WRITING AND INTERPRETING RESEARCH REPORT

OUTLINE
Outline and style of report Data Presentation Data interpretation Discussion of findings Summary and conclusions

INTRODUCTION

No matter how good the field work in any research study is, being able to draw inferences from the collected facts bring out the worth of such study. A well written and interpreted research report gives understanding to the abstract principle that works beneath the findings, establish the relationships between concepts and help explain the real significance of the study.
To many this might be the most difficult aspect of research process and might take more time than other parts

REPORT
A report is a statement of the results of an investigation or of any matter on which definite information is required (Oxford English Dictionary) Reports are a highly structured form of writing often following conventions that have been laid down to produce a common format. Structure and convention in written reports stress the process by which the information was gathered as much as the information itself.

STAGES OF REPORT WRITING

The following stages are involved in writing a report: clarifying your terms of reference planning your work collecting your information organizing and structuring your information writing the first draft checking and re-drafting.

PLANNING YOUR REPORT

Careful planning will help you to write a clear, concise and effective report, giving adequate time to each of the developmental stages prior to submission. Consider the report as a whole Break down the task of writing the reportinto various parts. How much time do you have to write the report? How can this be divided up into the various planning stages? Set yourself deadlines for the various stages.

OUTLINE OF A RESEARCH REPORT

Before beginning to prepare research report, there must be a written outline to serve as a guide on how to write effectively. This allows for smooth transitions between sections, and in cases of multiple authors who each have responsibility for different sections.

PARTS OF A REPORT
All reports will essentially consist of three parts: The head The body and, The tail The head consists of: A description of the problem The objectives of the study, and The methodology. This part should not comprise more than one quarter of the report, otherwise it becomes top-heavy.

PARTS OF A REPORT
The body will form the bigger part of your report: It will contain essentially the research findings. The tail consists of Discussion of your data/findings, Conclusions and Recommendations.

PARTS OF A REPORT
Other addendums You will have to make your report attractive and user-friendly with Creative title page, Preface with acknowledgements, Table of contents, List of tables, figures and/or abbreviations The references you used for your study will have to be added, and Appendixes)

OUTLINE OF REPORT
In summary the following common elements can be found in many different reports: Title page Acknowledgements Contents Abstract/Executive Summary Introduction Methodology Results or findings Discussion Conclusion and recommendations References Appendices

COVER PAGE
The cover page should contain The title, The names of the author(s) with their titles and positions, The institution that is publishing the report, The date of publication.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The summary should be written only after the first or even the second draft of the report has been completed. It should contain: A very brief description of the problem (WHY this study was needed) The main objectives (WHAT has been studied) The place of study (WHERE) The type of study and methods used (HOW) Major findings and conclusions, followed by The major (or all) recommendations.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The summary/abstract will be the first (and for busy health decision makers most likely the only) part of your study that will be read. Therefore, its writing demands thorough reflection and is time consuming. Several drafts may have to be made, each discussed by the research team as a whole. As you will have collaborated with various groups during the drafting and implementation of your research proposal, you may consider writing different summaries for each of these groups. For example, you may prepare different summaries for policymakers and health managers, for health staff

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is good practice to thank those who supported you technically or financially in the design and implementation of your study. Also your employer who has allowed you to invest time in the study and the respondents may be acknowledged. Acknowledgements are usually placed right after the title page or at the end of the report, before the references.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
A table of contents is essential. It provides the reader a quick overview of the major sections of your report, with page references, so that (s)he can go through the report in a different order or skip certain sections.

List of tables, figures If you have many tables or figures it is helpful to list these also, in a .table of contents.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
If abbreviations or acronyms are used in the report, these should be stated in full in the text the first time they are mentioned. If there are many, they should be listed in alphabetical order as well. The list can be placed before the first chapter of the report.

INTRODUCTION
The introduction is a relatively easy part of the report that can best be written after a first draft of the findings has been made. It should certainly contain some relevant background data about the country, the health status of the population, and health service data which are related to the problem that has been studied. The statement of the problem should follow, again revised from your research proposal with additional comments and relevant literature collected during the implementation of the study. Literature can be reviewed in the introduction to the statement of the problem if you have selected a problem of interest.

INTRODUCTION
Otherwise, relevant literature from individual countries may follow as a separate literature review after the statement of the problem. You can also introduce theoretical concepts or models that you have used in the analysis of your data in a separate section after the statement of the problem. The general and specific objectives should be included. The objectives form the HEART of your study. They determined the methodology you chose and will determine how you structure the reporting of your findings.

METHODOLOGY
The methodology you followed for the collection of your data should be described in detail The methodology section should include a description of:

The study type; The study population(s), Sampling method(s) The size of the sample(s); Data-collection techniques used for the different study populations; How the data was collected and by whom; Procedures used for data analysis, including statistical tests

RESEARCH FINDINGS
The systematic presentation of your findings in relation to the research objectives is the crucial part of your report. There are two different ways in which you can present your findings: An integrated presentation of all data by objective Presentation of data by research instrument

DISCUSSION
The findings can now be discussed by objective or by cluster of related variables or themes, which should lead to conclusions and possible recommendations. The discussion should include findings from other related studies that support or contradict your own.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The conclusions and recommendations should follow logically from the discussion of the findings. Conclusions can be short, as they have already been elaborately discussed in the discussion discussion will follow the sequence in which the findings have been presented the conclusions should logically follow the same order.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

It makes easy reading for an outsider if the recommendations are again placed in roughly the same sequence as the conclusions. The recommendations may at the same time be summarised according to the groups towards which they are directed, for example:

policy-makers, health and health-related managers at district or lower level, health and health-related staff who could implement the activities, potential clients, and the community at large.

REFERENCES
The references in your text can be numbered in the sequence in which they appear in the report and then listed in this order in the list of references (Vancouver system). Another possibility is the Harvard system of listing in brackets the author.s name(s) in the text followed by the date of the

ANNEXES OR APPENDICES
The annexes should contain any additional information needed to enable professionals to follow your research procedures and data analysis. Examples of information that can be presented in annexes are:

tables referred to in the text but not included in order to keep the report short; lists of hospitals, districts, villages etc. that participated in the study; questionnaires or check lists used for data collection. Educational packages or other materials used in the study

STYLES OF RESEARCH REPORTS

It is formal: should not include overtly subjective statements Personal pronouns are avoided because this suggest impartiality. It must be simple and clearly written avoiding highly technical terms. To convey ideas, complex sentence constructions are not necessary. Methods and results should be described in past tenses. It must be well organized and sequential.

STYLES OF RESEARCH REPORTS

Continuity and logical thematic development is essential for a good research report. Specific referencing styles are used as applied to the study conducted. Grammatical and spelling accuracy goes a long way in proving the worth of the research report. Quantify when you have the data to do so Be precise and specific in your phrasing of findings. Inform, not impress. Avoid exaggeration. Be consistent in the use of tenses

LAYOUT OF THE REPORT

A good physical layout is important, as it will help your report: Make a good initial impression, Encourage the readers, and Give them an idea of how the material has been organised so the reader can make a quick determination of what he will read first. Particular attention should be paid to make sure there is: An attractive layout for the title page and a clear table of contents. Consistency in margins and spacing.

LAYOUT OF THE REPORT

Consistency in headings and subheadings Good quality printing and photocopying. Numbering of figures and tables, provision of clear titles for tables, and clear headings for columns and rows, etc. Accuracy and consistency in quotations and references.

TYPES OF RESEARCH REPORTS

Theses and dissertations Journal Articles Electronic publication Presentations at professional conferences

DATA

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2005) defines data as "factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

Data can also refer to any observations that are made -- such as a patient's symptoms or a population's health habits.

DATA PRESENTATION
Data should be presented as simple as possible. The more complicated the information looks, the more difficult it will be to interpret. There are a number of ways in which results can be presented. Here are a few : Tables Graphs Pie charts Bar charts Diagrams

ILLUSTRATION CHECKLIST
Are all your diagrams / illustrations clearly labeled? Do they all have titles? Is the link between the text and the diagram clear? Are the headings precise? Are the axes of graphs clearly labelled? Can tables be easily interpreted? Have you abided by any copyright laws when including illustrations/tables from published documents?

DISCUSSION
This is the section where you can analyse and interpret your results drawing from the information which you have collected, explaining its significance and relating it to previous studies and conclusions. Identify important issues and suggest explanations for your findings. Outline any problems encountered and try and present a balanced view.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This is the section of the report which draws together the main issues. It should be expressed clearly and should not present any new information. You may wish to list your recommendations in separate section or include them with the conclusions

Thanks for listening

REFERENCES
Oxford English Dictionary The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2005) Corlien M. Varkevisser, Indra Pathmanathan and Ann Brownlee, (2003). Designing and Conducting Health Systems Research Projects Volume II: Data analysis and report writing. KIT Publishers, Amsterdam International Development Research Centre in association with WHO Regional Office for Africa Denise F. Polit & Cherly T. Beck. Nursing Research: Principles and Methods. 7Ed