finding writing in your research project
- 1. Business Project Lecture 8 – Writing the “Findings” section (focus on Presentation of Findings)
- 2. Lecture Overview Review the progress on your project so far • Data collection? • Data analysis? • Writing? The “Findings” section • Content and structure of the section • Top Tips for this section • How to present your data Module Feedback
- 3. Progress on your research: Completed Working towards completion: Your final research topic and question Finalising primary data collection by 22/03/24 Your Literature Review Finalising secondary data collection by 22/03/24 Your research Methodology Analysing your data ASAP Data collection instruments & relevant docs Presenting and discussing your findings by 14/04/2024 Data analysis method Writing the conclusion and sorting out presentation by 22/04/2024
- 4. Remaining sessions: Discussing data collection and analysis issues with your Supervisors Students can get feedback on their draft through a mini presentation during this seminar. A presentation template will be available on Blackboard
- 5. Important Messages Is there still time to change my topic/research question? No Is there still time to change my data collection strategy? No Ethical Clearance: The latest day you can have your ethical clearance signed off is the 22nd of March 2024 during the seminars.
- 6. Data Analysis - support • Seminars • Supervisory meetings • Lectures from the Business Project in Theory module • Lectures from the Business Project module • Extra resources on Blackboard
- 7. Writing and Feedback – support Writing Feedback service that enables you to get same-day feedback on a piece of writing, Studiosity - Study support | UWE Bristol
- 8. Writing and Feedback - support
- 10. Importance of the section This is (usually) the most exciting section in a research project! Getting to the findings section means that you are done with the data collection and analysis (big applause to yourselves!!) and are now ready to write about what you have done, rather than what others have said about your subject area!! Note, that at some point in the discussion you will have to link your findings back to previous research so you can discuss your findings in a meaningful way The purpose of this section is to demonstrate how you have met that coveted gap in the research and generally made a useful contribution to knowledge!! (e.g. confirm what we know already, add a different perspective/parameter on what we know, identify a different way to get to valid conclusions etc)
- 11. Expectations for the structure Since this is a smaller research project the expectation is that you will present and discuss your findings in the same section. The approach you should be using is: Description – Analysis – Synthesis Note, that by the time you get to write this section you should have already completed the analysis of your findings! Also, it is expected that you have used a specific method for analysing your data, which implies that you have first organised your data, then analysed it and you have now organised your findings appropriately! If that is not the case, it is highly possible that your findings section could be messy – to avoid this, use an outline before you get started with the writing!
- 12. Literature Review Research Proposal Individual Business Project Differences 2,000 words 3,500 words Individual Business Project is 1,500 words longer. Abstract (200 words not included in the wordcount) Individual Business Project requires an Abstract. Introduction (300words) Introduction (350 words) Could be the same. Literature Review (825 words) Literature review (850 words) Could be the same. If it is a good one . Methodology (825 words) Methodology (850 words) Could be the same. Findings/Results (1000 words) This is a new section to be included in the Individual Business Project. Conclusion (350 words) This is a new section to be included in he Individual Business Project. Timetable/Milestones Timetable/milestones is not needed in the Individual Business Project. It can be added in the Appendix. References References Could be the same. Unless new references are added in the Individual Business Project. Appendix For the Business Project Report please remember that this is a new chapter that you should develop! This chapter should be straight after the “Methodology” chapter.
- 13. How to structure this section? Indicate that this is a different section by using a heading e.g. Findings or Results Step 1: discuss your data analysis method and provide details about the various steps you followed during the data analysis. • Statistical tests (if applicable) • Thematic codes (if applicable) Step 2: Presentation of the findings Step 3: Discussion of the findings (in relation to the theory/ hypotheses/research question etc) Step 4: Limitations of the findings
- 14. Managing the wordcount for this section? Our suggestion is that you will spend approximately 1,000 words for this section. We cannot tell you how many words you should dedicate for each of the “steps” we discussed previously. We can advise you though that the main focus should be on the discussion of the findings which, is the most important and interesting part of your research anyway
- 15. Organising your analysis Discuss method of analysis Present findings in a separate section Discuss Findings in a separate section Limitations Discuss method of analysis Present and Discuss Findings in the same section Limitations Option 1 Option 2 Main drawback with this approach is that students tend to focus more on the presentation and neglect the discussion of the findings!
- 16. Top Tips for the “Findings” section 1. Include only the important and relevant findings in this section. The results must be presented in an orderly sequence to provide clarity to the readers. 2. Make it easy for the reader to follow, use signposting and avoid going into a lengthy debate over the interpretation of the results. 3. Focus only on clear and precise observations that is linked to your research question specifically!! 4. Use appropriate visuals and/or extracts from your data (e.g. interview transcript) and discuss in depth. 5. Highlight the significance of your findings. 6. Acknowledge the key limitations of your findings.
- 17. Quantitative research For quantitative research, it is important to include visuals that will summarise your findings and help the reader understand the key trends in your findings and the relationship of your findings to the research question. E.g. data visualisation: charts, graphs, tables etc Please provide a descriptive label for all the visuals you use in your project.
- 18. An example of quantitative research Who reports high company performance? A quantitative study of Chinese listed companies in the energy industry | SpringerPlus | Full Text (springeropen.com) Please tell your Tutor how you are planning to discuss you findings and ensure that they agree with your proposition.
- 19. Qualitative research The main issue with reporting qualitative findings is that not all results are relevant/useful to your research question. The best way(s) to present the results of qualitative research is to frame your findings around the most important codes/themes that you obtained after you analysed your data OR based on the themes you identified in the Literature review. Qualitative research findings usually include • Direct quotes from the dataset • Tables or visual representations that summarise key codes/themes. Please provide a descriptive label for all the direct quotes and visuals you use in your project.
- 20. An example of qualitative research Servant leadership and conflict resolution: a qualitative study | Emerald Insight A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis | Quality & Quantity (springer.com) Please tell your Tutor how you are planning to discuss you findings and ensure that they agree with your proposition.
- 21. To sum up Each project is different and therefore there are different needs as to how you should present your findings. Also, the writing style of the researcher will influence the final decision as to how specifically you will present your data. Overall, • For quantitative data analysis your findings should be presented using tables, graphs, and any relevant visual representation that serves your analysis best. • For qualitative data analysis your findings should be presented using direct quotes and be organised around the key themes/codes. The latter can be organised in a visual way – similar to your theoretical model
- 22. Next week We will continue the discussion about the Findings section with a focus on how you should discuss your findings in relation to the Literature Review and your Research questions/hypotheses.
- 23. Module Feedback https://www.menti.com/ alx6ybsstonr
- 24. Thanks for listening! Any questions, feel free to email me, attend the drop in sessions, or ask your Tutors ☺ Please remember to get your Laptops/Tablets with you in your seminars and complete your homework before you go to your class.