Focusing on sections of a report
Dr Michelle Reid
Study Adviser, University of Reading
Overview of the workshop
• What is the role of this section in a report?
• The main features of this section
• What is the appropriate writing style for this
section?
• How to write a good…
Icebreaker:
Thinking about your audience
In groups of three – each person in the group has a
number: 1,2, or 3:
“The government is planning to raise fees for university
students.”
[Insert different example]
Write the story in the style of:
1. A tabloid headline
2. An academic report
3. A text message to a friend
What is the role of this section?
• What do you know about...[discussion]
sections?
• Why do we include ...[discussion] sections in
reports?
• What is the most challenging thing about
writing ...[discussion] sections?
[Insert the section you wish to focus on]
Writing the method
• Describe clearly and simply what you did.
• It can help to note down all the steps, then you can
write them into proper sentences.
• Aim to include enough information so that someone
else could reproduce your experiment / research.
• This is a factual section, so avoid any personal
opinions or unnecessary details.
Writing the results
• Describe in words what your data shows
• No need to interpret why the data shows this or
what it means – this will come in the Discussion.
• This section should provide enough information so
someone can understand what your tables /
diagrams / graphs show without having to puzzle
them out.
• Imagine you are talking a friend through what you
found out – jot this down and then write it into more
formal sentences.
Writing the intro /
lit review
• This section(s) expands on the purpose of your
research.
• Identify the research questions you are trying to
answer.
• Although you may read some background literature
before you start your research, you may prefer to
wait until after the methods to write it up fully.
• This way you can tailor the lit review to provide the
right background context for your research.
Writing the intro /
lit review
• When reading for your intro / lit review ask yourself:
- What questions are you seeking to answer?
- How did they arise?
- Why are they worth investigating?
• Break your literature review down into a series of
headings
• When you read a text – see what heading it fits
under…what does it add to the research already
grouped under that heading?
Writing the discussion
• The discussion interprets the meaning of the results you have
found.
• It links these results back to the research questions and shows
how the findings contribute to the answers to these
questions.
• Also it links the results back to the background research from
the lit review / intro and says whether your findings confirm
or contradict previous findings.
• When writing the discussion – have your research questions
in front of you to remind you what you are answering.
• Write your discussion early enough so that you still have time
to fill any gaps you find.
Writing the conclusions /
recommendations
• These should follow on logically from writing your
discussion.
• Pull out the most important points from your
research and summarise them.
• Imagine someone will read your conclusion first –
what are the key things they will want to know about
your findings?
Writing the summary /
abstract
• Leave writing the abstract until last.
• The abstract is the first thing people will read, so it
should give a clear and accurate overview.
• The abstract should very briefly summarise all your
report:
–
–
–
–
What you were trying to find out (background)
How you did this (method)
What your main findings were (results)
Why this is important / what it shows (discussion)
Activity:
Analysing examples of a ...[discussion] section
Working in small groups – each group has 3
extracts from different ...[discussion] sections
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of
each extract?
• Which extract do you think is the best and
why?
How to write a good ...[discussion]
section
• Look back at your research questions – your
discussion should answer these questions.
• Don’t just describe what your results show – explain
why your results show this – what may have caused
it?
• Read through your introduction / literature review –
link your findings back to what other people have
found.
• Ask yourself, do your results confirm or contradict
other findings – why might this be?
How to write a good ...[discussion]
section
• Critically analyse your findings – this means:
- Looking at your findings and asking yourself, "what
do I think about this?"
- Then taking it one step further and asking "what is
making me think that?"
• Spend more time on your discussion section
Further resources
• LearnHigher report writing webpages:
www.learnhigher.ac.uk/learningareas/reportwriting/home.htm
Guides and exercises on all aspects of reports.
• Report writing (Napier)
www2.napier.ac.uk/getready/writing_presenting/reports.html
A clear and easy to follow introduction to report writing with
interactive exercises on report structure and layout.
• Unilearning (Wollongong, Australia)
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/main.html
Includes different types of report (business, technical, field,
scientific) as well as sections on writing style.
Further resources
LearnHigher report writing webpages
www.learnhigher.ac.uk/learningareas/reportwriting/home.htm
For guides and exercises on all aspects of reports.
Report writing (Napier)
www2.napier.ac.uk/getready/writing_presenting/reports.html
A clear and easy to follow introduction to report writing with
interactive exercises on report structure and layout.
Unilearning (Wollongong, Australia)
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/main.html
Includes different types of report (business, technical, field,
scientific) as well as sections on writing style.
Any questions?
Thank you and good luck with your
report writing!