The Iraq Mortality Rate Report: Dissecting the Summary

A research summary is stated by Burnham, G., et al (2006) is written as such: An excess mortality of nearly 100 000 deaths were reported in Iraq for the period March, 2003-September, 2004, attributed to the invasion of Iraq. Our aim was to update this estimate.

This summary could be a lot better. This article is written to show what this analysis is missing and what it needs to improve. The following is an analysis of this summary as an instructional aid for student writing dissertations or research reports. . In analysis of a report on Iraq Mortality there are several shortcomings that could have been made clearer or more detailed to give the report more validity. From summary to the reference page there is room for improvement in almost every area of this report and through securitization of its contents, the errors will prove as learning guides for those who wish to improve their level of confidence in writing research projects or dissertations.

The summary of the report could provide more information than just the two sentences provided. The summary could explain how the initial statistics were gathered and why there is reason to investigate the mortality rate for a second time. There should be a short statement to tell why this is important and what credence this will give to either the base of knowledge or what research it will improve on. There also should be a statement if the mortality rate is recorded strictly from the military records of the United States or if hospital and family narratives are involved.

The summary should catch the eye of the reader and give some idea what the research is going to be about. Almost like a mini-abstract, the summary should give the who, what, where, and why of the research. Not only will a detailed summary help guide the reader to what they are about to read, it also helps other researchers doing a literature review. It should be a road sign to what is to come.