Social Science Research Reporting: A Manual For Beginners

I decided to write this textbook because textbooks on research reporting are hard to come by. What is mostly available are textbooks on research methodology, which given my experience as a researcher, consultant and lecturer in economics and research methodology is not what is needed by students, academia, civil servants, and government policymakers, but how to report or write a research paper. Research reporting is the format, that is, the pattern or the organisation of a research paper and the style of reporting the paper, of which the methods or techniques of research are an integral part. There are a variety of research reports. They include theses, projects as some will call them, seminar papers, term papers, workshop papers, and reports for business or government decision-makers. Reporting on these types of research papers differs in terms of organisation, style, and even in the mode of presentation, and it always depends on the target audience or outlets. A report may be directed at the researcher's colleagues within the academic environment, for publications in scholarly and professional journals, for presentation at conventions and conferences, or as fulfilment for the award of a degree, or for obtaining a certificate in a higher institution, for promotion in an academic institution, for the use of policy/decision makers in a government organisation, or in-house use. Whatever type of report is prepared, the format, length, style, and organisation of a published report should conform to the guidelines of the type of report. Thus, this textbook examines the various types of the research report with particular attention to their format, length, style, and even their mode of presentation. The textbook also examines the issues of citation and referencing which is an important aspect of any research report. The two most widely used styles of citation and referencing [the American Psychological Association (APA) style and the University of Chicago style (Kate Turabian style)] are critically examined.