Purpose:
Primary research reports (like your very first assignment) typically follow the IMRAD format: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The IMRAD essay focuses on primary research, on original experiments, observations, poll results, surveys, or interviews that no one else has done. These reports are exciting because you are contributing completely new information that no one else has seen or evaluated.
Criteria for Success:
Your essay should include 3 secondary sources – studies and scholarly sources similar to your topic (look at http://www.pewresearch.org) as well as 3 primary sources – one primary source must be a survey of the class; one primary source must be an interview of an expert on your subject (preferably a professor at Dalton State); and, the final type of primary source is up to you (interview, focus group, observation, experiment, another survey, poll). Remember primary sources will be cited ONLY in your essay and not on the References page, which means you will only cite secondary sources –alphabetically – on your Reference page (at least 3 are required).
Your essay should also be 1500 words minimum and include at least one visual in the form of a graph, table or chart that displays your most significant finding(s) in a quick and interesting form for readers to easily grasp and interpret. Your essay must also be in APA format (title page, page numbers, abstract – not included in word count, Reference page…)
The structure for an IMRAD essay is a bit different than usual:
Introduction
Grab Attention
Present your topic broadly
Give research questions/thesis
Body Sections
Discuss secondary sources (what are the findings and conversations available on your and similar topics?)
Discuss why you chose this topic and its relevance to you and your readers
Discuss your methodology: how did you design your study, what tools did you use (surveys, interviews, and so on), who did you talk to and why, did you base your ideas or questions off anyone else or any other study, what questions did you ask and why, define any terms you created or ways of encoding information you used… (be very detailed and layout all the parameters and decisions that went into your study)
Present your findings/results: what did people say, what kind of percentages and averages can you calculate, what type of observations did you make, what was the result of the experiment… (just present your data here – do not reflect yet!). Option 1: Add visual here
Discuss the relevance of your findings: look for patterns and connections, analyze what people told you, assess numbers, reflect on experiences (add meaning, make educated guesses, really interpret your data – as best you can). Option 2: Add visual here
Conclusion
Transition to end by mentioning research questions/thesis
Mention the strength and weaknesses of your specific study (limitations, insights)
Stress the need for further research
End with a bang: further question(s), predict the future, call for action, plea for change, emphasize what this study revealed that no one else has
You do not have to include all interview or study questions in your essay itself – just the questions that are the most significant. Feel free to add the rest of your questions into an appendix after your Reference page. Do mention this appendix in your essay itself and direct readers to take a look if they wish to see all your questions. Similarly, you do not have to add the visual into your essay itself. Option 3 is to add a graph, chart, or table as an appendix that you refer to in your essay: (see Appendix A).
ALSO, I’M GOING TO ATTACH THE THREE PRIMARY SOURCES.
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