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MGT 3213 - Chapter 9
Understanding the Report Process and Research Methods
55
Communication
Undergraduate 3
10/04/2012

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Term
analytical report
Definition
A report that presents suggested solutions to problems.
Term
Boolean logic
Definition
Used to narrow the selection of a researcher's search topic; Boolean operands (and, or, not) serve to limit the identified sites.
Term
conclusion
Definition
Derived from findings of a research study.
Term
correlation analysis
Definition
A statistical analysis technique that, for example, can be used to determine whether a relationship existed between how respondents answered one item and how they answered another.
Term
delimitations
Definition
Boundaries chosen by the researcher(s) to make a project more manageable; they may include the sources and methods chosen for primary and secondary research.
Term
direct quotation method
Definition
Involves citing the exact words from a source; useful when the writer believes the exact words have a special effect or the writer wants to give the impact of an expert.
Term
downward-directed report
Definition
A report that travels downward (to employees) in organizations.
Term
experimental research
Definition
Typically involves the study of two or more samples that have exactly the same components before a variable is added to one of the samples; any differences observed are due to the variable.
Term
explanatory note
Definition
A type of citation that is used for several purposes: (1) to comment on a source or to provide information that does not fit easily in the text, (2) to support a statistical table, or (3) to refer the reader to another section of the report.
Term
external report
Definition
A report prepared for distribution outside an organization such as a company's annual report to stockholders.
Term
finding
Definition
A specific, measurable fact from a research study.
Term
footnote citation method
Definition
A referencing method in which citations are placed at the bottom of the page on which they are cited.
Term
formal report
Definition
Carefully structured report; it is logically organized and objective, contains much detail, and is written in a style that tends to eliminate such elements as personal pronouns.
Term
functional report
Definition
A report that serves a specified purpose within a company; includes accounting, marketing, financial, personnel, and a variety of other reports.
Term
hidden Internet
Definition
Electronic databases not accessible by a search engine that provide access to articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, and other types of publications.
Term
hit
Definition
A located website that contains the word(s) specified in the search.
Term
hypothesis
Definition
A statement to be proved or disproved through research.
Term
in-text parenthetical citation
Definition
A reference that contains abbreviated information within parentheses; directs the reader to a list of sources at the end of a report.
Term
informal report
Definition
Usually a short message written in natural or personal language such as internal memos.
Term
informational report
Definition
A report that carries objective information from one area of an organization to another.
Term
internal report
Definition
A report that travels within an organization such as a production or sales report.
Term
lateral report
Definition
A report that travels between units on the same organizational level; generally used to assist in coordination in the organization.
Term
limitations
Definition
Boundaries imposed outside the control of the researcher(s); they may include the assignment of the topic, allotted budget, and time for completion of the report.
Term
longitudinal studies
Definition
Reports that study the same factors in different time frames.
Term
mean
Definition
The figure obtained when all the values in a distribution (table of values) are totaled and divided by the number of the values.
Term
measures of central tendency
Definition
Simple treatments of distributions of quantitative data that attempt to find a single figure to describe the entire distribution.
Term
median
Definition
The middle value in a distribution.
Term
methodology
Definition
The steps a writer takes in preparing a report; often recorded as a part of the written report; adds credibility to the research process and enables subsequent researchers to repeat, or replicate, the study in another setting or at a later time if desired. (procedures)
Term
mode
Definition
The value that occurs most frequently in a distribution.
Term
normative survey research
Definition
Undertaken to determine the status of something at a specific time; survey instruments such as questionnaires, opinion surveys, checklists, and interviews are used to obtain information from participants.
Term
null hypothesis
Definition
States that no relationship or difference will be found in the factors being studied, which tends to remove the element of prejudice toward a certain answer.
Term
observational studies
Definition
The researcher observes and statistically analyzes certain phenomena in order to assist in establishing new principles or discoveries.
Term
paraphrase method
Definition
Involves summarizing information in the writer's own words without changing the author's intended meaning.
Term
periodic report
Definition
A report that is issued on regularly scheduled dates; it is generally directed upward and serves management-control purposes.
Term
pilot test
Definition
Conducted prior to a full-scale survey; through this means, a smaller number of participants can test the instrument, which can then be revised prior to wide-scale administration.
Term
plagiarism
Definition
The presentation of someone else's ideas or words as your own.
Term
primary research
Definition
Relies on firsthand data (e.g., responses from pertinent individuals or observations of people or phenomena related to the user's study).
Term
problem statement
Definition
The particular problem that is to be solved by the research.
Term
procedures
Definition
The steps a writer takes in preparing a report; often recorded as a part of the written report; adds credibility to the research process and enables subsequent researchers to repeat, or replicate, the study in another setting or at a later time if desired. (methodology)
Term
proposal
Definition
A written description of how one organization can meet the needs of another (e.g., provide products or services or solve problems).
Term
range
Definition
The difference between the lowest and highest numbers in a distribution.
Term
recommendation
Definition
A suggested action based on research.
Term
references
Definition
An alphabetical listing of the sources used in preparing the report; also known as works cited or bibliography.
Term
reliability
Definition
Refers to the level of consistency or stability over time or over independent samples; data is reasonably accurate or repeatable.
Term
report
Definition
An orderly, objective message used to convey information from one organizational area to another or from one organization to another to assist in decision making or problem solving.
Term
sampling
Definition
A survey technique that eliminates the need for questioning 100 percent of the population; it is based on the principle that a sufficiently large number drawn at random from a population will be representative of the total population.
Term
scope
Definition
Helps to establish boundaries in which the report will be researched and prepared.
Term
search engine
Definition
A cataloged database of websites that allows users to search specific topics.
Term
secondary research
Definition
Provides information that has already been created by others; saves researchers time and effort by not duplicating research that has already been undertaken.
Term
source note
Definition
A type of citation that acknowledges the contributions of others.
Term
statement of purpose
Definition
The goal of the study; includes the aims or objectives the researcher hopes to accomplish.
Term
tabulation
Definition
Techniques used to reduce quantitative data such as numerous answers to questionnaire items (e.g., tabulating the number of males and females participating in the study, along with the appropriate percentages for each gender).
Term
upward-directed report
Definition
A report that travels upward (to management) in organizations.
Term
validity
Definition
Refers to the degree to which the data measure what the researcher intends to measure.
Term
vertical report
Definition
A report that can be upward- or downward-directed; generally used to contribute to management control.
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