Student research project

Writing a research report

Number: 43935 Title: Student Research Project

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Extracts from Science Syllabus Stages 4-5 Board of Studies, NSW 2003 Unit Overview
pp iii-vi
Microsoft Excel Screenshots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation Graphing Data
pp 15-19

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Contents Writing a research
report

Introduction....................................................................... 3

Writing the report .............................................................. 5

The style of a scientific report...................................................5

Describing your method.................................................... 9

Steps..........................................................................................9

Equipment ...............................................................................10

Experimental design ...............................................................11

Describing your results ................................................... 13

Ending your research report ........................................... 15

Conclusion...............................................................................15

References ..............................................................................16

Appendix..................................................................................17

Evaluating your report..................................................... 19

How did you go? .....................................................................19

Experimental report scaffold ........................................... 21

Writing a research report 1

2 Student research project
Introduction

Now is the time to write your experimental report. To help you with the
format there is a scaffold supplied. This sets out what is expected in each
step of the report. You may choose to use this format or if you feel
confident, write your own report.

You should:
show in your logbook that you have drafted a report about your
research project.
your report should include the following sections
title
aim
hypothesis
method
results
conclusion
references
appendix, if needed
evaluate your progress towards completing your project and research
report.

Writing a research report 3

4 Student research project
Writing the report

Have you thought about the best way to publish the report about your
research project? It needs to be written in the style of a scientific report.

The style of a scientific report

Scientific reporting is different from other forms of writing. A scientific
report contains technical terms and sentences are often packed with
information.

Even before you do an experiment you usually write about it in past tense
as though it has already been finished. A scientific report about the
experiment reads as if someone did the research yesterday.

In the past, scientific reports were also always written using the passive
voice. This made the writing very impersonal.

For example, using this format, you would write

20 g of soil was weighed and placed in a glass jar

instead of

I weighed 20 g of soil and put it in a jar.

Scientists chose this impersonal style of language to reflect the

objectivity of science. Objectivity means that it is based on facts and
evidence, not on feelings and interpretations.

Nowadays, many scientists have realised that formal language makes

reports more difficult to understand and may restrict the spread of
knowledge and understanding of natural phenomena. More and more
research is being published in everyday language. This means that vital
information about our world is available to us all.

Writing a research report 5

 The format of a scientific report
There are several acceptable ways to write scientific reports, each
scientific publication sets its own format. For your report, use the format
supplied in the following scaffold.

Your research report should consist of the following sections:

title
aim
hypothesis
method
results
conclusion
references.

It may also have an appendix.

In this lesson, you will learn more about each of these sections of a
scientific report. You will also draft each section for your own report. So
by the end of this part, you will be making good progress towards
producing your own scientific report for publishing!

Writing a title
The title of a research project should give the reader an idea of what the
experiment is about. It can include the independent and dependent
variables. For example: Investigation on the effect of daylength on
flowering in tomato plants.

Writing a title
Rewrite the following title to make it a better project title.

An investigation of the numbers of native and introduced fish species

found in NSW rivers in the 1970s compared with the numbers of these
fish found now.

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________
Change in the numbers of native and introduced fish in NSW rivers since 1970

6 Student research project

 Your turn
Draft a title for your own project in your logbook.

When you are satisfied with your title turn to the experimental report
scaffold at the end of this lesson and fill in the Title.

Aim
The aim is a simple statement that tells the reader what you are setting
out to do. It often starts out with a simple statement starting with "To".
Do not use the first person "I". A simple way to write the aim is identify
the independent and dependent variables and then put the aim in the
following format:

To determine the effect of (insert the independent variable) on (insert the

dependent variable).

For example:

To determine the effect of daylength on flowering in tomatoes.

and not

I grew some plants and then I used different daylengths to see when
flowering occurred.

Your turn
Draft an aim for your own project in your logbook.

Now turn to the experimental report scaffold at the end of this lesson and
write the aim of your experiment.

Writing a research report 7

 Hypothesis
The hypothesis is a statement to explain observations in an experiment.
The experiment should be designed so that it tests the hypothesis. The
hypothesis is not proved during an experiment, rather the experiment
either supports the hypothesis or doesn't support the hypothesis. If further
experiments do not support the hypothesis then a new hypothesis must be
written to take into account observations from experiments.

For example:

A daylength greater than thirteen hours promotes flowering in tomatoes.

Your turn
What is the hypothesis for your project? Edit your hypothesis in your
logbook and check that it contains a prediction that can be tested.

Check that what you are aiming to do is a test of the prediction in the
hypothesis.

Complete the hypothesis section of the report scaffold.

8 Student research project

Describing your method

This section will help you write the method for your research report.

Your method is what you did in the investigation. You will communicate
what you did, how you did it and the equipment you used. This section is
one of the most detailed of your report. It must contain enough
information to enable another researcher to reproduce your study. You
may need to describe, in detail, the following things:
your experimental design, such as variables and controls, and how
many readings you took
the methods you used to make observations and measurements
the equipment and instruments you used
any other materials you used. For example, did you collect any
samples of plants, soil and so on? Give details about any samples,
such as the size, and where and when you collected them.
the methods you used to analyse the information.

The method often includes labelled diagrams rather than long

descriptions or lists of equipment. Diagrams may show the way
equipment is set up, unfamiliar research methods and equipment used,
organisms used, maps of unfamiliar places, habitat locations or anything
else that is easier to describe and understand from a drawing.

Start off by outlining the steps that you took when setting up your
experiment.

Steps
This section lists the steps you took when conducting your investigation.

For example:
1 Set up 20 identical pots of tomato plants.
2 Each pot had 5 tomato plants.
3 Give equal amounts of water to each tray (1L).
4 Each pot was the same temperature (24C).

Writing a research report 9

 5 Four pots were placed in each of 5 conditions of daylength.
6 Each condition gave the same temperature but different amounts
of day and night ratio for a period of 20 days. The ratio went
from 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 hours of daylight. This was achieved by
artificial lighting.
7 The experiment ran for 20 days. Flowering was recorded.
9 Record the results and draw a graph.
10 Repeat the experiment once more.

Now turn to the experimental report scaffold at the end of this lesson and
write the steps of your experiment. Include a diagram if necessary.

Equipment
Include a full list of the equipment required using the correct scientific
names, e.g. test tube, beaker. Include any safety equipment required, e.g.
goggles, lab. coat, fume cupboard. Be specific about the equipment, 10
cm pots, 250 mL beaker.

For example:
soil
artificial lights
500 mL pots with 250 g of soil with 10 tomatoes growing
gloves
covered shoes
laboratory coat.

Now turn to the experimental report scaffold at the end of this lesson and
write the equipment for your experiment.

10 Student research project

 Experimental design

Replication
The experiment must be designed so that the method can be reproduced
by other people and give the same result. Therefore, several replicates
should be taken during the experiment.

For example: Each pot had 10 tomato plants so these were replicates for
the treatment.

Repetition
The experiment must be repeated several times. This increases the
reliability of the experiment by reducing the chance of errors or an
unusual result.

For example: The entire experiment was repeated.

Risk assessment
Assess the dangers that may be involved in the experiment and describe
how you are going to overcome them.

For example: Soil may contain harmful micro-organisms. To overcome

this risk gloves were worn at all times. When working with heavy
containers there is a risk that they might fall. To overcome this risk
covered shoes were worn.

Dependent variable
Identify the dependent variable in your experiment. This is what you are
measuring in your experiment. When drawing a graph the dependent
variable usually goes on the Y-axis. It can be thought of as the
responding variable, it responds to the experimental changes you make.

For example: The dependent variable was flowering.

Writing a research report 11

 Independent variable
Identify the independent variable in your experiment. The independent
variable is the variable that you are manipulating to cause a change in the
dependent variable. It is usually placed on the X axis (horizontal) of a
graph.

For example: The independent variable was the daylength.

Control
A control may be included as a comparison so that the experimental
effect can be attributed to a change in variables.

For example: One group of tomatoes was kept at a 12:12 day to night
ratio.

Variables
All variables other than the dependent and independent variables must be
kept the same so that any effect can be attributed to the change in the
independent variable affecting the dependent variable.

For example: Temperature, amount of water and humidity levels were all
kept the same. The soil and containers were the same. The amount of
time for flowering was also kept the same.

Now turn to the experimental report scaffold at the end of this lesson and
write the experimental design of your experiment.

12 Student research project

Describing your results

This section will help you to provide the results of your investigation for
your research report.

What did you find out by conducting your research project? This is the
question that should be answered in the Results section. Describe your
results so that they are concise and easy to understand.

Your results should include the following information:

a summary of what you found out
recorded data (for example, in tables, graphs, diagrams,
photographs) that support your analysis.

The way results are described depends on the type of results.

Report what happened. Choose ways to clearly present and organise the
information such as tables, graphs and diagrams. Programs such as
databases and spreadsheets are useful for presenting results.

Your turn
You need to look at the data you gathered in your investigation and
decide the best method of presentation.

Any evidence you have found must be clearly and concisely presented so
make sure that tables, graphs and diagrams are clearly titled and labelled.
And, dont make them too small. They should be large enough to
illustrate your research findings at a glance.

Go to the exercises section and write your results into the experimental
report scaffold. Do not discuss what the results mean or why you got
these particular results in this section.

Writing a research report 13

14 Student research project
Ending your research report

In this lesson, you will draft the last sections of your report. This should
be fairly easy because you have kept notes in your logbook about the
resources you have used and your thoughts throughout your research.

The last four sections for your scientific report are:

conclusion
references
appendix.

Conclusion
A conclusion is like an answer to your aim. It includes a summary of
your results and discussion. If your research supports your hypothesis,
then your hypothesis and conclusion will agree with each other. If the
research does not support the hypothesis, then the hypothesis and
conclusion will not agree.

Did your research support or not support your hypothesis? If it supported

your hypothesis then you should be able to see a match between your
hypothesis and your conclusion. (If your research did not support the
hypothesis then you should write your conclusion so that it is obvious
that the hypothesis, and conclusion do not match.)

Does your conclusion support (or not) this hypothesis?

___________________________________________________________

The conclusion section of a scientific report contains your ideas about

what the results mean. Interpret your results in this section.

You should include the following information:

a description of the trends that emerged in the data
evidence that will support your interpretation
a description of the limitations of your research project
suggestions for further research.

Writing a research report 15

 Your discussion should analyse your results and suit the purpose of your
investigation.

Your turn
Plan a discussion of your results. Use the points below to help you
organise your thoughts.
Describe the trends in your data. What does it show?
What is some evidence to support this interpretation of the data?
What were the limitations of your research? For example, would you
have obtained a better answer to your problem if you had had more
time, more equipment, had studied more variables and so on.
Suggest some further research that could be performed in the topic
area of your research. For example, it could be another problem that
you discovered while you were doing your research.

Look through your logbook to check that you have analysed all the
information you collected.

Complete the conclusion section of the report scaffold.

References
At the end of any research report, there should be a list of all the
references you consulted and used information from during your research
project. (Dont list resources that you looked at but didnt use.)

It should be easy for you to put your reference list together because you
have been writing the information about each resource you used into
your logbook.

Use a standard reference system.

For books:

Smith JM. Tomatoes that changed the world, New York: Macmillan, 2005.

For journals and magazines:

Jones A. How to get your tomatoes flowering. Education Monographs, 2001.5,6:2-5.

16 Student research project

 For pamphlets:

Australian Photonics, The how, what and why of optical fibres. Australian Photonics.
Sydney.

For websites:

Learning Materials Production 2005, NSW Department of education and training,

Sydney, viewed 20 March 2005,
<www.lmpc.edu.au/Science/junior_science/project.htm>

For people:

Fred Bloggs, nurseryman

Do not include personal details such as an address or telephone number,

to protect the persons privacy. However, it may be useful to include
workplace details.

Remember, this section is used by people interested in what youve been

researching. People refer to it to search for related books, articles and so
on, to extend their own research. For this reason, it must be detailed and
accurate. It should include at least five references.

Complete the reference section of the report scaffold.

Appendix
An appendix is an attachment that contains materials to support your
report. These are materials that you refer to in your report. They may
include tables of information, survey questionnaires, raw data, relevant
photographs, letters and articles. Each separate type of attachment is
included as a separate appendix. It is also a good place for a logbook.

Not all reports will have an appendix. You will need to decide if you
need an appendix or not.

Complete the appendix section of the report scaffold if necessary.

Writing a research report 17

18 Student research project
Evaluating your report

This section will help you to:

solve any problems remaining in your research project
evaluate and present your research report.

Here are some suggestions of things you could do to improve your work.

You could look for more resources, for example, by going to the library.
Remember to record appropriate information in your logbook about the
resources, for your reference list.

Read over all the parts of your report and complete and fix them.

How did you go?

It is a good idea to evaluate your report before you hand it in.

How will you know whether your research report is good? There is a
marking scheme on the next page. You may like to refer to it as you
prepare and publish your report.

Circle the mark beside each question that you think best suits your
project/report.

Writing a research report 19

 No A bit Yes

Difficulty (10 marks)

Was your project difficult or complex? 1 2 3 4 5

Did you do your best in your research and report? 0 1 2

Have you produced an excellent report? 1 2 3

Language (10 marks)

Have you used report text type for your report? 0 1 2

Have you written clearly? 0 1 2

Have you written concisely? 0 1 2

Have you written in grammatical sentences? 0 1 2

Have you spelled most words correctly? 0 1 2

Parts of the report (50 marks)

Is your title a good one for the project? 0 1 2

Is your hypothesis testable? 0 1 2

Can you make predictions from your hypothesis? 0 1 2

Have you stated a clear aim? 0 1 2

Have you identified the dependent variable? 0 1 2

Have you identified the independent variable? 0 1 2

Have you controlled all other variables? 0 1 2

Have you done a risk assessment? 0 1 2

Have you identified all the necessary equipment? 0 1 2

Have you clearly described what you did? 1 2 3 4 5

Do your results clearly state what you found out? 1 2 3 4 5

Do tables, graphs and so on have clear headings? 0 1 2

Are diagrams and graphs neat and labelled? 0 1 2

Does your conclusion match your aim? 0 1 2

Does your conclusion and the hypothesis match? 0 1 2

Have you used a recognised reference system? 2 3 4

Is your report neat and well presented? 1 2 3 4 5

Total mark for research report = / 65

20 Student research project

Experimental report scaffold

Name ____________________________

Teacher ____________________________

Title

Writing a research report 21

 Aim:

Hypothesis:

Method:

Steps

22 Student research project

 Equipment

Writing a research report 23

 Experimental design

Replication

Repetition

Risk assessment

Dependent variable

Independent variable

24 Student research project

 Control

Controlled variables

Analysis

Writing a research report 25

 Results:

26 Student research project

 Conclusion:

Suggest improvements for future experiments.

References:

Writing a research report 27

 Appendix:

28 Student research project