Writing a

Report
LESSON 11
 Data collection is very
important in any type of
research study
(Burchfield,1996),
(Tim ,1997), (Matt,
2001).
 Data is referred to as a
collection of facts, such as
values or measurements,
observation or even just
descriptions of things. Data
can be classified into
Primary and Secondary
Data.
 Primary data are those that you
have collected yourself or the data
collected at source or the data
originally collected by individuals,
focus groups, and a panel of
respondents specifically set up by
the researcher whose opinions may
be sought on specific issues from
time to time (Matt, 2001), (Afonja,
2001).
 Secondary data research project
involves the gathering and/or use of
existing data for which they were
originally collected, for example,
computerized database, company
records or archives, government
publications, industry analysis offered
by the media, information system and
computerized or mathematical
models of environmental processes
and so on (Tim ,1997), (Matt, 2001).
 Two
kinds of
data
 1. Quantitative data are
mainly numbers. It refers to
the information that is
collected as, or can be
translated into, numbers,
which can then be displayed
and analyzed
mathematically.
 Quantitative data are
Structured and Unstructured in
nature. Structured data can be
produced by closed questions,
unstructured data can be
produced by open questions.
(Checkland et al 1998), (Matt,
2001), (Burchfield, 1996),
(Anyanwu, 2002).
 2. Qualitative data is data that is
mainly words, sounds or images.
Unlike numbers or “hard data”,
qualitative information tends to be
“soft,” meaning it can’t always be
reduced to something definite. That
is in some ways a weakness, but it
is also a strength. A number may
tell (Matt, 2001),
( Afonja, 2001), (Burchfield, 1996).
 There are many ways of
summarizing your findings
based from the data you
have collected. It depends
on the type of data you
collected. The most
common is the tally and
frequency table.
Tally marks are often used to make
a frequency distribution table. For
example, let’s say you survey a
number of families and find out
how many gadgets they own. The
results are 3, 0, 1, 4, 4, 1, 2, 0, 2,
2, 0, 2, 0, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3. The
frequency distribution table will
make the data easier to
understand.
Pie graph is a special chart that uses
"pie slices" to show relative sizes of
data.
 The next step is to write a
report about your findings.
You have to change the ideas
you have gathered into a
written text that will be
understood by the readers,
and do justice to your
findings. Where do you start?
There are many different
types of reports,
including business,
scientific and research
reports, but the basic
steps for writing them
are the same. These are:
 1. Decide on the 'Terms of reference’
To decide on the terms of reference for
your report, read your instructions and
any other information you've been
given about the report, and think about
the purpose of the report:
• What is it about?
• What exactly is needed?
• Why is it needed?
• When do I need to do it?
• Who is it for, or who is it aimed at?
 2. Decide on the procedure
This means planning your investigation or
research and how you'll write the report.
Ask yourself:
• What information do I need?
• Do I need to do any background reading?
• What articles or documents do I need?
• Do I need to contact the library for
assistance?
• Do I need to interview or observe people?
• Do I have to record data?
• How will I go about this?
 3. Find the information
Make sure the information you find is
relevant and appropriate. Check the
assessment requirements, guidelines,
and marking schedule to ensure
you're on the right track. If you’re
unsure how the marks will be
assigned, contact your teacher. What
you will find out will form the basis, or
main body, of your report – the
findings.
 4. Decide on the structure
Reports generally have a similar
structure, but some details may differ.
How they differ usually depends on:
• The type of report – if it is a
research report, laboratory report,
business report, investigative report,
etc.
• How formal the report has to be.
• The length of the report.
 Depending on the type of report, the structure can
include:
• A title page
• Executive summary
• Contents
• An introduction
• Terms of reference
• Procedure
• Findings
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• References/Bibliography
• Appendices
• The sections, of a report usually have headings and
subheadings, which are usually numbered
 Once you have your structure, write down the
headings and start to fill these in with the
information you have gathered so far. By now,
you should be able to draft the terms of
reference, procedures, and findings and start to
work out what will go in the report’s appendix.

As you are writing your draft, decide what

information will go in the appendix. These are
used for information that:
• is too long to include in the body of the
report, or
• Supplements or complements the information
in the report.
 6. Analyze your findings and draw
conclusions The conclusion is where
you analyze your findings and
interpret what you have found. To do
this, read through your findings and
ask yourself:
• What have I found?
• What's significant or important
about my findings?
• What do my findings suggest?
 For example, your conclusion may
describe how the information you
collected explains why the situation
occurred, what this means for the
organization, and what will happen if
the situation continues (or doesn't
continue). Don’t include any new
information in the conclusion.
 7. Make recommendations
Recommendations are what you think the solution to
the problem is and/or what you think should happen
next. To help you decide what to recommend:
• Reread your findings and conclusions.
• Think about what you want the person who asked for
the report
should do or not do; what actions should they carry
out?
• Check that your recommendations are practical and
are based logically on your conclusions.
• Ensure you include enough detail for the reader to
know what needs to be done and who should do it.
Your recommendations should be written as a
numbered list, and
ordered from most to least important.
8. Draft the executive summary and table of
contents
Some reports require an executive summary
and/or list of contents. Even though these
two sections come near the beginning of
the report, you won't be able to do them
until you have finished it and have your
structure and recommendations finalized.
An executive summary is usually about 100
words long. It tells the readers what the
report is about and summarizes the
recommendations.
 9. Compile a reference list
This is a list of all the sources you've
referred to in the report and uses APA
referencing.
 10. Revise your draft report

It is always important to revise your

work. Things you need to check
include:
• If you have done what you were
asked to do. Ensure the assignment
question, instructions/guidelines, and
marking schedule.
• That the required sections are
included and are in the correct order.
• If your argument is logical. Does
the information you present
support your conclusions and
recommendations?
• That all terms, symbols and
abbreviations used have been
explained.
• That any diagrams, tables,
graphs and illustrations are
numbered and labelled.
 • That the formatting is correct,
including your numbering and
headings are consistent throughout
the report.
• That the report reads well, and your
writing is as clear and effective as
possible.

You might need to prepare several

drafts before you are satisfied. If
THANK
YOU!!!!