Report Writing
Instructions
Matti Helelä
Haaga-Helia
3 March 2008
1
Example 1.1 (for First-year Students)
Contents of a Study Report
Title page
Summary and Conclusions
Contents
Evaluation (teamwork,
learning, feedback)
Introduction (Chapter 1)
Company introduction (if any)
Theory and application
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Sources
Appendices
2
Example 1.2 (for First-year Students)
Headings in a Study Report
1 Introduction
4 Summary and Conclusions
2 Heading
5 Evaluation
2.1 Subheading
Sources
2.2 Subheading
Appendices
3 Heading
3.1 Subheading
1 Title of the first appendix
2 Title of the second appendix
3.2 Subheading
3.3 Subheading
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Example 2.1 (for Advanced Students)
Contents of an Empirical
Research Report
Title page
Methodology (Chapter 3)
Abstract
Findings (Chapter 4)
Contents
Summary and
Conclusions (Chapter 5)
Introduction (Chapter 1)
Theory (Chapter 2)
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Sources
Appendices
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Example 2.2 (for Advanced Students)
Headings in an Empirical
Research Report
1 Introduction
[background, purpose and
research question(s), research
approach (qualitative/interviews),
about the structure of the report,
brief company introduction]
2 Heading [theory]
3.1 Subheading
4 Heading [findings]
[presentation and interpretation of the
findings, summary of the findings,
validity and reliability discussion]
5 Summary and Conclusions
[summary of the study, conclusions
and recommendations, evaluation of
the work as a whole]
3.2 Subheading
Sources
3.3 Subheading
Appendices
3.4 Subheading [summary of the
theory]
1 Title of the first appendix
2 Title of the second appendix
3 Heading [methodology]
[description of how you conducted
the empirical study and analysed
the data]
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Title Page
See the Thesis Instructions
 Bachelor's Thesis
 Guidelines for Bachelor's Thesis
 Appendix 1  Title Page Model
Make the necessary adjustments.
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1 Introduction
In a Study Report
(first-year students):
In an Empirical Research Report
(advanced students):
• Background
• Purpose of the report
• Orientation to:
-- how you conducted the study
-- structure of the report
• Background
• Purpose and research question(s)
• Research approach (qualitative)
• Orientation to the structure of the
report
When you describe the structure of the report, use the present
tense of the verb (what the report says now). When you describe the
research process, use the past tense (what you did before).
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Purpose of the Report
(Example From a Thesis Report)
The purpose of this study is to provide Haaga-Helia Liibba students with
information on the success of their PBL event among the potential
employers. The study aims to answer the following research question:
How successfully did the PBL event increase the potential
employers’ awareness of the professional identity of Helia
Liibba students and graduates?
The following subquestions can be derived from the main question:
What were the awareness levels among the target group
before and after the event?
How did the target group perceive Liibba students and
graduates after the campaign?
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Theory and Application
The “big picture”
Selected focuses
Theoretical models (text and
illustrations) and application together
-----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----.
-----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----.
-----. -----. -----. (Jobber 2001, 55.) -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. ----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. ----. (Honkarakenne 2002, 16.) -----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----.
-----. -----. -----. -----. -----. -----.
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Example of Using
In-text References
Kotler (2000, 408) divides brands into manufacturer, distributor
and licensed brands .
Manufacturer brands dominate the market (Kotler 2000, 408).
Manufacturer brands dominate the market. Many large
distributors carry their own brands. (Kotler 2000, 408.)
It is not customary to mention titles of books and articles
in the text. They belong to the list of sources. Also notice
the use of the full stop (period) in the above examples.
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Theoretical Discussion
Followed by Application
Complex buying behaviour occurs when a
consumer is highly involved in the purchase and
perceives significant differences between the
alternative brands (Kotler 2000, 177). Consumers
buying a new home are usually highly involved in
the purchase. When comparing Honkarakenne’s log
houses with the homes of other manufactuarers, a
consumer may perceive clear differences and thus
engage in complex buying behaviour.
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Application Explained with
Theoretical Concepts
Because of the high prices of houses and the
complexity of the purchase, consumers are usually
highly involved in their home-purchasing process.
When comparing Honkarakenne’s log houses with
the homes of other manufacturers, a consumer may
perceive clear differences and thus engage in
complex buying behaviour (See Kotler 2000, 177).
[Kotler does not mention Honkarakenne.]
See Kotler = “See more about this topic in Kotler.
Kotler = Preceding information was taken from Kotler.
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Deeper Discussion with
the Sources
In addition to in-text references, use a style that
clearly shows which parts of the text are based on
your own views and which sections are based on
external sources. Aim at a dialogue with the
sources and personal reflection, instead of copying
the contents from the sources with mere cosmetic
changes.
See examples of this in the next five slides.
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Example of Discussion
with the Sources (I)
When examining consumer behaviour, it is
important to understand the stages in the buying
decision-making process, which Kotler (2003, 204)
describes with a five-stage model. We find this
model suitable for describing the behaviour of our
project company’s potential customers, who are
highly involved in the purchase just because of the
high price and complexity of the product (see Kotler
2003, 201).
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Example of Discussion
with the Sources (II)
In the last sentence of the above example, ”see”
refers to the fact that the application to Company X
was not taken from the source even though the
source discusses the same topic. By providing the
reference, you are giving the reader the opportunity
to find more information about your conceptual
framework. To further specify the contents and your
reference, you may replace the sentence with a
more explicit explanation as follows (see next slide):
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Example of Discussion
with the Sources (III)
We find this model suitable for describing the
behaviour of our project company’s potential
customers, who are highly involved in the purchase
because of the high price and complexity of the
product. This involvement and product complexity
affect the nature of buying behaviour, which Kotler
(2003, 201) categorises under four different types.
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Example of Discussion
with the Sources (IV)
You may continue as follows:
The behaviour of our company’s potential
customers is likely to be complex buying behaviour,
in which the customer typically goes through the
different steps in the five-stage model. In this case,
the customer recognises a need for…
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Example of Discussion
with the Sources (V)
Comments about the previous text:
In these examples, the writer combines the
contents of two different models to establish an
understanding of the big picture. The writer also
applies theory to practice. A more detailed
application will follow from the three dots in the last
sentence.
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(For First-year Students)
Summary and Conclusions
Summary
• Main ideas from the theory and application.
Conclusions
• What does all this mean?
• Recommendations?
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(For Advanced Students)
Summary of the Theory in
Empirical Research
Main ideas from the theory.
A summary of the theory helps you and the reader
to see the big picture and the connections between
the various models. If provided a clear conceptual
framework for the empirical research.
Summarise your theory verbally and in a figure.
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(For Advanced Students)
Empirical Study
Methodology
• Explain your methodology in detail.
Findings
• Present and interpret the findings. Refer to the
interviews to provide a chain of evidence.
• Summarise the findings.
• Discuss the validity and reliability of your work.
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Summary and Conclusions
Summarise your study.
Present your conclusions (“what does all this
mean?”).
Recommendations for further research.
Evaluate your work.
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Evaluation of a Team Report
Partner Group Work
What did you learn by receiving feedback and by
evaluating your partner group’s work?
Success of your group work
Each group member’s contribution.
Your learning results.
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Sources
Sources (= list of sources)
Only the sources to which you refer in the text
(in-text references).
Alphabetical order: Last name first (or
organisation, if the writer’s name is not given).
See http://www.helia.fi/~helma/ref.htm
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Appendices
Appendix 1. Honkarakenne’s tunover by
geographical areas from 2001 to 2003
Refer to every appendix in the text, to let the reader
know what the appendix includes.
Honkarakenne’s turnover by geographical areas
from 2001 to 2003 is shown in Appendix 1.
Honkarakenne’s tunover increased by X per cent
from 2001 to 2003 (Appendix 1).
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Writing Style
Help the reader understand what information is
based on external sources and what information is
your own.
Use consistent style (“we/our”) and in-text
references.
Also use
• Metadiscourse (Finnish: metatext) (= text about
the text)
• Tables and figures.
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Examples of
In-text References
Manufacturer brands dominate the market (Kotler 2000,
408).
Manufacturer brands dominate the market. Many large
distributors carry their own brands. (Kotler 2000, 408.)
--------------------- (-------).
---------. ---------. (-------.)
Kotler (2000, 408) divides brands into manufacturer,
distributor and licensed brands.
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Reference to the Author
The titles of books and articles belong to the list of
sources. Use the author’s last name in the text, as
shown in the following example.
Kotler (2000, 408) divides brands into
manufacturer, distributor and licensed brands.
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In-text Reference in a List
When referring to a source in a list, include the in-text
reference inside the topic sentence as shown in the
following example.
The customer’s perception of quality may depend on the
following factors (Helelä 2002, 77):
• How well the product performs.
• How easy it is to use the product.
• How durable the product is in the long run.
• How appealing the design is.
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Avoid Bullets
Avoid bullets for stylistic reasons particularly when listing short
items because:
• this
• looks
• boring
Use ordinary sentences instead. An example follows.
The customer’s perception of quality may depend on the
following factors: performance, ease of use, durability,
design, and other relevant factors meaningful to the
individual customer.
Avoid “etc.” and be more specific according to the model above.
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Metadiscourse
Metadiscourse (text about the text):
Expressions and comments (sentences,
phrases, words) explaining connections between
the various parts of the text. To enhance the flow
of the text.
Comparable to metadiscourse:
Topic sentences.
Linking words and phrases.
Numbers (“three principles”).
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Tables and Figures
Refer to tables and figures in the text:
According to the degree of buyer involvement and
the degree of differences among brands, consumer
buying behaviour may be divided into four types of
behaviour (table 1). According to this model,
complex and expensive purchases tend to involve
more buyer deliberation (Kotler 2000, 177).
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Title above the Table
Table 1. Four types of consumer buying behaviour (Kotler 2000, 177)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------High involvement
Low involvement
Significant
differences between
Complex
buying behaviour
Variety-seeking
buying behaviour
Few differences
between brands
Dissonance-reducing
buying behaviour
Habitual buying
behaviour
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Title below the Figure
100
80
60
Eas t
40
Wes t
North
20
0
1s t Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
Figure 1. Honkarakenne’s turnover by season and
region in 2003 (Ahvonen 2004, 12)
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