A – Preparing for a research assignment

Below is an excerpt from a study skills leaflet given to students at a university, providing advice on how to approach a research project.

– All students are expected to submit a 5,000-word report, outlining their research project and presenting their findings.

– Consult with your tutor to select a research topic. You will need to develop a working hypothesis when you start your study. The aim of your research is to determine if your data supports the hypothesis.

– If you are conducting a study involving informants or volunteers, read the guidance on research ethics in the department handbook.

– An essential part of your report will be a literature review. This is not merely a summary of your background reading, but a thorough evaluation of the most important books and articles, demonstrating your awareness of current research.

– Ensure you provide a rationale for your study and always support your conclusions with evidence; avoid exaggerating any claims you make.

– Whenever suitable, present your results in the form of tables, charts, and diagrams.

B – Other collocations often used in essays, reports, and assignments

The book presents a robust defense of free market economics and advocates for the privatization of all state-owned industries. It addresses issues of current importance in developing countries.

McGraw makes a case for single-sex primary education, but he fails to address all the issues that opponents of this approach to early schooling have raised.

This essay cannot provide an exhaustive account of climate change; it focuses solely on the risk to sea levels. Recent research indicates that sea levels are rising very rapidly.

Physicists have recently started to develop new theories about the nature of the universe. The main question is how to test these theories.

Although Kristov’s book covers a wide range of topics, it does not offer a complete explanation of the events leading to the civil war. In fact, Kristov’s argument emphasizes that such an account cannot be written since the individuals with firsthand knowledge of those events are no longer living.

This essay presents a critical analysis of international trade agreements.