Project 1: Formal Observation Report – Science
Purpose: 1) To gain an understanding of the distinctive features of an important genre of
scientific writing, 2) To begin to develop the analysis skills that will help you recognize the
distinctive features of other kinds of writing as well-writing you'll need to do in the university or
in other contexts 3) To practice articulating yourself clearly, in a well organized fashion 4) To
practice writing concise, detailed prose while honing observation skills.
Assignment: Describe and report (3-4 pages) on an observation of a natural object or
phenomenon to provide data that other researchers may use.
Audience:
Other scientists interested in the same phenomenon
One kind of work that scientists do is to observe objects and/or phenomena and report on their
findings to other scientists. Their reports, called formal observation reports, explain the processes
they used to gather data, the conclusions they reached, and the significance of those findings.
Other scientists studying the same or similar objects or phenomena can then compare these
reports with their own and others’ work.
Because of the need to compare results, objectivity is an important goal in formal observation
reports. In class, we will work in particular on developing value-neutral language, and we’ll
discuss the importance of this convention in science writing generally.
Doing the Observation
To begin with you will need to choose an object of study. You will observe your object or
phenomena according to Options 1a or 1b in Inquiry 1.1 in Engaging Inquiry (14-15). That is,
you will be looking at either a natural phenomenon or an interaction between humans and the
physical environment.
Once you have found a phenomenon, you will watch it carefully and take notes on your
observations. You should not interfere with the object or phenomena; instead, watch and take
notes on what you see. In your initial note taking, write down any questions or interesting
observations.
Over the course of this unit, you will revise your observation description in ways that will help
you think about how scientists work. This includes developing a hypothesis, which will serve as
the basis for your Formal Observation Report. A hypothesis is a plausible explanation for a
phenomenon that requires further testing through experimentation and through existing
knowledge. You will develop a hypothesis regarding your observations, which will be a
significant part of your formal report.
Writing the Observation Report
A formal observation report is the way that scientists share the results of their research with one
another. As such, these reports follow certain conventions. In class, we’ll look at a student
sample that you can use as a model.
Observation reports consist of the following parts (see Engaging Inquiry 32):
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Title: What object and issue are under study?
Abstract: What type of study, object, issue, method, results?
Introduction: What are you studying and why?
Method: What did you do?
Results: What did you find out (see)?
Discussion: What do the results mean?
Conclusion: What should be done next?
Your observation will follow this format. Each section (except the title) should have a heading,
as in the student paper. The observation descriptions we work on in class will serve as the basis
for the Results section of this paper. The content of the other sections will follow from the
information you present in that section.
While the student sample that we will look at uses outside sources, you are not required to do so
in this assignment. Instead, you should feel free to leave questions open-ended and to speculate.
However, you should be careful to speculate only insofar as you can support your speculations
with evidence from your observations.
Note that your report is more than just a presentation of your observations. You will need to
draw conclusions about the object or phenomenon under study. Because you are not doing
experiments or outside research to explore your hypothesis, your discussion section will consist
largely of an explanation about how your observations lead you to your conclusions about your
object’s identity, age, and function within its environment. Similarly, your conclusion section
will suggest kinds of research, including experiments, which could help test your hypothesis.
Evaluation
When I evaluate your formal observation report, I will be looking to see how well you have met
the goals of the assignment. That is, I will be looking for how well you present your findings
objectively and according to the conventions of observation reports. I will also be looking for
how you present your hypothesis and make suggestions for ways to test it. If all you do is present
your observations, your report will not be successful.
Your report will also need to meet many of the standard expectations of good academic writing.
Your purpose and focus will need to be clear and well explained. You will need to provide your
reader with sufficient detail both in your use of trimodal description and in your discussion. And,
of course, your prose will need to be well written both stylistically (particularly in regards to
concise and objective language) and grammatically.