книги / How to Write a Research Paper

UNIT 5.

Presenting Research Findings

“The measure of greatness in a scientific idea is the extent to which it stimulates thought and opens up new lines of research.” Paul A.M. Dirac

1.Give two reasons why you should include visual aids such as tables, graphs, and charts when reporting your research results.

2.Which version is the best one for reporting research findings and why:

Before you read the text…

What is the difference between the writing of decimals and long numbers in English and Russian?

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As you read the text…

Which software packages do the majority of respondents use?

What are the most widely implemented software modules among respondents?

What are the most important factors for selecting a particular software package among respondents?

Implementing Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: A Study of Benefits and Concerns.

Results

Table II shows a detailed breakdown of software packages. For the choice of software, the majority of respondents use either Baan or SAP systems, with the two systems accounting for 51.7% of respondents (26.7% Baan and 25% SAP). The next two highest percentages were 10% for Oracle and 7.5% for both JD Edwards and Lawson Systems. Clearly, SAP and Baan have a dominant position within the respondent groups. Table III provides a breakdown of modules implemented by respondents. The most widely implemented module among respondents was the finance module (92.6% of respondents), followed closely by the manufacturing module (88.1%). This supports findings in the existing literature.

In selecting a software package, the important factors among respondents in rank order were flexibility, availability of support resources, availability of implementation resources, industry specialization, and cost. Nearly 70% of the respondents considered flexibility very important or most important while only 28% of them considered cost very important.

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Table III. Percentages of ERP Modules Implemented

Figure 1 shows the distribution of the total number of modules implemented. Since the presumed goal of ERP is to integrate enterprise-wide systems, companies can be expected to implement more than one module. On average respondents had implemented 3.97 modules, with 36.5% of them implementing 5 modules and 19% implementing 4 modules. Only 13% of the respondents had implemented 3 modules or less.

Figure 1. Percentage of Modules Implemented

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After you read the text…

Write out the phrases for describing the way visual aids show results.

Translate the text into Russian.

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4. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate chart type:

Multi-axes chart, histogram, map chart, bubble chart, column chart, stacked column chart, line chart, scatter chart, gauge chart, bar chart, pie chart, Gantt charts

1.… chart is probably the most used chart type. This chart is best used to compare different values when specific values are important and it is expected that users will look up and compare individual values between each column.

2.… chart is a common variation of column charts used to present distribution and relationships of a single variable over a set of categories. A good example of a … chart would be a distribution of grades on a school exam.

3.… chart shows a composition.

4.… chart is an essentially horizontal column chart. If you have long category names, it is best to use … charts because they give more space for long text.

5.… chart is among the most frequently used chart types. Use lines when you have

a continuous data set. These are best suited for trend-based visualizations of data over a period of time, when the number of data points is very high (more than 20).

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6.… chart typically represents numbers in percentages, used to visualize a part to whole relationship or a composition.

7.… chart is primarily used for correlation and distribution analysis. It is also good for

showing the relationship between two different variables where one correlates to another

(or doesn’t).

8.… chart is a great option if you need to add another dimension to a scatter plot chart. Scatter plots compare two values, but you can add bubble size as the third variable and thus enable comparison.

9.… chart is good for giving your numbers a geographical context to quickly spot best and worst performing areas, trends, and outliers.

10.… chart was adapted by Karol Adamiecki

in 1896. But the name comes from Henry Gantt who independently adapted this bar chart type in the 1910s. These charts are good for planning and scheduling projects. You can visualize the total time a project should take, the resources involved, as well as the order and dependencies of tasks.

11. … chart is good for displaying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They typically display a single key value, comparing it to

a color-coded performance level indicator, typically showing green for “good” and red for “trouble.”

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12. If you want to show relationships and compare variables on vastly different scales, the best option might be to have multiple axes. … chart will let you plot data using two or more y-axes and one shared x-axis. However, the charts are rather difficult to read and understand.

Which charts will you use to present the results of your research?

5. Read and translate more phrases for reporting research findings:

Reporting results from questionnaires

The majority of respondents / those who responded said that ….

In response to Question 1, the majority of those surveyed indicated that …

Stating what you found

These tests revealed / showed / highlighted that …

Strong / Some / No evidence of X was found …

There was a significant positive / no correlation between …

On average / Generally speaking / Broadly speaking, we found values for X of … The average / mean score for X was …

Stating what you did not find

No significant difference / correlation was found / detected between X and Y in terms of Z / with regard to Z / as far as Z is concerned.

The analysis did not show / confirm any significant differences between …

With a few exceptions, our results show X did not affect Y.

Highlighting results

The most remarkable result to emerge from the data is that …

The correlation between X and Y is interesting / of interest / worth noting because …

It is critical / crucial / important to note that …

We believe that the result emphasizes the validity of our model.

This result has further strengthened our conviction that X is …

Our technique shows a clear advantage over …

This finding confirms / points to / reinforces / validates the usefulness of X as a …

Our study provides considerable insight into X.

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Stating that your results confirm some previous evidence

Our experiments confirm / corroborate / are in line with / are in good agreement / are consistent with previous results (Smith, 2006).

This also confirms / substantiates our earlier findings [39, 40, 41].

These values correlate favorably / fairly well with Smith (2006) and further support the idea / role / concept of …

Stating that your results are in contradiction with earlier evidence

Although/ Despite the fact that Smith (2006) found that …, we found that...

In contrast to / in contradiction with previous findings (Smith, 2006), we …

This study has not confirmed previous research on X. However / Nevertheless, it serves to …

Even though these results differ from earlier studies (Smith, 2006), they are consistent with those of …

Substantiating the acceptability of your results

As expected / hypothesized, our experiments prove that …

There is satisfactory / good agreement between …

No significant / substantial differences were found …

Our findings appear to be well substantiated / supported by …

Expressing caution regarding the interpretation of results

Initially we thought that … However, a more careful analysis / closer inspection revealed that …

Given that our findings are based on …, the results from such analyses should thus / consequently / therefore be treated with considerable caution.

Describing unexpected results

Our research has failed to account for / give an explanation for / give a reason for …

Regrettably, no evidence for … was found.

This number is slightly lower than the value we expected / predicted and there is certainly room for improvement.

6. Describe the research results you expect to obtain/have obtained. Use visual aids to illustrate your findings.

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UNIT 6.

Writing the Conclusion

and the Acknowledgement

“A hard beginning maketh a good ending.” John Heywood

1. What parts of a research work should the conclusion refer to? Compare your ideas with the following:

There are some common elements of a conclusion:

A summary of the main points of the study

Concluding statements made on the basis of the main body

The researcher’s opinion on what has been discussed

The limitations of the research work

The implication of the work for future research (recommendations)

Other important facts and figures not mentioned in the main body

2.Reading and translating

As you read the text…

Divide the conclusion into logical parts and entitle each part.

Conclusion and Future Research

The implementation of an ERP system is extremely costly to an organization. Not only is time and money swallowed up during implementation, but invaluable human assets as well. Decision makers must ensure that forethought and analyses take place beforehand. This study uses a survey instrument to analyze the benefits and concerns of ERP implementation. The results show companies can expect more intrafirm benefits, such as reduced inventory, improved quality, and shortened cycle time, from current ERP technology. ERP technology is not yet capable to handle the complexity of the whole supply chain. More supplier relationship management features need to be integrated. Our results also show that the business process re-engi- neering effort in financial processes concurrent with the ERP implementation achieves more benefits, and we may suggest that the so-called “best practices” defined in current ERP technology fit well with financial functions of today’s business.

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However, the non-financial processes may be more complex than the current “best practices” defined. The paper provides a first step to evaluate tangible and intangible effects achieved through comprehensive information technology and system implementations such as ERP systems. The limited sample size in this study prohibited us from employing causal models to examine interrelationships among variables. Furthermore, ERP technology and systems are continuously evolving. Future research should consider the dynamics of new business models, advanced communication technology, and enhanced information systems. It would also be interesting to investigate the relationship between the intrafirm and interfirm benefits generated from ERP implementation and the cultural factors of a firm.

After you read the text…

Write out the phrases for writing the conclusion.

Translate the text into Russian.

3. Read and translate more phrases for writing the conclusion:

Formulating the conclusion

In conclusion / To sum up, our work ...

Our work has led us to the conclusion that ...

In this paper / study we have analyzed...

This paper has investigated / explained / given an account of ...

Restating the research findings

The evidence from this study suggests / implies / points towards the idea that ...

The results / findings of this study indicate / support the idea that ...

Summarizing the achievements

Our research has highlighted / stressed / underlined the importance of ...

We have managed to do …

We have found an innovative / a new / a cutting-edge solution for ...

We have obtained accurate / satisfactory / comprehensive results proving / demonstrating that ...

We have devised a methodology / procedure which ...

Our study provides the framework / the basis / a blueprint / a springboard for a new way to …

The strength / strong point / value / impact / benefit / significance / importance of our work lies in ...

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Our investigations into this area are still in progress and seem likely to confirm our hypothesis.

Highlighting limitations

Our work clearly has some limitations. Nevertheless / Despite this fact/ In spite of this fact we believe our work could be the basis / a framework for …

The most important limitation is due to the fact / is a result of the fact that ...

The present study has only investigated / examined ...

Finally, a number of potential limitations / weaknesses / weak points need to be considered. First, ...

Outlining applications of your research

This study is the first step / has gone some way towards enhancing our understanding of ...

These observations have several implications for research into ...

Our method / technique / approach could be applied to ...

One potential / promising application of our technique would be ...

We are confident that our results may improve knowledge about...

Future work

We are currently in the process of investigating...

Research into solving this problem is already underway / in progress.

Our future work will concentrate on / focus on / look into ...

We hope that further tests will confirm our findings.

Further work needs to be done / carried out / performed to establish whether...

The design and development of … will challenge / be a challenge for us for years.

These findings suggest the following directions for future research: ....

4.Write the conclusion for your research. Keep in mind the problem statement, goal and objectives, methods, and results of your research.

5.Read and translate the acknowledgement below. What is the purpose of writing the acknowledgement?

This research was supported/partially supported by [Name of Foundation, Grant maker, Donor]. We thank our colleagues from [Name of the supporting institution] who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research, although they may not agree with all of the interpretations and conclusions of this paper.

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