researcher to draw conclusions in the written report. Rather they should limit their reports to presentation of the facts and should let the reader draw his or her own inferences from this presentation. c. The good summary in a research report contains the necessary introductory information to provide background and the important results and conclusions. d. The true summary is an abstract of the whole report in which everything is restated in condensed form. e. As a general rule, the research report with wide distribution will require a more extensive introduction than a report for a narrow audience because a major purpose of the introduction is to provide the background information the reader needs to appreciate the discussion in the body of the report.

b. In general, it is not desirable for the researcher to draw conclusions in the written report. Rather they should limit their reports to presentation of the facts and should let the reader draw his or her own inferences from this presentation.

The researcher told his client that the data indicated a relationship between the weight of dogs and consumption of low calorie dog biscuits. The researcher's remarks were a a. recommendation. b. conclusion. c. hypothesis. d. research proposal. e. None of these are correct.

b. conclusion.

Which of the following best describes the essential goal of a complete research report? a. Presentation of the technical aspects of all data analyses performed in the project b. Presentation of all information needed by the reader in easily understandable language c. Presentation of all data collected in the research project in easily understandable language d. Adherence to the outline of the report e. Accurate presentation of information

b. Presentation of all information needed by the reader in easily understandable language

Which of the following is FALSE? a. Definitions of unfamiliar terms should be included in the introduction. b. The introduction should not state the specific objectives of the research. c. The report reader should be made familiar with the relationship between the research project and other related work. d. The body of the report is one of the hardest sections to write in that it is important that the reader be told what was done, and why it was done, without the use of technical jargon. e. All of these are correct.

b. The introduction should not state the specific objectives of the research.

A research report is NOT a. clear if it provides all the information the readers need in a language they understand. b. incomplete when it is brief. c. determined by the reader's interest and abilities. d. capable of generating inaccuracies due to inept phrasing, illogical reasoning, and mishandling of the data. e. hard to tailor to a group of executives.

b. incomplete when it is brief.

A good summary should NOT contain a. background information. b. tables of data. c. conclusions. d. recommendations. e. purpose of the research.

b. tables of data.

Which of the following statements is FALSE about research reports? a. They must be tailor-made for their readers. b. They must pay attention to the audience's technical sophistication. c. They must be written at an 8th grade reading level or below. d. They must pay attention to the audience's interest in the subject. e. They must be written with understanding of the circumstances under which the audience will read and use the report.

c. They must be written at an 8th grade reading level or below.

Which of the following is TRUE? a. In general, the amount of detail contained in the research report should be inversely proportional to the amount of direct control the user can exercise over the areas under discussion. b. A good rule of thumb in report writing is to include all those findings that might be of interest to the reader. c. One particularly helpful technique for securing conciseness in a research report is to read the draft aloud. d. The true summary is an abstract of the whole report in which everything is restated in condensed form. e. The writer must make a trade-off between completeness and conciseness.

c. One particularly helpful technique for securing conciseness in a research report is to read the draft aloud.

Completeness of the research report should be evaluated from the perspective of the a. researcher. b. data collected. c. reader. d. data analyst. e. report writer.

c. reader.

Which of the following statements is FALSE? a. The research report represents the end product of the research process. No matter what the proficiency with which all previous steps have been dispatched, the project will be no more successful than the research report. b. The audience determines the type of report. Researchers must make every effort to acquaint themselves with the specific preferences of their audience. They should not consider these preferences as unalterable, but any deviations from them should be made with reason and not from ignorance. c. The fundamental criterion by which research reports are evaluated is communication with the reader. d. The technical capacity of the reader is unimportant as far as the research report is concerned. Rather, the reader's interest is critical in determining the content of the report. An interested reader should be expected to overcome any difficulties he or she might have in understanding the report because of limited technical expertise. e. The competency of the researcher is often evaluated based on the readability of the research report.

d. The technical capacity of the reader is unimportant as far as the research report is concerned. Rather, the reader's interest is critical in determining the content of the report. An interested reader should be expected to overcome any difficulties he or she might have in understanding the report because of limited technical expertise.

Which of the following is NOT typically part of the good summary? a. Introductory information providing background for the research b. Important results c. Conclusions d. Cost of the project e. All these are part of the good summary.

d. Cost of the project

The research report writing standards are a. cleverness, accuracy, and competency. b. clarity, awareness, and complexity. c. convincing, accuracy, and candor. d. clarity, accuracy, and completeness. e. capable, adequate, and competent.

d. clarity, accuracy, and completeness.

The researcher's recommendations a. should follow the conclusions in the report. b. are straightforward for strategy-oriented research. c. are less straightforward for discovery-oriented research. d. All of these are correct. e. None of these are correct.

d. All of these are correct.

Which of the following is TRUE? a. A conclusion is an opinion of what future action should be taken. b. In general, it is not desirable for the researcher to draw conclusions in the written report. Rather they should limit their reports to presentations of the facts and should let the reader draw his or her own inferences from this presentation. c. If a report is to be read by one familiar with the research topic, an introduction is unnecessary. d. As a general rule, the research report with a wide distribution will require a more extensive introduction than a report for a narrow audience because a major purpose of the introduction is to provide the background information the reader needs to appreciate the discussion in the body of the report. e. In general, the amount of detail contained in the research report should be inversely proportional to the amount of direct control the user can exercise over the areas under discussion.

d. As a general rule, the research report with a wide distribution will require a more extensive introduction than a report for a narrow audience because a major purpose of the introduction is to provide the background information the reader needs to appreciate the discussion in the body of the report.

Which of the following is typically NOT included in the body of a research report? a. Statements as to whether the results are based on primary or secondary data b. Description of the sampling plan c. Discussion of the method of analysis d. Conclusions e. Statement of the limitations of the study

d. Conclusions

When developing a table to include in a report body, the following hint should be followed: a. try to address more than one problem in the table. b. place figures in ascending order. c. round percentages to the second decimal place. d. None of these are correct. e. All of these are correct.

d. None of these are correct.

Which of the following is NOT a recommended guideline for the presentation of tables in the body of the written report? a. Order the columns or rows in the table by some measure of size. b. Put the numbers to be compared into columns rather than rows. c. Give brief verbal summaries of each table. d. Put the numbers to be compared into rows rather than columns. e. Round all numbers to two effective digits.

d. Put the numbers to be compared into rows rather than columns.

Which of the following is NOT an aid in the crafting of a research report that meets the writing criterion of clarity? a. Using short sentences b. Using a logically ordered outline c. Rewriting the first draft d. Re-stating an important point in different words e. Using short paragraphs

d. Re-stating an important point in different words

Which of the following is FALSE? a. The research report is the end product of the research process. b. The fundamental criterion by which research reports are evaluated is communication with the reader. c. The report reader is the only reason to prepare a research report. d. The intended use of the research report does not affect the content of the report. e. The research report criteria of completeness, accuracy, clarity, and conciseness are related.

d. The intended use of the research report does not affect the content of the report.

When it comes to discussing the limitations of the study, the writer should a. emphasize what could have been accomplished given a larger research budget. b. acknowledge that all studies contain error and this one is no different. c. not mention them and let the data speak for itself. d. provide a balanced account of the specific problems. e. tell an amusing anecdote relating to statistical infallibility.

d. provide a balanced account of the specific problems.

To improve your writing, a. use technical terminology. b. use the longest words possible. c. write only one draft. d. read it aloud. e. use complex sentences.

d. read it aloud.

Which of the following is typically NOT included in the introduction to a research report? a. Definitions of unfamiliar terms or terms with a specific usage in the report b. Background history of the research and the report c. Specific objectives of the research d. Hypotheses guiding the study e. Description of the sampling frame and sampling plan

e. Description of the sampling frame and sampling plan

Which of the following statements is TRUE? a. A research project is a failure if you can't communicate the results effectively. b. The written report has a huge impact on whether the information generated by the research is actually used. c. Reports are all that most executives will see of the project. d. A solid written report sends an important signal about the likely quality of the overall project. e. All of these statements are true.

e. All of these statements are true.

Accuracy in a report refers to a. mathematical accuracy. b. grammatical accuracy. c. correct terminology. d. mathematical and grammatical accuracy. e. All of these are correct.

e. All of these are correct.

A written report may be considered incomplete because it a. is too brief. b. includes interesting but not vital information. c. is too long. d. includes statistical calculations unfamiliar to the reader. e. All of these are sources of report incompleteness.

e. All of these are sources of report incompleteness.

The following items should be included in the sampling section of the body of the report EXCEPT a. the definition of the population. b. what was done. c. how the sample was chosen. d. why the procedure chosen was used. e. All of these should be included in the sampling section.

e. All of these should be included in the sampling section.

Which of the following details about the sampling plan could the researcher reasonably exclude from the body of the report? a. How the population was defined and limited b. How the list of sampling units was generated c. What bias may have been introduced by overcoming difficulties in contacting designated sample elements d. Why the size of sample was chosen e. Calculations used to determine the sample size

e. Calculations used to determine the sample size

Which of the following is NOT a common source of inaccuracy in report writing? a. Simple errors in addition or subtraction b. Confusion between percentages and percentage points c. Inaccuracy caused by grammatical errors d. Confused terminology resulting in fallacious conclusion e. Faulty data analysis

e. Faulty data analysis

Which of the following should NOT be included on the title page of a research report? a. The subject of the report b. The name of the research organization c. The date of submission d. The name of the client organization e. The cost of the project

e. The cost of the project

Which of the following should NOT be placed in the appendix of the written research report? a. A copy of the data collection form b. Detailed calculations of test statistics c. Detailed calculations used to determine sample size d. Source tables for summary tables found in the body of the report e. The formal statements of the research hypotheses

e. The formal statements of the research hypotheses

Which of the following characteristics should NOT affect the content of the research report? a. The reader's technical sophistication b. The reader's interest c. The circumstances surrounding the research d. The intended use of the report e. The researcher's technical sophistication

e. The researcher's technical sophistication