DT421

LU 1
Week 2

The Basics of Research and

Report Writing
Introduction
Introduction To Design Theory

LU1 – Research, Report Writing and Referencing (Week 1)

In this first week of Design Theory, you

will be introduced to the basics skills
and concepts that lead to the
creation of a well thought out and in-
depth research Report.
What Is Research?
Research according to the Google Dictionary is defined as: “The systematic investigation
into and study of Materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new
conclusions.”

Research is therefore the most effective way to

objectively find facts and interpret them to
answer a question or to reach a conclusion.
Research is very important to a Designer as all
Designs start with basic research. This research
helps us to understand the clients, the project,
the materials, the materials, the possible
problems and the most probable solutions
The steps for Doing Research
Step 1:
Define what needs to be done and why?

In this part of the process, you want to try and find the core question being asked (The question your research
needs to answer). Also start looking for any important pieces of Information about the task such as how the
task should be completed, or any texts talking about the context in which you should keep your research.

DEFINE
Step 2:
Finding keywords (Clarify The Problems)

This section outlines the process of analysing a task and identifying key words that could impact the
research and report. Understanding key words helps determine the topic's details, while finding Instruction
words helps determine the task's requirements. Additionally, identifying words that might limit the research
helps maintain context and focus on the topic.

KEYWORDS
Step 3:
Start brainstorming the topic and do some reading

To rewrite a topic, break it down into manageable parts and consider subtopics to answer the question. Gather
definitions and basic information, compile them in a document, and use tools like mind maps to redefine the
problem. If needed, seek assistance from a senior researcher or subject matter expert to identify any gaps in your
understanding.

BRAINSTORM
Step 4:
Create a research question

In this part of the process, You now have a general understanding of the topics, the keywords and the Overall
context.
Now you must start creating a specific Research Question (If not already given) or many minor questions to be
answered that help guide you and focus you on your research and topic.
Make sure that your questions align with the task's requirements. You can use these questions to form a
research strategy and systematically answer them leading to the eventual answer of the overall topic you are
researching.

QUESTION?
Step 5:
Do information research to answer questions

In this part of the process, you will start your research using various resources (Book, Online Books,
Websites, Videos, Interviews, Magazine Articles). All this information will be used to support you when you
are analysing your questions and answering them.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS RESEARCH IS NOT THE ANSWER TO YOUR

QUESTIONS, IT IS ONLY TO HELP BACK UP YOUR ARGUMENTS.
Remember to keep all your resources in a central location so that you can refer to them later or to cite them
at the end of your report in the Bibliography

INFORMATION
The Format of a Research Report
A Research report is a way for someone to convey their findings or conclusions on a topic. In these
reports, Questions are posed and answered, and information is gathered, focused and geared towards
answering a specific question.

Many reports contain vast amounts of

arguments by the author along with supporting
information gathered in the research process. It
can also contain many visual aids such as
graphs, pictures, tables and many other forms of
visual communication.

A research report consists out of many

subsections which will be discussed
Subsections of a Research Report
The Cover Page and Title Page
• This page includes the Title of the report, name of the researcher and sometimes includes a professional
picture or cover for the report

The Table of Contents

• A Page detailing the exact location of each new section of the report.

The Introduction
• A small brief that describes the topic being explored, the question being answered and the objectives to
be tackled in the research report. Outlining the reports scope is also done sometimes
The Discussion
•This is the main body of the report, it gives the main arguments and research information. It
presents the analysis of the topics, divides the topics into headings which are tackled
independently and persuades the reader of the validity of arguments with references

The Conclusion
•A Page that ties all your arguments and discussions together. In this section, the overall question
posed in the report is finally answered outright and is very brief, clean cut and specific.

The References and Bibliography

•A reference list/Bibliography is very important and is used to store every source of information
that was used in the report. This list gives the reader a way to find the websites, books or any
other source in case they wish to read further on a topic.
The Appendices
•This section contains any extra essential materials, such as graphs, tables and images that support
your research but don’t relate directly to any discussion or findings that you made in your report.
 What is Referencing?
Why and how to use it
• Referencing is a way of using information from researched sources in your report to give validity to
your own arguments. This is done to provide your report with a series of linked information to help
make the report more interesting, more up to date and more valid.

• REFERENCING IS NOT THE BASIS OF A REPORT. REFEERENCES ARE A WAY OF

VALIDIATING YOUR OWN ARGUMENTS IN THE REPORT

• Referencing helps us to demonstrate that we have undertaken the appropriate literature, reading and
research has taken place.

• It allows us to avoid plagiarism by acknowledging the ideas and information of others.

• It helps you enhance your works validity and allows the reader to find more information about the
topics.
What to Reference / Cite
What should you Reference?
• Any and all sources of information that are not your own work, even if it's been translated into your
own words.

What is a Citation?
• A Citation works exactly as a reference, it is just using a direct quotation, or referring to an author
directly.
Referencing in the Report
Authors
• Author’s name followed by date of publication
 E.g. Gabe (2011) argues that..

• Quoting an author briefly:

 E.g. Gabe (2011:75) states that `Health inequalities are...

• Longer quotes – 2+ lines – start new line and indent. quotation marks are not need
 E.g. The concept of exclusion has come into ever-greater use with the deepening social crisis. Contrary
to what occurred in the industrial Revolution of the last century... (Bessis 1995:13)
• If there are two authors, cite both
 E.g. (Morris and Scott 1996)

• If there are more than two authors use et al (and others)

 E.g. (Williams et al, 2012)

• Quotations from journals follow the same format.

 E.g. Author + date of publication
- give full details in bibliography

• Citing sources that have not been read directly

 (Denney 2005, cited in Moore 2008)
-in the bibliography just reference Moore 2008
-only list texts in the bibliography if you have actually read them.
Bibliography/Reference List
• For essays divide bibliography into Texts and Websites

• Do NOT split into journals and books

• Sources cited in main text should be in the bibliography

• Publications by a single author should come before joint publications by the same order

• Don’t use et al in the bibliography

• If there are two books/articles by the same author in the same year, distinguish by using ‘a’, ‘b’ etc. after
the date

• Titles of books and journals should be in italics

• Don’t use numbers/bullet points before each source

Bibliography/Reference list Examples
• Single author:
Denney, D. (2005) Risk and Society. London: Sage Publications.

• Joint authors:
Crawford, A. and Newburn, T. (2003) Youth Offending and Restorative Justice. Cullompton: Willan.

• Edited book:
Lee, R. and Stanko, E. (eds) Researching Violence. London: Routledge.

• Chapter in an edited book:

Bury, M. and Gabe, J. (2006) ‘Television and medicine: Medical dominance or trial by media?’ In D.
Kelleher, J. Gabe and G. Williams (eds) Challenging Medicine. London: Routledge.
• Journal articles:

Beck, U. (2000) ‘The cosmopolitan position: Sociology of the second age of modernity’. British
Journal of Sociology 51 (1), 79-107.

Emslie, C., Hunt, K. and Watt, G. (2001) ‘Invisible women? The importance of gender in lay beliefs
about heart problems’. Sociology of Health and Illness 23 (2), 203-33.

There is no need to write Volume 51, Number 1, pages 79-107.

Citing/Referencing Websites
• In the report, identify the website in brackets: e.g. (Justice, 2012)

• If you cite different pages from the same website, distinguish them by adding [a], [b] etc. after the
reference to the website in the essay
- match this lettering in the bibliography

• In the bibliography, give full details

- URL of website, date accessed in alphabetical order
Website Examples in the Report
‘Young offenders may receive a range of court orders if they are convicted, from referral orders as a first
court disposal, through custody under a detention and training order (Justice, 2012[a]).

As of October 2012, 1,595 youth offenders (under 18 years old) are being held in custody in the secure
estate (Justice, 2012[b]).
Website Examples in Bibliography/Reference
list

Justice. (2012[a]) Disposals. [online] Available from:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/youth-justice/courts-and-orders/disposals [Accessed 19 December 2012]

Justice. (2012[b]) Youth custody data. Available from:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/youth-justice/custody-data [Accessed 19 December 2012]
Online/Electronic books/Journals
• Book online/electronic
Elliott, G.C. (2009) Family Matters. [Online] Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Available from:
http://www.mylibrary.com?ID=93941 [Accessed 18th June 2011]

• Journal article on line

Gabe, J., Exworthy, M., Jones, I.R and Smith, G. (2012) Towards a sociology of disclosure: the case of
surgical performance. Sociological Compass. [Online] 6, (11). Available from: doi: 10.1111/j.1751-
9020.2012.00490.x [Accessed 4th February 2013]
Q and A
To Do After This
Session:

Group Activity 1

Lu 1 & 2 Prescribed Reading