WRITING A

RESEARCH REPORT
 At the end of this module, I can:
• Explain how one’s purpose is a crucial consideration in
academic and professional writing.
• Identify the unique features of and requirements in
composing texts that are useful across disciplines.
• Perform writing tasks involved in the different stages of
the writing process.
• Write a research report.
Your skills in writing a research report will prove to be
very useful since it is not only a common academic
requirement but also one of the common tasks you will
have to do when you become professional. In this lesson,
you will learn how to formulate research questions and
answer them in a systematic way. Another important thing
you will learn from studying how to write research reports
is the value of acknowledging the sources of the
informational you include in your writing in order to
avoid being accused of stealing ideas, which is known as
plagiarism.
Consideration in Writing a Literature
Review
1. Unique features of a research report
A research report may also be called scientific report. It is
actually a paper that discusses topics under the sciences
area of study.
It often uses the IMRD format.
I – Introduction
M - Methods
R – Results
D – Discussion
It also includes a title page, an abstract, and a page for the list of information sources.
The page for the list of sources may have differing headings depending on the style of
citation used (e.g., APA, MLA, CMOS, IEEE).
Each part of a research report serves a different purpose and contains different types of
information. The introduction is expected to contain the background of the topic, the
research questions, the significance or relevance of the research, and the scope and
delimitations of the study. It actually corresponds to the first step in the scientific
method which is forming of hypothesis. The methods narrate how the research was
conducted. Included in the methods are the following: description of the materials used,
the participants, and the process of data analysis. This part matches the next step of the
scientific method which is the testing of hypothesis. The outcome of the research is
presented in the results section of the research report, and then interpreted in the
discussion part. The outcome, which is the results part, corresponds to the collection of
data or evidence in the steps of the scientific method. The last part is similar to the last
part of the scientific method wherein the research analyzes how the data relate to one
another and eventually form a conclusion from the analysis.
A research report also includes preliminary materials such as the title page,
abstract and table of contents.
The abstract serves as a synopsis or summary of the research report. The title page
is where the pertinent details of the report such as the title and the researcher’s
name are written.
In the introduction, you will have to state your research question or hypothesis
about the subject matter and present a literature review, which was already tackled
in the previous lesson.
In the methods section, you will have to do a recount of how your research
transpired, and so you should use the past tense.
In the results section, you will have to show illustrations of the data (i.e., graphs,
charts, diagram, picture, and other visuals) you gathered in order for your readers
to have a clear impression of the outcome of your research.
In the discussion section, you will have to point out the significant data that
supported your hypothesis or answered your research questions. You should also
discuss implications of your findings and then give your recommendations.
2. Purpose and Audience
The general purpose of the research report is to contribute new,
interesting, and objective ideas to a body of knowledge of a
specific field. The specific purpose depends on the research
itself. It is discussed in the introduction what the research aims
to accomplish.
A research report may be written as a requirement of a course
in which the audience is a professor or evaluator. It can also be
written for professional advancement in which the audience are
wider and who are more concerned with replicating the study
and not just to evaluate it.
3. Pattern of Development
The pattern of development that you can use
varies depending on which part of the report you
are writing. Generally, the pattern of development
used in writing a research report is general to
specific. However, in some parts, such as the
methods section, you will have to use a narration
pattern or process pattern, since you are to
provide a recount of how the research was
conducted.
ESSENTIAL LEARNING
In writing a research report, you must:
1. Choose a topic that is interesting and relevant to your
audience;
2. Use the accepted format;
3. Accomplish the purpose of each part of the report;
4. Acknowledge the sources of the information you used in
your report;
5. Be consistent with the citation style that you use; and
6. Keep in mind the properties of a well-written text to make
your writing appear more academic.
APPLY IT IN REAL LIFE

You are a professional. You would like to

contribute to the body of knowledge in your
chosen field. Write a research report about a topic
in a particular area of your profession. Your
research report will be assessed on its content,
organization, language use, and mechanics.