Preparing a Research Report
A research experience provides undergraduates a problem-solving activity unlike anything else in the curriculum. It provides exposure to research methodology and an opportunity to work closely with a faculty advisor. It usually requires the use of advanced concepts, a variety of experimental techniques, and state-of-the-art instrumentation. Ideally, undergraduate research should focus on a well-defined project that stands a reasonable chance of completion in the time available. A literature survey alone is not a satisfactory research project. Neither is repetition of established procedures. The Committee on Professional Training (CPT) strongly supports efforts by departments to establish active and vibrant undergraduate research programs, recognizing the role that research can play in developing a wide range of student skills. The 2015 guidelines allow for the use of undergraduate research both as in-depth coursework, as well as a means of meeting 180 of the 400 laboratory hours required for certification provided that a well-written, comprehensive, and well-documented research report is prepared at the end of a project (samples of such research reports must be submitted with the periodic reports.) The CPT has a separate supplement outlining the components of successful research programs and projects.
Preparation of a comprehensive, well-documented and appropriately referenced written research report is an essential part of a valid research experience, and the student should be aware of this requirement at the outset of the project. Interim reports may also be required, usually at the termination of the quarter or semester. Sufficient time should be allowed for satisfactory completion of reports, taking into account that initial drafts should be critiqued by the faculty advisor and corrected by the student at each stage. It may be expected that concrete outcomes of any research project would be student presentation of research results at a professional meeting and/or co-authorship on a journal publication. While desirable outcomes, they are not a substitute for a well- written comprehensive report that demonstrates that the student has a full grasp of the scope of the problem, the techniques/instrumental methods used, and the ramifications of the results generated (much as might be expected for a capstone paper or a B.S. thesis). The student report should receive substantive critique and correction by the faculty mentor in its development.
Guidelines on how to prepare a professional-style research report are not always routinely available. For this reason, the following information on report writing and format is provided to be helpful to undergraduate researchers and to faculty advisors. Much of what follows is similar to what authors would find in many ‘guidelines to authors’ instructions for most journal submissions.
The most comprehensive student research reports examined by CPT have been those student reports reviewed by more faculty than just the supervising research advisor. In some cases, programs require an approval of the report by several faculty members; in such cases, student research reports are often of high quality.
Organization of the Research Report
Most scientific research reports, irrespective of the field, parallel the method of scientific reasoning. That is: the problem is defined, a hypothesis is created, experiments are devised to test the hypothesis, experiments are conducted, and conclusions are drawn. The exact format of scientific reports is often discipline dependent with variations in order and content. The student is encouraged to adopt the format that is most appropriate to the discipline of the research. Many journals offer a formatting template to aid the author. One example of such a framework is as follows:
Title and Title Page
The title should reflect the content and emphasis of the project described in the report. It should be as short as possible and include essential key words.
The author’s name (e.g., Mary B. Chung) should follow the title on a separate line, followed by the author’s affiliation (e.g., Department of Chemistry, Central State College, Central, AR 76123), the date, and possibly the origin of the report (e.g., In partial fulfillment of a Senior Thesis Project under the supervision of Professor Danielle F. Green, June, 1997).
All of the above could appear on a single cover page. Acknowledgments and a table of contents can be added as preface pages if desired.
Abstract
The abstract should concisely describe the topic, the scope, the principal findings, and the conclusions. It should be written last to accurately reflect the content of the report. The length of abstracts varies but seldom exceeds 200 words.
A primary objective of an abstract is to communicate to the reader the essence of the paper. It should provide sufficient information to describe the important features of the project in the absence of the rest of the document. The reader will then be the judge of whether to read the full report or not. Were the report to appear in the primary literature, the abstract would serve as a key source of indexing terms and key words to be used in information retrieval. Author abstracts are often published verbatim in Chemical Abstracts.
Introduction
“A good introduction is a clear statement of the problem or project and the reasons for studying it.” (The ACS Style Guide. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2006.)
The nature of the problem and why it is of interest should be conveyed in the opening paragraphs. This section should describe clearly but briefly the background information on the problem, what has been done before (with proper literature citations), and the objectives of the current project. A clear relationship between the current project and the scope and limitations of earlier work should be made so that the reasons for the project and the approach used will be understood.
Experimental Details, Computation Procedures, or Theoretical Analysis
This section should describe what was actually done. It is a succinct exposition of the laboratory and computational details, describing procedures, techniques, instrumentation, special precautions, characterization of compounds and so on. It should be sufficiently detailed that other experienced researchers would be able to repeat the work and obtain comparable results.
-2-
In theoretical reports, this section would include sufficient theoretical or mathematical analysis to enable derivations and numerical results to be checked. Computer programs from the public domain should be cited. New computer programs should be described in outline form.
If the experimental section is lengthy and detailed, as in synthetic work, it can be placed at the end of the report so that it does not interrupt the conceptual flow of the report. Its placement will depend on the nature of the project and the discretion of the writer.
Results
In this section, relevant data, observations, and findings are summarized. Tabulation of data, equations, charts, and figures can be used effectively to present results clearly and concisely. Schemes to show reaction sequences may be used here or elsewhere in the report.
Discussion
The crux of the report is the analysis and interpretation of the results. What do the results mean? How do they relate to the objectives of the project? To what extent have they resolved the problem? Because the “Results” and “Discussion” sections are interrelated, they can often be combined as one section.
Conclusions and Summary
A separate section outlining the main conclusions of the project is appropriate if conclusions have not already been stated in the “Discussion” section. Directions for future work are also suitably expressed here.
A lengthy report, or one in which the findings are complex, usually benefits from a paragraph summarizing the main features of the report – the objectives, the findings, and the conclusions.
The last paragraph of text in manuscripts prepared for publication is customarily dedicated to acknowledgments. However, there is no rule about this, and research reports or senior theses frequently place acknowledgments following the title page.
References
Thorough, up-to-date literature references acknowledge foundational work, direct the reader to published procedures, results, and interpretations, and play a critical role in establishing the overall scholarship of the report. The report should include in-text citations with the citations collated at the end of the report and formatted as described in The ACS Style Guide or using a standard established by an appropriate journal. The citation process can be facilitated by using one of several available citation software programs. In a well-documented report, the majority of the references should come from the primary chemical literature. Because Internet sources are not archival records, they are generally inappropriate as references for scholarly work. They should be kept to a bare minimum.
Preparing the Manuscript
The personal computer and word processing have made manuscript preparation and revision a great deal easier than it used to be. It is assumed that students will have access to word processing and to additional software that allows spelling to be checked, numerical data to be graphed, chemical structures to be drawn, and mathematical equations to be represented. These are essential tools of the technical writer. All manuscripts should be carefully proofread before being submitted. Preliminary drafts should be edited by the faculty advisor (and/or a supervising committee) before the report is presented in final form.
-3-
Useful Texts
Writing the Laboratory Notebook, Kanare, H.M., American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1985.
This book describes among other things the reasons for note keeping, organizing and writing the notebook with
examples, and provides photographs from laboratory notebooks of famous scientists.
ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information, Coghill, A.M., Garson, L.R.; 3rdEdition, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2006.
This volume is an invaluable writer’s handbook in the field of chemistry. It contains a wealth of data on preparing any type of scientific report and is useful for both students and professional chemists. Every research laboratory should have a copy. It gives pointers on the organization of a scientific paper, correct grammar and style, and accepted formats in citing chemical names, chemical symbols, units, and references.
There are useful suggestions on constructing tables, preparing illustrations, using different fonts, and giving oral presentations. In addition, there is a brief overview of the chemical literature, the way in which it is organized and how information is disseminated and retrieved. A selected bibliography of other excellent guides and resources to technical writing is also provided. See also The Basics of Technical Communicating. Cain, B.E.; ACS Professional Reference Book American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1988.
Write Like a Chemist, Robinson, M.S., Stoller, F.L., Costanza-Robinson, M.S., Jones, J.K., Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008.
This book addresses all aspects of scientific writing. The book provides a structured approach to writing a journal article, conference abstract, scientific poster and research proposal. The approach is designed to turn the complex process of writing into graduated, achievable tasks.
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
GET A PERFECT SCORE!!! 
Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.
You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.
Read moreEach paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.
Read moreThanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.
Read moreYour email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.
Read moreBy sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.
Read more