focusing on sections of a report dr michelle reid study adviser, university of reading
TRANSCRIPT
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Focusing on sections of a report
Dr Michelle Reid Study Adviser, University of Reading
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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…
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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 headline2. An academic report3. A text message to a friend
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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]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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)
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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?
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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?
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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
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Further resources• LearnHigher report writing webpages: www.learnhigher.ac.uk/learningareas/reportwriting/home.htmGuides and exercises on all aspects of reports.
• Report writing (Napier)www2.napier.ac.uk/getready/writing_presenting/reports.htmlA 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.htmlIncludes different types of report (business, technical, field, scientific) as
well as sections on writing style.
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Further resources
LearnHigher report writing webpageswww.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.htmlA 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.
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Any questions?
Thank you and good luck with your report writing!