FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY OWERRI

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD RESEARCH REPORT

A TERM PAPER
PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE COURSE
GST 102 : USE OF ENGLISH

BY
ABOSI IKECHUKWU STEPHEN
REG NO. 20221352693

11TH MARCH, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENT
ABSTRACT ------------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐----------------------------3
INTRODUCTION -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐---------------------4
THINGS TO DO BEFORE WRITING YOUR REPORT -----------------‐-------------------------------4
Research -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐------------------------------4
Planning and Structuring Your Experiments/ Tests -----------------‐-----------------------------4
Writing a Research Journal -----------------‐----------------------------------------------‐------------5
WRITING THE REPORT -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐-------------5
Title -----------------‐--------------------------------------------------‐--------------------------------–----6
Table of Contents ----------------‐-----------------------------------------------------‐-------------------6
Abstract ----------------------------------------------------------------------‐-------------------------------6
Main Body of the Report -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------------------6
Introduction -----------------‐----------------------------------------------------‐--------------------------7
Methodology -----------------‐----------------------------------------------------‐-------------------------7
Results -----------------------‐---------------------------------------------‐----------------------------------7
Conclusion -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐-----------------------------7
References -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐-----------------------------7
Appendices -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐----------------------------8
CONCLUSION ------------------------‐---------------------------------------------‐-------------------------8
REFERENCES -----------------‐---------------------------------------------------‐--------------------------9
ABSTRACT
This research was motivated by the need to effectively write a good research report in
relation to academic disciplines so as to enable concrete and concise understanding of the
report by viewers. Data was collected from secondary sources such as the web, textbooks,
questionnaires e.t.c. One can finally conclude that every research report needs a detailed
structure to be easily understood and results of research to be duplicated. This book is
intended to provide guidelines in report writing. The structures stated in this book is very
similar to the structure of major scientific reports. Even if you rarely should deviate from this
setup, small changes can of course be considered.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, “The body of
a manuscript opens with an introduction that presents the specific problem under study and
describes the research strategy” (APA, 2010, p. 27). A report is part of the scientific work.
Regardless of its form and style, the functions of a report are: information on the work
performed, observed results and conclusions are drawn. For the author, the report is a
concentrate, while for the recipient it is a whole. Author and recipient have usually no
immediate ability to communicate. Therefore, the report is an example of what is called one-
way communication. The author of any report should keep this in mind, and he/she must
have a clear idea of who the report is written for and what is the main goal with it. From
these criteria the report should be structured. Regarding the report's length, you should
follow the rule to make it as short as possible. At the same time it must be rich enough so
that the message clearly appears.

1.1 THINGS TO DO BEFORE WRITING YOUR REPORT

1.1.1 Research
Reading literature is a necessary part of a scientific work of several reasons: It will provide
information on what has previously been done with the problem one shall work with and
thereby clarify on what basis one can build further. In addition, a literature study will prevent
than one makes unnecessary work.
However, please note that a one easily can be so bound by others' observations and
opinions that one only sees what others have done before, and that ones work thus loses its
originality. A too extensive literature study in the early stages of your work may cause that
both your original idea and research drive gets lost. Inasmuch that the result of the research
is the key point of the research, the research work is still an important part of the work that
cannot be neglected.
Some may find it useful to make a bibliography when the literature has been read and
reviewed, so that important references will not be lost during the work. The literature list
should include full bibliographic information, which is all that is necessary if the book or
publication later will be presented in the bibliography in the report. When you are writing
the report, remember to write down from where the reference is taken. This work will be
appreciated when you are about to finish your report work.

1.1.2 Planning and Structuring Your Experiments/Tests

When testing out hypothesis, one may discover and that things might not go quite as
planned. In addition, the results of an experiment may lead to new ideas and aspects that
may cause the planned work to take new turns.
 Despite this, good planning and structuring of the tests to be performed is a prerequisite for
the tests to be successful. It is also important to have formed an idea of how long an
experiment might take.
Please remember that the person performing the work itself is responsible for making
themselves aware of potential hazards of equipment and materials to be used. Remember
that you are not only responsible for your own, but also everyone else's safety.

1.1.3 Writing a Research Journal

Keeping a research journal is an important part of the research work. Use a notebook with
good paper and sturdy binder that can withstand a little mess. A good rule is to write only on
one side of each sheet. Then you have space to comment on the observations, make further
calculations or editing the material at a later date. For later use of the notes, it is useful if
your pages are dated.
Never trust your memory when it comes to experimental data and observations. Write down
rather too much than too little. Ideas that pop up along the way should also be written down
before they go into oblivion.
Procedures which you may have copied that are on loose sheets can conveniently be glued
into the lab journal so you have everything in one place.
Do not forget to copy the important data during the work so you have a double copy in case
you spill or otherwise lose irreplaceable results!
Journaling is either done in parallel with the experiment, or as soon as possible after
successful trials. The experiments must be described in chronological order. Start out with a
draft of the final report while the work is in progress. Do the illustrations, tables and graphs,
at least working copies or drafts, and use them as a basis for the report. A good rule is to
write the journal with the thought that other people with similar professional background
should be able to look up details in it and understand what has been done.
A journal entry must contain: the date, title (intention with the experiment),
materials/equipment used (all details about weight and volume and other relevant data
must be indicated in an orderly manner), execution (applied methods must be described in
detail when first used, thereafter, a reference to this description is sufficient) and the results
(the results must be described as clear as possible).
Raw data in the form of computer printouts, spectra, graphs etc. are glued in the journal.
Larger amount of raw data can be stored in separate folders.

1.2 WRITING THE REPORT

Through a logical orderly presentation of the original research material the reader will be
lead up to the discussion of the presented data and the conclusions. A major report will
therefore include the following key paragraphs in this order: - Title – Preface (with location,
date and signature) – Table of contents – Abstract – Introduction – Body of Report –
Discussion – Conclusions – References – Appendices. Please note that even though this
division is used, it can often be more natural to use headlines that are more descriptibe of
the chapter’s actual content.
It may, in some cases, be natural to skip or merge some of the chapters. In other cases it will
be better with a more detailed division, but the presentation should follow the structure
shown above.
1.2.1 Title
The title should provide accurate information about the report’s main topic. It should be
informative, specific and concrete. For example,
Enzymatic analysis of blood glucose is a better title than Bloodsugar analysis.
An effective way to construct a title is to start with a significant word or phrase, and then
follow up with a descriptive statement covering the report’s theme:
Computers : The gateway into the future.
Another option is to summarize the study’s problem or significant results in one sentence:
The bacterial formation of methane by the reduction of one-carbon compounds by molecular
hydrogen.
1.2.2 Table of Content
The table of contents indicate page numbers for all chapters and subsections. It oftens
corresponds to the structure of the material and is very useful for the reader. This is a good
reason to make it rich. For small reports, it is common to have the attachements and their
titles in the table of content.
For large reports with many attachments, it is often better to only specify the page number
for a own list of attachments in the table of contents. A list of attachments is then placed in
front of the attachments.
1.2.3 Abstract
The abstract/summary is one of the most important pieces in a report. From reading the
abstract, the reader should be able to decide whether the report is interesting for a
particular purpose or not. The abstract should be brief and must include a brief summary of
what is performed and the results. The abstract should not be numbered, and should have
an own page. The abstract differs from the Discussion and Conclusion in the way that you
will only find the results and no further discussion and/or evaluation of them. An abstract
should, in other words, contain information about the purpose of the survey, a brief
description of the problem, methods used, special observations, results and conclusions.
1.2.4 Main Body of the Report
This contains the major ideas discussed in the research report. These ideas are usually
presented in headings and subheadings. The logical organisation of this section depends on
the objective of the report. Where there is a need for the views of other scholars, the views
must be clearly documented. This is called in-text documentation. For example,
According to Ajah (2014), flowers are used to beautify compounds and to ensure adequate
energy flow.
The main body includes the introduction, the methodology, findings/results, discussions,
and conclusion.
1.2.5 Introduction
This is the first chapter in the report, and the numbering of chapter starts here – if at all
used.
Always start the report with a confirmation of its subject. Describe the practical, technical or
scientific interest of the study, define the problems and determine your hypotheses.
If possible, include an overview of what previous research have been done on the same field
as your research. Neither go too far back in time nor give to much details on the previous
reseach. But just enough so that the reader understands the background of the report and
also its purpose. Preferably use your own words when quoting from the work of other
reseachers.
This chapter usually ends with a brief indication of what direction you have followed in your
work.
1.2.6 Methodology
We are told that “in a research paper, the methodology section allows the reader to critically
evaluate a study’s overall validity and reliability” (What is Research Methodology, 2023) .
The methodology section answers two main questions: How was the data collected or
generated? How was it analyzed?
1.2.7 Results
The results should be presented in an easy and understandable way, and in a natural and
coherent sequence. The presentation will provide the connection between the partial
results.
One should include only data and illustrative material that is essential for your report.
The results presented should be processed material. Figures should either be presented in a
table or graphically. This usually provides a good overview and is easy to understand.
1.2.8 Conclusion
The conclusion should follow as a natural unifying part after the discussion. It is written at
the same time as the abstract and contains only a brief version of the conclusion that have
been drawn under the research work. The conclusion should therefore not be a repetition of
the abstract, but the abstract must naturally contain the main conclusions.

1.2.9 References
This section lists all the reference materials cited in the research report. These materials are
arranged alphabetically using the names of their authors. This is done technically according
to the rules of the documentation style sheet adopted.

1.2.10 Appendices
The data and informaton that the appendix contain are usually only of interest for those who
want to control the work in detail, or maybe repeat the work. In this part we will find the
observation data and calculations and such to keep the report well arranged.
The appendix shoud contain all the original data and calculation examples for each type of
test that is performed. The attachments should be self explanatory. In other words, all
attachments should have a title, table and figures must have a explaining text and, if
necessary, explanatory comments.
References to the attachment in the main report should be made both by attachement No.
and page No. Please note that all attachments must be referred to in the main report.

1.3 CONCLUSION
This term paper is intended to help researchers write more effective and more readable
reports of empirical research studies. It will be helpful to people who are generally good
writers but have little or no experience at writing this type of research report. It may also be
helpful to people who are experienced at writing this type of research report but whose
reports are not as readable and effective as they might be.
This paper is not intended to be a complete course in writing—not even a complete course in
writing research reports. It focuses on the problems that arise in the writing of a particular
type of research report. Many people who write reports of empirical research studies also
write theoretical papers, methodological papers, position papers, book reviews, or other
types of articles. Some of the advice in this guide may apply to those other types of writing,
but much of it will not.
This paper is intended to be a compendium of helpful advice after various research, not a list
of requirements. The advice it contains is the product of many years of experiences of
different people in writing research reports and attempting to help others write them.
Nevertheless, it represents the opinions of one person.
From the research results, one can see that an effective research report has—at least—the
following four characteristics:
• Focus: an effective report emphasizes the important information.
• Accuracy: an effective report does not mislead the reader.
• Clarity: an effective report does not confuse the reader.
• Conciseness: an effective report does not waste the reader’s time.
Thus, one should ensure at all times that these characteristics are never lost when writing
research reports.
1.3 REFERENCES

Ýrr A. Mørch. (2010). Guidelines for report-writing. Trandheim.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American

Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Research Methodology (2023). Retrieved from https://libguides.wits.ac.za/research-

support