Part VI. Writing

Unlike an essay, a report has a formalized structure. The sections of a scientific report are:

1. Title. The title of the report should be short and informative. It should not be indefinite and general, but should reflect the essence of the research. The title should be no longer than 15 words. It is generally given on a separate page together with the name of the researcher, course and instructor details.

2. Abstract. The abstract is a precise summary of the whole report. Its function is to preview the contents of your report so that the reader can judge whether it is worth their while to read the whole report.

3. Introduction. In your introduction, you need to let the readers and markers of the report know why the report is important and what exactly the report is about.

4. Method. The purpose of this section is to exactly describe method and materials used to carry out the experiment with enough detail so someone else could repeat the same procedure.

5. Results. This section describes but does not explain your results; it provides the reader with a factual account of your findings.

6. Discussion. This section has two fundamental aims: to explain the results of the study and to explore the significance of the study’s findings.

7. Reference list or bibliography. A bibliography is a list of all the reference material the researcher consulted during his research for the report while a reference list is a list of all the references cited in the text of the report, listed in alphabetical order at the end of the report. Each reference in the reference list needs to contain all of the bibliographic information from a source.

8. Appendices. Information that is not essential to explain the researcher’s findings, but that supports his analysis (especially repetitive or lengthy information), confirms his conclusions or pursues a related point should be placed in an appendix.

Exercise 16: Here are some cliché to write a scientific report. Translate them into Russian and state to what part of the report they can refer:

Title Abstract Introduction Method Results Discussion Reference list Appendices

 As the title implies the article describes …  A mention should be made about …  From the results it is concluded that …  The following conclusions are drawn …  The purpose of the research is to prove (test, develop, summarize, find) …  This method is now generally accepted …  There is some interesting information in the paper …  It is impossible to account for …  It draws our attention to…  Much attention is given to…  Some factors are taken into account …  Thus, a general conclusion is made concerning …  This method is now generally accepted …  The article under discussion aims to explain …  The measurements (calculations) are made …  It is necessary to introduce …  The author refers to …  There are several solutions of the problem …