Deck 10: Writing up Qualitative Research

Question 1

Harry F. Wolcott recommends a method of "prewriting," which involves writing ________.

A) before beginning your research
B) before you have all of your data
C) the conclusion before anything else
D) a first draft of each section before starting the analysis

Answer 1

before beginning your research

Question 2

When you begin to write up your research, it is critical that you ________.

A) find a quiet place where you can be alone with your thoughts
B) have completed all of your research and answered your research question
C) find the conditions that best facilitate your own ability to write
D) keep a strict deadline schedule

Answer 2

find the conditions that best facilitate your own ability to write

Question 3

Because writing (like analysis) is emergent, Kathy Charmaz argues that researchers should ________.

A) write several different drafts before settling on one
B) learn to trust in the writing process
C) depend on epiphanies and luck along the way
D) always bring in a colleague to help with the writing

Answer 3

learn to trust in the writing process

Question 4

Two guidelines that van den Hoonaard gives when including excerpts in your research report are ________.

A) break up quotes longer than four lines in length and use the first person
B) ensure excerpts are descriptive and that they are relevant to your topic
C) include the citation at the end and include the page number
D) ensure that they are characteristic of your data and try to keep them short

Question 5

In a report, an ellipsis (. . .) in a sentence indicates that ________.

A) word(s) have been removed
B) the participant ended the sentence without completing the thought
C) the author's words have been inserted in the place of the participant's words
D) there was a lengthy pause in the participant's response

Question 6

By lining up several short quotes in her work on widowers, van den Hoonaard was able to highlight ________.

A) the struggles widowers had with meeting new people especially potential life mates
B) the importance of family gatherings to keep widowers grounded
C) how widowers described their need to avoid spending too much time in their houses sitting around
D) new challenges widowers faced when tackling tasks traditionally completed by their late wives

Question 7

Using pseudonyms allows you to ________.

A) maintain neutrality while humanizing the participants
B) maintain confidentiality while humanizing the participants
C) assert the validity of your study
D) ensure that your participants can later be linked to their statements

Question 8

In qualitative research (unlike in quantitative research), literature reviews are done to ________.

A) find sensitizing concepts
B) develop a hypothesis
C) situate the work in relation to the research others have done
D) gather evidence to support their own argument

Question 9

All of the following describe a function of the methods section of a research report except ________.

A) it tells the reader how you carried out your research
B) it orients the reader to the setting and the participants in your research
C) it gives credibility to your findings
D) it situates your research in a particular research tradition giving credibility to your findings

Question 10

While there are no firm rules on writing a conclusion, one thing the textbook warns against doing is ________.

A) using colloquial phrases or sayings
B) introducing new data
C) using quotations
D) making references back to tables or charts you used in the main body of your paper

Question 11

"Academic language" or specialized terminology used by a specific group is referred to as ________.

A) slang
B) lexicology
C) pidgin English
D) jargon

Question 12

One of the ways that van den Hoonaard advises people to engage in what she calls "simple writing" is to ________.

A) refuse to use any sociological terminology
B) use short sentences instead of long complex ones
C) use brackets to discuss side thoughts that fit with the flow of your main idea
D) sprinkle in languages (through phrases or sayings) that are different from the one in which you are writing to strike a sophisticated tone

Question 13

The sentence "the interview was conducted" is an example of ________.

A) writing in the passive voice
B) a fragment sentence
C) a floating thought
D) writing through assumption rather than description

Question 14

Writing in the active voice means ________.

A) using present tense words like "run" instead of past tense words like "ran"
B) the subject of the sentence is the doer of the action
C) the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action
D) using the first instead of the third person voice

Question 15

When writing, Howard Becker developed a simple test to look for unnecessary words, which involves ________.

A) removing individual words from a sentence and if the meaning does not change, the word is not needed
B) looking for words that have the same meaning within the same sentence and removing them
C) removing adverbs
D) removing any words with more than three syllables

Question 16

The textbook stresses that in the reference/bibliography section of your research report, ________.

A) you should omit any media sources
B) academic works that were published in different languages than the one you are writing in should never be used
C) the citations should be arranged by date and year
D) only sources that you actually use in your work should be included

Question 17

Plagiarism ________.

A) is the act of taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own
B) does not include paraphrasing without giving a citation
C) cannot be committed if you are citing information from online sources
D) includes only those acts in which a student purposefully fails to include citations

Question 18

When conducting research with Indigenous communities, researchers are particularly conscientious about presenting data and analysis in an accessible way, often with the advice of the community, particularly ________.

A) women
B) elders
C) children
D) government officials

Question 19

Most academic writers agree that the ________ section of the research report should be written last.

A) theoretical framework
B) introduction
C) conclusion
D) literature review

Question 20

When writing up your research report, all of the following are common "lit review" traps except ________.

A) writing a rough draft of your lit review without consulting the literature itself
B) writing a lit review before having a firm grasp of your data analysis
C) quoting external sources too often
D) discussing research outside of your discipline

Question 21

Gary is conducting research on the doctor-patient relationship and how it has been impacted by the rapid increase in the number of accessible medical information websites over the past few decades. In Gary's research report, he describes his own story of becoming ill with what he later discovered was a chronic but treatable condition. In this narrative, Gary links other research findings to his own experiences with searching for medical information online and using it to inform his conversations with his specialist. Gary is using a qualitative reporting technique known as ________.

A) autonarrative
B) autobiography
C) autoethnography
D) autodiscourse

Question 22

Ethnodrama is a qualitative method that ________.

A) studies plays, monologues, and dramatic arts in an attempt to understand discursive formations in society
B) uses hyperbole and exaggeration to show how research can "lie"
C) involves research written in a style similar to that of a play manuscript (with different "characters" and "acts")
D) involves a performance to illustrate research findings

Question 23

Howard Becker argues that writing a first draft before you have all your data is a useful idea.

Question 24

There is only one correct way to write a research report.

Question 25

Research on what helps academics and students write concluded that people who have somewhat strange writing rituals waste their time and never produce anything of significance.

Question 26

If you can't find an excerpt in your transcripts that helps you make an important point, you should change the wording so you can make your point-as long as you put the changes in square brackets ([ ]).

Question 27

"Discontinuous identities" refers to the practice of using one pseudonym for different participants to enhance their anonymity.

Question 28

According to van den Hoonaard, many students unnecessarily try to use excessive technical language in order to display their intelligence and know-how.

Question 29

In qualitative research reports, it is permissible to use the first person in writing.

Question 30

Using words like "somewhat," "relatively," and "basically" will enhance the clarity of what you are trying to say in your research report.

Question 31

Plagiarism is difficult to avoid in research reports.

Question 32

In the chapter on writing up qualitative research, the author discusses sections that should be part of a research report. However, there is no mention that the report should have a theory section.

Question 33

Lina Sunseri (2011) let her Indigenous research participants choose how she would organize her book and integrate their voices.

Question 34

Envisioning your intended reader is a useful exercise to help you ease into the writing process.

Question 35

The textbook shows how to use quotations to illustrate differences within your research group. Briefly sketch how this is done, making sure to include any relevant examples the author of the textbook discussed.

Question 36

Van den Hoonaard suggests that her extensive reading of related literature has allowed her to make unexpected connections. Summarize the evidence she presents to back up this claim.

Question 37

Briefly describe the three topics you should accomplish in your report's methods section.

Question 38

Describe the different approaches discussed in the chapter to protect respondents' anonymity and confidentiality when using excerpts and quotations from interviews with them. Also discuss if anything in particular should be considered when applying excerpts and quotations.

Question 39

Critically evaluate your own writing skills and think about your writing habits/rituals. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer? What helps you write? What rituals do you engage in although you know they are not "technically productive"? Be honest!

Question 40

Briefly discuss Adam Gaudry's four principles for conducting Indigenous research and explain how they apply to reporting on Indigenous research.

Question 41

Providing examples from the chapter, explain what van den Hoonaard suggests doing to avoid common "lit review" traps.

Question 42

Compare and contrast the differences in writing a conclusion versus writing an introduction.

Question 43

Explain what the writing of a good literature review has to do with coding procedures. Then discuss how you did your literature review for a research paper you had/have to write in this or any other course (also discuss the strategies you used and the steps you took, including in what order).