WRITING A

SURVEY REPORT
Surveys are used to collect information that will answer
scientific questions. The first consideration in
designing a survey is to define the objectives of the
survey in the context of these questions.
The objectives should reflect the intent of the scientific
questions from the perspective of the survey
methodology to be used to collect data for addressing
these questions.
Survey objectives should specify:
The study population (also called a target population) and any
subgroups (also called domains) that are of special interest in
addressing the scientific questions
The organization of the population (e.g., housing units are associated
with a group of people, students are nested in schools), which
often has implications for gathering information on units in
the population
Likely methods for contacting members of the population
or gathering data on selected units
The main variables that will be recorded on the units of the
population to address the scientific questions
Available resources such as limitations on staff funding and time for
conducting the survey
STRUCTURE
Most survey research reports follow a fairly standard structure with
the following inclusions:
Front page-This is the window into the report. Choose a short,
relevant and interesting title. Include the date of
publication/release, author and contact details such as address and
phone number. Copyright and/or licence information should also be
included, if report is published.
Table of contents -This allows the reader to gain an overview of what
is contained in the document, and quickly locate sections they may
wish to read.
Executive summary -The executive summary should summarise all
the main points discussed in the report, including the methods,
key results (preferably grouped by objectives or themes) and
conclusions/recommendations. The executive summary should
ideally be limited to one or two pages. It should highlight the key
messages that the decision makers will need to know, but not
necessarily every result that is of statistical significance. The
summary should be the most polished part of the document, as it
will almost certainly be the part that is most read.
Background and objectives- This section provides the reader with
context to understand the background to the survey, and the
reasons for which the research has been conducted. It would
typically also include information on how the research results are
intended to be used. The amount of detail provided in this section
will depend on the nature and complexity of the survey.
Survey method- This part discusses who has been included in the survey
and why, the source material or list from which respondents from the
target population were drawn (the list may include individuals,
households or institutions), how many people were surveyed, how
they were contacted, and the method of data collection. Individual
sub-sections may be required to adequately cover all the details,
depending on the complexity of the survey. Highly technical
information regarding survey method and operations can be included
in an appendix.
Survey results- This is the main body of the report, containing details
of the survey results. Consider structuring this section according to
the objectives of the project or themes, rather than by question order.
Refer back to the research objectives and ensure they are all covered.
The information contained in this section shows the key results from the
survey. It does not need to include every possible breakdown of the
data. Rather, it should highlight results that are of both statistical and
practical significance.
All sources of data in the findings should be referenced so it is clear
where they have come from, and so their credibility can be assessed.
Any dubious content should be put into an appendix of supporting
material, rather than included in this section.
Appendices- The survey questionnaire should always be included in
the appendices.
The appendices may also contain detailed technical information
about survey methodology, collection processes, data processing
and analysis techniques.
Appendices commonly contain a glossary of technical terms and a
list of figures and graphs.
Alternatively, a glossary and list of figures and graphs can be
provided at the front of the document, to introduce and explain
technical terms the reader will encounter.
WRITING FOR REPORTS

The purpose of report writing is to communicate the findings of the

research. The report should tell the whole story — what the
objectives of the research were, how the data were collected,
what the data say and what the implications of the findings are.
Every individual has their own style of writing. While there is no
single ‘right’ style for report writing, there are some basic
principles that should be followed.
Plain English- Report writing often involves communicating
abstract and potentially difficult concepts (such as those involved
in statistical modelling and analysis). Careful use of language is
especially important in this context. Poor quality writing makes it
difficult for the reader to work out the intended meaning, and can
lead to the results being misinterpreted. Use of plain English helps
to ensure the report is easily understood by the target audience.
Plain English emphasizes clarity, brevity, and the avoidance of
jargon and technical language. While the use of technical
language is appropriate for some audiences, it should never be
assumed that all readers will understand all terms. If technical
terms are included, they should each be defined.
Plain English example:

Original:
When looking at expenditure and amount of time spent shopping, females
tended to have a higher mean and a higher median than males.

Plain English:
Females tended to spend more and take more time when shopping than
males.
FIELD REPORT
LABORATORY
The purpose of a field report in the social sciences is to
describe the observation of people, places, and/or
events and to analyze that observation data in order
to identify and categorize common themes in relation
to the research problem underpinning the study. The
content represents the researcher's interpretation of
meaning found in data that has been gathered during
one or more observational events.
 STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF FIELD REPORT
How you choose to format your field report is determined by the
research problem, the theoretical perspective that is driving your
analysis, the observations that you make, and/or specific
guidelines established by your professor. Since field reports do
not have a standard format, it is worthwhile to determine from
your professor what the preferred organization should be before
you begin to write. Note that field reports should be written in the
past tense. With this in mind, most field reports in the social
sciences include the following elements:
I. Introduction
The introduction should describe the research problem, the
specific objectives of your research, and the important theories
or concepts underpinning your field study. The introduction
should describe the nature of the organization or setting where
you are conducting the observation, what type of observations
you have conducted, what your focus was, when you observed,
and the methods you used for collecting the data. You should
also include a review of pertinent literature related to the
research problem, particularly if similar methods were used in
prior studies. Conclude your introduction with a statement about
how the rest of the paper is organized.
II. Description of Activities
Your readers only knowledge and understanding of what
happened will come from the description section of your report because
they have not been witness to the situation, people, or events that you are
writing about. Given this, it is crucial that you provide sufficient details to
place the analysis that will follow into proper context; don't make the
mistake of providing a description without context. The description section
of a field report is similar to a well written piece of journalism. Therefore, a
helpful approach to systematically describing the varying aspects of an
observed situation is to answer the "Five W’s of Investigative Reporting."
These are:

 What
 Where
 Who
 Why
III. Interpretation and Analysis
Always place the analysis and interpretations of your field
observations within the larger context of the theories and issues
you described in the introduction. Part of your responsibility in
analyzing the data is to determine which observations are worthy
of comment and interpretation, and which observations are more
general in nature. It is your theoretical framework that allows you
to make these decisions. You need to demonstrate to the reader
that you are looking at the situation through the eyes of an
informed viewer, not as a lay person.
IV. Conclusion and Recommendations
The conclusion should briefly recap of the entire study,
reiterating the importance or significance of your
observations. Avoid including any new information. You
should also state any recommendations you may have.
Be sure to describe any unanticipated problems you
encountered and note the limitations of your study. The
conclusion should not be more than two or three
paragraphs.
V. Appendix
This is where you would place information that is not essential to explaining
your findings, but that supports your analysis [especially repetitive or
lengthy information], that validates your conclusions, or that contextualizes
a related point that helps the reader understand the overall report.
Examples of information that could be included in an appendix are
figures/tables/charts/graphs of results, statistics, pictures, maps,
drawings, or, if applicable, transcripts of interviews. There is no limit to what
can be included in the appendix or its format [e.g., a DVD recording of the
observation site], provided that it is relevant to the study's purpose and
reference is made to it in the report. If information is placed in more than
one appendix ["appendices"], the order in which they are organized is
dictated by the order they were first mentioned in the text of the report.
VI. References
List all sources that you consulted and obtained information from while
writing your field report. Note that field reports generally do not include
further readings or an extended bibliography. However, consult with your
professor concerning what your list of sources should be included. Be sure
to write them in the preferred citation style of your discipline [i.e., APA,
Chicago, MLA, etc.].