Assignment Sheet

(Borrowed from Cindy Chinelly)

What is an Empirical Research Report?

An Empirical Research Report presents and analyzes your primary research
findings in response to a problematic question. Your research will be based on
direct observations, interviews, and/or questionnaires. The purpose of this
report is to inform the reader of the results of your first-hand findings.
These findings are presented in a scientific style (closed form).

Process

Creating an Empirical Research Report calls for the application of a variety of
intellectual skills. You will be relying on some of the same skills you used in your
first two writing projects: concise writing (summary), succinct analysis
(interpreting and evaluating), and informed research. You will also be learning
the rhetorically effective use of primary research. You will be conducting
observations, interviewing subjects, and/or constructing questionnaires. Once
you have completed your research, you will analyze your results and report your
process and findings to your audience. See Chapter 12 for more information
about this process.

The Assignment

You have just completed the first two steps in your semester-long research
project: The Research Proposal and the Annotated Bibliography. Now, you will
begin to gather primary sources in an attempt to find a solution to your problem.
These sources can be used in your final project: Proposing a Solution to a
Problem. Your assignment is to write an Empirical Research Report (700 –1,000 words)
using at least one method of primary research. The final draft of your report will
consist of the following:
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussion
• References (optional)
• Appendices
Your audience for this report is your instructor, TA, classmates, and those
interested in your research question.