ONLINE SURVEY SITES

• Survey Monkey

• Survey Gizmo

• Google Forms

P LU S S O M E R E S U M E S T U F F

FINDINGS REPORT

RAW DATA VS FINDINGS

• Raw data = information collected through your survey/experiment

• Tables, charts, and graphs that organize single survey answers represent RAW DATA

• Listing the raw data you have found DOES NOT count as a finding

FINDINGS

• Findings are inferences

• Findings are new knowledges

• Findings are what happens when you ANALYZE your data rather than simply recounting your survey results

• Findings usually signify trends, correlations, and potentially causations you find when analyzing your raw data

FINDINGS

• Findings are also new knowledges produces through your interviews and focus groups

• Findings ARE NOT simply quoting an interviewee

• Findings go a step further – discussing and analyzing these interview responses in the greater context of your whole project

REMEMBER…

• Your presentation and paper will have both raw data AND findings, but one without the other will not be sufficient

• Questions?

FINDINGS REPORT EXPECTATIONS

A detailed description of the

• Survey sample (your demographic group)• instrument (your survey/bigger questions)• analysis method

Your actual survey should go in an Appendix at the back of your paper.

EXAMPLE

Acceptable:

I created a 17 questions survey geared to gauge the feelings of Penn State seniors in a Fraternity towards X, Y, and Z. This survey helped to answer my larger questions ____________________ & _________________. (See Appendix 1 for a complete set of survey questions).

BAD EXAMPLE

I created a 17 question survey. The questions were:1. Blah2. Meh3. Flah4. BuhAd infinitum

FINDINGS REPORT EXPECTATIONS

Interviews- The most descriptive section of your paper in terms

of language – we still maintain academic objectivity when appropriate, but allow for subjective reflection- Description of interviewee- Description of interview environment (if

appropriate)- Summary of interview with direct quotation – there

should be more of you than your interviewee- Explanation of the interview’s PURPOSE – how it

relates back to your larger project.

FINDINGS REPORT EXPECTATIONS

Effective use of tables or figures to illustrate the data or numbers gathered by the survey

Remember the misleading/poorly made graphsDon’t do that

FINDINGS REPORT EXPECTATIONS

Writing and Language:A blend of 1. objective writing – keep your scientific/academic

distance2. reflexive reactions – your personal response

(still written in a formal voice) to your data/interviews/results

3. secondary sources for triangulation – when appropriate, relate back specific articles from your lit review.

FINDINGS REPORT EXPECTATIONS

• A conclusion that details new knowledge (findings) about the topic that you have gained through interviews and surveys

OVERALL STRUCTURE

Title – the more specific, the better

Introduction – keep rewriting intro from Research Proposal/Lit Review (READ MY COMMENTS)

Methodology

Data – with visuals

Conclusion/Findings

QUESTIONS?

RESUMES

• Like cover letters, resumes have a rhetorical purpose

• Treat your resume LIKE A NARRATIVE

• Good stories don’t have extraneous parts – every single piece of information on your resume should be working to telling the same (good) story

EXAMPLE

When I apply to professor jobs, I will most likely not include my time working at- Target- A lumber yard- As an athletic trainer- As a grader for my undergrad math department

EXAMPLE

I will include- Research assistant for literary journal- High school teacher/dorm administrator - The fact that I teach all of you fine people

REMEMBER

The resume isn’t a place to simply list everything about you. It’s designed to spark an interest in you as potential future employee.

DUTIES VS. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Instead of this:

• Responsible for developing a new filing system

• In charge of customer complaints and all ordering problems

• Won a trip to Europe for opening the most new customer accounts in my department

Do This:

• Developed a filing system that reduced paperwork by 50 percent

• Resolved customer complaints and product order discrepancies

• Generated the highest number of new customer accounts in my department

ACTION VERBS

AccomplishedAchievedAdministeredApprovedArrangedAssistedAssumedBudgetedChairedChangedCompiledCompletedCoordinatedCreated

Demonstrated

DevelopedDirectedEstablishedExploredForecastedGeneratedIdentifiedImplementedImprovedInitiatedIntroducedInvestigatedLaunched

MaintainedManaged

MotivatedNegotiatedOperatedOrganizedOversawParticipatedPerformedPresentedProposedRaisedRecommendedReduced

ReorganizedResolvedSaved

ServedSimplifiedSparked StreamlinedStrengthenedSucceededSupervisedSystematizedTargetedTrainedTransformed

DON’T OVERDO IT