Chapter 17: Communicating Social Science Research Findings Review

Place each part of a research proposal in the order in which it occurs. 1) Specific aims 2) Background and significance 3) Preliminary studies 4) Proposed methods 5) Timeline 6) Human subjects or ethics statement 7) References A) First B) Second C) Third D) Fourth E) Fifth F) Sixth G) Seventh

1) A 2) B 3) C 4) D 5) E 6) F 7) G

The number of words in most abstracts ranges from ____.

150 to 250 *An abstract is a brief summary of the research report; it appears on the first page, just beneath the report's title and author names. Most abstracts range from 150 to 250 words, although the length and format differ slightly across journals and academic disciplines.*

What size are most research posters?

4 feet by 8 feet *A poster can be constructed using basic software such as PowerPoint. Researchers create 16 to 20 slides that summarize their work and then arrange those slides in a series of rows or columns to tell their story. Most posters are 4 feet by 8 feet, so authors often use a professional printing service to print them. Others print each slide on a separate piece of paper and then tack them up to a large corkboard. The substantive structure of a poster is similar to that of a research report, with sections focused on background, methods, results, and discussion. The main difference is that the poster presents only the minimal information one needs to understand the study.*

No matter what citation style you use, all bibliographies share which important characteristic?

Alphabetical order by author's last name *Different academic disciplines and publications have different citation styles, but all bibliographies share one important characteristic: The sources are alphabetized on the basis of the first letter of the last name of the study's first author or, if the author is an organization (for instance, the American Medical Association), the first letter of the first word of the organization name.*

What does the final subsection of the methods section describe?

Analytic plan *The final subsection of the methods section describes precisely how the data were analyzed; this is also called the analytic plan. Recall from Chapters 14 and 15 the types of quantitative data analysis techniques one might use, such as means comparisons or multivariate analyses such as ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Authors should tell readers which method they used and why. Qualitative researchers will also describe precisely how they coded their data, providing information on the coding technique used, how they determined saturation, the software used to analyze the data (such as NVivo or ATLAS.ti), and other details of analysis.*

What can be particularly effective in conveying complex results?

Bar or line graph *A bar graph or line graph can be particularly effective in conveying complex results. Authors tend to use figures sparingly in research reports, relying on them more when presenting their research in posters or oral presentations. Bar graphs are helpful when conveying the results from interaction term analyses.*

In which section should researchers report on potential sources of sample bias and study attrition?

Discussion *A discussion section also includes a limitations subsection. This subsection summarizes the methodological weaknesses of the study and suggests ways these limitations might have affected the study results. In the limitations subsection, quantitative researchers tend to report on potential sources of sample bias and study attrition; a narrowly defined or nonrepresentative sample (for example, a study of whites only or college graduates only) or a small sample size with limited statistical power; poor-quality measures of key concepts; the use of cross-sectional data only, which limits one's ability to ascertain causal ordering; and lack of data on potentially important control variables.*

Which of the following is one of the best indicators of a journal's prestige?

Impact factor *An impact factor is a numerical value that indicates the average number of times the articles published in a journal within the past two years have been cited in other articles. A higher value means that the journal's average article is cited more often than an article published at a journal with a lower impact factor. There is no single metric that is best for evaluating the quality or prestige of a journal, and many scholars disagree vehemently about the value of such statistics.*

What is the most important goal of a research proposal?

Inspire confidence in readers *The proposal will not have a formal results section because the project has not yet been carried out. The most important goal of your proposal is to inspire confidence in your readers; they must be convinced that your project is important and well designed and that you are capable of carrying it out in a timely manner.*

According to the chapter's "Tips for Effective Writing" section, what is often the hardest part of writing?

Organization *Organization is often the hardest part of writing, and a well-thought-out outline can be helpful. While you shouldn't consider your outline as carved in stone, you should think carefully about the subsections of your paper, the subheadings that you will give to those subsections, and the order in which you will arrange those subsections. Outlines are most useful for the literature review and discussion sections of research reports, because the results section is already highly structured and systematic.*

Among professional social scientists, the most common form of research report is the ____.

Peer-reviewed article in a refereed journal *Among professional social scientists, the most common form of research report is the peer-reviewed article in a refereed journal. Many of the studies that you read about in this book were published in journals such as American Sociological Review, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, or Sociology of Education. Studies published in a refereed journal are first evaluated by peer reviewers, or experts in the field, who provide substantive feedback that the author must incorporate before the study is ready for publication.*

Dr. Zuber conducts some preliminary interviews with college students about their on-campus experiences for a research proposal she is writing. What type of data collection has she completed?

Pilot study *In a research proposal, researchers may report the results of a pilot study, or a small preliminary study that is a "trial run" for the larger study. For instance, you might plan to do a content analysis of fifty issues each of three different young women's magazines to explore how messages about teen sex have changed over the past fifty years.*

Which of the following statements about plagiarism is true?

Plagiarism is seldom blatant *Defining plagiarism can be tricky. Directly quoting someone else's work without citing the original source is the most blatant form of plagiarism. But plagiarism is seldom that blatant. Novice writers often don't understand that paraphrasing someone else's work without acknowledging the original source or doing a minor tweak of someone else's text also constitutes plagiarism (Johnson et al., 1998). Our advice is to err on the side of caution. A general rule is to cite the work of others if the information they convey is not considered part of our common knowledge.*

Which type of academic writing often begins with a one-page executive summary?

Policy briefs *Because the main audience for these reports is time-pressed policy makers or journalists writing about policy issues, the reports often begin with a one-page "executive summary." The executive summary distills the essential issues being debated, provides a brief statement about the importance of the issues at hand, and offers recommendations for action.*

Which of the following is the third step in writing an effective outline?

Revise your bullet points into complete sentences *In writing an effective outline, the first step is to determine the main points of each major section, and create subheadings that correspond to each point. The second step is to provide supporting ideas or evidence for each of the main ideas presented in your subsections. After you have incorporated your detailed facts and research summaries into the outline, your next step is to turn those notes into complete sentences. Finally, transform your sentences into paragraphs that capture a new idea, where the first sentence asserts the key point or thesis of the paragraph, and the subsequent sentences support the initial assertion.*

If you collected your own data, what should you describe first in your methods section?

Sampling strategy *If you collected your own data, you will describe your sampling strategy (see Chapter 6 for review) and other important pieces of information. For instance, if you carried out a survey study, you would provide information such as the response rate, number of persons in the overall sample and the number included in your own analysis, and possible sources of sample bias.*

Dr. Rogers submits her work to the journal Sociology Science Review. The editor decides to send her paper out for review and selects three reviewers. When the reviewers receive the paper, they can see that Dr. Rogers wrote the paper but she never knows who the reviewers are. What type of peer review system is this?

Single-blind *Double-blind peer review is a peer-review process in which both the author of the manuscript and the reviewers are anonymous. In single-blind peer review, only the reviewers are anonymous. Book manuscripts are often single-blind and journal articles are often, but not always, double-blind.*

In general, results sections of quantitative reports are organized around ____.

Tables *In general, results sections of quantitative reports are organized around the tables that present full results. The descriptive statistics table provides a statistical portrait of your sample or shows basic differences between the subpopulations you are comparing. The multivariate analysis tables, by contrast, demonstrate the effect of one variable on another, often revealing the pathways or mechanisms that link your key independent and dependent variables.*

Which of the following statements about tables and figures is true?

Tables and figures must stand on their own *Tables and figures should be able to stand on their own. That means a reader should be able to make sense of this information without flipping back to the text for explanation. Thus, tables should include a clear and descriptive title, the rows and columns should be clearly labeled, the variable names should be written out in full, the metric such as the scale range should be clear, and the table notes should signify what kinds of statistical tests were performed; asterisks are often used to denote the level of statistical significance.*

Which of the following statements about the discussion section is true?

The discussion section will sometimes highlight the implications of the findings for policy or practice *In some subdisciplines of sociology, the discussion section will also highlight the implications of the findings for policy or practice. Authors are advised to tread lightly: The recommendations offered should be supported by the data and should not be personal opinions that stray beyond what the data can support.*

What is the second step in the peer review process?

The editor decides whether to send the work out for review *The first step in the peer review process is the author decides where to send his or her work. The second step is the editor decides whether to send the written work out for peer review. The third step is peer reviewers evaluate the written work. The fourth step is the author revises and resubmits the work.*

How does a literature review for a research report differ from a literature review for a class paper?

The literature review for a research report should synthesize and critique the literature on your topic *All research reports, whether for a class assignment or an academic journal, include a review of the literature. (Revisit Chapter 2 for pointers on how to conduct a literature review.) The literature review included in your research report is distinct from the reviews you might write for a class. In a research report, you do not merely summarize the literature on your topic but rather synthesize it, critique it, and identify inconsistencies or limitations in prior studies. By highlighting deficiencies or gaps in prior work, you can demonstrate precisely what your study is doing that is new and different.*

Which of the following statements about the peer review process is true?

The most common decision at prestigious journals is reject *At prestigious journals, the most common decision is reject. But even if a paper is rejected, all hope is not lost. The author receives a letter from the editor saying that the paper is rejected, along with all the feedback offered by the reviewers--just as occurs in the R&R scenario. The one difference is that those who get an R&R decision will resubmit the improved paper to the same journal. Those who receive a rejection are not allowed to resubmit their revised manuscript to the same journal and instead may send it to another journal. However, if the concerns raised by the reviewers and editor are insurmountable, the author may decide to go back to the drawing board and do a drastic overhaul.*

Which of the following statements about evaluation reports are true?

They emphasize the practical rather than theoretical implications of the study findings *Evaluation research assesses whether an intervention, such as smaller class sizes or a workplace wellness program, produces its intended effects. Evaluation reports disseminate the results of an intervention study, with an eye toward communicating results to stakeholders, such as policy makers, practitioners, or corporate decision makers. They follow the same format as a research report, but they emphasize the practical rather than theoretical implications of the study findings. Evaluation reports should convey (1) whether the program or intervention was effective and (2) the extent to which the study findings might be applied to other settings.*

What type of abstract is this? https://services.wwnorton.com/aws/image?u=0&file=/wwnorton.college.public/coursepacks/soc/tassr/imgs/ARTSCISOC_FIG17.01.jpg

Unstructured *Most sociology journals use an unstructured abstract, such as this one, which has no subheadings and provides a brief synopsis of the work. Other journals, especially those in medicine, psychology, gerontology, and public health, have a structured abstract, which typically has four or five separate sections, such as background, objectives, methods, results, and discussion.*

Which of the following statements about oral presentations is true?

You should plan for one slide per minute of presentation *Most experts estimate that speakers should have no more than one slide per minute, so a 15-minute talk should include no more than 15 slides. Audience members are most excited to hear new results, so the bulk of the talk should focus on methods and results, rather than the literature review. Avoid slides that are too cluttered, and make sure to use a font big enough that people sitting in the back row of the audience can read it clearly. Tables should not be pasted in from your paper, although a small excerpt of a full table could be shown in large font. Use basic graphics such as bar graphs or line graphs to communicate your statistical results. Although novice presenters will sometime write out a script and read it word for word, that approach is generally frowned upon. Notes can be helpful, but speakers who read off their paper are not very engaging.*