Deck 17: Reading and Writing Social Research

Question 1

After reading the abstract,it is a good idea to

A)read the summary and conclusions.
B)read the methods section.
C)read the theory section.
D)read the results section.
E)read the literature review.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT plagiarism?

A)using another writer's exact words without using quotation marks
B)paraphrasing and citing information from a journal article in your own paper
C)editing another's words and presenting those as your own
D)paraphrasing another's words and presenting those as your own
E)taking a passage of eight or more words without a citation.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Jenny decided to read an article published in Law and Society Review.Babbie would urge her to begin reading the article by

A)reading the summary and conclusions.
B)skimming the article noting the section headings.
C)reading the abstract.
D)skimming the article completely.
E)just sitting down and carefully reading the article.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The two purposes of an abstract to a journal article are

A)to test your knowledge of the topic and to tease you with one finding.
B)to tease you with one finding and to help you determine if you want to read the article.
C)to help you determine if you want to read the article and to establish a framework for reading the article.
D)to establish a framework for reading the article and to test your knowledge of the topic.
E)to summarize your findings and to test your knowledge of the topic.

Question 5

Which of the following guidelines is(are)FALSE for reporting on analyses?

A)The presentation of data analyses should provide a maximum of detail without being cluttered.
B)If you're using quantitative data, present them so the reader can recompute them.
C)If you're using quantitative data, the reader needs to be able to recompute percentages in the same direction that you used in your presentation.
D)If you're using quantitative data, the reader does not need to be able to recompute percentages in the direction opposite from what you used in your presentation.
E)If you're using quantitative data, you should be clear about levels of measurement.

Question 6

Questions about who was studied and how they were selected reflect which evaluation criteria to be used in reading research reports?

A)experiments
B)conclusion
C)theoretical orientations
D)sampling
E)results

Question 7

Doing well in reading and writing social research requires

A)spirit.
B)luck.
C)purchasing a Babbie textbook.
D)practice.
E)physical fitness..

Question 8

A(n)_____ locates where specified terms appear on web sites.

A)search engine
B)World Wide Web
C)FTP server
D)Web page
E)newsgroup

Question 9

Which of the following statements is FALSE concerning data on the web?

A)Information on the web is available to a large proportion of the population.
B)Information that is placed on the web is typically screened for accuracy.
C)Out-of-date data may be reported on the web.
D)University research centers are usually committed to peer review.
E)Online peer-reviewed journals are as reputable as printed ones.

Question 10

A typical report begins with a(n)

A)literature review.
B)purpose and overview statement.
C)analysis and description statement.
D)summary statement.
E)conclusions statement.

Question 11

Lisa wants to present her tentative findings on a very complex project to a research audience.The most appropriate form for her presentation would be a(n)

A)working paper
B)article
C)book
D)research note
E)conference presentation.

Question 12

Questions about the unit of analysis and the purpose of the study reflect which section of the evaluation criteria to be used in reading research reports?

A)theoretical orientations
B)research design
C)measurement
D)sampling
E)summary and conclusion

Question 13

Abstracts do all of the following EXCEPT

A)should give you a good idea as to whether you'll want to read the rest of the article.
B)should give you a framework for reading the rest of the article.
C)may raise questions in your mind regarding methods or conclusions.
D)may create an agenda to pursue in reading the article.
E)provide specific details of statistical analysis.

Question 14

If a reader asks,"Who originally collected the data being reanalyzed?" or "When were the data collected?",that reader is most clearly examining issues that focus on

A)research design.
B)survey research.
C)theoretical orientation.
D)field research.
E)analysis of existing statistics.

Question 15

While evaluating a research report,Dr.Childs focused on the issue of research design.Which of the following questions would be the LEAST useful for evaluating the design?

A)What was the unit of analysis?
B)Is the study cross-sectional or longitudinal?
C)Is the researcher's purpose the statistical description of a population?
D)Was the purpose of the study exploration?
E)All of these choices would be helpful questions for evaluating the design.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a suggestion used for evaluating a web site?

A)Who is the author of the web site?
B)Does the site advocate a particular viewpoint?
C)Does the site give accurate and complete references?
D)Are the data up-to-date?
E)Is the website aesthetically pleasing?.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is FALSE about the purpose of a literature review?

A)Literature reviews should point out general agreements and minimize the disagreements among previous researchers.
B)Literature reviews should show where your research fits into the general body of scientific knowledge.
C)Literature reviews should lay the groundwork for your study.
D)Literature reviews should show why your research may have value in the larger scheme of things.
E)All of these choices about literature reviews are true.

Question 18

As an assignment for one of his classes in graduate school,Maron developed a brief set of conclusions regarding the students and their perspectives on a notable campus crime.What would be the most appropriate way to report this?

A) a research note.
B) an article.
C) a book.
D) a book review.
E) a working paper.

Question 19

Which of the following guidelines for reporting on the analysis of qualitative data is FALSE?

A)provide enough detail so that your reader has a sense of having made the observations with you
B)provide only those data that support your interpretations
C)provide enough information so that the reader might reach a conclusion that differs from yours
D)provide enough detail so that the reader could replicate your study
E)include all of the notes you made during analysis for the reader.

Question 20

A good abstract does NOT include a statement about

A)the purpose of the research.
B)the findings of each table and graph.
C)the major findings.
D)the methods used.
E)the hypothesis being tested.

Question 21

Which one of the following is NOT one of the functions of scientific reporting?

A)Your report should share data and ideas.
B)You should view your report as a contribution to scientific knowledge.
C)Your report should stimulate and direct future inquiry.
D)Your report should illustrate what can go wrong in research.
E)Your report should be objective.

Question 22

A literature review serves to:

A)lay the groundwork for your research.
B)answer your research question.
C)discuss the sample used.
D)provide a list of suggested reading.
E)examine problems in your research.

Question 23

Questions about operationalizing "success" and social interventions reflect which section of the evaluation criteria to be used in reading a research report?

A)evaluation research
B)field research
C)analyzing existing statistics
D)survey research
E)experimental research

Question 24

Questions about the researcher placing the project in the context of previous research and also about the researcher reporting flaws in the study reflect which section of the evaluation criteria to be used in reading a research report?

A)data analysis
B)theoretical orientations
C)reporting
D)survey research
E)literature review

Question 25

An important first question to ask when assessing a web site is

A)how often is the site accessed.
B)how many search engines provide the site.
C)how long is the site.
D)who is the author of the site.
E)how accessible the site it.

Question 26

The form of reporting research that is included in an academic journal is

A)the working paper.
B)a professional paper.
C)a book.
D)an article.
E)professional note.

Question 27

The research report that is probably the most popular is

A)article.
B)research monograph.
C)research notes.
D)working paper.
E)professional paper.

Question 28

The following are commonly used formats for citing bibliographic sources:

A)APA
B)ASA
C)MLA
D)APSA
E)all of the above

Question 29

A short version for reporting research that might be included in a journal is

A)a research note.
B)a working paper.
C)a book.
D)an article.
E)a professional paper.

Question 30

A particular focus of the questions provided to help assess Internet sites is

A)data quality.
B)how many languages the site is in.
C)how many citations are provided.
D)does the author have a Ph.D.
E)how many people have "accessed" the site.

Question 31

Which one of the following is NOT a guideline for reporting analyses?

A)Present data so the reader can recompute them.
B)Give enough detail so a secondary analyst could replicate the study.
C)Integrate supporting materials.
D)Be a little vague on your conclusions to encourage the reader to become more involved.
E)Write your conclusions based on your personal opinion as to what the results should indicate.

Question 32

The aim of the report should reflect which one of the following?

A)whether the study was an experiment, a survey, or field research
B)whether the purpose of the study was exploration, description, or explanation
C)whether the study will offer policy implications or not
D)whether the study used random samples or not
E)whether the null hypothesis was disproved

Question 33

A(n)___________ is a book-length research report,either published or unpublished.

A)article
B)research monograph
C)research notes
D)working paper
E)professional paper

Question 34

Colleges and universities can be identified in Internet addresses as containing:

A) .school.us
B) .students
C) .phd
D) .edu
E) .org

Question 35

While reporting on the work of others,authors should be especially alert to

A)including both women and men authors.
B)representing all theoretical paradigms.
C)using only studies that employed random samples.
D)avoiding plagiarism.
E)use only theoretically relevant samples

Question 36

A review of the literature pertaining to your topic of study should be completed _________ you formulate your hypotheses.

A)before
B)after
C)at the same time as
D)The time frame doesn't matter.
E)The review should be completed after the results and analysis section.

Question 37

Questions about dimensions of variables used and the appropriateness of indicators reflect which section of the evaluation criteria to be used in reading research reports?

A)sampling
B)theoretical orientations
C)measurement
D)data analysis
E)literature review

Question 38

Questions about the appropriate use of control variables and about whether particular research findings really matter reflect which section of the evaluation criteria to be used in reading a research report?

A)reporting
B)data analysis
C)field research
D)experiment
E)literature review

Question 39

Questions about response rates and social desirability reflect which type of research report?

A)field research
B)experiment
C)data analysis
D)survey research
E)literature review

Question 40

An important first rule for writing social research is to

A)buy a dictionary.
B)buy a thesaurus.
C)have good language skills.
D)buy the latest computer setup.
E)run spell check and grammar check.

Question 41

The brief summary of a journal article that quickly presents the theory and findings to the reader is known as the:

A)literature review.
B)introduction.
C)summary and findings.
D)methodology.
E)abstract.

Question 42

In writing her research paper for her class on juvenile delinquency,Layla paraphrased several paragraphs in one of her reference articles,and passed them off as her own.She claims that it is not considered plagiarism because she did not quote the author verbatim.Is her assumption correct?

A)yes
B)no
C)maybe - depends on the number of words she used
D)maybe - depends on the leniency of the professor
E)maybe - depends on whether her professor told the class they could do so

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a commonly used style of citing work in research?

A)OPP
B)ASA
C)APA
D)MLA
E)APSA

Question 44

Which of the following is usually NOT included when citing Internet resources?

A)the number of words in the resource.
B)the web address.
C)the date it was accessed.
D)the time it was accessed.
E)the author and title, if available.

Question 45

Oral presentations at scholarly meetings are typically

A)5-10 minutes long.
B)10-15 minutes long.
C)15-20 minutes long.
D)30 minutes long.
E)45 minutes long.

Question 46

Which of the following does NOT need to be considered when examining experimental research?

A)What is the experimental stimulus?
B)What was the cost of each experiment?
C)Were pretests and posttests performed?
D)Were composite measures used?
E)Are the dimensions of variables specified?

Question 47

Edgar is looking to present some tentative research findings he found from a recent ethnographic study.He feels his findings are quite interesting and wants to share them,but they are not entirely verified and does not want to risk his reputation on submitting questionable research results.What outlet should Edgar present his research in?

A)research monograph
B)working paper
C)journal article
D)published book
E)report for research sponsor

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT usually a part of a final research article,paper,or book?

A)abstract
B)purpose and overview
C)review of the literature
D)analysis and interpretations
E)criticism of research by a colleague

Question 49

A downloadable electronic copy of a journal article that is paginated exactly the same as a printed copy is usually in which format?

A)JPEG
B)MPEG
C)PDF
D)PPT
E)TXT

Question 50

The best location to place your tables or figures is:

A)at the beginning of the article or book.
B)at the end of the article or book.
C)where the table or figure is referenced within the text.
D)in a separate "tables" section.
E)you would not include tables or figures in a final article or book.

Question 51

A scientific report should:

A)help the researcher to profit.
B)always find a positive result.
C)stimulate and direct further inquiry.
D)never contradict commonly accepted perspectives.
E)be difficult to read.

Question 52

When writing a research report,it is important to remember that one of the most important aspects of a qualitative research study is that

A)the researcher must immerse him/herself completely into the topic.
B)the researcher must "keep an arm's length" from the subjects being studied in order to maintain objectivity.
C)the researcher must make observations based on the hypotheses.
D)the researcher must report on everything, even the minute details.
E)the study must be replicable.

Question 53

After compiling a work of nearly 25 pages to study the effectiveness of a sex offender treatment program,Rodrigo has a work with a clear,tested theory.The analysis is definitive,and it was methodologically sound research.Which would be the best way for him to share his work with the public?

A) research monograph.
B) research note.
C) book.
D) journal article.
E) conference presentation.

Question 54

Which part of a journal article should be read first?

A)introduction
B)literature review
C)conclusion
D)abstract
E)references

Question 55

In reporting the design and execution of a survey,which of the following does NOT need to be reported?

A)completion rate
B)sampling method
C)sample size
D)cost of administering survey
E)data-collection method

Question 56

Which of the following is NOT a factor that research reports should be evaluated upon?

A)research design
B)theoretical orientation
C)sampling
D)political perspective
E)reporting

Question 57

Which of the following would NOT be a useful website for social science data?

A)Bureau of Justice Statistics
B)US Bureau of the Census
C)General Social Survey
D)Twitter
E)Google Scholar

Question 58

Plagiarism can be a problem in which of the following:

A)plagiarism can affect any work.
B)books.
C)journal articles.
D)research notes.
E)research reports.

Question 59

The average length of a research note is usually:

A)1 paragraph, single spaced.
B)1 to 5 pages, double spaced.
C)6-10 pages, double spaced.
D)6-10 pages, single spaced.
E)20-30 pages, double spaced.

Question 60

The typical professional presentation of research findings is how long?

A)2 minutes or less
B)2-5 minutes
C)10-15 minutes
D)30-45 minutes
E)60-90 minutes

Question 61

Research reports are written for one purpose only.

Question 62

One way to determine if your Internet data is valid is to cross-check the data with other professional data sets.

Question 63

Online journal articles can be as reputable as their printed counterparts.

Question 64

Which part of a journal article is a summary that should be read first?

A) methodology
B) discussion
C) literature review
D) abstract.
E) conclusion.

Question 65

The term research monograph refers to published books only.

Question 66

A journal article should always be read from beginning to end.

Question 67

Some web sites advocate particular political,religious,social,or other points of view.

Question 68

The method used to select a sample from a population and how they were asked to participate in a research project should be addressed in the:

A) literature review.
B) methodology.
C) discussion.
D) conclusion.
E) abstract.

Question 69

Plagiarism may be intentional or accidental.

Question 70

Students should be prevented from using Wikipedia in writing research reports.

Question 71

A good research report should read like a good novel.

Question 72

As a rough guide,25 typed pages is good length for a journal article.

Question 73

A good summary reviews every specific finding.

Question 74

The aim of a report may be exploration,description or explanation but never action.

Question 75

Which of the following would NOT constitute an outlet for social science research?

A) local newspaper.
B) journal article.
C) research note.
D) conference presentation.
E) book.

Question 76

The presentation of data analyses should provide a maximum of detail without being cluttered.

Question 77

The website HYPERLINK "http://scholar.google.com/" http://scholar.google.com/ is a valid site for researching professional articles.

Question 78

According to Babbie,tables indicating results should be included in the body of the research paper.

Question 79

If you are questioning an index that a researcher created to measure job satisfaction and the indicators that were suggested to measure the construct,which criteria are you judging?

A) sampling.
B) data analysis.
C) theoretical orientations.
D) measurement.
E) literature review.

Question 80

It is a good idea to drag out the suspense over whether X causes Y.