what is research in news reporting

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Table of Content

What is News Reporting?

Important parts of a news report, articlegpt – the easiest way to write a news report, how to write a fact-based news report with articlegpt, how to make a news report on your own, mistakes to avoid when writing a news report, final words, how to write a news report.

Writing a news report entails more than just presenting facts; it requires weaving a narrative that captures the essence of an issue or event. This article goes in-depth into the fundamentals of news reports, showing you how news writing works. Additionally, it introduces ArticleGPT, a robust tool that helps create meticulously fact-checked and unbiased news articles.

Discover the intricacies of effective news reporting, learn how to write a news report , and explore the capabilities of ArticleGPT for generating credible and reliable news content.

News reporting is a dynamic and intricate art form that demands in-depth research, meticulous analysis, and the skill to present facts in a coherent and engaging manner. It transcends the mere conveyance of information; it is an art form designed to enlighten the public about the intricate web of current affairs.

A news report, at its core, is more than a mere enumeration of facts arranged chronologically; it is a narrative that strives to furnish readers with background context, analysis, and interpretation. Beyond the straightforward delivery of news, news reporting significantly influences public discourse, shaping perspectives, and steering debates.

Its impact extends beyond the immediate moment, leaving a lasting imprint on our collective memory. Moreover, it serves as the cornerstone of an informed society, spotlighting the pivotal events of our time.

Every exceptional news report comprises key elements that contribute to its effectiveness. These essential components include:

• Headline: refers to the title that captures the core of the news and grabs attention.
• Byline: which includes the author's name, adds credibility and accountability.
• Lead (introduction): should be brief but captivating, providing answers to the "who," "what," "when," "where," "why," and "how" questions.
• Body: The major content, presented in a logical manner with the most important facts stated first.
• Quotes: Authorized remarks from those involved for credibility and depth.
• Conclusion: A summary that restates the report's main points.

Even the most skilled reporters encounter challenges when crafting news reports—it's no easy feat. However, ArticleGPT serves as a valuable solution, making the process more manageable and accessible.

ArticleGPT stands out among AI article writers by specifically catering to various article types, including news articles . Unlike its counterparts, which rely solely on input prompts and training data, ArticleGPT comprehends your requirements for news reports more effectively. It is tailored to deliver content that aligns with your expectations.

Crucially, ArticleGPT recognizes the paramount importance of authenticity in news reporting. The tool generates fact-checked news reports devoid of any hallucinations, contributing to the heightened credibility of the information presented.

By leveraging ArticleGPT, you not only streamline the news writing process but also ensure the delivery of accurate and trustworthy news content.

Interested in ArticleGPT and how it helps with news reporting? Here’s a step-by-step guide to using the tool.

1. Visit ArticleGPT and click the "Start for Free" button. This will navigate you to the ArticleGPT's dashboard.

2. Find the "News Article" category and choose one of the two modes available. For producing credible news articles, "High-Quality Mode" is recommended.

3. Fill out the blanks with all the essential information, including the date, time, location, and names of the events. Input keywords relevant to the article's focus.

4. Customize the output content by selecting the tone of voice, point of view, and language. You can choose to create news reports with GPT-3.5 or GPT-4.

5. Then, click on "Add reference" to proceed. ArticleGPT will furnish you with the latest news related to your primary keyword. Choose relevant articles for ArticleGPT to consult during the writing process. Alternatively, you can upload materials or share URLs from specific sites you wish ArticleGPT to reference.

6. Subsequently, ArticleGPT will present you with title and outline options, allowing you to make your preferred selections. Once satisfied, click on "Generate article," and within a few minutes, a comprehensive news report will be generated.

If you opt to create a news report from scratch without the help of AI tools, here's a step-by-step guide:

Research and Gather Information

Engage in thorough research, exploring various sources to gather pertinent information about the subject or event. Rely on multiple sources for a well-rounded perspective.

Determine the News Angle

Analyze the story to find a distinctive viewpoint that captivates readers. Identify what will draw readers in and keep their attention, forming the narrative core of your news report.

Create a Captivating Headline

Craft an informative and captivating headline that encapsulates key points in an interesting way, enticing readers to delve deeper into the report.

Write a Strong Lead

Establish the tone with a compelling lead that reveals important details in an eye-catching manner, providing the essential "who, what, when, where, why, and how" details succinctly.

Structure the Main Body

Organize the main body logically, ensuring crucial details are prominently featured. Use paragraphs to guide readers through a well-structured story that enhances comprehension.

Incorporate Quotes

Include quotes from relevant individuals or authorities to add credibility and offer diverse perspectives on the topic. Choose quotes carefully to enhance the narrative.

Leave a Strong Last Impact

Conclude with a powerful overview emphasizing the report's key aspects. Avoid adding new details and focus on delivering a clear, impactful conclusion.

The following are some of the pitfalls to avoid when writing a news report:

Biased language

Avoid adding your own thoughts or using biased terminology in your news story. Retain impartiality and deliver the facts in an unbiased way. Biased reporting can damage credibility and jeopardize the objectivity of your work.

Inaccurate Information

Check and confirm all information before inserting it into your news article. Errors can deceive your viewers and undermine your reputation as a reporter.

Sensationalism

Avoid the need to exaggerate situations or problems just to get attention. Sensationalism has the power to misrepresent a story's actual nature and call into question the subject's gravity.

Incomplete Attribution

Always give credit to the original source of any information. Ignoring correct attribution can result in plagiarism charges and damage your report's credibility. Indicate clearly whose sources—interviews, government pronouncements, or other media—the information came from.

In conclusion, mastering the art of news reporting is a crucial skill in today's fast-paced world where information is in constant demand. Understanding what constitutes a news report and its important components is fundamental to producing high-quality, informative content.

Whether utilizing advanced AI tools, such as ArticleGPT, or the traditional manual approach, the key is to ensure accuracy, clarity, and relevance in every news report.

By following the comprehensive guide provided, individuals can effectively navigate the intricacies of news reporting, ultimately enhancing their ability to convey newsworthy information to a broad audience.

With the right knowledge and tools at their disposal, anyone can become a proficient news reporter, contributing to the dissemination of valuable and impactful news stories.

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Research report guide: Definition, types, and tips

Last updated

5 March 2024

Reviewed by

Short on time? Get an AI generated summary of this article instead

From successful product launches or software releases to planning major business decisions, research reports serve many vital functions. They can summarize evidence and deliver insights and recommendations to save companies time and resources. They can reveal the most value-adding actions a company should take.

However, poorly constructed reports can have the opposite effect! Taking the time to learn established research-reporting rules and approaches will equip you with in-demand skills. You’ll be able to capture and communicate information applicable to numerous situations and industries, adding another string to your resume bow.

• What are research reports?

A research report is a collection of contextual data, gathered through organized research, that provides new insights into a particular challenge (which, for this article, is business-related). Research reports are a time-tested method for distilling large amounts of data into a narrow band of focus.

Their effectiveness often hinges on whether the report provides:

Strong, well-researched evidence

Comprehensive analysis

Well-considered conclusions and recommendations

Though the topic possibilities are endless, an effective research report keeps a laser-like focus on the specific questions or objectives the researcher believes are key to achieving success. Many research reports begin as research proposals, which usually include the need for a report to capture the findings of the study and recommend a course of action.

A description of the research method used, e.g., qualitative, quantitative, or other

Statistical analysis

Causal (or explanatory) research (i.e., research identifying relationships between two variables)

Inductive research, also known as ‘theory-building’

Deductive research, such as that used to test theories

Action research, where the research is actively used to drive change

• Importance of a research report

Research reports can unify and direct a company's focus toward the most appropriate strategic action. Of course, spending resources on a report takes up some of the company's human and financial resources. Choosing when a report is called for is a matter of judgment and experience.

Some development models used heavily in the engineering world, such as Waterfall development, are notorious for over-relying on research reports. With Waterfall development, there is a linear progression through each step of a project, and each stage is precisely documented and reported on before moving to the next.

The pace of the business world is faster than the speed at which your authors can produce and disseminate reports. So how do companies strike the right balance between creating and acting on research reports?

The answer lies, again, in the report's defined objectives. By paring down your most pressing interests and those of your stakeholders, your research and reporting skills will be the lenses that keep your company's priorities in constant focus.

Honing your company's primary objectives can save significant amounts of time and align research and reporting efforts with ever-greater precision.

Some examples of well-designed research objectives are:

Proving whether or not a product or service meets customer expectations

Demonstrating the value of a service, product, or business process to your stakeholders and investors

Improving business decision-making when faced with a lack of time or other constraints

Clarifying the relationship between a critical cause and effect for problematic business processes

Prioritizing the development of a backlog of products or product features

Comparing business or production strategies

Evaluating past decisions and predicting future outcomes

• Features of a research report

Research reports generally require a research design phase, where the report author(s) determine the most important elements the report must contain.

Just as there are various kinds of research, there are many types of reports.

Here are the standard elements of almost any research-reporting format:

Report summary. A broad but comprehensive overview of what readers will learn in the full report. Summaries are usually no more than one or two paragraphs and address all key elements of the report. Think of the key takeaways your primary stakeholders will want to know if they don’t have time to read the full document.

Introduction. Include a brief background of the topic, the type of research, and the research sample. Consider the primary goal of the report, who is most affected, and how far along the company is in meeting its objectives.

Methods. A description of how the researcher carried out data collection, analysis, and final interpretations of the data. Include the reasons for choosing a particular method. The methods section should strike a balance between clearly presenting the approach taken to gather data and discussing how it is designed to achieve the report's objectives.

Data analysis. This section contains interpretations that lead readers through the results relevant to the report's thesis. If there were unexpected results, include here a discussion on why that might be. Charts, calculations, statistics, and other supporting information also belong here (or, if lengthy, as an appendix). This should be the most detailed section of the research report, with references for further study. Present the information in a logical order, whether chronologically or in order of importance to the report's objectives.

Conclusion. This should be written with sound reasoning, often containing useful recommendations. The conclusion must be backed by a continuous thread of logic throughout the report.

• How to write a research paper

With a clear outline and robust pool of research, a research paper can start to write itself, but what's a good way to start a research report?

Research report examples are often the quickest way to gain inspiration for your report. Look for the types of research reports most relevant to your industry and consider which makes the most sense for your data and goals.

The research report outline will help you organize the elements of your report. One of the most time-tested report outlines is the IMRaD structure:

Introduction

...and Discussion

Pay close attention to the most well-established research reporting format in your industry, and consider your tone and language from your audience's perspective. Learn the key terms inside and out; incorrect jargon could easily harm the perceived authority of your research paper.

Along with a foundation in high-quality research and razor-sharp analysis, the most effective research reports will also demonstrate well-developed:

Internal logic

Narrative flow

Conclusions and recommendations

Readability, striking a balance between simple phrasing and technical insight

How to gather research data for your report

The validity of research data is critical. Because the research phase usually occurs well before the writing phase, you normally have plenty of time to vet your data.

However, research reports could involve ongoing research, where report authors (sometimes the researchers themselves) write portions of the report alongside ongoing research.

One such research-report example would be an R&D department that knows its primary stakeholders are eager to learn about a lengthy work in progress and any potentially important outcomes.

However you choose to manage the research and reporting, your data must meet robust quality standards before you can rely on it. Vet any research with the following questions in mind:

Does it use statistically valid analysis methods?

Do the researchers clearly explain their research, analysis, and sampling methods?

Did the researchers provide any caveats or advice on how to interpret their data?

Have you gathered the data yourself or were you in close contact with those who did?

Is the source biased?

Usually, flawed research methods become more apparent the further you get through a research report.

It's perfectly natural for good research to raise new questions, but the reader should have no uncertainty about what the data represents. There should be no doubt about matters such as:

Whether the sampling or analysis methods were based on sound and consistent logic

What the research samples are and where they came from

The accuracy of any statistical functions or equations

Validation of testing and measuring processes

When does a report require design validation?

A robust design validation process is often a gold standard in highly technical research reports. Design validation ensures the objects of a study are measured accurately, which lends more weight to your report and makes it valuable to more specialized industries.

Product development and engineering projects are the most common research-report examples that typically involve a design validation process. Depending on the scope and complexity of your research, you might face additional steps to validate your data and research procedures.

If you’re including design validation in the report (or report proposal), explain and justify your data-collection processes. Good design validation builds greater trust in a research report and lends more weight to its conclusions.

Choosing the right analysis method

Just as the quality of your report depends on properly validated research, a useful conclusion requires the most contextually relevant analysis method. This means comparing different statistical methods and choosing the one that makes the most sense for your research.

Most broadly, research analysis comes down to quantitative or qualitative methods (respectively: measurable by a number vs subjectively qualified values). There are also mixed research methods, which bridge the need for merging hard data with qualified assessments and still reach a cohesive set of conclusions.

Some of the most common analysis methods in research reports include:

Significance testing (aka hypothesis analysis), which compares test and control groups to determine how likely the data was the result of random chance.

Regression analysis , to establish relationships between variables, control for extraneous variables , and support correlation analysis.

Correlation analysis (aka bivariate testing), a method to identify and determine the strength of linear relationships between variables. It’s effective for detecting patterns from complex data, but care must be exercised to not confuse correlation with causation.

With any analysis method, it's important to justify which method you chose in the report. You should also provide estimates of the statistical accuracy (e.g., the p-value or confidence level of quantifiable data) of any data analysis.

This requires a commitment to the report's primary aim. For instance, this may be achieving a certain level of customer satisfaction by analyzing the cause and effect of changes to how service is delivered. Even better, use statistical analysis to calculate which change is most positively correlated with improved levels of customer satisfaction.

• Tips for writing research reports

There's endless good advice for writing effective research reports, and it almost all depends on the subjective aims of the people behind the report. Due to the wide variety of research reports, the best tips will be unique to each author's purpose.

Consider the following research report tips in any order, and take note of the ones most relevant to you:

No matter how in depth or detailed your report might be, provide a well-considered, succinct summary. At the very least, give your readers a quick and effective way to get up to speed.

Pare down your target audience (e.g., other researchers, employees, laypersons, etc.), and adjust your voice for their background knowledge and interest levels

For all but the most open-ended research, clarify your objectives, both for yourself and within the report.

Leverage your team members’ talents to fill in any knowledge gaps you might have. Your team is only as good as the sum of its parts.

Justify why your research proposal’s topic will endure long enough to derive value from the finished report.

Consolidate all research and analysis functions onto a single user-friendly platform. There's no reason to settle for less than developer-grade tools suitable for non-developers.

What's the format of a research report?

The research-reporting format is how the report is structured—a framework the authors use to organize their data, conclusions, arguments, and recommendations. The format heavily determines how the report's outline develops, because the format dictates the overall structure and order of information (based on the report's goals and research objectives).

What's the purpose of a research-report outline?

A good report outline gives form and substance to the report's objectives, presenting the results in a readable, engaging way. For any research-report format, the outline should create momentum along a chain of logic that builds up to a conclusion or interpretation.

What's the difference between a research essay and a research report?

There are several key differences between research reports and essays:

Research report:

Ordered into separate sections

More commercial in nature

Often includes infographics

Heavily descriptive

More self-referential

Usually provides recommendations

Research essay

Does not rely on research report formatting

More academically minded

Normally text-only

Less detailed

Omits discussion of methods

Usually non-prescriptive 

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Expert Commentary

The journalistic method: Five principles for blending analysis and narrative

Columbia Journalism School's Nicholas Lemann explains a series of rules that can help journalists successfully integrate research and reporting.

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .

by The Journalist's Resource, The Journalist's Resource April 8, 2016

This <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org/media/journalistic-method-tip-sheet-blending-analysis-narrative/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org">The Journalist's Resource</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://journalistsresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-jr-favicon-150x150.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">

The intersection of knowledge and narrative, of informed journalism, is the heart of what the Journalist’s Resource project continues to explore. In the short essay below, Nicholas Lemann, a professor and dean emeritus at the Columbia Journalism School and a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker , articulates a method for journalism that integrates knowledge while preserving the art of storytelling. We reprint it here with his permission:

A central problem in the practice of journalism is that most of the time, we are trying to engage in narrative and analysis at the same time. They don’t naturally go together. Journalists more often unwittingly let the narrative distort the analysis than vice versa. What follows is an attempt at a journalistic version of the scientific method, aimed at protecting us from writing stories that are factually accurate and narratively compelling, but still fail to capture the truth of a situation.

• Awareness. On any complicated subject, beware, when you set out, of overly simple conceptions of what ‘the story’ is. Often these involve your having unwittingly accepted somebody else’s frame of reference, or having been primed to see the story in a certain way, or having mistaken correlation for causation, or having succumbed to some other form of embedded misperception. As a first step, you should always stop and ask yourself what you have bought into before you have begun.
• Forming a hypothesis. It’s healthier to admit to yourself that you have one than to go into a story with the idea that you have no presuppositions at all – that would be impossible. You should state a working hypothesis (to yourself, anyway), and then ask yourself what would prove the hypothesis false and what would be an alternate hypothesis to explain whatever it is you are investigating. As you report, you should try not just to prove but also to disprove your working hypothesis, and you should engage in a continuing process of revision of the hypothesis, if necessary. If you don’t design your reporting in such a way that if your hypothesis is flawed, you will find that out before you finish the story, then you are leaving yourself open to getting the story seriously wrong.
• Mapping the discourse. On any important issue, there is likely to be a long-running debate with a set of established compass points. Therefore the idea that you can find ‘an expert’ who can explain the issue quickly over the phone is unrealistic, and so, probably, is the idea that you can find two experts, one on each side, who between them can do justice to the subject. Instead, you should familiarize yourself with the expert discourse on the subject. You don’t need to read everything, but you need to know what the major schools of thought are, and where the debate stands at present, and you should be able to read the primary material for yourself as a way of enriching what other people tell you about it.
• Evaluating the data. Never accept a conclusion from an expert at face value. Instead, you should follow the steps that led to the conclusion, and you should make some judgment as to whether the methodology and presentation are sound. You should also find out whether somebody else has drawn a different conclusion about the same subject.
• Transparency. Journalism is not scholarship and does not generally use bibliographies or footnotes, but you should use attribution in your work in such a way that readers and colleagues can see, to the greatest extent possible, where your information came from and how you have reached your conclusions. Therefore, the use of anonymous sources should be kept to a minimum – you should always try to avoid saying something important with only the testimony of an unnamed person as proof. Even your journalistic competitors should be able to tell, from your work, how to pursue your story further.

Nicholas Lemann is the Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor of Journalism and Dean Emeritus at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Keywords: reporting, style, writing

About The Author

The Journalist's Resource

Investigative Reporting 

Break the next big story with in-depth research, fact-checking, and analysis and dive deep into complex issues of today’s society.  

Home > Research Glossary > Consulting Research

What is investigative reporting?  

Investigative reporting is a specialized form of journalism that goes beyond traditional news reporting. It involves extensive research, fact-checking, and analysis to uncover hidden truths, expose corruption, misconduct, and other injustices.  

Investigative reporters delve deep into complex issues and pursue leads that may be difficult to uncover, aiming to shed light on matters of public interest and importance. 

Why is investigative reporting an important form of journalism?  

Investigative reporting serves as a crucial pillar of democracy and society by: 

• Uncovering truth: Investigative reporters reveal facts and information that may otherwise remain concealed or unknown, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Holding power to account: By exposing corruption and abuse of power, investigative reporting helps hold individuals, institutions, and governments accountable for their actions.
• Driving social change: Investigative journalism often initiates public debates and sparks reforms, leading to positive social, legal, and policy changes.
• Protecting the vulnerable: Investigative reporters often advocate for the rights of marginalized individuals and groups, seeking justice for victims. 

Common methods of investigative reporting  

Investigative reporters employ various methods to conduct their research and reporting, including: 

• Data analysis: Investigative journalists analyze large datasets to identify patterns, anomalies, and trends that could reveal significant information.
• Whistleblower cooperation: Reporters work with whistleblowers who provide confidential information, exposing wrongdoing while protecting their identities.
• Source verification: Thorough fact-checking and verification of information from multiple sources are essential to ensure accuracy and reliability.
• In-depth interviews: Investigative reporters conduct extensive interviews with key sources , witnesses, experts, and individuals involved in the subject matter. 

Challenges of investigative reporting  

Investigative reporting comes with unique challenges, such as: 

• Legal threats: Investigative reporters may face legal challenges, including defamation lawsuits, to protect their sources and published reports.
• Resource constraints: In-depth investigations require significant time, financial resources, and dedicated teams, which can be challenging for media organizations.
• Risks to reporters: Investigative journalists may encounter risks, including physical danger and threats, particularly when reporting on dangerous or sensitive topics.
• Ethical dilemmas: Balancing the public's right to know with privacy concerns and potential harm to individuals or subjects of the investigation requires ethical considerations. 

Ethical considerations of investigative reporting 

Investigative reporting plays a crucial role in exposing corruption, misconduct, and wrongdoing, but it also comes with ethical considerations that journalists must navigate carefully. Upholding ethical standards is essential to maintain the credibility and integrity of investigative reporting and to protect the rights and well-being of all involved parties. 

Protecting sources and whistleblowers 

One of the core principles of investigative reporting is the protection of sources and whistleblowers who come forward with confidential information. Journalists must maintain the confidentiality of their sources and ensure their safety, especially when the information disclosed could expose them to retaliation or harm. 

Fact-checking and verification 

Thorough fact-checking and verification are fundamental to maintain accuracy in investigative reporting. Journalists should cross-reference information from multiple sources and corroborate claims before publication to prevent the dissemination of false or misleading information . 

Transparency and disclosure 

Journalists should be transparent about their methods, sources, and potential conflicts of interest. Full disclosure allows the public to understand the context and motivations behind investigative reporting and ensures accountability. 

Handling stolen or leaked information 

Investigative reporters often encounter leaked or stolen documents that may expose vital information. While such information may be in the public interest, journalists should consider the legality and ethics of using and publishing these materials.  

How LexisNexis supports investigative reporting  

LexisNexis is committed to empowering investigative reporters with comprehensive and reliable research tools. With Nexis ® Research Solutions , journalists gain access to a vast collection of news articles, public records, legal documents, and more. Our advanced search and filtering capabilities help reporters find relevant information quickly and efficiently.  

Additionally, our monitoring and alert services keep journalists informed about new developments and media coverage related to their investigative topics. With LexisNexis, journalists have the tools and resources they need to conduct impactful and transformative investigative reporting. 

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Think journalism’s a tough field today? Try being a reporter in the Gilded Age

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Is local news on the cusp of a renaissance?

Damian Radcliffe , University of Oregon

Techniques of 19th-century fake news reporter teach us why we fall for it today

Petra S. McGillen , Dartmouth College

Universities can do much more to recognise and plan for risks

Hermien Zaaiman , North-West University

How should you read unnamed sources and leaks?

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Unbelievable news? Read it again and you might think it’s true

Lisa Fazio , Vanderbilt University

Why we need to educate journalists about Aboriginal women’s experience of family violence

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Executive Director, The University of Melbourne

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• News Writing

How to Write a News Report

Last Updated: April 18, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 981,444 times.

A news report is similar to a news article. It is the basic facts of a story that is currently happening or that just happened. Writing a news report is easy if you report on the subject clearly, conduct good interviews, and write in a style that is clear, concise, and active.

Sample News Reports

Collecting Information for the Report

• Ask around for story ideas, especially government officials and public relations representatives. [1] X Research source
• Scan the news to see what is already happening. This could lead to you finding other story ideas that are related.
• Search your city or county's website or directory for local events that are coming up.
• Attend city council meetings to find out if there are any local issues happening in your area.
• Sit in on trials at the courthouse and see if anything interesting happens that you could report on.

• Write down everything you see and everything that takes place.
• Record and take notes of any speeches that occur at events. Make sure to get the names of the speakers.

• If the story is controversial or political, make sure to get both sides of the issue.
• Prepare sample questions, but don't necessarily stick to them. [2] X Research source
• Think of an interview as a conversation. [3] X Research source
• Record the interview.
• Make sure to get the full names (spelled correctly) of anyone you interviewed.

• Make sure you review your transcriptions to make sure they're accurate. You don't want to misquote someone.

A good story will guide you in the right direction. "Be honest about what you see, get out of the way and let the story reveal itself."

Writing the News Report

• The headline should be attention grabbing, but not exaggerate or mislead.
• Capitalize the first word of the headline and any proper nouns after that.
• If you're having trouble coming up with a headline, you might try writing it last instead. It may be easier to think of a headline after you've finished your article.
• For example, your headline might read: "Armed robbery at Portland farmer's market"

• An example of a byline: Sue Smith, Staff Reporter
• An example of a placeline: EUGENE, ORE. [5] X Research source

• Don't include people's names in the lead (save that information for later), unless everyone knows who they are (i.e. President Obama).
• For example: A Seattle man was caught selling stolen cars at his auto shop on Tuesday when a police officer posed as a customer.

• For example: Mary Quibble has been the director of the children's theater for six years. “I love the children and how much they care about these performances,” Quibble said. “There are 76 kids in the programs. They range in age from 7 to 16 years old.”

• For example: The woman ran out of the house at 11 p.m. when she heard the burglar enter, police said.

• Speak in past tense when writing a news report.
• Start a new paragraph whenever there is a new thought (this might mean you have paragraphs that are as short as a sentence or two)
• Write your news report in AP Style. [7] X Research source

Expert Q&A

• Keep your writing short and clear. Thanks Helpful 71 Not Helpful 16
• Write what happened, not your opinion. Thanks Helpful 53 Not Helpful 24
• Always include attributions. Thanks Helpful 44 Not Helpful 22

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://medium.com/@blazej.kupec/how-journalists-find-stories-and-write-articles-2174e902591c
• ↑ http://pages.uoregon.edu/sponder/j641/Interview.htm
• ↑ https://walkwest.com/art-writing-headlines/
• ↑ https://www.producer.com/opinion/placelines-2/
• ↑ https://training.npr.org/2016/10/12/leads-are-hard-heres-how-to-write-a-good-one/
• ↑ https://writer.com/blog/a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-ap-style-of-writing/

About This Article

To write a news report, first use key words about your story to write a clear, accurate headline that’s easy to understand. Then, write your byline, which includes your name and title and the date of your report. Put the location of your story on the following line, written all in caps. Next, summarize the who, what, where, when, and why of your report in a couple of sentences. Finally, provide more detailed information from the scene and your interviews with witnesses and key players. Be sure to include quotes and attributions in your report. To learn how to collect information from the scene of your news report, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• EMU Library
• Research Guides

Misinformation, Disinformation, and Bias

• News Media Bias
• Misinformation
• Disinformation
• Reader Bias and Filter Bubbles

Bias in News Media

Five types and five forms of media bias, where to find reliable news sources.

• Evaluation Methods

News organizations and professional journalists operate within a code of ethics to try to ensure their reporting is as fair and reliable as possible. This entails fact checking, vetting sources, and doing their best to present the facts. However a journalist or publication can do all these things and still show a biased perspective in what stories they choose to cover and how they choose to cover them. In fact, many people will choose one news source over another due to that bias!

Rather than avoiding biased news media altogether or simply taking that bias at face value, ask some questions about what you are reading and who wrote it: 

• Who published the article? Does the organization have a reputation for having a particular slant or bias in their reporting?
• Who wrote it? What are the author's credentials and expertise on the subject?
• Have they written about the topic (or similar topics) before?
• Do they use evidence to support their claims and arguments?
• What sources and evidence are they using?

These questions can be answered by doing online searches beyond the article to learn more about the author, the news organization, and to corroborate the article's claims with articles from other news sources on the same topic. 

Understanding Bias  from the News Literacy Project identifies five  types  and five forms  of bias found in news media. PDF version.

• Media Bias / Fact Check Over 900+ media sources organized in different bias classes
• All Sides Media Bias Ratings Ratings of the bias of online media outlets, based on multi-partisan, scientific analysis.
• How to Spot 16 Types of Media Bias An online guide (also available as a PDF) on the 16 types of media bias, created by AllSides, a multipartisan group that rates the bias of online media sources.
• Interactive Media Bias Chart This interactive chart allows you to look at media sources mapped across two dimensions--reliability and bias.
• News and Current Events If you are struggling to find reliable news sources (or wish to find more) the EMU Library has a list already compiled for you! Sources range from Newspaper websites and Web Broadcasts for both major and Michigan centered news sources. It also provides resources for exploring particular viewpoints if you are interested in investigating various sides of a particular issue or event.
• << Previous: Reader Bias and Filter Bubbles
• Next: Evaluation Methods >>

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• Last Updated: Aug 7, 2024 1:03 PM
• URL: https://guides.emich.edu/misinformation

• Find a Bias Rating
• Media Bias Chart
• Fact Check Bias
• Rate Your Bias
• Types of Bias

AllSides Media Bias Chart

The AllSides Media Bias Chart™ helps you to easily identify different perspectives and political leanings in the news so you can get the full picture and think for yourself.

Knowing the political bias of media outlets allows you to consume a balanced news diet and avoid manipulation, misinformation, and fake news. Everyone is biased, but hidden media bias misleads and divides us. The AllSides Media Bias Chart™ is based on our full and growing list of over 2,400 media bias ratings . These ratings inform our balanced newsfeed .

The AllSides Media Bias Chart™ is more comprehensive in its methodology than any other media bias chart on the Web. While other media bias charts show you the subjective opinion of just one or a few people, our ratings are based on multipartisan, scientific analysis, including expert panels and surveys of thousands of everyday Americans.

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This chart does not rate accuracy or credibility. A publication can be accurate, yet biased. Learn why AllSides doesn't rate accuracy.

Unless otherwise noted, these bias ratings are based on online written content , not TV, radio, or broadcast content.

Here's how the AllSides Media Bias Chart™ differs from other media bias charts:

• Data is gathered from many people across the political spectrum — not just one biased individual or a very small, elite group. We have a patent on rating bias and use multiple methodologies , not an algorithm. Our methods are : Blind Bias Surveys of Americans, Editorial Reviews by a multipartisan team of panelists who look for common types of media bias , independent reviews, and third party data.
• Our research spans years — we started rating media bias back in 2012.
• We give separate bias ratings for the news and opinion sections for some media outlets, giving you a more precise understanding.
• Transparent methodology: we tell you how we arrived at the bias rating for each outlet. Search for any media outlet here.
• We consider and review data and research conducted by third parties , like universities and other groups.
• Your opinion matters: we take into account hundreds of thousands of community votes on our ratings. Votes don't determine our ratings, but are valuable feedback that may prompt more research. We know that a mixed group of experts and non-experts will provide a more accurate result, so we solicit and consider opinions of average people.
• We don't rate accuracy — just bias. Our ratings help readers to understand that certain facts may be missing if they read only outlets from one side of the political spectrum.

Americans are more polarized than ever — if you’re like us, you see it in the news and on your social media feeds every day. Bias is natural, but hidden bias and fake news misleads and divides us. That’s why AllSides has rated the media bias of over 2,400 sources. and put it into a media bias chart. The AllSides Media Bias Chart™ shows the political bias of some of the most-read sources in America.

The outlets featured on the AllSides Media Bias Chart™ have varying degrees of influence. Read about whether conservative or liberal media outlets are more widely read .

Frequently Asked Questions about the AllSides Media Bias Chart

Why does the bias of a media outlet matter, how does allsides calculate media bias, how did allsides decide which media outlets to include on the chart, what do the bias ratings mean, does a center rating mean neutral, unbiased, and better, why are some media outlets on the chart twice, does allsides rate which outlets are most factual or accurate, where can i see past versions of the chart, where can i learn more, i disagree with your media bias ratings. where can i give you feedback.

News media, social media, and search engines have become so biased, politicized, and personalized that we are often stuck inside filter bubbles , where we’re only exposed to information and ideas we already agree with. When bias is hidden and we see only facts, information, and opinions that confirm our existing beliefs , a number of negative things happen: 1) we become extremely polarized as a nation as we misunderstand or hate the "the other side," believing they are extreme, hateful, or evil; 2) we become more likely to be manipulated into thinking, voting, or behaving a certain way; 3) we become limited in our ability to understand others, problem solve and compromise; 4) we become unable to find the truth.

It feels good to hear from people who think just like us, and media outlets have an incentive to be partisan — it helps them to earn ad revenue, especially if they use sensationalism and clickbait . But when we stay inside a filter bubble, we may miss important ideas and perspectives. The mission of AllSides is to free people from filter bubbles so they can better understand the world — and each other. Making media bias transparent helps us to easily identify different perspectives and expose ourselves to a variety of information so we can avoid being manipulated by partisan bias and fake news. This improves our country long-term, helping us to understand one another, solve problems, know the truth, and make better decisions.

Media bias has contributed to Americans becoming more politically polarized .

At AllSides, we reduce the one-sided information flow by providing balanced news  from both liberal and conservative news sources, and over 2,400 media bias ratings . Our tools help you to better understand diverse perspectives and reduce harmful, hateful polarization in America. By making media bias transparent and consuming a balanced news diet, we can arm ourselves with a broader view — and find the truth for ourselves.

Top of Page

Our media bias ratings are based on multi-partisan, scientific analysis. Our methodologies include Blind Bias Surveys of Americans, Editorial Reviews by a panel of experts trained to spot bias , independent reviews, third party data, and community feedback. Visit our Media Bias Rating Methodology page to learn more.

We consider multiple factors including how much traffic the source has according to Pew Research Center and Similarweb , and how many searches for the bias of that outlet land on AllSides.

We also include outlets that represent outlier perspectives. For example, Jacobin magazine is included because it represents socialist thought, while Reason magazine is included because it represents libertarian thought.

These are subjective judgements made by AllSides and people across the country. Learn our rough approximation for what the media bias ratings mean:

Left - Lean Left - Center - Lean Right - Right

Center doesn't mean better! A Center media bias rating does not mean the source is neutral, unbiased, or reasonable, just as Left and Right do not necessarily mean the source is extreme, wrong, or unreasonable. A Center bias rating simply means the source or writer rated does not predictably publish content that tilts toward either end of the political spectrum — conservative or liberal. A media outlet with a Center rating may omit important perspectives, or run individual articles that display bias, while not displaying a predictable bias. Center outlets can be difficult to determine, and there is rarely a perfect Center outlet: some of our outlets rated Center can be better thought of as Center-Left or Center-Right, something we clarify on individual source pages.

While it may be easy to think that we should only consume media from Center outlets, AllSides believes reading in the Center is not the answer. By reading only Center outlets, we may still encounter bias and omission of important issues and perspectives. For this reason, it is important to consume a balanced news diet across the political spectrum, and to read horizontally across the bias chart. Learn more about what an AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Center rating means here.

We sometimes provide separate media bias ratings for a source’s news content and its opinion content. This is because some outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times , have a notable difference in bias between their news and opinion sections.

For example, on this chart you will see The New York Times Opinion is rated as a Left media bias, while the New York Times news is rated Lean Left .

When rating an opinion page, AllSides takes into account the outlet's editorial board and its individual opinion page writers. The editorial board’s bias is weighted, and affects the final bias rating by about 60%.

For example, the New York Times has a range of individual Opinion page writers, who have a range of biases. We rate the bias of commentators individually as much as possible. Yet The New York Times Editorial Board has a clear Left media bias. We take into account both the overall biases of the individual writers and the Editorial Board to arrive at a final bias rating of Left for the New York Times opinion section .

See how we provide individual bias ratings for New York Times opinion page writers here .

AllSides does not rate outlets based on accuracy or factual claims — this is a bias chart, not a credibility chart. It speaks to perspective only.

We don't rate accuracy because we don't assume we know the truth on all things. The left and right often strongly disagree on what is truth and what is fiction. Read more about why AllSides doesn't rate accuracy.

We disagree with the idea that the more left or right an outlet is, the less credibility it has. There’s nothing wrong with having bias or an opinion, but hidden bias misleads and divides us. Just because an outlet is credible doesn’t mean it isn’t biased ; likewise, just because an outlet is biased doesn’t mean it isn’t credible . 

Learn more about past versions of the chart on our blog:

• Version 9.2
• Version 9.1
• Version 7.2
• Version 7.1
• Version 7 
• Version 5.1
• Version 1.1

Visit the AllSides Media Bias Ratings™ page and search for any outlet for a full summation of our research and how we arrived at the rating.

Visit our company FAQ for more information about AllSides.

You can vote on whether or not you agree with media bias ratings ,  contact us , or sign up to participate in our next Blind Bias Survey .

• Research Report
• Post last modified: 11 January 2022
• Reading time: 25 mins read
• Post category: Research Methodology

What is Research Report?

Research reporting is the oral or written presentation of the findings in such detail and form as to be readily understood and assessed by the society, economy or particularly by the researchers.

As earlier said that it is the final stage of the research process and its purpose is to convey to interested persons the whole result of the study. Report writing is common to both academic and managerial situations. In academics, a research report is prepared for comprehensive and application-oriented learning. In businesses or organisations, reports are used for the basis of decision making.

Table of Content

• 1 What is Research Report?
• 2 Research Report Definition
• 3.1 Preliminary Part
• 3.2 Introduction of the Report
• 3.3 Review of Literature
• 3.4 The Research Methodology
• 3.5 Results
• 3.6 Concluding Remarks
• 3.7 Bibliography
• 4 Significance of Report Writing
• 5 Qualities of Good Report
• 6.1 Analysis of the subject matter
• 6.2 Research outline
• 6.3 Preparation of rough draft
• 6.4 Rewriting and polishing
• 6.5 Writing the final draft
• 7 Precautions for Writing Research Reports
• 8.1.1 Technical Report
• 8.1.2 Popular Report
• 8.2.1 Written Report
• 8.2.2 Oral Report

Research Report Definition

According to C. A. Brown , “A report is a communication from someone who has information to someone who wants to use that information.”

According to Goode and Hatt , “The preparation of report is the final stage of research, and it’s purpose is to convey to the interested persons the whole result of the study, in sufficient detail and so arranged as to enable each reader to comprehend the data and to determine for himself the validity of the conclusions.”

It is clear from the above definitions of a research report, it is a brief account of the problem of investigation, the justification of its selection and the procedure of analysis and interpretation. It is only a summary of the entire research proceedings.

In other words, it can be defined as written documents, which presents information in a specialized and concise manner.

Contents of Research Report

Although no hard and fast rules can be laid down, the report must contain the following points.

• Acknowledgement
• Table of contents
• List of tables
• List of graphs
• Introduction
• Background of the research study
• Statement of the problem
• Brief outline of the chapters
• Books review
• Review of articles published in books, journals, periodicals, etc
• Review of articles published in leading newspapers
• Working papers / discusssion paper / study reports
• Articles on authorised websites
• A broad conclusion and indications for further research
• The theoretical framework (variables)
• Model / hypothesis
• Instruments for data collection
• Data collection
• Pilot study
• Processing of data
• Hypothesis / model testing
• Data analysis and interpretation
• Tables and figures
• Conclusions
• Shortcomings
• Suggestions to the problems
• Direction for further research

Preliminary Part

The preliminary part may have seven major components – cover, title, preface, acknowledgement, table of contents, list of tables, list of graphs. Long reports presented in book form have a cover made up of a card sheet. The cover contains title of the research report, the authority to whom the report is submitted, name of the author, etc.

The preface introduces the report to the readers. It gives a very brief introduction of the report. In the acknowledgements author mention names of persons and organisations that have extended co-operation and helped in the various stages of research. Table of contents is essential. It gives the title and page number of each chapter.

Introduction of the Report

The introduction of the research report should clearly and logically bring out the background of the problem addressed in the research. The purpose of the introduction is to introduce the research project to the readers. A clear statement of the problem with specific questions to be answered is presented in the introduction. It contains a brief outline of the chapters.

Review of Literature

The third section reviews the important literature related to the study. A comprehensive review of the research literature referred to must be made. Previous research studies and the important writings in the area under study should be reviewed. Review of literature is helpful to provide a background for the development of the present study.

The researcher may review concerned books, articles published in edited books, journals and periodicals. Researcher may also take review of articles published in leading newspapers. A researcher should study working papers/discussion papers/study reports. It is essential for a broad conclusion and indications for further research.

The Research Methodology

Research methodology is an integral part of the research. It should clearly indicate the universe and the selection of samples, techniques of data collection, analysis and interpretation, statistical techniques, etc.

Results contain pilot study, processing of data, hypothesis/model testing, data analysis and interpretation, tables and figures, etc. This is the heart of the research report. If a pilot study is planned to be used, it’s purpose should be given in the research methodology.

The collected data and the information should be edited, coded, tabulated and analysed with a view to arriving at a valid and authentic conclusion. Tables and figures are used to clarify the significant relationship. The results obtained through tables, graphs should be critically interpreted.

Concluding Remarks

The concluding remarks should discuss the results obtained in the earlier sections, as well as their usefulness and implications. It contains findings, conclusions, shortcomings, suggestions to the problem and direction for future research. Findings are statements of factual information based upon the data analysis.

Conclusions must clearly explain whether the hypothesis have been established and rejected. This part requires great expertise and preciseness. A report should also refer to the limitations of the applicability of the research inferences. It is essential to suggest the theoretical, practical and policy implications of the research. The suggestions should be supported by scientific and logical arguments. The future direction of research based on the work completed should also be outlined.

Bibliography

The bibliography is an alphabetic list of books, journal articles, reports, etc, published or unpublished, read, referred to, examined by the researcher in preparing the report. The bibliography should follow standard formats for books, journal articles, research reports.

The end of the research report may consist of appendices, listed in respect of all technical data. Appendices are for the purpose of providing detailed data or information that would be too cumbersome within the main body of the research report.

Significance of Report Writing

Report writing is an important communication medium in organisations. The most crucial findings might have come out through a research report. Report is common to academics and managers also. Reports are used for comprehensive and application oriented learning in academics. In organisations, reports are used for the basis of decision making. The importance of report writing can be discussed as under.

Through research reports, a manager or an executive can quickly get an idea of a current scenario which improves his information base for making sound decisions affecting future operations of the company or enterprise. The research report acts as a means of communication of various research findings to the interested parties, organisations and general public.

Good report writing play, a significant role of conveying unknown facts about the phenomenon to the concerned parties. This may provide new insights and new opportunities to the people. Research report plays a key role in making effective decisions in marketing, production, banking, materials, human resource development and government also. Good report writing is used for economic planning and optimum utilisation of resources for the development of a nation.

Report writing facilitates the validation of generalisation. A research report is an end product of research. As earlier said that report writing provides useful information in arriving at rational decisions that may reform the business and society. The findings, conclusions, suggestions and recommendations are useful to academicians, scholars and policymakers. Report writing provides reference material for further research in the same or similar areas of research to the concerned parties.

While preparing a research report, a researcher should take some proper precautions. Report writing should be simple, lucid and systematic. Report writing should be written speedily without interrupting the continuity of thought. The report writing should sustain the interest of readers.

Qualities of Good Report

Report writing is a highly skilled job. It is a process of analysing, understanding and consolidating the findings and projecting a meaningful view of the phenomenon studied. A good report writing is essential for effective communication.

Following are the essential qualities of good report:

• A research report is essentially a scientific documentation. It should have a suggestive title, headings and sub-headings, paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence.
• Good research report should include everything that is relevant and exclude everything that is irrelevant. It means that it should contain the facts rather than opinion.
• The language of the report should be simple and unambiguous. It means that it should be free from biases of the researchers derived from the past experience. Confusion, pretentiousness and pomposity should be carefully guarded against. It means that the language of the report should be simple, employing appropriate words, idioms and expressions.
• The report must be free from grammatical mistakes. It must be grammatically accurate. Faulty construction of sentences makes the meaning of the narrative obscure and ambiguous.
• The report has to take into consideration two facts. Firstly, for whom the report is meant and secondly, what is his level of knowledge. The report has to look to the subject matter of the report and the fact as to the level of knowledge of the person for whom it is meant. Because all reports are not meant for research scholars.

Steps in Writing Research Report

Report writing is a time consuming and expensive exercise. Therefore, reports have to be very sharply focused in purpose content and readership. There is no single universally acceptable method of writing a research report.

Following are the general steps in writing a research report:

Analysis of the subject matter

Research outline, preparation of rough draft, rewriting and polishing, writing the final draft.

This is the first and important step in writing a research report. It is concerned with the development of a subject. Subject matter should be written in a clear, logical and concise manner. The style adopted should be open, straightforward and dignified and folk style language should be avoided.

The data, the reliability and validity of the results of the statistical analysis should be in the form of tables, figures and equations. All redundancy in the data or results presented should be eliminated.

The research outline is an organisational framework prepared by the researcher well in advance. It is an aid to logical organisation of material and a reminder of the points to be stressed in the report. In the process of writing, if need be, outline may be revised accordingly.

Time and place of the study, scope and limitations of the study, study design, summary of pilot study, methods of data collection, analysis interpretation, etc., may be included in a research outline.

Having prepared the primary and secondary data, the researcher has to prepare a rough draft. While preparing the rough draft, the researcher should keep the objectives of the research in mind, and focus on one objective at a time. The researcher should make a checklist of the important points that are necessary to be covered in the manuscript. A researcher should use dictionary and relevant reference materials as and when required.

This is an important step in writing a research report. It takes more time than a rough draft. While rewriting and polishing, a researcher should check the report for weakness in logical development or presentation. He should take breaks in between rewriting and polishing since this gives the time to incubate the ideas.

The last and important step is writing the final draft. The language of the report should be simple, employing appropriate words and expressions and should avoid vague expressions such as ‘it seems’ and ‘there may be’ etc.

It should not used personal pronouns, such as I, We, My, Us, etc and should substitute these by such expressions as a researcher, investigator, etc. Before the final drafting of the report, it is advisable that the researcher should prepare a first draft for critical considerations and possible improvements. It will be helpful in writing the final draft. Finally, the report should be logically outlined with the future directions of the research based on the work completed.

Precautions for Writing Research Reports

A research report is a means of conveying the research study to a specific target audience. The following precautions should be taken while preparing a research report:

• Its hould belong enough to cover the subject and short enough to preserve interest.
• It should not be dull and complicated.
• It should be simple, without the usage of abstract terms and technical jargons.
• It should offer ready availability of findings with the help of charts, tables and graphs, as readers prefer quick knowledge of main findings.
• The layout of the report should be in accordance with the objectives of the research study.
• There should be no grammatical errors and writing should adhere to the techniques of report writing in case of quotations, footnotes and documentations.
• It should be original, intellectual and contribute to the solution of a problem or add knowledge to the concerned field.
• Appendices should been listed with respect to all the technical data in the report.
• It should be attractive, neat and clean, whether handwritten or typed.
• The report writer should refrain from confusing the possessive form of the word ‘it’ is with ‘it’s.’ The accurate possessive form of ‘it is’ is ‘its.’ The use of ‘it’s’ is the contractive form of ‘it is.
• A report should not have contractions. Examples are ‘didn’t’ or ‘it’s.’ In report writing, it is best to use the non-contractive form. Therefore, the examples would be replaced by ‘did not’ and ‘it is.’ Using ‘Figure’ instead of ‘Fig.’ and ‘Table’ instead of ‘Tab.’ will spare the reader of having to translate the abbreviations, while reading. If abbreviations are used, use them consistently throughout the report. For example, do not switch among ‘versus,’ and ‘vs’.
• It is advisable to avoid using the word ‘very’ and other such words that try to embellish a description. They do not add any extra meaning and, therefore, should be dropped.
• Repetition hampers lucidity. Report writers must avoid repeating the same word more than once within a sentence.
• When you use the word ‘this’ or ‘these’ make sure you indicate to what you are referring. This reduces the ambiguity in your writing and helps to tie sentences together.
• Do not use the word ‘they’ to refer to a singular person. You can either rewrite the sentence to avoid needing such a reference or use the singular ‘he or she.’

Types of Research Report

Research reports are designed in order to convey and record the information that will be of practical use to the reader. It is organized into distinct units of specific and highly visible information. The kind of audience addressed in the research report decides the type of report.

Research reports can be categorized on the following basis:

Classification on the Basis of Information

Classification on the basis of representation.

Following are the ways through which the results of the research report can be presented on the basis of information contained:

Technical Report

A technical report is written for other researchers. In writing the technical reports, the importance is mainly given to the methods that have been used to collect the information and data, the presumptions that are made and finally, the various presentation techniques that are used to present the findings and data.

Following are main features of a technical report:

• Summary: It covers a brief analysis of the findings of the research in a very few pages. 
• Nature: It contains the reasons for which the research is undertaken, the analysis and the data that is required in order to prepare a report. 
• Methods employed: It contains a description of the methods that were employed in order to collect the data. 
• Data: It covers a brief analysis of the various sources from which the data has been collected with their features and drawbacks 
• Analysis of data and presentation of the findings: It contains the various forms through which the data that has been analysed can be presented. 
• Conclusions: It contains a brief explanation of findings of the research. 
• Bibliography: It contains a detailed analysis of the various bibliographies that have been used in order to conduct a research. 
• Technical appendices: It contains the appendices for the technical matters and for questionnaires and mathematical derivations. 
• Index: The index of the technical report must be provided at the end of the report.

Popular Report

A popular report is formulated when there is a need to draw conclusions of the findings of the research report. One of the main points of consideration that should be kept in mind while formulating a research report is that it must be simple and attractive. It must be written in a very simple manner that is understandable to all. It must also be made attractive by using large prints, various sub-headings and by giving cartoons occasionally.

Following are the main points that must be kept in mind while preparing a popular report:

• Findings and their implications : While preparing a popular report, main importance is given to the findings of the information and the conclusions that can be drawn out of these findings.
• Recommendations for action : If there are any deviations in the report then recommendations are made for taking corrective action in order to rectify the errors.
• Objective of the study : In a popular report, the specific objective for which the research has been undertaken is presented.
• Methods employed : The report must contain the various methods that has been employed in order to conduct a research.
• Results : The results of the research findings must be presented in a suitable and appropriate manner by taking the help of charts and diagrams.
• Technical appendices : The report must contain an in-depth information used to collect the data in the form of appendices.

Following are the ways through which the results of the research report can be presented on the basis of representation:

• Writtenreport
• Oral report

Written Report

A written report plays a vital role in every business operation. The manner in which an organization writes business letters and business reports creates an impression of its standard. Therefore, the organization should emphasize on the improvement of the writing skills of the employees in order to maintain effective relations with their customers.

Writing effective written reports requires a lot of hard work. Therefore, before you begin writing, it is important to know the objective, i.e., the purpose of writing, collection and organization of required data.

Oral Report

At times, oral presentation of the results that are drawn out of research is considered effective, particularly in cases where policy recommendations are to be made. This approach proves beneficial because it provides a medium of interaction between a listener and a speaker. This leads to a better understanding of the findings and their implications.

However, the main drawback of oral presentation is the lack of any permanent records related to the research. Oral presentation of the report is also effective when it is supported with various visual devices, such as slides, wall charts and whiteboards that help in better understanding of the research reports.

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Home » Research Report – Example, Writing Guide and Types

Research Report – Example, Writing Guide and Types

Table of Contents

Research Report

Definition:

Research Report is a written document that presents the results of a research project or study, including the research question, methodology, results, and conclusions, in a clear and objective manner.

The purpose of a research report is to communicate the findings of the research to the intended audience, which could be other researchers, stakeholders, or the general public.

Components of Research Report

Components of Research Report are as follows:

Introduction

The introduction sets the stage for the research report and provides a brief overview of the research question or problem being investigated. It should include a clear statement of the purpose of the study and its significance or relevance to the field of research. It may also provide background information or a literature review to help contextualize the research.

Literature Review

The literature review provides a critical analysis and synthesis of the existing research and scholarship relevant to the research question or problem. It should identify the gaps, inconsistencies, and contradictions in the literature and show how the current study addresses these issues. The literature review also establishes the theoretical framework or conceptual model that guides the research.

Methodology

The methodology section describes the research design, methods, and procedures used to collect and analyze data. It should include information on the sample or participants, data collection instruments, data collection procedures, and data analysis techniques. The methodology should be clear and detailed enough to allow other researchers to replicate the study.

The results section presents the findings of the study in a clear and objective manner. It should provide a detailed description of the data and statistics used to answer the research question or test the hypothesis. Tables, graphs, and figures may be included to help visualize the data and illustrate the key findings.

The discussion section interprets the results of the study and explains their significance or relevance to the research question or problem. It should also compare the current findings with those of previous studies and identify the implications for future research or practice. The discussion should be based on the results presented in the previous section and should avoid speculation or unfounded conclusions.

The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the study and restates the main argument or thesis presented in the introduction. It should also provide a brief overview of the contributions of the study to the field of research and the implications for practice or policy.

The references section lists all the sources cited in the research report, following a specific citation style, such as APA or MLA.

The appendices section includes any additional material, such as data tables, figures, or instruments used in the study, that could not be included in the main text due to space limitations.

Types of Research Report

Types of Research Report are as follows:

Thesis is a type of research report. A thesis is a long-form research document that presents the findings and conclusions of an original research study conducted by a student as part of a graduate or postgraduate program. It is typically written by a student pursuing a higher degree, such as a Master’s or Doctoral degree, although it can also be written by researchers or scholars in other fields.

Research Paper

Research paper is a type of research report. A research paper is a document that presents the results of a research study or investigation. Research papers can be written in a variety of fields, including science, social science, humanities, and business. They typically follow a standard format that includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion sections.

Technical Report

A technical report is a detailed report that provides information about a specific technical or scientific problem or project. Technical reports are often used in engineering, science, and other technical fields to document research and development work.

Progress Report

A progress report provides an update on the progress of a research project or program over a specific period of time. Progress reports are typically used to communicate the status of a project to stakeholders, funders, or project managers.

Feasibility Report

A feasibility report assesses the feasibility of a proposed project or plan, providing an analysis of the potential risks, benefits, and costs associated with the project. Feasibility reports are often used in business, engineering, and other fields to determine the viability of a project before it is undertaken.

Field Report

A field report documents observations and findings from fieldwork, which is research conducted in the natural environment or setting. Field reports are often used in anthropology, ecology, and other social and natural sciences.

Experimental Report

An experimental report documents the results of a scientific experiment, including the hypothesis, methods, results, and conclusions. Experimental reports are often used in biology, chemistry, and other sciences to communicate the results of laboratory experiments.

Case Study Report

A case study report provides an in-depth analysis of a specific case or situation, often used in psychology, social work, and other fields to document and understand complex cases or phenomena.

Literature Review Report

A literature review report synthesizes and summarizes existing research on a specific topic, providing an overview of the current state of knowledge on the subject. Literature review reports are often used in social sciences, education, and other fields to identify gaps in the literature and guide future research.

Research Report Example

Following is a Research Report Example sample for Students:

Title: The Impact of Social Media on Academic Performance among High School Students

This study aims to investigate the relationship between social media use and academic performance among high school students. The study utilized a quantitative research design, which involved a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 200 high school students. The findings indicate that there is a negative correlation between social media use and academic performance, suggesting that excessive social media use can lead to poor academic performance among high school students. The results of this study have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers, as they highlight the need for strategies that can help students balance their social media use and academic responsibilities.

Introduction:

Social media has become an integral part of the lives of high school students. With the widespread use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, students can connect with friends, share photos and videos, and engage in discussions on a range of topics. While social media offers many benefits, concerns have been raised about its impact on academic performance. Many studies have found a negative correlation between social media use and academic performance among high school students (Kirschner & Karpinski, 2010; Paul, Baker, & Cochran, 2012).

Given the growing importance of social media in the lives of high school students, it is important to investigate its impact on academic performance. This study aims to address this gap by examining the relationship between social media use and academic performance among high school students.

Methodology:

The study utilized a quantitative research design, which involved a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 200 high school students. The questionnaire was developed based on previous studies and was designed to measure the frequency and duration of social media use, as well as academic performance.

The participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique, and the survey questionnaire was distributed in the classroom during regular school hours. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis.

The findings indicate that the majority of high school students use social media platforms on a daily basis, with Facebook being the most popular platform. The results also show a negative correlation between social media use and academic performance, suggesting that excessive social media use can lead to poor academic performance among high school students.

Discussion:

The results of this study have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers. The negative correlation between social media use and academic performance suggests that strategies should be put in place to help students balance their social media use and academic responsibilities. For example, educators could incorporate social media into their teaching strategies to engage students and enhance learning. Parents could limit their children’s social media use and encourage them to prioritize their academic responsibilities. Policymakers could develop guidelines and policies to regulate social media use among high school students.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this study provides evidence of the negative impact of social media on academic performance among high school students. The findings highlight the need for strategies that can help students balance their social media use and academic responsibilities. Further research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms by which social media use affects academic performance and to develop effective strategies for addressing this issue.

Limitations:

One limitation of this study is the use of convenience sampling, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other populations. Future studies should use random sampling techniques to increase the representativeness of the sample. Another limitation is the use of self-reported measures, which may be subject to social desirability bias. Future studies could use objective measures of social media use and academic performance, such as tracking software and school records.

Implications:

The findings of this study have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers. Educators could incorporate social media into their teaching strategies to engage students and enhance learning. For example, teachers could use social media platforms to share relevant educational resources and facilitate online discussions. Parents could limit their children’s social media use and encourage them to prioritize their academic responsibilities. They could also engage in open communication with their children to understand their social media use and its impact on their academic performance. Policymakers could develop guidelines and policies to regulate social media use among high school students. For example, schools could implement social media policies that restrict access during class time and encourage responsible use.

References:

• Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2010). Facebook® and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1237-1245.
• Paul, J. A., Baker, H. M., & Cochran, J. D. (2012). Effect of online social networking on student academic performance. Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology, 8(1), 1-19.
• Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(10), 652-657.
• Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948-958.

Note*: Above mention, Example is just a sample for the students’ guide. Do not directly copy and paste as your College or University assignment. Kindly do some research and Write your own.

Applications of Research Report

Research reports have many applications, including:

• Communicating research findings: The primary application of a research report is to communicate the results of a study to other researchers, stakeholders, or the general public. The report serves as a way to share new knowledge, insights, and discoveries with others in the field.
• Informing policy and practice : Research reports can inform policy and practice by providing evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers. For example, a research report on the effectiveness of a new drug could inform regulatory agencies in their decision-making process.
• Supporting further research: Research reports can provide a foundation for further research in a particular area. Other researchers may use the findings and methodology of a report to develop new research questions or to build on existing research.
• Evaluating programs and interventions : Research reports can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and interventions in achieving their intended outcomes. For example, a research report on a new educational program could provide evidence of its impact on student performance.
• Demonstrating impact : Research reports can be used to demonstrate the impact of research funding or to evaluate the success of research projects. By presenting the findings and outcomes of a study, research reports can show the value of research to funders and stakeholders.
• Enhancing professional development : Research reports can be used to enhance professional development by providing a source of information and learning for researchers and practitioners in a particular field. For example, a research report on a new teaching methodology could provide insights and ideas for educators to incorporate into their own practice.

How to write Research Report

Here are some steps you can follow to write a research report:

• Identify the research question: The first step in writing a research report is to identify your research question. This will help you focus your research and organize your findings.
• Conduct research : Once you have identified your research question, you will need to conduct research to gather relevant data and information. This can involve conducting experiments, reviewing literature, or analyzing data.
• Organize your findings: Once you have gathered all of your data, you will need to organize your findings in a way that is clear and understandable. This can involve creating tables, graphs, or charts to illustrate your results.
• Write the report: Once you have organized your findings, you can begin writing the report. Start with an introduction that provides background information and explains the purpose of your research. Next, provide a detailed description of your research methods and findings. Finally, summarize your results and draw conclusions based on your findings.
• Proofread and edit: After you have written your report, be sure to proofread and edit it carefully. Check for grammar and spelling errors, and make sure that your report is well-organized and easy to read.
• Include a reference list: Be sure to include a list of references that you used in your research. This will give credit to your sources and allow readers to further explore the topic if they choose.
• Format your report: Finally, format your report according to the guidelines provided by your instructor or organization. This may include formatting requirements for headings, margins, fonts, and spacing.

Purpose of Research Report

The purpose of a research report is to communicate the results of a research study to a specific audience, such as peers in the same field, stakeholders, or the general public. The report provides a detailed description of the research methods, findings, and conclusions.

Some common purposes of a research report include:

• Sharing knowledge: A research report allows researchers to share their findings and knowledge with others in their field. This helps to advance the field and improve the understanding of a particular topic.
• Identifying trends: A research report can identify trends and patterns in data, which can help guide future research and inform decision-making.
• Addressing problems: A research report can provide insights into problems or issues and suggest solutions or recommendations for addressing them.
• Evaluating programs or interventions : A research report can evaluate the effectiveness of programs or interventions, which can inform decision-making about whether to continue, modify, or discontinue them.
• Meeting regulatory requirements: In some fields, research reports are required to meet regulatory requirements, such as in the case of drug trials or environmental impact studies.

When to Write Research Report

A research report should be written after completing the research study. This includes collecting data, analyzing the results, and drawing conclusions based on the findings. Once the research is complete, the report should be written in a timely manner while the information is still fresh in the researcher’s mind.

In academic settings, research reports are often required as part of coursework or as part of a thesis or dissertation. In this case, the report should be written according to the guidelines provided by the instructor or institution.

In other settings, such as in industry or government, research reports may be required to inform decision-making or to comply with regulatory requirements. In these cases, the report should be written as soon as possible after the research is completed in order to inform decision-making in a timely manner.

Overall, the timing of when to write a research report depends on the purpose of the research, the expectations of the audience, and any regulatory requirements that need to be met. However, it is important to complete the report in a timely manner while the information is still fresh in the researcher’s mind.

Characteristics of Research Report

There are several characteristics of a research report that distinguish it from other types of writing. These characteristics include:

• Objective: A research report should be written in an objective and unbiased manner. It should present the facts and findings of the research study without any personal opinions or biases.
• Systematic: A research report should be written in a systematic manner. It should follow a clear and logical structure, and the information should be presented in a way that is easy to understand and follow.
• Detailed: A research report should be detailed and comprehensive. It should provide a thorough description of the research methods, results, and conclusions.
• Accurate : A research report should be accurate and based on sound research methods. The findings and conclusions should be supported by data and evidence.
• Organized: A research report should be well-organized. It should include headings and subheadings to help the reader navigate the report and understand the main points.
• Clear and concise: A research report should be written in clear and concise language. The information should be presented in a way that is easy to understand, and unnecessary jargon should be avoided.
• Citations and references: A research report should include citations and references to support the findings and conclusions. This helps to give credit to other researchers and to provide readers with the opportunity to further explore the topic.

Advantages of Research Report

Research reports have several advantages, including:

• Communicating research findings: Research reports allow researchers to communicate their findings to a wider audience, including other researchers, stakeholders, and the general public. This helps to disseminate knowledge and advance the understanding of a particular topic.
• Providing evidence for decision-making : Research reports can provide evidence to inform decision-making, such as in the case of policy-making, program planning, or product development. The findings and conclusions can help guide decisions and improve outcomes.
• Supporting further research: Research reports can provide a foundation for further research on a particular topic. Other researchers can build on the findings and conclusions of the report, which can lead to further discoveries and advancements in the field.
• Demonstrating expertise: Research reports can demonstrate the expertise of the researchers and their ability to conduct rigorous and high-quality research. This can be important for securing funding, promotions, and other professional opportunities.
• Meeting regulatory requirements: In some fields, research reports are required to meet regulatory requirements, such as in the case of drug trials or environmental impact studies. Producing a high-quality research report can help ensure compliance with these requirements.

Limitations of Research Report

Despite their advantages, research reports also have some limitations, including:

• Time-consuming: Conducting research and writing a report can be a time-consuming process, particularly for large-scale studies. This can limit the frequency and speed of producing research reports.
• Expensive: Conducting research and producing a report can be expensive, particularly for studies that require specialized equipment, personnel, or data. This can limit the scope and feasibility of some research studies.
• Limited generalizability: Research studies often focus on a specific population or context, which can limit the generalizability of the findings to other populations or contexts.
• Potential bias : Researchers may have biases or conflicts of interest that can influence the findings and conclusions of the research study. Additionally, participants may also have biases or may not be representative of the larger population, which can limit the validity and reliability of the findings.
• Accessibility: Research reports may be written in technical or academic language, which can limit their accessibility to a wider audience. Additionally, some research may be behind paywalls or require specialized access, which can limit the ability of others to read and use the findings.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Us government report says fluoride at twice the recommended limit is linked to lower iq in kids.

FILE - A child rinses a toothbrush in San Francisco on June 18, 2019. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. government report expected to stir debate concluded that fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children.

The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, marks the first time a federal agency has determined — “with moderate confidence” — that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. While the report was not designed to evaluate the health effects of fluoride in drinking water alone, it is a striking acknowledgment of a potential neurological risk from high levels of fluoride.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

“I think this (report) is crucial in our understanding” of this risk, said Ashley Malin, a University of Florida researcher who has studied the effect of higher fluoride levels in pregnant women on their children. She called it the most rigorously conducted report of its kind.

The long-awaited report released Wednesday comes from the National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It summarizes a review of studies, conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico, that concludes that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter is consistently associated with lower IQs in kids.

The report did not try to quantify exactly how many IQ points might be lost at different levels of fluoride exposure. But some of the studies reviewed in the report suggested IQ was 2 to 5 points lower in children who’d had higher exposures.

Since 2015, federal health officials have recommended a fluoridation level of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, and for five decades before the recommended upper range was 1.2. The World Health Organization has set a safe limit for fluoride in drinking water of 1.5.

The report said that about 0.6% of the U.S. population — about 1.9 million people — are on water systems with naturally occurring fluoride levels of 1.5 milligrams or higher.

“The findings from this report raise the questions about how these people can be protected and what makes the most sense,” Malin said.

The 324-page report did not reach a conclusion about the risks of lower levels of fluoride, saying more study is needed. It also did not answer what high levels of fluoride might do to adults.

The American Dental Association, which champions water fluoridation, had been critical of earlier versions of the new analysis and Malin’s research. Asked for comment, a spokeswoman late Wednesday afternoon emailed that the organization’s experts were still reviewing the report.

Fluoride is a mineral that exists naturally in water and soil. About 80 years ago, scientists discovered that people whose water supplies naturally had more fluoride also had fewer cavities, triggering a push to get more Americans to use fluoride for better dental health.

In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first U.S. city to start adding fluoride to tap water. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.

Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.

Separately, the Environmental Protection Agency has maintained a longstanding requirement that water systems cannot have more than 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter. That standard is designed to prevent skeletal fluorosis, a potentially crippling disorder which causes weaker bones, stiffness and pain.

But more and more studies have increasingly pointed to a different problem, suggesting a link between higher levels of fluoride and brain development. Researchers wondered about the impact on developing fetuses and very young children who might ingest water with baby formula. Studies in animals showed fluoride could impact neurochemistry cell function in brain regions responsible for learning, memory, executive function and behavior.

In 2006, the National Research Council, a private nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., said limited evidence from China pointed to neurological effects in people exposed to high levels of fluoride. It called for more research into the effect of fluoride on intelligence.

After more research continued to raise questions, the National Toxicology Program in 2016 started working on a review of the available studies that could provide guidance on whether new fluoride-limiting measures were needed.

There were earlier drafts but the final document has repeatedly been held up. At one point, a committee of experts said available research did not support an earlier draft’s conclusions.

“Since fluoride is such an important topic to the public and to public health officials, it was imperative that we made every effort to get the science right,” said Rick Woychik, director of the National Toxicology Program, in a statement.

Malin said it makes sense for pregnant women to lower their fluoride intake, not only from water but also from certain types of tea. It might also make sense to have policy discussions about whether to require fluoride-content on beverage labels, she said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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The Integrity of Psychological Research: Uncovering Statistical Reporting Inconsistencies

• Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science
• Statistical Analysis

Accurate reporting in psychological science is vital for ensuring reliable results. Are there statistical inconsistencies in scientific articles?  

In this episode, APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Michele Nuijten from Tilburg University to examine how overlooked errors in statistical reporting can undermine the credibility of research findings. Together, they discuss Nuijten’s research published in Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science and examine practical strategies to enhance the quality of psychological research. 

Send us your thoughts and questions at [email protected]  

Unedited transcript

[00:00:10.160] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Statistical reporting is a core part of writing scholarly articles. Many conclusions in scientific reports rely on null hypothesis significance testing, making accurate reporting essential for robust findings. What if there are inconsistencies in academic journals? How would it affect our field? If we cannot trust the numbers reported, the reliability of the conclusions is at stake. I am Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum with the Association for Psychological Science. Today, I have the pleasure of talking to Michele Nuijten from the Tilburg University. Michele recently published an article on Statistical Reporting Inconsistencies in APS’s Journal: Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. Join us as we explore the impact of these inconsistencies and discuss potential solutions to enhance the credibility of psychological research. Michele, welcome to Under the Cortex. 

[00:01:09.810] – Michele Nuijten  

Thank you very much. I’m honored to be here. 

[00:01:12.520] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Please tell us about yourself first. What type of psychologist are you? 

[00:01:17.420] – Michele Nuijten  

I guess you could classify me as a methodologist. I have a background in psychological methods. That is what I studied. But right now, I think I would call myself a meta-scientist, so someone who researchers’ research. I’m really focusing on trying to detect problems in the way that we do science in psychology and related fields. If I uncover any issues, to also think about pragmatic solutions to make sure that we can move forward in our field in a better and more solid way. 

[00:01:49.360] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah, that is fantastic. How did you first get interested in becoming a meta researcher and studying statistical inconsistencies? 

[00:01:59.980] – Michele Nuijten  

It’s actually quite some time ago now. I was still in my master’s program, which is over 10 years ago now, I think. I was a master student in a very interesting time, I think, around 2011, 2012, which is also often marked as the start of the replication crisis, as it’s often called in psychology. We had the massive fraud case of Diederik Stapel, who, coincidentally, was a researcher at the university I’m working now. But there was also an article that seemingly proved that we could look into the future. That was the article that proved that if you have so much flexibility in data analysis, you can inflate your type 1 error to 50%. A lot of these things were happening. Around that time, I also got interested in reporting inconsistencies, mainly out of a more technical interest, I guess. People around me were working on these inconsistencies. Together with a friend, Sacha Epskamp, we thought, Well, this seems like a problem that you can automate. Maybe we can write a program to help us detect problems in articles. 

[00:03:06.220] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah, I will come to that. But it is interesting that we are contemporary. During that replication crisis, I was in grad school as well. I was a senior graduate student then. Us also had some replication problems in my field in developmental side. I totally hear you. I’m glad it created a research program for you. Now we have a tool called called statcheck. Can you tell our listeners what it is? 

[00:03:34.480] – Michele Nuijten  

I think the easiest way to explain what Stat Check is is to compare it to a spell checker for statistics. Instead of finding typos in your words, you find typos in your statistical results. What it does is it takes an article, it searches through the text for, as you mentioned, null hypothesis significance tests, so effectively tests with P values, and it tries to use the numbers to recalculate that P value. An equivalent would be if you would write down 2 plus 4 equals 5, then you know when you read that, that something is off, like these numbers don’t match up. Stat Checkdoes a similar thing. It searches for these test results, which often consists of a test statistic, degrees of freedom, and a P-Value. It uses two of these numbers, the test statistic and the degrees of freedom, to recalculate the P-Value and then see if these numbers match or not. 

[00:04:29.850] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah. This is an important tool because what I read from your study is that before Stat Check, your earlier work shows about 50% of articles with statistical results contained at least one P-value that didn’t match what the test statistic and the degrees of freedom would indicate it should be. How did you first notice there were problems in statistical reporting? 

[00:04:56.250] – Michele Nuijten  

This was actually a project that some of my colleagues were working on at the time, back when I was still a student, so my colleagues Marion Bacher and Jelte Wicherts, who are, incidentally, my colleagues still now at a different university, they noticed that one high-profile paper contained such inconsistency. They noticed just by looking at the numbers like, Hey, something doesn’t add up here. When they went through this particular paper, they thought, Well, if such a high-profile paper published in a high-quality journal already has some of these just visible errors in it, How much does this occur in the general literature? They actually went to the painstaking process of going through, I think, over a thousand P values by hand to see how often this occurred. When I and my friend saw that this was such a painstaking process, and ironically, also an error-prone process. You can imagine if you have to do this by hand, then we thought, Well, this seems like a thing that you can automate. That’s how we got on this path of looking at reporting inconsistencies in statistics. 

[00:06:04.350] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah, let’s talk about how it works then. I have this tool. Could you describe our listeners? What are the steps? We go to this website, and then what happens? 

[00:06:16.110] – Michele Nuijten  

Well, for the side of the user, it’s very straightforward. You go to the web application, which is called statcheck.io. There’s literally one button you can click on. The button is upload your paper. You upload a paper in a Word format or HTML or PDF. Nothing gets saved in the back-end. It only gets scanned by Stat Check, and you get back a nice table with all the results that Stat Checkwas able to find and a list of whether or not it was flagged as consistent. 

[00:06:49.010] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

In your work, you must have seen a lot of examples. What are some of the worst examples that you saw? 

[00:06:57.330] – Michele Nuijten  

Yeah, that’s a difficult question because Stat Check, in a way, it’s not an AI or something. It merely just looks at numbers and says, Well, these numbers don’t appear to add up. What it does is it recalculates the P-value because we had to choose a number to recalculate calculate, and given the enormous focus on P values in our field, that seemed like the most logical choice. But just as with my earlier example, if you say 2 plus 4 equals 5, the 5 could be incorrect, but the 2 or the 4 could also be incorrect. You don’t know. This also means that sometimes Stat Check flags an inconsistency where the reported P value is smaller than 0.001, but the recomputed P value is 0.80 or something. Which might look like a blatant error and a really dramatic difference. But it could be the case that there is a typo in the test statistic. For instance, if you write down that your T-value is 1.5, but you meant 10.5, it’s only a typo, but it seems as if it would have huge influence on your results. Those type of inconsistencies look dramatic, but might not be. At the other side, you also have types of errors that might, at first glance, seem inconsequential that might have big consequences. 

[00:08:21.260] – Michele Nuijten  

For instance, we have a lot of focus on this P must be smaller than 0.05 criterion to decide whether something is statistically significant. I do sometimes come across cases where the reported P-value is smaller than 0.05, and if I recompute it, it’s 0.06. In absolute terms, this is a very small difference, and you could argue that the statistical evidence that this P-value represents does not differ much. But I think it could signal a bigger underlying problem that people might round down P-values in order to increase their chances to get published. This is something that Stat Check cannot tell you. It only flags these numbers don’t seem to add up. It’s very hard to pinpoint what exactly the reason is. But with these particular types of inconsistencies, I do get a little bit suspicious, like what might What is going on here? 

[00:09:17.050] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah. One of the other things I noticed in your report is that there are a few articles that could be 100% wrong in a way that up to 100% of the reported results are inconsistent. How do you think that happens? 

[00:09:36.440] – Michele Nuijten  

Yeah, this signals a problem, or not really a problem, but a difficulty in reporting such prevalence of inconsistencies. Because at what level do you display this? The problem is that different articles have a different number of P-values they report. Sometimes articles only report one P-value. If they report it incorrectly, then they have a 100% inconsistency rate. But it could also be the case that people report 100 P values and 10 of them are wrong. The inconsistency rate would be different, but which one is worse? In absolute sense, you have more errors than the other, but yet you can also argue, Well, if you report a lot of P values, it’s easier to make at least one mistake. It’s hard to come up with a summarizing statistic that fairly reflects what is going on. Yeah. 

[00:10:30.580] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Why did you decide to try to fix it in our field? 

[00:10:36.920] – Michele Nuijten  

It seems like such low-hanging fruit. I mean, it’s an issue that technically could be spotted by anyone. It’s just in the paper. It’s right there. Peer reviewers could spot it, but it turns out that they don’t, which makes a lot of sense as well, because we are all very busy. We’re often not that trained in statistics, especially not seeing inconsistencies with the naked eye. But I do think these type of errors or inconsistencies are important because, as you also mentioned at the start, if you cannot trust the numbers that a conclusion is based on, how can you trust the conclusion is correct at all? I think this type of reproducibility, I would call this. If I have the same data and I do the same analysis, I should get the same results. If you spot If I have an inconsistency in a paper, I can already tell you that that result is not reproducible. I cannot get to an inconsistent result based on your raw data. It’s very hard to judge to what extent the data is then trustworthy or the conclusions are It’s worth it. There’s quite a lot of issues going on right now in psychology, things that have been flagged as potential problems. 

[00:11:53.130] – Michele Nuijten  

I think this seems like one of the easiest things that we can solve. If we have a spell checker like this and we can just quickly We quickly run our manuscript through it before we submit it, we save both ourselves and the readers and the editors and everyone involved a lot of pain if we just managed to get out these errors beforehand and we don’t have to get into this annoying world of issuing corrections or just leaving the errors in there. 

[00:12:20.130] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

I’m really glad you said it is like spell check because I wrote down grammar check for statistical reports. This is what the tool does. Now, do you think journal editors use it or are they allowed to use it? 

[00:12:34.750] – Michele Nuijten  

It’s completely free and everyone is allowed to use it. I would encourage everyone to use it. It’s an R package underneath it. You can use the R package if you have research intentions, if you want to have larger sets of articles to scan. But if you just want to scan a single paper, go to the web app, go through it. It’s free. Within a second, you have your results. I would definitely encourage editors to use it. There are a few that do. For instance, psychological science, if we’re talking about APS journals. I’m not sure, but I think maybe Amps also mentioned something about it. I don’t have a curated list. People or editors that start using Stat Check usually don’t notify me. By the way, if you are an editor interested in using it, feel free to notify me or ask for help. I’m more than happy to assist in any way I can. But I think It’s a great use of the tool. 

[00:13:31.670] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah, that’s exactly why I’m asking it, to encourage people that they should use it. It is not AI. I’m glad you clarified that point. It is just a check. If we do grammar check or spelling check for text, we should be able to do it for numbers. This is a great tool that everybody can use and it is free. Let’s take a step back. What was the process of making stat check like? How long did it What was your team like? 

[00:14:03.470] – Michele Nuijten  

Well, I don’t think there will ever be an ending to this. It’s an ongoing project. I’ve been working on this for 10 years now. But I think the initial framework was set up in… Well, I think as it goes with tools like this, the first version is usually done within a day or within an hour by someone. In this case, Sasha Epskamp was the person who developed the first version of Stat Check. After that, I ran with it for the next 10 years to develop it further. There have been many, many updates, mainly behind the scenes. I learned a lot about software development in the process. I learned about unit testing. I learned about best practices on how to use GitHub and branches and all these terms that were new to me. That was a lot of fun to do. During the years, I’ve had many people contributing interesting ideas of people writing code for me. But mainly, I’ve kept it quite close because sometimes tools like this that point out mistakes feel a bit tricky. I have very I very much want to present Stat Check as something that can help improve everybody’s work as something that you can use yourself. 

[00:15:23.240] – Michele Nuijten  

Sometimes people don’t always see it like that. I’m a bit afraid to give it away to have more people develop to develop on it because I’m afraid that maybe mistakes will be introduced. This is a very big pitfall of mine. I really need to learn to let go and invite more people to work on it, especially because I think that many people will be a lot better at it than I am. But this is one of the things I’ve been struggling with a little bit. 

[00:15:52.630] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah, but it’s your baby. 

[00:15:54.580] – Michele Nuijten  

I know, yeah. 

[00:15:55.780] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

You want it to work better and better every single day. No, this is a great resource for everyone involved in our field. Thank you for all the hard work you put into that. Michele, is there anything else that you would like to share with our listeners? 

[00:16:16.370] – Michele Nuijten  

I think more in general about just improving practices in our field, because I think what I really like about Stat Checkand about the type of projects I usually take is I try to focus on things that are pragmatic, that are small steps towards a better science. I sometimes feel like it can be a bit overwhelming. The good news is there are so many initiatives to improve our field. I can imagine that, especially if you’re an early career researcher, that you don’t know where to start. I think that with these small tools like Stat Check, but many other initiatives are similar, just cherry-pick your favorite. Try one, see what happens. I think Christina Bergman calls this the buffet approach. You have this entire table full of open science practices, but you cannot eat them all at once. Just take some samples, try some stuff out, see what works for you and your paper, and in that way, get involved with the new developments. 

[00:17:26.150] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

Yeah. Thank you very much, Michele. This was a pleasure. Thank Thank you so much for joining Under the Cortex. 

[00:17:33.090] – Michele Nuijten  

Thank you for having me. 

[00:17:34.790] – APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum  

This is Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum with APS, and I have been speaking to Michele Nuijten from the Tilburg University. If you want to know more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org. 

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The Big Number: 818,000

The Labor Department issued a huge downward revision on jobs figures for the 12 months that ended in March, pointing to greater cracks in the economy.

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By Santul Nerkar

This article is part of Big Number, a regular feature about a number in the news this week.

The U.S. labor market has been less resilient than was initially believed. On Wednesday, the Labor Department said that the economy had added 818,000 fewer jobs than it had previously reported for the 12 months that ended in March.

The number means employers had overstated job growth by about 28 percent per month, especially in industries like hospitality and professional services. The downward revision adds to growing evidence of a weakening job market: The unemployment rate, though still relatively low, ticked up to 4.3 percent last month.

This adjusted number is an initial estimate of an annual revision, in which monthly employment figures from the Labor Department are reconciled with more accurate state unemployment reports. This year’s revision was unusually large: Over the previous decade, annual updates added or subtracted around 173,000 jobs, on average.

“We’ve known that things on net were probably moving gradually in the wrong direction,” said Guy Berger, director of economic research at Burning Glass Institute, a labor market research and data firm.

The Federal Reserve, which is poised to cut interest rates when it meets next month, is attuned to such signs of economic slowdown. Fed officials may also be taking note of a shift in consumer behavior , as Americans hurt by years of high inflation have turned to bargain hunting .

Still, some indicators point to a solid economy: Inflation continues to cool while gross domestic product outpaces forecasts . And retail sales have been robust.

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As climate change creates hotter, drier conditions, we are seeing longer fire seasons with larger, more frequent wildfires. In recent years, catastrophic wildfires have destroyed homes and infrastructure, caused devastating losses in lives and livelihoods of people living in affected areas, and damaged wildland resources and the economy. We need new solutions to fight wildfires and protect areas from damage.

Researchers at Stanford have developed a water-enhancing gel that could be sprayed on homes and critical infrastructure to help keep them from burning during wildfires. The research, published Aug. 21 in Advanced Materials , shows that the new gels last longer and are significantly more effective than existing commercial gels.

“Under typical wildfire conditions, current water-enhancing gels dry out in 45 minutes,” said Eric Appel , associate professor of materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering , who is senior author of the paper. “We’ve developed a gel that would have a broader application window – you can spray it further in advance of the fire and still get the benefit of the protection – and it will work better when the fire comes.

Long-lasting protection

Water-enhancing gels are made of super-absorbent polymers – similar to the absorbent powder found in disposable diapers. Mixed with water and sprayed on a building, they swell into a gelatinous substance that clings to the outside of the structure, creating a thick, wet shield. But the conditions in the vicinity of a wildfire are extremely dry – temperatures can be near 100 degrees, with high winds and zero percent humidity – and even water locked in a gel evaporates fairly quickly.

In the gel designed by Appel and his colleagues, the water is just the first layer of protection. In addition to a cellulose-based polymer, the gel contains silica particles, which get left behind when the gels are subjected to heat. “We have discovered a unique phenomenon where a soft, squishy hydrogel seamlessly transitions into a robust aerogel shield under heat, offering enhanced and long-lasting wildfire protection. This environmentally conscious breakthrough surpasses current commercial solutions, offering a superior and scalable defense against wildfires,” said the lead author of the study, Changxin “Lyla” Dong.

“When the water boils off and all of the cellulose burns off, we’re left with the silica particles assembled into a foam,” Appel said. “That foam is highly insulative and ends up scattering all of the heat, completely protecting the substrate underneath it.”

The silica forms an aerogel – a solid, porous structure that is a particularly good insulator. Similar silica aerogels are used in space applications because they are extremely lightweight and can prevent most methods of heat transfer.

The researchers tested several formulations of their new gel by applying them to pieces of plywood and exposing them to direct flame from a gas hand-torch, which burns at a considerably higher temperature than a wildfire. Their most effective formulation lasted for more than 7 minutes before the board began to char. When they tested a commercially available water-enhancing gel in the same way, it protected the plywood for less than 90 seconds.

“Traditional gels don’t work once they dry out,” Appel said. “Our materials form this silica aerogel when exposed to fire that continues to protect the treated substrates after all the water has evaporated. These materials can be easily washed away once the fire is gone.”

A serendipitous discovery

The new gels build off of Appel’s previous wildfire prevention work. In 2019, Appel and his colleagues used these same gels as a vehicle to hold wildland fire retardants on vegetation for months at a time. The formulation was intended to help prevent ignition in wildfire-prone areas.

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New treatment prevents wildfires

“We’ve been working with this platform for years now,” Appel said. “This new development was somewhat serendipitous – we were wondering how these gels would behave on their own, so we just smushed some on a piece of wood and exposed it to flames from a torch we had laying around the lab. What we observed was this super cool outcome where the gels puffed up into an aerogel foam.”

After that initial success, it took several years of additional engineering to optimize the formulation. It is now stable in storage, easily sprayable with standard equipment, and adheres well to all kinds of surfaces. The gels are made of nontoxic components that have already been approved for use by the U.S. Forest Service, and the researchers conducted studies to show that they are easily broken down by soil microbes.

“They’re safe for both people and the environment,” Appel said. “There may need to be additional optimization, but my hope is that we can do pilot-scale application and evaluation of these gels so we can use them to help protect critical infrastructure when a fire comes through.”

For more information

Appel is a senior fellow of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment ; a member of Stanford Bio-X , the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute , the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance , the Maternal & Child Health Research Institute , the Stanford Cancer Institute , and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute ; and a faculty fellow of Stanford Sarafan ChEM-H .

Additional Stanford co-authors of this research include postdoctoral researchers Andrea I. d’Aquino and Samya Sen; graduate students Changxin Dong and Anthony C. Yu; and undergraduate student Ian A. Hall.

Other co-authors on this work are from California Polytechnic State University.

This work was funded by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, Schmidt Science Fellows, and the National Science Foundation.

Media contact Jill Wu, School of Engineering: [email protected]

New research finds nearly 19% increase in cases of Type 2 diabetes over a decade

New research found a nearly 19% increase in cases of Type 2 diabetes between 2012 and 2022.

More than one in five individuals aged 65 or older had the condition, and the same age group was more than 10 times as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than people in the 18 to 24 age bracket, according to a new study from the University of Georgia published in the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism journal.

There were disparities in the prevalence of the disease between sociodemographic groups, showing higher rates among racial and ethnic minorities in the results of the study.

Where people lived in the U.S. also showed a difference in the number of cases – with the Midwest and South experiencing more pronounced increases, the researchers said. Specifically, 10 states saw increases of 25% or more over the decade-long study period: Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Texas, Alabama, Minnesota, Illinois, West Virginia, Delaware and Massachusetts.

RELATED STORY | Study: 1.3 billion people could be living with diabetes by 2050

The study also noted a correlation between cases of diabetes and levels of income. People with higher incomes were 41% less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Lastly, the research confirmed what is already known: Obesity is linked to a higher risk of diabetes and addressing the obesity epidemic is a crucial step in combating the disease.

One way health experts are looking to address obesity is through certain medications, like Zepbound. Maker of the drug, Eli Lilly, just released the results of a 3-year study that shows its tirzepatide medication reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 94% in adults with pre-diabetes.

RELATED STORY | Hydrogel could be the future of popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs

However, researchers at the University of Georgia said, “Promoting healthy eating habits, increasing physical activity and implementing community-based interventions to support weight management can play a significant role in reducing diabetes prevalence.”

The study on the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in society was observational, using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which is an ongoing health survey involving more than 400,000 adult interviews each year.

RELATED STORY | Amid rise in childhood diabetes, man describes how to 'thrive' with disease

The goal was to examine national trends and disparities in self-reported diabetes cases to increase the comprehension of the risk factors – insight that researchers said is “crucial” for developing focused prevention strategies.

“Improving access to quality care, implementing diabetes prevention programs focusing on high-risk groups, and addressing social determinants through multilevel interventions may help curb the diabetes epidemic in the United States,” researchers said in the study.

According to the University of Virginia Health , Type 2 diabetes is more common and often associated with insulin resistance and obesity whereas Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease.

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Outlook of Mets' rotation unclear following Blackburn injury

Anthony DiComo

SAN DIEGO -- The play was still ongoing when Paul Blackburn crumpled to the ground, clearly stunned after taking a high-velocity line drive off his pitching hand. For a long while, Blackburn sat on the slope of the pitcher’s mound, legs splayed, as a group of trainers and coaches checked on him. Eventually, he walked off the field.

Initial X-rays were “inconclusive,” according to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, and Blackburn will undergo further testing on Saturday to make sure nothing is broken.

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His early exit in a 7-0 loss to the Padres not only put the team in a difficult position Friday night at Petco Park, but also placed its future rotation plans into question. For all Blackburn’s inconsistencies since headlining the Mets’ Trade Deadline work late last month, he had been a constant source of innings, as durable as anyone.

Now, the Mets can’t be so sure.

How long could Blackburn miss?

The Mets won’t know much until Saturday, when Blackburn undergoes a CT scan in San Diego. That test will determine if any bones are broken.

As a general rule, fractures take about six weeks to heal. Considering Blackburn is dealing with an injury to his pitching hand, it would stand to reason that a broken bone might end his regular season.

If nothing else, screaming line drives can cause plenty of pain, as Blackburn discovered when David Peralta struck him in the third inning of Friday’s game.

“It doesn’t feel great, to be honest,” Blackburn said immediately after the game. “It’s definitely swollen, definitely some pain in there, but I have full mobility of my wrist and my hand.”

If nothing is broken, of course, it’s possible Blackburn could make his next rotation turn. Late Friday night, neither he nor the Mets were willing to speculate on that.

“I’m just glad it didn’t hit my head, honestly,” Blackburn said. “I just went into defense mode and was able to kind of deflect it.”

If Blackburn does miss time, who might replace him?

Although Mendoza said the team has multiple rotation options in the Minors, Tylor Megill profiles as the most obvious one. A frequent rider of the shuttle between Triple-A Syracuse and the Majors, Megill pitched into the eighth inning of his most recent start, striking out 11.

Given top prospect Brandon Sproat’s rocky transition to Triple-A and the season-long inconsistencies of Mike Vasil, Dom Hamel and Blade Tidwell, the Mets don’t have any youngsters knocking loudly on the door. That puts Megill in prime position to take the ball should Blackburn miss time.

Longer-term, rookie Christian Scott may reemerge at some point in September regardless of what happens with Blackburn, Megill or anyone else. Earlier this week, Scott stretched his flat-ground throwing program out to 100-plus feet, while incorporating offspeed pitches into his routine.

The Mets won’t know whether Scott, who has a sprained UCL in his right elbow , can truly avoid surgery until he returns to a mound and begins throwing at full strength again. But they also don’t have any concrete reason to believe Scott will finish this season as anything other than a healthy player.

What’s the state of the rotation in general?

Things had been going relatively well until Friday, when Blackburn allowed 10 hits prior to his injury and recorded only seven outs. Those knocks came in all shapes and sizes, including a Luis Arraez leadoff homer, a Kyle Higashioka two-run shot, and various other line drives and bleeders -- far more support than Padres starter Joe Musgrove needed.

“Not good,” was how Blackburn put it. “I felt like the good pitches I made got hit. I felt like the bad pitches I made got hit. It was just one of those days where I felt like I was searching for anything to create some swing-and-miss.”

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Outside of Blackburn, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea have been routinely pitching well, while David Peterson has also found success despite a high walk rate. The outlier has been Jose Quintana and his 8.27 ERA in August, prompting whispers about the Mets finding a way to replace him.

But the depth chart has become noticeably thin, and Blackburn's injury makes the idea of replacing anyone that much more difficult.

Said Mendoza, when asked about potential Blackburn replacements: “It’s too early to tell.”

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Race and LGBTQ Issues in K-12 Schools

What teachers, teens and the u.s. public say about current curriculum debates, table of contents.

• What do teachers think students should learn about slavery and gender identity?
• Should parents be able to opt their children out of learning about certain topics?
• How often do topics related to race and LGBTQ issues come up in the classroom?
• How do teachers’ views differ by party?
• What teachers think students should learn about slavery and gender identity
• Should parents be able to opt their children out of learning about race and LGBTQ issues?
• Influence over curriculum
• What teens want to learn about slavery
• What teens want to learn about gender identity
• 4. Public views on parents opting their children out of learning about race and LGBTQ issues
• Acknowledgments
• Teacher survey methodology
• Teen survey methodology
• General public survey methodology

Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand how public K-12 teachers, teens and the American public see topics related to race, sexual orientation and gender identity playing out in the classroom.

The bulk of the analysis in this report is based on an online survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14, 2023. The teachers surveyed are members of RAND’s American Teacher Panel, a nationally representative panel of public school K-12 teachers recruited through MDR Education. Survey data is weighted to state and national teacher characteristics to account for differences in sampling and response to ensure they are representative of the target population.

For the questions for the general public, we surveyed 5,029 U.S. adults from Nov. 9 to Nov. 16, 2023. The adults surveyed are members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a nationally representative online survey panel. Panel members are randomly recruited through probability-based sampling, and households are provided with access to the Internet and hardware if needed. To ensure that the results of this survey reflect a balanced cross section of the nation, the data is weighted to match the U.S. adult population by gender, age, education, race and ethnicity and other categories.

For questions for teens, we conducted an online survey of 1,453 U.S. teens from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23, 2023, through Ipsos. Ipsos recruited the teens via their parents, who were part of its KnowledgePanel. The survey was weighted to be representative of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who live with their parents by age, gender, race and ethnicity, household income, and other categories. The survey on teens was reviewed and approved by an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, an independent committee of experts specializing in helping to protect the rights of research participants.

Here are the questions used for this report , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

Throughout the report, references to White, Black and Asian adults include those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race. Hispanics are of any race. The views and experiences of teachers and teens who are Asian American or part of other racial and ethnic groups are not analyzed separately in this report due to sample limitations. Data for these groups is incorporated into the general population figures throughout the report.

All references to party affiliation include those who lean toward that party. Republicans include those who identify as Republicans and those who say they lean toward the Republican Party. Democrats include those who identify as Democrats and those who say they lean toward the Democratic Party.

Political leaning of school districts is based on whether the majority of those residing in the school district voted for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Amid national debates about what schools are teaching , we asked public K-12 teachers, teens and the American public how they see topics related to race, sexual orientation and gender identity playing out in the classroom.

A sizeable share of teachers (41%) say these debates have had a negative impact on their ability to do their job. Just 4% say these debates have had a positive impact, while 53% say the impact has been neither positive nor negative or that these debates have had no impact.

And 71% of teachers say teachers themselves don’t have enough influence over what’s taught in public schools in their area.

In turn, a majority of teachers (58%) say their state government has too much influence over this. And more say the federal government, the local school board and parents have too much influence than say they don’t have enough.

Most of the findings in this report come from a survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted Oct. 17-Nov. 14, 2023, using the RAND American Teacher Panel. 1 The survey looks at teachers’ views on:

• Race and LGBTQ issues in the classroom ( Chapter 1 )
• Current debates over what schools should be teaching and the role of key groups ( Chapter 2 )

It follows a fall 2022 survey of K-12 parents that explored similar topics.

This report also includes some findings from a survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 ( Chapter 3 ) and a survey of U.S. adults ( Chapter 4 ). For details about these surveys, refer to the Methodology section of this report. Among the key findings:

• 38% of teens say they feel comfortable when topics related to racism or racial inequality come up in class (among those who say these topics have come up). A smaller share (29%) say they feel comfortable when topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity come up.
• Among the American public , more say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about LGBTQ issues than say the same about topics related to race (54% vs. 34%).

We asked public K-12 teachers what they think students should learn in school about two topics in particular:

• Whether the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today.
• Whether a person’s gender can be different from or is determined by their sex at birth.

For these questions, elementary, middle and high school teachers were asked about elementary, middle and high school students, respectively.

The legacy of slavery

Most teachers (64%) say students should learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today.

About a quarter (23%) say students should learn that slavery is part of American history but no longer affects the position of Black people in American society. Just 8% say students shouldn’t learn about this topic in school at all.

Majorities of elementary, middle and high school teachers say students should learn that the legacy of slavery still has an impact on the lives of Black Americans.

Gender identity

When it comes to teaching about gender identity – specifically whether a person’s gender can be different from or is determined by their sex assigned at birth – half of public K-12 teachers say students shouldn’t learn about this in school.

A third of teachers think students should learn that someone can be a boy or a girl even if that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

A smaller share (14%) say students should learn that whether someone is a boy or a girl is determined by their sex at birth.

Views differ among elementary, middle and high school teachers. But teachers across the three levels are more likely to say students should learn that a person’s gender can be different from their sex at birth than to say students should learn gender is determined by sex at birth.

Most elementary school teachers (62%) say students shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school. This is much larger than the shares of middle and high school teachers who say the same (45% and 35%).

What parents and teens say

Parents of K-12 students are more divided on what their children should learn in school about these topics.

In the 2022 survey , 49% of parents said they’d rather their children learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today, while 42% said they’d rather their children learn that slavery no longer affects Black Americans.

When it comes to gender identity, 31% of parents said they’d rather their children learn that gender can be different from sex at birth. An identical share said they would rather their children learn gender is determined by sex at birth. Another 37% of parents said their children shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school.

Teens, like parents, are more divided than teachers on these questions. About half of teens (48%) say they’d rather learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black Americans today. Four-in-ten would prefer to learn that slavery no longer affects Black Americans.

And teens are about evenly divided when it comes to what they prefer to learn about gender identity. A quarter say they’d rather learn that a person’s gender can be different from their sex at birth; 26% would prefer to learn that gender is determined by sex at birth. About half (48%) say they shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school.

For more on teens’ views about what they prefer to learn in school about each of these topics, read Chapter 3 of this report.

Most public K-12 teachers (60%) say parents should not be able to opt their children out of learning about racism or racial inequality in school, even if the way these topics are taught conflicts with the parents’ beliefs. A quarter say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about these topics.

In contrast, more say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about sexual orientation or gender identity (48%) than say parents should not be able to do this (33%).

On topics related to both race and LGBTQ issues, elementary and middle school teachers are more likely than high school teachers to say parents should be able to opt their children out.

How teachers’ views compare with the public’s views

Like teachers, Americans overall are more likely to say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about sexual orientation or gender identity (54%) than to say they should be able to opt their children out of learning about racism or racial inequality (34%).

Across both issues, Americans overall are somewhat more likely than teachers to say parents should be able to opt their children out.

For more on the public’s views, read Chapter 4 of this report.

Most teachers who’ve been teaching for more than a year (68%) say the topics of sexual orientation and gender identity rarely or never came up in their classroom in the 2022-23 school year. About one-in-five (21%) say these topics came up sometimes, and 8% say they came up often or extremely often.

Topics related to racism or racial inequality come up more frequently. A majority of teachers (56%) say these topics came up at least sometimes in their classroom, with 21% saying they came up often or extremely often.

These topics are more likely to come up in secondary school than in elementary school classrooms.

As is the case among parents of K-12 students and the general public, teachers’ views on how topics related to race and LGBTQ issues should play out in the classroom differ by political affiliation.

• What students should learn about slavery: 85% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning teachers say students should learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today. This compares with 35% of Republican and Republican-leaning teachers who say the same.

• What students should learn about gender identity: Democratic teachers are far more likely than Republican teachers to say students should learn that a person’s gender can be different from the sex they were assigned at birth (53% vs. 5%). Most Republican teachers (69%) say students shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school.
• Parents opting their children out of learning about these topics: 80% of Republican teachers say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about LGBTQ issues, compared with 30% of Democratic teachers. And while 47% of Republican teachers say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about racism and racial inequality, just 11% of Democratic teachers say this.

A majority of public K-12 teachers (58%) identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party. About a third (35%) identify with or lean toward the GOP. Americans overall are more evenly divided: 47% are Democrats or Democratic leaners, and 45% are Republicans or Republican leaners .

• For details, refer to the Methodology section of the report. ↩

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