CRA Scientific Communication & Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which section of a research manuscript presents the raw data without interpretation?
- Discussion
- Introduction
- Results (Correct answer)
- Conclusion
Correct answer: Results
The Results section presents observed data and findings objectively without drawing conclusions.
Question 2: What does 'peer review' primarily ensure in scientific publishing?
- Faster publication timelines
- Expert evaluation of methodology and validity (Correct answer)
- Guaranteed funding approval
- Open-access distribution
Correct answer: Expert evaluation of methodology and validity
Peer review subjects manuscripts to scrutiny by domain experts to verify scientific rigor and accuracy.
Question 3: In APA citation format, what information is typically included in an in-text citation?
- Author surname and publication year (Correct answer)
- Full title and journal name
- DOI number only
- Author first name and page number
Correct answer: Author surname and publication year
APA in-text citations use the author's last name and year of publication in parentheses.
Question 4: A research team discovers a conflict of interest after submission. What is the appropriate action?
- Ignore it if the findings are valid
- Withdraw the manuscript immediately
- Disclose it to the editor promptly (Correct answer)
- Ask a co-author to be listed as sole author
Correct answer: Disclose it to the editor promptly
Authors must disclose conflicts of interest to the journal editor as soon as they are identified.
Question 5: What is the main purpose of an abstract in a scientific paper?
- To provide a detailed methodology
- To summarize the entire study concisely (Correct answer)
- To list all references used
- To acknowledge funding sources
Correct answer: To summarize the entire study concisely
An abstract gives a brief, self-contained summary of the study's purpose, methods, results, and conclusions.
Question 6: Which statistical measure should be reported alongside a mean to convey data variability?
- Median
- Mode
- Standard deviation (Correct answer)
- Sample size only
Correct answer: Standard deviation
Standard deviation quantifies the spread of data around the mean, providing context for interpreting results.
Question 7: When writing the Discussion section, researchers should primarily:
- Repeat all results verbatim
- Interpret findings in context of existing literature (Correct answer)
- Introduce new data not covered in Results
- Describe the study population demographics
Correct answer: Interpret findings in context of existing literature
The Discussion interprets what the results mean, compares them to prior research, and addresses limitations.
CRA Scientific Communication & Reporting 2
Which section of a research manuscript presents the raw data without interpretation?