NOTES ON REPORT WRITING

The purpose of the reports is to get you to read widely and critically on each topic, to analyse your data and observations in the light of this reading, and to present your report in a concise, well-structured and neat manner.

1.            Read as widely as you can on the topic – the textbooks are not specific enough, and the reference list is only a start!  Conduct a proper literature search using all the library resources available – ask for help at the Information Desk if you don’t know how to go about it: it’s time you did!  At this level you should be reading scientific papers, not relying on secondary sources (such as textbooks, dictionaries or encyclopaedia).  We have provided many scientific papers for you in the ‘readings’ list, but you should also become competent in locating these independently, on-line or on the shelf.

2.            Read critically!  Don’t just accept what each author says – think about what they are saying and whether or not their conclusions are justified on the basis of the evidence presented in the article.  Because this field is often interpretive, similar observations or measurements often are interpreted differently by different researchers – it’s up to you to decide whether the arguments are valid or not.  The significance of the work you are reporting is defined by its relationship to previous work.  No piece of work should be viewed in isolation.  Use literature that is relevant; do not include everything that you have read irrespective of its usefulness in elucidating the subject i.e. be discerning in your choice of what to include and what to leave out.  Make sure you begin reading before the fieldtrips.  You will need plenty of time to absorb and understand what you have read and the fieldtrips are valuable for giving the ideas substance.  You will need to read and re-read the important papers to really understand them.

3.            The environmental context of the study must be established – always assume that your reader knows nothing about the location or the subject matter so tell them about those aspects which are RELEVANT

4.            Allow time for revision and, if possible, get someone to read and critically appraise the report for you.

5.            Use the simple Harvard or author/date referencing technique common to most scientific journals (e.g. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms).  The main purpose of references is so that someone else can find the papers you have read.  You need to give them the appropriate information: