Chapter 20 – The Written Research Report
I. Learning Objectives:
Upon completing this chapter, the student should be able to:
1. Discuss three writing standards that a report should meet if it is to communicate
effectively with readers.
2. Outline the main elements that make up a standard research report.
• Title page
• Table of Contents
3. Explain the kind of information contained in the executive summary.
A true summary gives the most important points of the report as well as key
results, conclusions, and recommendations.
II. Chapter Outline:
A. The Written Research Report
1. Research Report Writing Standards
a. Completeness
b. Accuracy
B. Research Report Outline
1. Title Page
3. Introduction
5. Results
7. Appendices
Manager’s Focus
C. Summary
D. Key Terms
III. Answers to Review Questions:
1. A report that achieves the goal of communicating effectively with readers is
generally one that meets the standards of completeness, accuracy, and clarity.
2. Completeness is the degree to which the report provides all the information
3. When it comes to completeness, there’s a bit of a paradox. A written report
must be complete, without being too complete. You need to include all the
4. a.) The title page shows the subject/title of the report; the name of the
organization, department, or individual for whom the report was written; the
name of the organization, department, or individual submitting it; and the date.
It is especially important to include the name and contact information of the
researcher responsible for the project.
comes a brief statement about how the data were collected, including the
response rate. The most important results obtained in the study are included
next, often in “bullet” format, followed by conclusions (and maybe
recommendations, depending upon what managers want to see).
d.) The introduction provides the background information readers need to
appreciate the discussion in the remainder of the report. A little bit of
background about the nature of the issue being studied is a good idea. The
introduction should always state the specific research problems being addressed
by the research (and include hypotheses where appropriate).
g.) The results lead to the conclusions and recommendations. Conclusions are
based on an interpretation of the results; recommendations are suggestions
about what managers should do next. There should be a conclusion for each of
the research problems that motivated the study. One good strategy is to link
research problems and conclusions so closely that the reader—after reviewing
IV. Instruction Suggestions:
1. The written report for Avery Fitness Center is provided in Appendix 20A. It could
2. Begin with a discussion of the purpose of the report, i.e., to communicate with
3. If one wishes, it is possible to digress briefly into some communication models of
encoder-decoder to make the point that communication does not simply take
4. When outlining the structure of the report, a great deal of amplification of how
5. This is a good place to reemphasize the importance of the report in the context