Question 1

The Literature Review:

Accepted Answer

A)  is the main focus of a research paper 
B)  is not the main focus of a research paper 
C)  should thoroughly explain the hypotheses and theories 
D)  should explain the results of your own research B

Question 2

What is ex post theorizing?

Accepted Answer

A)  The conclusion of your findings 
B)  Creating a theory prior to your research 
C)  How your hypothesis related to your theory 
D)  The development of new explanations based on what you now understand D

Question 3

Correlation in quantitative analysis does not imply causation

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

Which of the following is the correct order to write a research paper?

Accepted Answer

A)  Literature review, theory and hypotheses, methods and data, results and discussion, conclusion, introduction, abstract, references 
B)  Introduction, theory and hypotheses, literature review, methods and data,results and discussion, conclusion, abstract, references 
C)  Methods and data, theory and hypotheses, literature review, results and discussion, conclusion, abstract, references 
D)  Abstract, literature review, theory and hypothesis, results and discussion, methods and data, conclusion, references

Question 5

Which of the following is a general outline organized by predetermined sections?

Accepted Answer

A)  Template 
B)  Platform 
C)  Sketch 
D)  Proposal

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a likely reason for a negative finding?

Accepted Answer

A)  Indicators the researcher used were not reliable or valid 
B)  The sample was not an appropriate representation of the research population 
C)  The literature review was not complete 
D)  The theory is incorrect

Question 7

Why is it important to write a strong abstract, introduction, and conclusion?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because these are often the sections that readers study first 
B)  Because these are the only sections that contain the research question and overall findings of the research project 
C)  Because these are the shortest sections of the paper 
D)  Because of replicability

Question 8

Which section should provide recommendations of how other researchers could improve on research be included?

Accepted Answer

A)  Methods and Data 
B)  Results and Discussion 
C)  References 
D)  Conclusion

Question 9

If other researchers use the same methods as a paper but cannot achieve the same results, the paper could be said to lack:

Accepted Answer

A)  repetition 
B)  replicability 
C)  reliability 
D)  validity

Question 10

An abstract can sometimes look like:

Accepted Answer

A)  a literature review 
B)  a methods and data section 
C)  an annotated bibliography 
D)  operationalization

Question 11

Which word should you avoid using in your paper?

Accepted Answer

A)  Prove 
B)  Conclude 
C)  Generalization 
D)  Inconclusive

Question 12

An abstract generally should:

Accepted Answer

A)  be short 
B)  include an argument for the validity of indicators 
C)  include an argument on how previous scholarship guided the researcher 
D)  not state the research question

Question 13

When presenting the results from the interviews for the qualitative analysis:

Accepted Answer

A)  it is important to include the participants' names 
B)  do not include any background information about the case 
C)  be sure to explain which codes, categories, and themes emerged from content analysis 
D)  it is important to explain how process tracing was used to link the independent and dependent variables together

Question 14

The methods and data section should outline:

Accepted Answer

A)  how the researcher answered his or her research question 
B)  the researcher's theories and hypotheses 
C)  the researcher's results 
D)  the researcher's conclusions

Question 15

A significant result should be balanced with its:

Accepted Answer

A)  magnitude 
B)  theory 
C)  conclusion 
D)  correlation

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT one of the three main points you should include in your conclusion?

Accepted Answer

A)  Reiterating whether or not you were able to support your hypotheses with the data you collected and analyzed with either the quantitative or qualitative analyses 
B)  Providing the reader an idea of how the research could have been improved and if new questions based on the research findings have emerged. 
C)  Creating a new control variable that will alter the findings in order to conform to your hypothesis 
D)  Containing a discussion of how the findings from the research can be generalized to other cases.

Question 17

Where should a research paper's overall conclusion first be seen by a reader?

Accepted Answer

A)  Conclusions 
B)  Introduction 
C)  Theory and Hypotheses 
D)  Abstract

Question 18

Which of the following should not be included in the methods and data section?

Accepted Answer

A)  The operationalization of the concepts used in the analysis 
B)  The source of data analyzed 
C)  An explanation of statistical tests performed 
D)  An interpretation of the research findings

Question 19

What is meant by the "frame" of a paper?

Accepted Answer

A)  The abstract and literature review 
B)  The literature review, methods and data, and results and conclusion section 
C)  The introduction and conclusion 
D)  The abstract, introduction, and conclusion

Question 20

One of the most important aspects of the results and discussion section is:

Accepted Answer

A)  an elaborate interpretation of the findings 
B)  a repeat of the literature review 
C)  a statement of how a research question was answered 
D)  a justification for why either quantitative or qualitative methods were used

Exam 11: Writing a Final Research Report