How to write a research report in English|Academic Writing

A research report is the final phase of research, involving data collection and analysis, leading to interpretations and generalizations. It is a brief statement of significant facts, common in sciences, engineering, and psychology, aiming for clear and concise communication of research purpose and results. Research reports typically consist of three main divisions: preliminary, body, and supplementary materials.

The preliminary section includes the title, table of contents, and abstract. The body of the report contains the introduction (background of the study/rationale), literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. The supplementary material includes references (using formats like APA or MLA) and appendices.

Before starting, analyze the task by asking yourself: What is the report's purpose? Who is the audience? What is the word limit? What is the topic? What is the expected format?

Create section headings and a thesis statement to clarify the overall purpose. Jot down any existing knowledge about the topic within the relevant sections.

The first two steps guide your research. Be prepared to report on other research or conduct your own. Time management is crucial as research typically takes the most time in producing a report.

This involves writing the introduction (purpose, thesis, background, methods outline), literature review (chronological or thematic), methodology (what and how you did it, passive voice, references, labeled diagrams/charts), results (what you found without interpretation), discussion (relevance, fit with other research), and conclusion (summary of findings, limitations, future research, recommendations).

This includes references/bibliography, ensuring all sources are cited using the specified convention (e.g., APA, MLA). Appendices should add extra, referenced information and be clearly named and numbered.

Create a clear title for the report, a table of contents with page numbers for all sections, and an abstract or synopsis providing a brief overview of the report.

The final step is to meticulously check your report to ensure all guidelines provided by your teacher have been followed.