Primary
Research Report General Format
Primary research report is our name for that kind of report that presents original research data--no matter whether that data was generated in a laboratory or out in the "field." A secondary research report then would be a report that presents information gained largely from printed information sources or from other secondary sources such as people.
You're probably already familiar with this type of report as the "lab report." The contents and organization of this type of report have a basic logic: you present your data and conclusions, but also present information on how you went about the experiment or survey. In other words, you enable the reader to replicate (the fancy scientific word for repeat) your experiment, or at least, visualize quite specifically how you went about it.
Typical contents of primary research reports. To enable readers to replicate your experiment or survey, you provide information like the following (each normally in its own section):
| Introduction--The introduction to the primary research report needs to do what any good introduction to a report needs to do--get the readers ready to read the report. It may provide some background, but not more than a paragraph or two in a one- to two-page introduction. Some of the common elements of the introduction to a primary research report, such as the background or the purpose, can be handled in the introduction. If they require a lot of discussion, however, they may need their own sections |
| Problem, background--One of the first things to do, either in the introduction, or in a separate section of its own, is to discuss the situation that has led to the research work. For example, you may find that there is something questionable about a commonly accepted theory; you may have noticed some phenomenon that could be used to advantage, and so on. Explain this somewhere toward the beginning of a primary research report. |
| Purpose, objectives, scope--Also toward the beginning of this type of report discuss what you intended to do in the research project--what were your objectives? Also, explain the scope of your work--what were you not trying to do? |
| Definitions – In this section, you should list any terms that may be ambiguous or which may need clarification. A dictionary-like list in alphabetical order is usually best. Especially terms like socio-economic status and academic background usually require clarification and explanation. |
| Research Question and Hypothesis in the null form – The question establishes a relationship between two variables – does X affect Y. The hypothesis is a prediction or statement of what specific results or outcomes are expected to occur. The null hypothesis predicts that no relationship will occur, which is a primary method of minimizing biases. See our class handout on this subject for further explanations and clear examples. |
| Review of literature--After you've established the basis for the project, summarize the literature relevant to it--for example, books, journal articles, and encyclopedias. If you are doing a study on grammar-checking software, what books or articles have already been written on that subject? What do they have to say about the merits of this kind of software? All you do is summarize this literature briefly and enable readers to go have a look at it by providing the full bibliographic citation at the end of your report. |
| Materials, equipment, facilities, sampling, --Remember that one of your goals in writing this type of report is to enable the reader to replicate the experiment or survey you performed. Key to this is the discussion of the equipment and facilities you used in your research. Describe things in detail, providing brand names, model numbers, sizes, and other such specifications. |
| Instrumentation – In this section, each of the measuring instruments (tests, surveys, techniques of observation, etc.) should be described in detail and a rational should be given for their use. |
| Theory, methods, procedures--To enable readers to replicate your project, you must also explain the procedures or methods you used. This discussion can be step by step: "first, I did this, then I did that...." Theory and method refer more to the intellectual or conceptual framework of your project. These explain why you used the procedures that you used. |
| Results, findings, data--Critical to any primary research report is the data that you collect. You present it in various tables, charts, and graphs. Of course, your results or findings should be discussed in paragraph form as well as being presented as tables, charts, or graphs. Also explain the statistical methods you have used to explain and present your data. |
| Discussion, conclusions, recommendations--In primary research reports, you interpret or discuss your findings in a section separate from the one where you present the data. Now's the time to explain your data, to interpret it. This section, or area of the report, is also the place to make recommendations or state ideas for further research. |
| Bibliography--The ideal of the primary research report is build upon or add to the knowledge in a particular area. It's the vehicle by which our knowledge advances for a specific topic. Your primary research report rests on top of all the work done by other researchers on the same topic. For that reason, you must list the sources of information you used or consulted in your project. This list occurs at the end of the report. |
As for the organization of a
primary research report, the typical contents just listed are arranged in an
actual primary research report in just about the same order they were just
discussed. Loosely, it is a chronological order. First, you discuss set-up
issues such as the problem and objectives, then you discuss the procedures, then
the data resulting from those procedures, then your conclusions based upon that
data.
This type of report varies greatly in terms of how long the typical sections are, whether they get combined with other sections, and what they are called (their headings). Consider this as a general format, and adapt it to your specific needs.