ELEMENTS OF GOOD

REPORT WRITING

HASBEE HJ USOP
BEFORE WE START

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 Always follow the report style and format as
suggested by the faculty and indeed the Center of
Graduate Studies.

 This presentation will try to cover most of the parts of

report writing, however participants are expected to
read suggested books to consolidate learning and
skills acquisition.

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 Lots of reading OR references

Good Ambience

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Good Break
PRESENTATION OUTLINE

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 Introduction

 Structure and components of research report

 Types of report

 Characteristics of good research report

 Formats and presentation of a report

 Writing for scholarly journals

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WHAT IS A REPORT

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 A report is a written document on a particular
topic, which conveys information and ideas and
may also make recommendations.

 Report places the research study in the public

domain for consideration and confirmation.

 Inaccurate, incomplete, poorly written,

excessively long or unstructured reports fail to
achieve their purpose. 5
PURPOSE OF REPORT WRITING

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 The first step in writing any research report is to
identify the intended readers(Lecturer & Examiner).
Because the organization, style, and even the mode of
presentation depend on the target audience.
 Reports aimed at colleagues and intended for publication
in scholarly and professional journals or for presentation at
a convention.

 Reports aimed at examiners/ decision makers /

management / government and intended for in-house
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use only.
WHAT IS A GOOD REPORT

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 All points should be clear to the intended reader.

 Should be concise with information and organized

logically under various headings and sub- headings.

 All information should be correct and supported by

proper and enough number of evidences.

 All relevant material should be included in a complete

report. For example data set, maps, appendices,
graphs etc. 7
THE NEED FOR ACCURATE REPORTING

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 Researchers need to report research accurately for
two reasons:

 First, a clear explanation of the researchers’ methods

provides an opportunity for readers to completely
understand the project.

 Second, an accurate report provides the necessary

information for those who wish to replicate the study.
Enough information must be included to enable
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reproduction of the study.
ACADEMIC REPORTS

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 A report written for an academic course(purpose)
can be thought of as a simulation.

 Theoretical ideas will be more to the front in an

academic report than in a practical one.

 We can imagine that someone wants the

report for a practical purpose, although we are really
writing the report as an academic exercise for
assessment.
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BASIC STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH REPORT

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IMR and D framework

I Introduction Why did i do this (beginning)

research?
What did i do and how did i
M Method (middle)
go about doing it?
R Results What did i find? (middle)
And
D Discussion What does it all mean? (end)

Lets’ see further details……….. 10

STRUCTURE OF A REPORT (IN BEGINNING)
COMPONENTS DETAILS
Title of project, Sub–title, Author, Organization, Logo
TITLE PAGE
BACKGROUND History (if any) behind the project

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Author thanks people and organization. In articles it comes in last.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
List that tells the reader what is in the report and what page number(s) to find it on.
LIST OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES & As above, specifically for tables and figures.

FIGURES
LIST OF APPENDICES As above, specifically for appendices.
A condensed version of a report – outlines salient points, emphasizes main
ABSTRACT
conclusions and (where appropriate) the main recommendations. (see examples of
seniors thesis)
AIMS – general aims of the audit/ project, broad statement of intent.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES – specific things expected to do/ deliver(e.g. expected outcomes)

WRITE the background of the study, the problem statements articulately argued,
CHAPTER ONE SUB-
TOPICS research questions, research hypothesis, the conceptual framework, significance
of the study, limitations of the study, definition of terms then a brief summary to
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close and link to the next chapter.
STRUCTURE OF A REPORT (IN MIDDLE)

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COMPONENTS DETAILS
CHAPTER TWO Include the work of previous researchers and
LITERATURE investigating historical background and
REVIEW development of the proposed research work.
Discussions of issues, theory, models, past similar
findings related to the present study
CHAPTER THREE Work steps; what was done – how, by whom, when?
METHODOLOGY What material, tools, software etc is used.
A full & detail description of the topics and sub-
topics of this chapter.
CHAPTER FOUR Honest presentation of the findings, whether these
FINDINGS were as expected or not.
Give the facts, including any inconsistencies or
difficulties encountered

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STRUCTURE OF A REPORT (IN LAST)

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COMPONENTS DETAILS
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION
Explanation of the results.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The author states what specific actions should be taken, by
whom and why.
They must always be linked to the future and should
always be realistic. Don’t make them unless asked to.

CONCLUSIONS
The author links the results/ findings with the points made
in the introduction and strives to reach clear, simply stated
and unbiased conclusions.
A section of a report, which provides full details of
REFERENCES
publications mentioned in the text, or from which extracts
have been quoted. 13
All these items in little detail….
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THE MECHANICS OF WRITING A
RESEARCH REPORT
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THE MECHANICS OF WRITING A RESEARCH
REPORT

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 Initially researchers may find the writing style used
for research reports awkward or unaesthetic, but
there is a definite purpose behind the rules governing
scientific writing: clarity. Every effort must be made
to avoid ambiguity.

 Most of the research reports, however, include five

basic sections or chapters: introduction, literature
review, methods, results, and discussion.
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INTRODUCTION

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 The introduction should alert the reader to what is to
follow. Most introductions usually contain the following:

 Introducing the problem. The first job of the report

writer is to provide some information about the background
and the nature of the problem under investigation. If the
research topic has a long history, then a short summary
should be presented.

 This section should also discuss any relevant theoretical

background that pertains to the research topic. (Example)
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INTRODUCTION………..(CONTD)

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 Justification. Provide rationale and justification for the
project. This section should address the question of why it
is important for us to spend time and energy researching
this particular problem. (Example)

 Research can be important because it deals with a crucial

theoretical issue or because it has practical value, or
because it has methodological value.

 Aims of the current study. Most introductory sections

conclude with an unequivocal statement of the hypothesis
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or research question to be answered by the study.
LITERATURE REVIEW

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 The second major section is the review of the
literature. In some formats, the literature review is
incorporated into the introduction.

 Briefly recapitulates the work done in the field.

 The writer should summarize only those studies most

relevant to the current project.

 All literature reviews should be accurate, relevant

and up to date. (year wise) 19
LITERATURE REVIEW……..(CONT.)

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 Accuracy: A concise and accurate distillation of each
study in your review is a prerequisite for any
literature review.

 The main points of each study— hypotheses that were

tested, sample, method, findings, and implications—
should be briefly summarized.

 The review should be selective but thorough.

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LITERATURE REVIEW……..(CONTD)

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 Relevance: The writer is obligated to discuss the
relevance of the past work to the current study.

 What development can be seen in past work? What

major conclusions have recurred? What were some
common problems?

 How do the answers to these questions relate to the

current study?

 The ultimate aim of the review is to show how your

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study evolved out of past efforts.
MATERIALS & METHOD

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 This section describes the materials and approach used
to confront the research problem. (see seniors example)

 Variables used in the analysis: This includes a

description of both independent and dependent
variables, Explaining how the variables were selected.

 Each method / variable also requires some justification

for its use — variables cannot be added without reason.

 The mean and the standard deviation for each variable

should be reported when necessary. 22
METHODS………….(CONT.)

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 Sample size: The researcher should state the
number of subjects or units of study and also explain
how these entities were selected.
 Sample characteristics: The sample should also be
described in terms of its demographic, lifestyle, or
other descriptor characteristics. When human
subjects are used, at least their age and sex should be
indicated.
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METHODS………….(CONT.)

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 Methodology: Every research report requires a
description of the methods used to collect and analyze
data. (Example). Experiment / interview / survey / visit /
primary or secondary data etc.

 The amount of description depends on the audience;

for example, for journals, it must contain more
detailed information than reports.

 Included in this chapter should be an examination of

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ethical issues, if any.
FINDINGS (BARE FACTS)
 Description of the analysis: The statistical

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techniques used to analyze the data should be
mentioned.

 If the analysis used common or easily recognized

statistics, a one-sentence description might be all that
is needed, such as "Chi-square analyses were
performed on the data" or "Analysis of variance was
performed…..“

 If appropriate, the particular statistical program used

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by the researcher should be identified.
RESULT…….(CONT.)

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 Description (not discussion) of Findings: The
findings should be linked to the statement of the
hypotheses or research questions mentioned in the
introduction.

 The author should clearly state whether the results

supported the hypotheses or whether the research
questions were answered.

 Next, any peripheral findings can be reported here.

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RESULT…….(CONT.)

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 Tables: Tables, charts, graphs, and other data
displays should be presented. If the article is being
submitted to a journal, in the proper format.

 Many readers turn first to the tables and may not

read the accompanying text; consequently, tables
should be easily understood by readers.

 Never miss numbering and legends. Also cite

them properly inside text.
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DISCUSSION

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 Summary: A synopsis of the main findings of the study
often leads off this section.

 Implications/discussion/interpretations: This is the

part of the report that discusses the meaning of the
findings. If the findings are in line with current theory and
research, the writer should include a statement of how they
correspond with what was done in the past.

 If the findings contradict or do not support current theory,

then some explanation for the current pattern of results
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should be provided.
DISCUSSION……(CONT.)

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 Limitations: The researcher should list some of the
potential weaknesses of the research. Perhaps the sample
was limited or the response rate was low or the
experimental manipulation was not as clean as it could
have been.

 Suggestions for future research: In addition to

answering questions, most research projects uncover new
questions to be investigated. The suggestions for research
should be relevant and practical.
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APPENDIX

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 You may not need an appendix, or you may need
several. If you have used questionnaires, it is usual to
include a blank copy in the appendix.

 You could include data or calculations, not given in

the body, that are necessary, or useful, to get the full
benefit from your report.

 There may be acts , maps, drawings, photographs or

plans that you want to include. If you have used
special equipment, you may include information 30

about it.
REFERENCES

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 List all the sources which you referred in the body of
the report.

 In-text references and end bibliography.

 You may use the pattern prescribed by American

Psychological Association, or any other standard
pattern recognized by university.

 Separate lecture next day.

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AVOID COMMON MISTAKES
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 Avoid using first person pronouns: I, me, my, we,
and so on.

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 Research reports are almost always written in third
person (“Subjects were selected randomly.” “Subject A
told the researcher . . . and so on.

 First person pronouns should be used only when the

article is a commentary.

 Read the authors’ guidelines published by each

journal. They provide specific rules concerning
acceptable writing style, footnote and bibliography
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formats, the number of copies to submit, and so forth.
 Be stylistically consistent with regard to tables,
charts, graphs, section headings, and so forth. Tables,

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for example, should follow the same format and
should be numbered consecutively. (Example)

 Clearly label all displays with meaningful titles.

Each table, graph, chart, or figure caption should
accurately describe the material presented and its
contribution to the report. (Example)

 Keep language and descriptions as simple as

possible by avoiding unnecessary and overly complex
words, phrases, and terms. 34
 When possible, use the active rather than
passive voice. For example, “The researchers found

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that. . .” is preferable to “It was found by the
researchers that. . . .” Writing in the active voice
makes reading more pleasant and also requires fewer
words.

 Proof read carefully: All manuscripts, whether

intended for publication or for management review,
should be proofread several times to check for
accuracy. (Example)
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 Miscellaneous considerations:
Avoid phrases or references that could be interpreted

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

as sexist or racist.

 Check all data for accuracy. Even one misplaced digit

may affect the results of a study.

 Use acceptable grammar; avoid slang. (Example)

 Provide acknowledgments whenever another

researcher’s work is included in the report.

 Include footnotes (if permissible) to indicate where

further information or assistance can be obtained.
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NEXT

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 Plagiarism & software

 Various reference styles

 Automatic Mendeley referencing

 Turn-it-in

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