Title: Reporting findings
Course: UGQuants (SSPS) > Section: Beyond data collection and analysis

Reporting findings

Once we have analysed our data, we need to present our results in the form of a research report. Whilst there are different ways we could choose to present our results, Keith Punch provides a useful discussion of the structure that a survey report may take (2003: 68-79). Table one below provides a checklist of headings that Punch recommends should be included in a research report.

table (page 51) needs to be added.

We will now consider each of these sections of the report in turn:

Abstract | The abstract serves to provide a short summary of the completed project and should detail the research objectives, methods and findings.
Introduction | The introduction provides the context for the research, detailing relevant background information. It is often good practice to provide an overview of the report structure in the introduction, signposting readers as to what is to follow.
Objectives | Setting forth the objectives of the research informs readers of the purpose and aims of the research, specifically what the survey is about and what it aimed to find out. The research questions that the study seeks to address should be clearly set out.
Literature review | The literature review locates the study within the body of existing research. It should critically discuss existing literature in the field, identifying gaps in the literature which our research seeks to address.
Methods | The methods section of the research report considers details of how the research was carried out. Key points to be included are discussion of the questionnaire, sampling, the data collection process (if you conducted a survey), what you did to prepare the data for analysis and the methods of data analysis used.
Findings | The findings detail the results of our research. Answers to each research question should be presented, and consideration should be given as to what conclusions we can draw from our findings.
Discussion | The discussion section serves to locate our findings and conclusions within their wider context. We should consider what implications our findings have and what recommendations they may give rise to.
References | All references cited in our report should be presented in line with scholarly standards.
Appendices | Appendices should include the questionnaire and any covering letter and instructions given to respondents if you conducted a survey. They may also include more detailed presentation of statistical analysis for readers who may wish to gain a more in-depth insight into the statistical analyses.

Aside from the specific detail to be included, there are several important considerations to be borne in mind when writing our survey report.

Firstly, who are our target audience? Is our survey report being written for an academic audience or for a non-academic audience for example, a project manager within the private or public sector, the public, or an MSP? The style of writing used and the level of technical language should be adjusted accordingly.

Secondly, regardless of who is our target audience, is it is important to make sure all tables and figures can be understood at a glance without assuming any prior knowledge from the reader.

Finally, we must present and report our results in an ethical manner. That is to say, we should not use our data to mislead our readers. We have previously considered the regularity with which statistical data is misused, and as responsible researchers we should strive to avoid doing so in our own research. We can attempt to do so in a number of ways. On the one hand, we must consider all the data we have collected, not simply that which suits our own ends. On the other hand, where analysis reveals results which do not ‘fit’ with our preferred theories or opinions, do not ignore or attempt to hide such results, rather acknowledge and report them. The fair and accurate reporting of our survey data have a greater role to play in contributing to the development of knowledge and understanding than the biased, selective reporting of results.

Knowledge exchange - Distributing our findings beyond academia

We started this part of the course by looking at the public perceptions of statistical findings and saw that their interpretation was often flawed. This has - at least in part - to do with the split realities of academic writing and non-academic writing. Media is fast-paced, so that even if you publish a 150 pages research report that expresses your findings by carefully explaining everything in non-academic language, the risk that the finer nuances of your research results are lost when they are used to bolster a 500 words news article or blog entry is substantial.

To at least reduce the risk of a crude misinterpretation and to disperse your findings more widely, you can consider alternative publication strategies yourself, such as writing your own blog, offering guest blog posts to established blogs, or supplementing your policy relevant research report with a research brief that puts an emphasis on the most vital points.