Writing Various Reports

a. Survey Report

b. Science Lab Report

c. Field Report

VOCABULARY LIST

● Survey report is a paper which presents the results of the author’s research.

● Field Report is usually used in the field of social sciences to link theory and application. It contains the
author’s observation when out on the field and analysis using theoretical concepts from the discipline.
Filed report can be personal and simple.

● Laboratory or Scientific Technical Report is written by those in the sciences mainly to persuade others
to accept or reject hypothesis, record the details for future researchers, and document a current
phenomenon for the future references.

LEARNING CONCEPT

General Guidelines for Writing the Survey/ Field/ Laboratory/ Scientific/ Technical Report

1. Value Communicated Objective, accurate, and honest presentation of facts and results

2. Basic Content

a. May consist of eyewitness accounts or first- hand information

b. May contain facts, data, figures, or statistics on or from people, events, phenomena,
structure, experiments, questionnaires, interviews, and library research

c. May include materials and procedures or methods

3. Modes of Ordering

a. Chronological or time order

b. Geographical or space/spatial
c. Logical – inductive and deductive
d. Problem – Solution
e. Cause and Effect
f. Formal
4. Basic Qualities of a Good Report

a. Objective not subjective point of view

b. Accurate, not sloppy presentation of facts, numbers, statistics, and data.
c. Honest, not false or incomplete details and results
d. Brief and direct sentences According to; Laurel, Lucero, and Cruz (2016)
How to Write a Survey Report

After conducting a survey, all you need to do is to write the survey report. It describes the
survey, its results, and any patterns or trends found in the survey. Most survey reports follow a standard
organization, broken up under certain headings. Each section has a specific purpose.

● Step 1 Divide the report into separate sections with headings. There might be slight difference
between reports, but the headings are typically the same.

Abstract – Introduction - Background – Statement of the Problem – Materials – Method

or Procedure – Results – Discussion - Summary – Conclusion, and Recommendations.

● Step 2 One-to-Two-page summary paraphrasing the report. A summary condenses the main points of
the report into few pages. It should include:

. Methodology

. Key results of the survey

. Conclusions drawn from the results of the survey

. Recommendations based on the results of the survey

● Step 3 State the objectives of the survey in the background section. Start the section by saying,

- why the survey was conducted.

- Explain the hypothesis and goals of the survey

-It contains the target population:

-Who is being studied (e.g. student, teacher, and etc.)

- Variables of the study:

-What is the survey trying to study?

-Is the study looking for associations or relationships between two things?

-purpose of the study:

-How will this information be used?

-What new information can this survey help us realize?

● Step 4 Provide background information by explaining similar research and studies. This research can
help you determine if your survey results support current beliefs on the topic or disagree with them.
Write 2 or more pages explaining the issue and how other researches have approached it. Chapter 2
● Step 5 Explain the Method and Results Explain how the study was conducted in the methodology
section. This section helps readers understand how the survey was conducted. This section may be
several pages long. Who did you ask? How can you define the gender, age, and other characteristics?
Did you do the survey over email, telephone, website or 1-on-1 interview? Were the participants
randomly chosen or selected for a certain reason? How large was the sample size? How many people
answered the results of the survey?

 how the study was conducted

 gmail
 1-1 interview
 Te;ephone
 Website
 How can you define the gender, age, and other characteristics?
 How the respondents were chosen?
 Randomly
 Selected
 How large was the sample size?
 How many people answered?

● Step 6 Describe what type of questions were asked in the methodology section. Common types of
questions include multiple choice, interviews, and rating scales (+ 4likers scale). Describe the general
theme of the questions. Example “Participants were asked to answer questions about their daily routine
and dietary practices.

● Step 7 Report the results of the survey in a separate section. Once you have detailed the methodology
of the survey in full, start a new section that shows the results of the survey. This section is usually
several pages long. Discussion of reports

● Step 8 Point out any interesting trends in the results section. To help your readers understand the
significance of your survey, highlight the interesting patterns, trends, or observations. (interpretation ng
survey)

● Step 9 Analyze your results State the implications of your survey at the beginning of the conclusion. At
the beginning of this section, write a paragraph that summarizes the key takeaway points of your
survey. Ask yourself what readers should learn from the survey.

● Step 10 Make recommendations about what needs to be done about the issue. Once you have
reported the results of the survey, state what the reader should take away from the survey. What does
the data imply? What action should people take based on the results? This part might be few pages
long. Example: More research needs to be done on this topic or Current guidelines or policy need to be
changed. The company or institution needs to take action. Recommendation – output/solution to the
problem

● Step 11 Include graphs, charts, surveys, and testimonies in the appendices

● Step 12 Polish your report.

Laboratory or scientific technical report (scientist, doctor and nurses)

Laboratory or scientific technical report is written by those in the sciences mainly to persuade
others to accept or reject a hypothesis, record the details for future researches, and document a current
phenomenon for future reference or comparison. (Laurel [Link]., 2016) every hour counts

3 functions of lab report

1. Provide a record of the experiment and raw data

2. Provide sufficient information to reproduce and extend data and to know what is being tested
3. Analyze data, it present conclusion and recommendation

Guidelines (Function)for Laboratory Reports

A laboratory report has three main functions:

1. To provide a record of the experiments and raw data included in the report.

2. To provide sufficient information to reproduce or extend the data, and

3. To analyze the data, present conclusions and make recommendations based on the experimental
work.

The most important requirement for a laboratory report is clarity. In short, a report should be readable
therefore spelling and grammar must be correct.

Lab Report Structure

I. Cover Sheet

This page has the course number and assigned lab section, the title of the experiment, your
name, your lab partner’s names, the date that the lab was performed and your TA’s (‘superior) name.

II. Abstract

The purpose of this page is to help a reader decide if your paper is of interest to him/her. (This
section is the executive summary in a corporation or government report; it is often the only section that
a manager reads.) The abstract should be able to stand by itself, and it should be brief.

Generally, it consists of three parts which answer these questions:

✔ What did you do? - A statement of the purpose of the experiment, a concise description of the
experiment and physics principles investigated.

✔ What were your results? – Highlight the most significant results of the experiment.
[Link] 7

✔ What do these results tell you? – depending on the type of experiment, this is conclusions and
implications of the results or it may be lessons learned from the experiment.
 Note: Write the abstract after all the other sections are completed. You need to know all in your
report before you can write a summary of it.

III. Data Sheets

For each experiment, the lab manual has one or more data sheets for recording raw data, as
well as intermediate and final data values. These are not for doodling, but for recording your data.
Record the data neatly in pen. If your data values are so sloppily recorded that you must recopy them,
then the accuracy of the data is questionable. This fact will be reflected in your laboratory performance
score. If there is a mistake, then draw a single line through that value. “White – Out” and similar
covering agents are expressly forbidden.

The values that you record on your data sheet must have:

• Units (such as kg for kilograms)

• Reasonable uncertainty estimates for given instruments and procedures

• Precision consistent with uncertainty (proper significant digits)

• Propagation of error for calculated quantities

• Your lab instructor’s initials If you happen to forget your lab manual, then you will take your
data on notebook paper. Your lab instructor will initial that as your data sheet, and you will turn that in
with your lab report as well as your own data sheet from the lab manual.

IV. Graphs

You must follow the guidelines in the lab manual for all graphs. The first graphs of the semester
must be made by hand, not computer software. After your lab instructor gives permission, you may use
computer software to make graphs. Those graphs must also conform to the guidelines in the lab manual.

Remember that when plotting data with units, both the slope and intercept of a graph also have units.

V. Sample Calculations

Show calculations in a neat and orderly outline form. Include a brief description of the
calculation, the equation, numbers from your data substituted into the equation and the result. Do not
include the intermediate steps. Numbers in the sample calculations must agree with what you recorded
in your data sheet. For calculations repeated many times, you only include one sample calculation.
Answers should have the proper number of significant figures and units. Typing the equation into the lab
report is not required; it is easier and faster to print these calculations neatly by hand. If you wish to
type this section, then use the equation editor in Microsoft Word. Your Lab instructor can give you
information on using the equation editor. Laurel et al., (2016)

VI. Discussion of Results

This is the most important part of the lab report; it is where you analyze the data. (In the future,
you may not actually collect data; a lab technician or other people may collect the raw data. Regardless
of your discipline, the most challenging and rewarding part of your work will be analyzing the data.)
Begin the discussion with the experimental purpose and briefly summarize the basic idea of the
experiment with emphasis on the measurements you made and transition to discussing the results.
State only the key results (with uncertainty and units) quantitatively with numerical values; do not
provide intermediate quantities.

Your discussion should address questions such as:

• What is the relationship between your measurements and your results?

• What trends were observable?

• What can you conclude from the graphs that you made?

• How did the independent variables affect the dependent variables? (For example, did
an increase in a given measured (independent) variable result an increase or decrease in the associated
calculated (dependent) variable? Then describe how your experimental results substantiate /agree with
the theory. (This is not a single statement that your results agree or disagree with the theory.) When
comparison values are available, discuss the agreement using either uncertainty and/or percent
differences. This leads into the discussion of the sources of error.

In your discussion of sources of error, you should discuss all those things that affect your
measurement, but which you can’t do anything about given the time and equipment constraints of this
laboratory. Included in this would be a description of sources of error in your measurement that bias
your result (e.g. friction in pulleys that are assumed frictionless in the formula). Your analysis should
describe the qualitative effect of each source of error (e.g. friction slowed motion, causing a smaller
value of acceleration to be measured) and, where possible, provide an estimate of the magnitude of the
errors they could induce.

Describe only the prominent sources of error in the experiment. For example, the precision of
the triple balance beam, a fraction of a gram, compared to the 250.0 g lab cart is not significant.

Note that a tabulation of all possible errors without any discussion of qualitative effect of the
error will receive no credit.

Your discussion should address questions such as:

• Are the deviations due to error / uncertainty in the experimental method, or are they
due to idealizations inherent in the theory (or both)?

• If the deviations are due to experimental uncertainties, can you think of ways to
decrease the amount of uncertainty.

• If the deviations are due to idealizations in the theory, what factors has the theory,
neglected to consider? Laurel et al., (2016)

The following template maybe helpful to you in writing your Lab Report.

Name ________________ Date of Lab ___________

Partner’s last names _____________

Title___________________
Abstract

An abstract is a short summary giving the most important information about your experiment. It
should be brief and include the following:

A. Title: should be descriptive of the content.

B. Objective: 1 or 2 sentences telling why this study is important.

This should include your questions: What you are testing and why is this important?

C. Hypothesis: 1 sentence stating the hypothesis that you are testing.

D. Methods: 2-3 sentences. A brief summary of your procedure explaining: How exactly did you set up
the experiment?

E. Results: 1-2 sentences. Briefly tell what your data reveals. Quantify your results. Example 90% of the
plants grew in 2 weeks.

F. Conclusion: 1-2 sentences. Summarize your results, be specific. Was the hypothesis supported or not?
Data and Observation Displays data in organized manner such as charts, graphs, illustrations, etc. and
brief statements describing data displays.

G. Analysis of Data: Gives the reader quantitative interpretation of the data. That is comparison using
percentage, ratio, and statistical results.

H. Calculations Show work, include units, and clearly label your results

I. Discussion of Results:

- States if hypothesis (es) have been supported or rejected by the results of the study. Discuss
why the hypothesis (es) are supported or rejected, using the data analysis as evidence.

– Discuss any problems that may have altered results such as a constant variable that could not
be controlled, human error, or error due to instrumentation etc.

- suggests future questions for research concerning this study, or suggestions for further
investigations.

Note: Lab reports should be written on a bond paper, typed, double spaced, Times New Roman print, 12
font, 1 inch margins, pages numbered. Each heading is bold, capitalized and underlined.

Field Report
A field report is usually used in the field of social sciences to link theory and application. It
usually contains the author’s observations when out on the field and an analysis using theoretical
concepts from the discipline. Although research papers are formal in tone and style, field reports can be
personal and simple (Barrot, 2016)
 The purpose of a field report in the social sciences is to describe the observation of people,
places, and/or events and to analyze that observation data in order to identify and categorize common
themes in relation to the research problem underpinning the study. The content represents the
researcher’s interpretation of meaning found in data that has been gathered during one or more
observational events. Source: USC Libraries.

Here are some important things to remember when writing a field report:

Systematically observe and accurately record the varying aspects of a situation. Keep in mind what you
will observe, where you should conduct your observations, and the method by which you will collect and
record your data. Continuously analyze your observations.

Always look for the meaning underlying the actions you observe. Ask yourself: What’s going on
here? What does this observed activity mean? What else does this relate to? Keep the report’s aims in
mind while you are observing.

Focus and pay attention to details, observation site or field, with a clear plan about what you
want to observe and record in relation to the research problem.

Consciously observe, record, and analyze what you hear and see in the context of a theoretical
framework. This is what separates data gathering from reporting. The theoretical framework guiding
your field research should determine what, when, and how you observe and act as the foundation from
which you interpret your findings in relation to the underlying assumptions embedded in the theoretical
framework. Source: USC

How to record your observations

1. Note Taking

2. Photography

3. Video and Audio Recordings

4. Illustrations/Drawings

What are the things to be documented while observing?

● Physical setting. The characteristics of an occupied space and the human use of the space
where the observations are being conducted

● Objects and material culture. The presence, placement and arrangement of Objects that
impact the behavior or actions of those being observed.

● Use of language. Listen to what is being said, how is it being said, and the tone of
conversations among participants.

- Behavior cycles. This refers to documenting when and who performs what behavior or
task and how often they occur. Record at which stage this behavior is occurring
within the setting.
 - The order in which events unfold. Note sequential patterns of behavior or the moment
when actions or events take place and their significance and moments that diverge from
these sequential patterns of behavior or actions.

- Physical characteristics of subjects. If relevant, note personal characteristics of

individuals being observed.

- Expressive body movements. This would include body posture or facial expressions.

The Structure and writing Style

Most field reports in social sciences include the following elements

I. Introduction

It should describe the research problem, the specific objectives of your research and the
important theories or concepts behind your field of study. It tells about the nature of the organization or
setting where you are conducting the observation, what type of observations you have conducted, what
your focus was, when you observed, and the methods you used for collecting the data. Also, your
reasons why you chose the observation site and the people or events within it. You should also include a
review of related literature to the research problem then conclude your introduction with a statement
about how the rest of the paper is organized.

II. Description of Activities

Provide enough details to place the analysis that will follow into proper context. A useful
method to thoroughly describe varying aspects of an observed situation is to answer the “Five W’s of
Investigative Reporting. What – describe what you observed.

Ex. As a student, what is your impression of using ICT such as Computer and Projector as a tool
in learning research subject? Where - Provide information about the setting of your observation.
Example arrangement or groupings of students in a class in relation to student- teacher learning
interaction. When - Record factual data on the day and the beginning and ending time of each
observation. Who - Note background and demographic information about individuals being observed ex.
Age, gender, ethnicity etc. Record also who is doing what and saying what, as well as who is not doing or
saying what. Why - Describe the reasons for selecting situations to observe. Note why something
happened.

III. Interpretation and Analysis Place the analysis and interpretations of your field observations within
the larger context of the theoretical assumptions and issues you described in the introduction. Here are
some questions to ask when analyzing your observations:

✔ What is the meaning of what you have observed?

✔ Why do you think what you have observed happened? What evidence do you have for your
reasoning?

✔ What events or behaviors were typical or widespread? If appropriate, what was unusual or
out of the ordinary?
 ✔ Do you see any connections or patterns in what you observed?

✔ Why did the people you observed proceed with an action in the way that they did? What are
the implications of this?

✔ Did the stated or implicit objectives of what you are observing match to what was achieved?

✔ What were the strengths and weaknesses of the observations you recorded?

✔ Did you see connections between what you observed, and the findings of similar studies
identified from your review of related literature?

✔ Have you learned something from what you observed?

IV. Conclusion and Recommendations It is the summary of the entire study which emphasize the
importance of your observations. You should also include your recommendations based on the results of
the study. The conclusion should not be more than two or three paragraphs.

V. Appendix This is where you would place information that is not essential to explaining your findings
but supports your analysis, validates the conclusions and the reader understand the overall report. Ex.
Figures, tables, graphs, charts, statistics, pictures, maps etc.

VI. References List all sources that you consulted and gathered information from while writing your field
report.