Chapter Checklists

As a consumer of research, you should be able to

1. Identify the four major sections of a quantitative research report
2. Identify the report's problem statement
3. Follow the arguments in a literature review leading to the research questions and hypotheses
4. Assess the research methods described in the methods section for their adequacy and appropriateness
5. Read a results section and independently interpret the findings presented
6. Read a discussion section and assess the adequacy and appropriateness of the researcher's interpretations
7. Find a citation in the text of the research report and locate its corresponding reference in the reference list

As a researcher, you should be able to

1. Construct a literature review that situates your research study in the historical context of research similar to yours
2. Develop a compelling problem statement
3. Find and integrate empirical research reports, theory articles, and literature review articles in your literature review
4. Organize your literature review to make the best presentation of research questions and hypotheses
5. Write a methods section describing the participants, research procedures, and variables
6. Write a results section that presents the findings in a straightforward manner
7. Write a discussion section that provides interpretations and implications of the research findings
8. Identify the limitations of your study and interpret the limitations with respect to your findings
9. Recommend future research ideas and methods
10. Finish the research report with an appropriate title, title page, abstract, and list of references
11. Use APA style for direct and indirect citations and for developing the reference list
12. Use the revision process to enhance the quality of the written research report
13. Submit your paper for review to a communication association convention