Reading a Research Report
Before you begin the process of writing a research report, you'll want to see how others did so. This lesson shows you a sample research report, explaining each of its main parts. As you read the sample, think about how the writer integrated information from different sources to explain the topic in an informative manner.
Reading a Sample Research Report
A research report has some special features, but the actual report has three main parts, just like an essay. The beginning paragraph introduces the topic and leads to a focus statement. The body paragraphs support the focus statement by citing evidence from sources. The ending paragraph revisits the main idea.
Research reports end with a works-cited page, which lists the sources used in the writing. Source material is cited within the report using in-text citations.
Sample Research Paper
Gutierrez 1
HeaderMaria Gutierrez
Mr. Meddaugh
Social Studies
11 February 2016
The Legacy of Sally Ride
Beginning Paragraph Before Sally Ride, space travel was mostly a club for men. Even though studies showed women had the stamina and fortitude to thrive in space, NASA excluded them from its first space missions based on a rule that astronauts had to also be fighter pilots, a profession deemed "too dangerous" for women at that time (Gannon). By 1983 only two women had ever been in space, and they were both from Russia. Ride would change that. Focus statement Sally Ride’s trailblazing journey to outer space opened doors for women interested in science and space.
Despite growing up in a time when science was considered a mostly male interest, the subject fascinated Ride early on in life. Born in 1951 in Los Angeles, California, her favorite subjects in school were math and science. She especially liked the scientific method of asking questions and testing answers (Macy 42). “For whatever reason, I didn't succumb to the stereotype that science wasn't for girls. I got encouragement from my parents. I never ran into a teacher or a counselor who told me that science was for boys. A lot of my friends did,” said Ride (Smith). Her passion helped her get accepted into Stanford University, where she studied physics. She was one of few women in the physics department but received great grades (Macy 45).