Assignment Task

Background Information

This is a written task for You will use the feedback from your proposal to inform this research report. So think of the proposal as Part A, and the report as a continuation of this process (Part B). While our research topic is based on real research, it is fictitious and has been developed for the purposes of your written assessments. As such you will not need to conduct the research itself, but please pretend as if you are the researcher who has. You will use the information given to you here, your feedback from your proposal, and any further feedback given to you in your tutorials to help you develop your report.

We expect that you will use most of your Part 1 (proposal) submission content within this report, after adapting it based on feedback you receive on Part 1. This means you do not have to worry about self-plagiarism* in this assessment task series.

Questions

1. What is a research report, and how does it differ from a research proposal?
2. What is the review process for reports that are published as articles in journals?
3. Why am I being asked to write a research report?

Abstract

The abstract is a concise summary of the entire report, providing an overview of the study`s purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. While it is presented first, you will write this section last. Typically, an abstract should include:

• The research question or problem being addressed (rationale)
• Crucial information related to the methodology or approach used in the study
• Key results or findings obtained
• Conclusions/ implications of the study`s findings

Introduction

The elements required for the introduction are discussed in the Research Proposal Assessment Guide. However, the aim and hypotheses are written in the past tense in the final report.

Method

The elements required for the introduction are discussed in the Research Proposal Assessment Guide. Most sections of the method will be written in past tense now. However, there are cases where the present tense might be used, particularly when referring to established, repeated procedures (e.g. details of the RAVLT in the materials section)

Discussion

The discussion section is often the most critical part of a report, as it is where the writer can demonstrate their understanding of the study findings (results) and their ability to draw conclusions from them (or how it fits into the bigger picture).

The discussion section of a report typically includes a number of different elements integrated throughout the body paragraphs that all focus on the interpretation of key findings. To do so successfully, you will need to apply some of the skills you began developing when writing your research proposal - such as critical thinking and the synthesis of multiple pieces of evidence/information.

The key elements of the body paragraphs of the discussion are:

• A discussion on how the findings align with our current understanding of the research topic, which includes a comparison to past research findings and an evaluation and interpretation of key findings.
• A discussion of the implications of the findings, which highlight the broader contributions of the findings to science/society: Think about the significance of the results and the consequences of these findings (e.g., do your findings have implications for future studies, for clinical practice or government policy?).
• Acknowledgement of the limitations of the study, with explanation of how these limitations systematically impacted the findings.
• Suggestions for future research in the field are given, which logically flow from the information presented in the discussion.