Extended Project: Writing Up Your Research

Extended Project:
Writing up your research

Aims of the Session
• Get you thinking about the structure and writing of your final
report or essay.
• Help you understand what bits of your research go where.
• Tips on critical and academic writing.
• Help you plan your work
• Help you understand that starting the night

before is a bad idea
Report Sections
The structure for your report may vary slightly depending on your
topic and discipline – writing up a science report will be different
to a English literature essay.
Here are some report sections that are common to most reports
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings & discussion
• Conclusion
• Abstract
The Introduction
This is where you will introduce your research to the reader.
Describe your topic

• Are you answering a specific question
• Are you exploring a topic in detail
• Are you creating something?
• Why have you chosen this topic?
Define the topic and terms

• e.g. a geographical area, a material a period of time
• There may be a number of interpretations of your topic, make it
clear to the reader what you are studying
Structure
• How are you going to structure your report to show your
research and findings?
Activity
Talking to others about your project and asking questions can be a
really helpful way of learning how to communicate what your topic is.
Describe your topic/aim.

Write one or two sentences about your topic
Define your topic

In small groups take turns to read out your sentence, ask
questions about each others topic, ask them to define
terms – e.g. what do you mean by…, how would you
define…
Methodology/
Investigation technique
• The reader needs to know how you carried out your
investigation or how you created something
• You might discuss a physical process such as an

experiment or survey, or you might discuss a creative
process such as creative writing or filming.
• It is helpful to break it down into steps to explain

how and why you made decisions about
what to do next.
• Use your reflective diary to help you

document this.
Findings and Discussions
• It can sometimes feel
overwhelming when you start
trying to write up your
findings.
• Sometimes you feel like

you’ve got too much
information, it can feel
jumbled and you might not
know where to start.
• Try some of these techniques

to see if they can help you
establish a structure and an
argument that will help you
build to your conclusion
Findings and Discussions
Sort your sources and discussion points
• Without worrying about an order write each of your discussion
points on post-it notes or scraps of paper.
• Sort these post-it notes into ‘For’ and ‘Against’ your argument.
Some might lie in between.
• Are there any points that naturally lead on from one another, or
does one point nicely counter another? Draw arrows between the
ones that link.
• The next step is to think about the journey of your argument, what
point lends itself to a starting point? Reorder your post its to create
the structure of your argument.
• Put in the sources that support each point, think about how you
will present them – quotes, paraphrases, charts, diagrams,
pictures, videos etc.
Writing Tips
Make sure you remember to include your own opinion.
Keep it balanced – to create a credible piece of work you need to show

you understand different opinions and where your work sits within the
field/area
How to write a good paragraph
Outline your point
Link to next
Present evidence
paragraph
Link back to
question
The Conclusion
This is where you will try and give a decisive answer to your
research question
Things to think about including…
• The extent to which you achieved what you set out to

achieve
• How you have arrived at the answer you have come up with
– were there any surprises to your findings?
• Implication – what impact could your work have on the field

of study?
• Limitations – were there any weaknesses with your

methodologies or interpretations?
• Refelctions –would you do anything differently next time

and why? What have you learned about conducting research?
Finishing Touches
Presentation is important – make sure
• Your headings are consistent

• Pages are numbered
• Everything is labelled properly
• Everything is referenced consistently
Check, Check and Double Check
• Proof reading is key, check for typos, formatting errors etc.
Get someone else to read it through
• A fresh pair of eyes might pick out mistakes you’ve missed or help
you with bits that need a bit more work.

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Extended Project:

Writing up your research

• Help you understand what bits of your research go where.

• Tips on critical and academic writing.

• Help you plan your work

• Help you understand that starting the night

Describe your topic

Define the topic and terms

Describe your topic/aim.

Define your topic

• You might discuss a physical process such as an

• It is helpful to break it down into steps to explain

• Use your reflective diary to help you

• Sometimes you feel like

• Try some of these techniques

Keep it balanced – to create a credible piece of work you need to show

How to write a good paragraph

Outline your point

Things to think about including…

• The extent to which you achieved what you set out to

• Implication – what impact could your work have on the field

• Limitations – were there any weaknesses with your

• Refelctions –would you do anything differently next time

Presentation is important – make sure

• Your headings are consistent

Check, Check and Double Check

• Proof reading is key, check for typos, formatting errors etc.

Get someone else to read it through

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