18/07/2018
Well, you've done the research you've gathered the facts, called the data, now you have to make sense of it and turn it into useful information for your clients. Now the question is, "how does one compile it, in a format that makes sense to the reader?"
That would be a question.
If you are part of a research team you'd find that several people may have been involved in the actual data collection, knocking on doors and physically interacting with the respondents. You may then be tasked with putting pen to paper, or in this tech-age, key strokes to screen, in order to create a report that will be of use in decision making and policy formulation.
1. Draft.
Start by creating a draft report from the research plan. At this point you want to get the major information in the report, so don't worry too much about the language but more about the coherent flow of the ideas and thoughts.
2. Draft Editing
Now that the skeleton of the report is in place, you can go back and begin to edit the writing into a more professionals but legible format. Ensure that there's consistency in terms of heading styles, font sizes, and colours. As a rule, use the same font throught the report. Arial tends to be the safe option as it does not make the readers' eyes tired. Ensure that there is a logical flow of information that naturally flows to the next without causing confusion in the mind of the reader. Furthermore, remove any unnecessary information.
3. Professional Tone
When putting together the final report avoid the use of personal pronouns such as, "when I was interacting with the locals". Rather put in, " as the researcher interacted with the locals". This allows objectivity in your writing.
Finally, it is always beneficial for one to read as many reports as possible in order to gain the skill of writing reports. However, should you need expert help always drop a message here and we can help you out.
