Presentation of Findings

1. Presentation of Findings Writing Your Research

2. Review of Assignment 3 • Components • Background/ Introduction • Problem Statement • Literature Review • Theoretical Framework • Logical Structure • Research Questions/ Objectives/ Hypotheses

3. Assignment 3 Cont’d • Procedures • Research Design • Population and Sample • Methodologies (Two) • Data Collection Instruments • Reliability and Validity

4. Importance of Presenting • Results must be communicated- properly- or research is wasted. • Rayward, past editor of Library Quarterly says there is “a serious professional and academic obligation to report what [we] discover… the contributions of dissertations and reports to professional knowledge is not complete until they are published as either articles or books.”

6. Proper Presentation • Effective use of language (see Elements of Style, Strunk & White) includes: • Proper Grammar and spelling (forget spellcheck) • Three C’s: Clear, Concise, Coherent • Active voice preferred • Avoid personal pronouns (and overuse of the “the author”)

7. Central Arguments-Creswell • Questions to frame your presentation: • What do we need to better understand your topic? • What do we know little about in terms of your topic? • What do you propose to study? • What has already been learned or reported in this area? • What are the setting and the people that you will study?

8. Central Arguments-Adapted from Creswell • What methods do you plan to use to provide data? • How will you analyze the data? • How will you validate your findings? • Does your study present any ethical issues? • Does your study present any special limitations? • What is the practicability and value of the proposed study?

9. Four Considerations • Content • Structure • Style • Readership

10. Basic Considerations • Audience • Your intended audience (academics, employers, colleagues…) • Outlets for publication and their general readership • Length • For publication, roughly 25 pages. • Aim of Report • Exploration, Description, Explanation? • Clarify distinctions between findings (facts), statistical inferences, personal inferences, projections. • Identify the computations, statistics, etc. that support conclusions.

11. Organization of Report • Background/ Introduction • Problem Statement • Literature Review • Research Questions • Procedures (Research Design, Methodology) • Findings • Discussion • Conclusion

12. General Guidelines • Include all necessary information • Full research design, methodology, analysis • Be specific about how and why you draw the conclusions you do so readers can logically follow • Acknowledge limitations • Integrate supplementary information fully (tables, charts, figures)

13. General Guidelines Cont’d • Develop an outline • Allow for flexibility in developing ideas, especially with qualitative data. Data may need to be organized and reorganized. Ideas will be continually refined as patterns emerge • Good writing is like good teaching: Tell them what you’re going to tell them; Tell them; Tell them what you told them.

14. Special Considerations for Publication • Become familiar with publications • Know their “typical” audience • Know their “typical” article- style, topic, etc. • Select appropriate outlets for your material • Carefully review submission guidelines • Be prepared to revise • Most common complaint of editors is that authors seem unfamiliar with the journals to which they submit.

15. References • Babbie, E. (2005). The basics of social research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. • Gorman, G.E. & Clayton, P. (2005). Qualitative research for the information professional: A practical handbook. London: Facet Publishing.