Describe the elements that should be considered in writing research reports to ensure adherence to the ethical standard of honesty.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Some Final Thoughts on Reporting Quantitative and Qualitative Research The requirements for good research reports are similar in many respects for quantitative and qualitative research projects. Every research report should include good writing, a clear statement of the research question, an integrated literature, and a presentation of key findings with related discussion, conclusions, and limitations. The general sections of quantitative articles (Exhibit 12.1) may also be used by some authors of qualitative research reports. However, the differences between qualitative and quantitative research approaches mean that it is often desirable for research reports based on qualitative research to diverge in some respects from those reflecting quantitative research.
Reports based on qualitative research should be enriched in each section with elements that reflect the more holistic and reflexive approach of qualitative projects. The introduction should include background about the development of the researcher’s interest in the topic, whereas the literature review should include some attention to the types of particular qualitative methods used in prior research. The methodology section should describe how the researcher gained access to the setting or individuals studied and the approach used to managing relations with research participants. The presentation of findings in qualitative studies may be organized into sections reflecting different themes identified in interviews or observational sessions. Quotes from participants or from observational notes should be selected to illustrate these themes, although qualitative research reports differ in the extent to which the researcher presents findings in summary form or uses direct quotes to identify key issues. The findings sections in a qualitative report may alternate between presentations of quotes or observations about the research participants, the researcher’s interpretations of this material, and some commentary on how the researcher reacted in the setting, although some qualitative researchers will limit their discussion of their reactions to the discussion section.
Reports on mixed-methods projects should include subsections in the methods section that introduce each method and then distinguish findings from qualitative and quantitative analyses in the findings section. Some mixed-methods research reports may present analyses that use both qualitative and quantitative data in yet another subsection, but others may just discuss implications of analyses of each type for the overall conclusions in the discussions and conclusions sections (Dahlberg, Wittink, & Gallo, 2010). When findings based on each method are presented, it is important to consider explicitly both the ways in which the specific methods influenced findings obtained with those methods and to discuss the implications of findings obtained using both methods for the overall study conclusions.