How to Write a Research Report and
Give a Presentation

Dr. Michael Longan

Department of Geography and Meteorlogy

Valparaiso University

Mike.Longan@valpo.edu

Things to Remember When Starting A Presentation

• Start with something to get your audience’s attention.

• Tell your audience what your argument will be.

• Tell your audience how you are going to develop that argument.

Presentation Outline
Writing a Research Report

• Getting started and planning

• Sections of a typical report

• Presentation of text, maps, and illustrations

• Referencing

Presenting Your Research

• Strategies for presentation

• Desiging visuals for your presentation

Writing a Research Report:
Getting Started

• Your Report Should

– Report on the research project

– Use research findings to develop some conclusions

– Develop an argument about your findings

Writing a Research Report:
Getting Started

• Questions your report should address (Kitchin & Tate 2000: 275)

– What was the research problem?

– Why is this problem important?

– How does the project fit into the context of other research?

– How did you investigate the research problem?

– What are your findings?

– What do these findings tell you?

– What do you conclude?

Writing a Research Report:
Getting Started

• Writing is an iterative process.

– Therefore you do not have to start at the beginning!

• Whatever you do….

Just start writing!

Writing a Research Report:
Getting Started

• Additional Tips

– The value of reflective freewriting

– Discovering new insights while writing

– Don’t seek perfection

– Be prepared to junk whole sections

Writing a Research Report:
Getting Started

• Steps in writing

– Freewriting

– Develop an overall argument (Try writing a thesis statement or abstract.)

– Develop an outline

– Write

– Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise

• Go back and rewrite introduction if necessary

Writing a Research Report:
Getting Started

• Developing an argument

– Link theory with research to justify your conclusions

– Argument should link sections of your report into a coherent story.

Writing a Research Report:
General Format

• Frontmatter

– Title Page

– Acknoledgements page

– Abstract

– Table of Contents

– List of Tables

– List of Figures

Writing a Research Report:
General Format

• Body of the report

– Introduction

– Literature review

– Methodology

– Results

– Discussion

– Conclusions

Writing a Research Report:
General Format

• Endmatter

– Appendicies

– Endnotes

– Reference list

• Save time and develop your reference list as you write!

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Title

– Keep it short

– Use a subtitle if necessary

– Interesting or amusing titles are better

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Abstract

– A 200-300 word non-technical summary of your research project. 

– Questions to answer:

• What is the research problem and why is it important?

• What did you do and why?

• What did you find?

• What do your findings mean?

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Introduction

– Address the topic in the first sentence

– Introduce the topic by means of an example to illustrate theoretical points

– Outline your general argument and your paper

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Literature Review

– A discussion of findings from other researchers

– Critical apparaisal of other’s theories

• You should compare and assess other’s results.

– Provides external context for your project

– Justifies your project

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Methodology

– Details method and procdures

– Discusses the reasons for choosing your methods and procedures

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Contents of a methodology section

– Rationale for methodological apprach

– Hypotheses

– Description of study area

– Demographic details of study population

– How the population was selected

– Description of types of data and sources

– Descrption of methods and procedures for obtaining data

– Description of methods and procedures of data analysis

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Results

– Details the main findings

– Provides a summary explaination of results

– Accept or reject hypotheses if you have any

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Discussion

– Develop a logical argument about what your results mean.

– Your results provide evidence to illustrate and support your argument.

– Identify potential errors--What might invalidate your results? How might you improve research design?

Writing a Research Report:
Sections of the Report

• Conclusion

– A restatement of the research problem

– A summary statement of main findings and their significance.

– Shortcomings of the research

– Agenda for future research

Writing a Research Report:
Presentation

• Presentation of the text

– Wordprocessed

– Double spaced

– Times Roman or other serif font for easy reading of body text

– The particular style you use isn’t important as long as you…

• use consistent section headings

Writing a Research Report:
Presentation

An Example Section Heading Scheme

Introduction

      This is the introduction.  Isn’t it great?  I think it is. Blah blah blah

Do to do de do.  Text text this is wonderful text. Blah blah blah

Blah blah blah

Cyber-regional Geography

      This paragraph is all about cyber-regional geography.  Itsn’t it a great

paragraph.  Do Dah, de de. alskf alsk goi aslk oig l fhla the the look at this

It great in terms of a paragraph

      The Gary Cyber-region  This is a third level heading. Doesn’t it look great?

Don’t you think it looks wonderful

Writing a Research Report:
Presentation

• Tables, Diagrams, Photos, and Maps

– Use when relevant and refer to them in the text.

– Redraw diagrams rather than copying them directly. 

– Place at appropriate points in the text.

– Select the most appropriate device.

– List in contents at beginning of the report.

Presenting Your Research

• Why do you have to do a research presentation in this class?

– Experience for graduate school

– Experience for a future job

Presenting Your Research
Approaches

• Reading your presentation

• Can be done well by skilled presenters

• Usually isn’t done well

• Needs to be written the way that you would talk

• 7 pages double spaced = 15 minutes

• Speaking extemporaneously

• Doesn’t work if you are nervous and can’t think of what to say

• Generates more audience interest

Presenting Your Research
The Format of an Oral Presentation

• Describes essential aspects of the research

– Explain the research problem and its importance

– Explain the research setting (a map is usually necessary!)

– Explain what you did and why

– Explain the results

– Conclude

• You may only be able to present a small portion of your research

• Sometimes you only have time to provide one or two illustrations of your findings

• In professional meetings lasts 15 mintues with 5 minutes for questions/discussion

• Don’t be afraid to allow time for discussion!

Presenting Your Research
General Tips

• Dress nice (note the guys above with ties!)

Unless you are a radical marxist then a tie might be too much, but a casual sport coat, jeans, and tennis shoes are appropriate.

– If in Hawaii nice shorts and an Aloha shirt might work--but make sure your belly button doesn’t show. 

– Dress to match the ocassion.

Presenting Your Research
General Tips

• Speak slowly and clearly

• Don’t fidget

• Don’t stand still like a statue

• Use a podium to hold your notes

• Set a stop watch to gage time

Presenting Your Research
Designing Presentation Graphics

• Graphics should be visible from far away

• Serif fonts are easier to read than Sans-Serif Fonts

• Make sure your text constrasts with your background

• Make sure your maps and illustrations are of professional quality

• Do not expect people to read stuff off the screen--read it for them

• Do not show large tables of data.  Provide a hand out or create a summary table with relevant results highlighted.

Presenting Your Research
Designing Presentation Graphics

• Do not use too many slides (unlike this presentation)

• Keep information on slides to a minimum

• If you want your audience to listen to you insert a blank slide

• Use large print

• More than four lines of text are hard to read on a screen (see previous slide)

Presenting Your Research
Designing Presentation Graphics

• Don’t use yucky backgrounds

• Make sure text constrasts with background

• Tacky clip art stinks

• Use an easy to read and

consistent font. 

Don’t make spellling misstakes

Presenting Your Research
Designing Presentation Graphics

• Maps are nice

Presenting Your Research
Designing Presentation Graphics

• In a presentation you can use photos that might not have made it into your written report.

Presenting Your Research
Designing Presentation Graphics

• Use the Master Slide in Power Point to get a consistent style

The End

• End with a blank slide so that the Powerpoint screen isn’t the last thing people see

• Don’t start packing up, you’ve got questions to answer

• Most people are afraid of questions, but you know you’ve done a good presentation if you get good questions!

The End