Recent Question/Assignment

Research Report
Your research report will be a summary and analysis of the articles written about a specific issue or topic. The topic needs to have multiple perspectives and be relatively recent, within the past 5 or 10 years.
For your research report, you will read a large number of articles (between 10 and 15) on the topic of your choice. Your research report will categorize and summarize the important ideas and analysis that appear in these articles. It will also discuss the techniques that the authors use to present their arguments and convince their audience.
Length:
12-15 pages in total. Single-space your paragraphs but double-space between them.
Format:
• Running header that includes a title, the course and section number. Use a running footer for page numbers centred at the bottom of the page (small Roman Numerals for the intro pages, and regular Arabic numbers for the rest of the document.)
• Title Page (1 page) Use APA format requirements as outlined in the Owl Purdue Writing Lab or Cites and Sources. The Title Page is the first page of the report, but it is not numbered.
• Table of Contents (1 page) See Owl Purdue Writing Lab on Reports.
• Executive Summary (1/2 page): provide a quick but persuasive, at-a-glance summary of the entire contents of the report. Highlight or give an overview of the main points that you make in each section. This is the most important page of your research document, since this is what goes to senior executives for a decision on the report in the business world.
The Executive Summary is written after the rest of the report has been completed, and is in past tense, never future, since it presents the results of your research.
• Introduction (1/2 page): Introduce the main idea or ideas of the report and indicate the overall plan or organization of the material.
• Background (1/2 page): Summarize some basic facts or background about your topic using a variety of sources to explain the topic. Describe what the issue is and why it is important.
• Viewpoints, Arguments, Evidence and Techniques (8–10 pages): This is the main section of your report. Group the different viewpoints that your authors have into several different categories with a separate subheading for each topic. Analyze each viewpoint and explain why the authors approach the topic in the way that they do. Consider factors such as timing and context, audience, and their own credentials. Evaluate the argumentation strategies and whether they are effective.
Kent Lewis’s introductions (W & W) to Chapter 3 on “Questions” and to Chapter 8 on “Argument” will provide you with the rhetorical and analytical tools (inductive and deductive reasoning processes, measureable and testable evidence, logical and emotional fallacies) that will help give your discussion the level of complexity and professionalism that it needs. Use this terminology in your report so that your analysis is clear.
• Conclusion (1/2 page): Relate back to the material in the introduction by summarizing the main ideas and making clear how they relate to your overall viewpoint. Your conclusion should bring everything together in a manner that is interesting and convincing.
• References: At least 10 but no more than 15 high quality sources. As mentioned, use a variety of sources (online, the library databases, news websites, print material, social media) but at least 3 and no more than 5 must be academic peer-reviewed sources.
If you need help finding research sources and articles, the NAIT librarians are your best resource. Note: You may change some of your sources from your Proposal Report, but you MUST stay with the same requirements in terms of TYPES of sources.
Your research report will be evaluated for:
• Content (clear, complete and appropriate), including sources
• Report format, including headings and subheadings
• Diction (professional tone, standard language, no slang or jargon)
• Grammar and other writing matters
• APA format, including spacing, running header and footer, and documentation
Please submit a print copy for marking and grading, and upload a copy into the course Moodle using the following file identification: last name_first name_ResRep.

Looking for answers ?