Communicating
Results
Results
of a study are disseminated in many forms.
The highest level of communicating results is
often in a peer-reviewed professional journal.
Peer-reviewed refers to a group of
professionals in a particular field who read all
submissions and publish only those that meet the
highest degree of scrutiny and applicability.
When errors are found in the sampling of
subjects, the statistical analysis, or the
inferences made, the study will often be rejected or
returned to the author for revisions.
Published articles in peer-reviewed journals
would likely be the best source for research when
you begin looking into your theory.
Results
of research studies are also disseminated through
textbooks, book chapters, conferences,
presentations, and newsletters.
For example, a study comparing the average
salary in a particular county might be published in
the local newspaper or in a brochure for the chamber
of commerce. Our
study of non-traditional students and work
experience might be summarized in a board meeting of
the colleges department of student retention or
published in a trade journal such as the Journal
of Higher Education.
Some
studies are never released, especially if the
results do not add to the already available
research. Other
studies are meant only to provide direction for
larger studies.
Our study of college students may be used
only to determine if a larger study is likely to
result in important findings.
If we get significant results then a larger
study, including a broader subject pool, may then be
conducted. These
types of studies are often called pilot studies
because the goal is not to gather knowledge about
the population, but rather to guide further research
in a particular area.
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