Once you have finished conducting a survey, all that remains is to write a report in which you present the results and trends that have emerged from your work. Almost all reports follow a standard structure, divided into specific sections, with specific purposes. Compose each part correctly and check that your document does not contain errors, in order to create a professional and flawless report.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Summary and Background Information
Step 1. Break the report into separate sections
Survey reports usually have a title for each section. While they are not all the same, the titles are often the same:
- Cover
- Index
- Executive summary
- Background and objectives
- Methodology
- Results
- Conclusions and recommendations
- Appendices
Step 2. Write an executive summary of one or two pages, paraphrasing the report
Insert this section at the beginning of the document, after the index. Here you have to condense the main points of the text into a few pages. You should include:
- The methodology of the survey.
- The most important results that emerged from the survey.
- The conclusions drawn from the survey results.
- Recommendations resulting from the survey results.
Step 3. State the goal of the survey in the preliminary information section
Start by writing why the survey was conducted. Explain the hypothesis and goals. There is usually no need to dedicate more than one page to this part. Make sure you identify the following:
- Object of study or population of interest: who is studied? Do those people belong to a certain age group, cultural, religious, political or do they have some other trait in common?
- Study Variables: What Is Studied? Does the survey try to determine the association or relationship between two elements?
- Purpose of the study: How will the information collected be used? What conclusions can be drawn from the survey?
Step 4. Provide preliminary information by describing similar research and studies
These researches help you determine if the survey results support current arguments on a topic or are at odds. Write two or more pages explaining the topic and how other researchers have dealt with it.
- Look for surveys done by researchers in peer-reviewed academic journals. In addition to those, consult the reports produced by companies, organizations, publications or research studies.
- Compare your previous results to yours. Do the results of your survey support the existing theses or are they in contrast with them? What new information is being introduced by your work?
- Provide a description of the topic based on academic accepted evidence. Define what you are trying to prove and explain why other studies failed to find that information.
Part 2 of 4: Explaining Method and Results
Step 1. Explain how the study was conducted in the methodology section
This part of the report helps the reader understand how the survey went. It should be inserted after the section on background information and objectives. Depending on the complexity of the study, it can take up several pages. Here are some items you should cover:
- Who did you ask? How is it possible to define the sex, age and other characteristics of those groups?
- Did you conduct the survey via email, phone, on a website, or with in-person interviews?
- Were the participants chosen at random or selected for particular reasons?
- How big is the sample? In other words, how many people responded to the survey?
- Were the participants offered anything in exchange for their availability?
Step 2. Describe the type of questions asked in the methodology section
Some of the more common types include multiple choice, interview, and rating scales (known as Likert scales). Describe the general theme of the questions, citing a few examples.
- For example, you could summarize the general theme of the questions by saying, "Participants were asked to answer questions about their eating habits and daily routine."
- Do not write all the questions in this section. Include your questionnaire in the first appendix (Appendix A).
Step 3. Report the survey results in a separate section
Once the survey methodology is described in detail, a new section begins showing the results. This part usually consists of several pages. If necessary, break down the results into several main points so that they are easier to read.
- If you've interviewed people for your survey, pick some relevant responses and write them down in this section. Invite the reader to refer to the full questionnaire, which you will include in the appendix.
- If you have split the survey into multiple sections, report the results for each part separately, with a subtitle for each.
- Do not draw conclusions from the results in this section. Just report the data, using statistics, sample responses, and quantitative information.
- Include graphs, tables, and other visual representations of your data in this section.
Step 4. Highlight any interesting trends in the results section
You probably have a large amount of data available. To help the reader understand the importance of your survey, highlight the most interesting observations, trends, and patterns.
- For example, do people of a certain age answer questions in a similar way?
- Consider the questions that received the most similar responses. This indicates that almost everyone responds the same way. What does it mean?
Part 3 of 4: Analyzing Your Results
Step 1. State the implications of your survey at the beginning of the conclusions
In the first part of this section, write a paragraph that summarizes the main points that emerged from the survey. Ask yourself what should the reader learn from your work?
- Here you can drop the objective tone of the rest of the document. You can tell if the reader should be alarmed, worried or intrigued by something.
- For example, you might point out that current policies are failing or that current practices are successful.
Step 2. Give recommendations on how to deal with the problem
Once you have reported the results of the survey, explain to the reader what they need to learn from your job. What does the data imply? What actions should people take based on the results? This section can be a few paragraphs or a few pages long. Some of the more common recommendations include:
- More research needs to be done on the topic;
- Current guidelines or policies need to be changed;
- The company or institutions must act.
Step 3. Include graphs, tables, polls, and testimonials in the appendix
The first appendix (Appendix A) should always contain the actual questionnaire. Copy and paste the entire survey into this section. Optionally, add appendices that show statistical data, interview results, data graphs, and a glossary of technical terms.
- Appendices are usually accompanied by a letter, such as Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and so on.
- You can refer to the appendix in the report. For example, you can say: "Refer to Appendix A for the questionnaire" or "Participants were asked 20 questions (Appendix A)".
Part 4 of 4: Perfecting the Relationship
Step 1. Add the cover and table of contents to the first two pages
They must be the first sections of the report. The cover must contain the title of the report, your name and that of the institution. The second page must be the table of contents.
In the index, enter the page number of each section of the report
Step 2. Cite your research using the style your institution requires
In some courses and professional fields, you are required to use a specific format for citations.
- Usually, you will cite information using parentheses within the text. Enter the author's name and other information, such as the page number and year of publication, in parentheses at the end of a sentence.
- Some professional organizations have specific rules for citation. Know the methods you need to use.
- If you can choose the style you prefer, make sure you always use the same style throughout the relationship. Use the same fonts, sizes, spacing and citations throughout the document.
Step 3. Adopt a clear and objective tone throughout the relationship
Remember that your job is to report the survey results. Try not to make judgments about participants or outcomes. If you want to make recommendations, just put them in the last section of the document.
Try not to represent the results partially. For example, don't say, "The study shows an alarming trend, the rise in drug abuse that needs to be stopped." Rather, write: "The results show an increase in drug use."
Step 4. Write in concise and simple sentences
Present information as directly as possible. Avoid sophisticated or complex vocabulary. Since some surveys can be very complicated, a simple writing style will help the reader understand the results.
- If you can choose between a simple and a complex word, always prefer the former. For example, instead of saying "1 in 10 civilians certify that they drink alcohol three times a day", you could write "1 in 10 people say they drink alcohol three times a day".
- Eliminate unnecessary phrases and words. For example, instead of "To be able to determine the frequency of dog adoption", just say "To determine the frequency of dog adoption".
Step 5. Reread the document thoroughly before delivering it
Make sure there are no grammatical, spelling, or typing errors. Before giving the report to your boss or professor, check the formatting as well.
- Make sure you have entered the page numbers below. Also check that the correct numbers are listed in the index.
- Remember, the autocorrect doesn't catch all errors. Ask another person to read your report to make sure it's perfect.
