Examines two leading journals from both physics and educational psychology to see whether the research article introductions typically include statements of principal findings. Indicates (1) a mismatch between descriptive practice and prescriptive advice and (2) a diversity in this rhetorical feature between the two fields. (JD)

Offers a reference report assignment as a final task instead of an exam in a business and technical writing course. Notes that the purpose of the report is not to research but to organize and synthesize the information learned over the semester. (JC)

Computer-generated report cards must be analyzed, evaluated, explained, and acted upon in the same manner as any other professional report. Followup with analysis and recommendations combining information and professional advice must occur. Five helpful suggestions are included. (MLH)

A condensed student profile is a quick reference tool that can provide a comprehensive overview of all vital information that is known about a particular student. A sample form includes sections for vital statistics, test scores, report card information, sociogram, personality test, parent questionnaire, health record, attendance, and whether…

Reviews and assesses evaluations of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs. Most studies found that the programs raised earnings by $200 to $600 annually. Compares studies, indicating differences in methodology and how these differences affected the estimated impact, and provides implications for policy and recommendations…

Women's involvement in the research process, the types of research methods used, and substantive concerns were examined in selected issues of the "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" between 1963 and 1983. Comparisons with studies published in the "Psychology of Women Quarterly" suggest that the impact of the feminist challenge is more…

Compares statistical techniques used in American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) articles with techniques described in graduate-level textbooks. Reports that most AERJ articles are comprehensible to students with at least an intermediate-level knowledge of statistics. Also compares types of AERJ techniques with those used in the Journal of…

Comments on current efforts to evaluate and improve United States schools, especially the conclusions and recommendations of national education reports, tendencies in responding to them, and issues inadequately addressed by them. Both equity and excellence are important, it is suggested, and excellence may be achieved through challenge of familiar…

Introduces search technique that professional searchers often use to start tracking down information regardless of topic. This technique involves using set of large databases that cover material because of format rather than subject. Databases reviewed include books/monographs, journals/magazines, reports, expertise, and full-text and Public…

Attempting to define curriculum inquiry, this study examines published reports of curriculum inquiry and classifies the problems studied, the methods used, and the solutions proposed. (MCG)

Examines the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, assesses the applicability of the commission's findings to one high school, identifies problems in implementing the commission's recommendations in the high school studied, and, on the basis of this analysis, considers a national commission's role in generating local…

Describes elements to look for when reading four identifiable sections of a research report: background and literature review, methodology and procedures, analysis, findings or summary. Literature review as prologue to author's argument, choices in design of a study, research participants, choices involved in analysis, and implications of findings…

Discusses two articles addressing the problem of how to read and evaluate library research in a critical, consumer-oriented manner: Margaret Hayes Grazier's "Critically Reading and Applying Research in School Library Media Centers" (1982) and M. Carl Drott's "How to Read Research: An Approach to the Literature for Practitioners" (1984). (EJS)

Discusses the report "Integrity in the College Curriculum," the institutional response to the report, and the implications for communication programs. (PD)

Examines several points in the cycle of publication of scientific research results--informal presentations, conference presentations, technical report literature, journal articles, abstracts, scientific reviews, treatises, textbooks--and recommends search strategies for locating needed references in a library. Eight references are listed. (EJS)