Review of the literature

• In journal manuscripts, this review is sometimes included in the introduction; in research reports, it is usually a separate section
• Provides an integrated summary of knowledge related to the problem selected for study
• May be organized to show the historical trends in research related to the selected problem, describe dominant research trends, show areas of agreement and disagreement among findings, or indicate gaps in research
• References to research cited include names and dates of publication set in parentheses

Methods

• Description of design used (survey, experiment, multi-method approach, etc.)
• Identification of the target population and sampling design and details (size, method, return rate, etc.)
• Description and definitions of variables (conceptual analysis)
• Descriptions of operations used to measure the variables (items, scales, indexes, etc.)
• Description of coding and scoring procedures
• If an experiment was used, provide a full, clear description of procedures used for creating the experimental and control groups, for administering the experimental variable, and for collecting pre- and posttest data

Findings

• Findings central to the research question or hypothesis are presented first
• Results of univariate analysis (means, standard deviations) are presented first, followed by any bivariate, multivariate, or inferential analyses
• Tables and figures are clear, all parts are labeled, direction of percentaging is clear, each table or figure has a brief, clear title
• Results presented in tables or figures are summarized or interpreted, not simply repeated in the accompanying text
• Results of tests of null hypotheses are clear, showing the critical values obtained, degrees of freedom involved, and the probability values for each test

Discussion

• Interpretation of results follows the order in which the analyses were presented, with the key results related to the research question or hypotheses being discussed first If used, results of tests of hypotheses, including any null hypotheses, are discussed in terms of their theoretical or practical importance
• Results may also be interpreted or discussed in relation to what was found in the review of the literature, pointing out where your findings agree and where they disagree with current knowledge on the problem being studied
• May include discussion of the implications of the results, provide recommendations for future research, or recommendations for action on the problem that was studied

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