Deck 14: Writing and Presenting Your Project Report

Question 1

Which of these is NOT a problem in writing up your research on a topic with which you are very familiar?

A) It is hard to put yourself in an uninformed reader's position
B) You will have too little meaningful material
C) It can be hard to simplify complex material and ideas
D) You may assume your reader knows more than they do

Answer 1

You will have too little meaningful material

Question 2

Writing up your project report should be left until the end of the research process to ensure you are ready.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Which of these is NOT likely to be a helpful strategy to assist you in starting to write your project report?

A) Write only when you feel like it
B) Set aside time to write
C) Find a regular writing place
D) Set yourself goals

Answer 3

Write only when you feel like it

Question 4

What is the 'clustering' method of planning a piece of writing?

A) Gathering psychologically comforting things around you when you write
B) Allocating consecutive writing days on your calendar
C) Discussing your research with friends in a group
D) Writing down key and subsidiary topics and drawing links between them

Question 5

Which of these report structures is likely to be most appropriate for a deductive research project?

A) Method, Literature Review, Results, Conclusion
B) Literature Review, Results, Method, Conclusion
C) Literature Review, Method, Results, Conclusion
D) Method, Results, Conclusion, Literature Review

Question 6

What is an "abstract"?

A) A short summary of the complete content of your report
B) The same as your introduction
C) The report you submit to your host organisation
D) A short summary of only the findings of your report

Question 7

What is meant by the "storyline" of a research project?

A) The narrative presentation of qualitative data
B) The structure that takes your reader on a 'journey' through the report
C) Your justification for why there is a gap in existing knowledge
D) Your personal reasons for undertaking the research

Question 8

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of the abstract of a project report?

A) Short
B) Self-contained
C) Indexes
D) Precise

Question 9

Details about the participants who took part in your study are best included in the ________ chapter.

A) Methods
B) Results
C) Introduction
D) Literature Review

Question 10

Critical discussion of the key theories informing your research are best included in the ________ chapter.

A) Literature Review
B) Conclusions
C) Results
D) Introduction

Question 11

A qualitative equivalent of quantitative tables and graphs in the presentation of data could be ________.

A) Photographs
B) Participants' quotes
C) Excerpts from field diaries
D) All of the above

Question 12

How should your conclusions differ from your findings?

A) Your conclusions discuss your interpretation of the key literature independently of the facts you present as findings
B) Your conclusions repeat the facts you present as your findings but relate them to the literature review
C) Your conclusions include your interpretation and application of the facts you present as your findings
D) There is no difference, they are the same

Question 13

"85% of online shoppers in the study preferred to use a website with an established 'offline' brand. This may suggest that firms who combine 'bricks and clicks' rather than solely trade online might gain competitive advantage." What chapter of your project report would this passage best be included in?

A) Findings
B) Method
C) Discussion
D) Introduction

Question 14

"A key issue for almost all the taxi-drivers that took part in the study was worsening concern for security by their employers, with one male participant stating "It's like they've just put the onus on us to take precautions at night, I was told I shouldn't be on the books if I can't handle myself on the job." What chapter of your project report would this passage be best included in?

A) Findings
B) Introduction
C) Discussion
D) Method

Question 15

The main focus of the ________ chapter is on interpretation of the results you have presented.

A) Results
B) Discussion
C) Conclusion
D) Literature review

Question 16

Material that is interesting, but not essential to know can be ________.

A) Omitted
B) Included in the main report
C) Made essential
D) Included in an appendix

Question 17

If you wish to include recommendations in your research report, it is a good idea to ________.

A) State their formulation as an explicit research objective
B) Not mention them until the very end of the report
C) Include them instead of more general conclusions to avoid excessive length
D) They should always be included in a research report

Question 18

Which type of research report are recommendations most appropriate in?

A) Management/ consultancy
B) Academic dissertation or thesis
C) Only sponsored research
D) All of these

Question 19

Which of these is a way to meaningfully present information in your chapters?

A) Use tables and diagrams
B) Section headings
C) Previewing and summarising material
D) All of these

Question 20

It is best to use a title that captures the essence of your project in as few words as possible.

Question 21

Only absolutely essential information should be included in a consultancy report.

Question 22

Which of the following sections of your project can be largely omitted from a report for a management audience?

A) Results
B) Literature review
C) Recommendations
D) Conclusions

Question 23

What is the 'abstract' of a management report usually called?

A) Abstract
B) Recommendations
C) Executive summary
D) Introduction

Question 24

Which of these is NOT a very good way to write clearer sentences?

A) Make them longer
B) Make them shorter
C) Proper punctuation
D) Avoid splitting clauses

Question 25

Clarity and simplicity should not be goals of academic writing, but instead reserved for writing management reports.

Question 26

Using large numbers of quotations from published literature ________.

A) Does little to show your understanding of the material
B) Disjoints your argument
C) Is not likely to get you high marks
D) All of these

Question 27

Being asked lots of questions is always a sign of a poor oral presentation.

Question 28

When is it most appropriate to write your project report using impersonal pronouns?

A) Always
B) Never
C) When you are writing for managers
D) When you have adopted a positivist stance

Question 29

Which of the following is the best reason why writing in the 'first person' is more appropriate to writing up an interpretive study?

A) Because the researcher is an integral part of the data
B) Because the researcher needs to stay objective
C) Because it shows you care about your research
D) You should never write in the first person

Question 30

Which of these is the best reason why it is a good idea to leave time between writing successive drafts of your chapters?

A) To allow your tutor long enough to read them
B) To gather more information
C) So you can come back to it with 'fresh eyes'
D) You should only write one draft

Question 31

Recommendations should be based on ________.

A) Findings
B) Assumptions
C) Opinion
D) All of these

Question 32

What is meant by 'synthesis' in academic criteria used to assess student abilities?

A) Cutting and pasting from various sources
B) Arrangement and assembly of existing elements to generate new ideas
C) Critically evaluating one idea in depth
D) Ability to work with others in a team

Question 33

"The ability to judge materials or methods in terms of internal accuracy and consistency or by comparison with external criteria." What is being described here?

A) Referencing
B) Description
C) Synthesis
D) Evaluation

Question 34

Using your project conclusions chapter is the best way to structure an oral presentation of your work.

Question 35

Which of these is NOT likely to be an effective oral presentation strategy?

A) Use few slides containing as much information as possible
B) Build breaks into your presentation delivery
C) Use visuals for clarification only
D) Tailor the content to suit your audience