The structure of a scientific report
Scientific reports follow a standard structure. There are some minor variations, depending on the intended audience of the report, but the following are generally included:
Abstract (or Executive Summary)
Introduction
Experimental (or Method)
Results and Discussion
Conclusion
References
The abstract is the place you hook your audience. It is a summary of the work that you’re about to describe, and many readers will go no further than the abstract when reading your paper. The abstract is where a reader decides if the paper sounds interesting enough to be worth their time reading any further.
In the case of an executive summary, the section may also include a brief outline of the conclusions from the work. It’s also the only thing that the people who commissioned the work are likely to read.
The introduction is generally short (a few paragraphs) and briefly explains the background of
the work described (including references to any previous work done) and why the work described in the rest of the report was carried out.
The experimental or method section details the work that was carried out. Descriptions must be clear enough that someone else can use the information to recreate the described work. This includes details of any chemicals (name, quantity, concentration, specific brand if important), instruments used (name, brand, what it measured, specific set-up details), laboratory procedures followed (include references to any standard, ISO or company procedures), description of any analyses or work outsourced (name of external laboratory, details of standards run, reference to procedure used) and descriptions of any equipment (such as brand, model number, reactor type and volume), calculations, data processing or other manipulations carried out. No results are included in the experimental section.
Results belong in the Results and Discussion section. Results are presented in an appropriate fashion, such as tables, figures, graphs or images. All supporting data should have clear titles and description (“Table 1: External temperature measurements during 24 hour operation of the furnace”.) Table titles are placed above the table; figure titles are below the figure. Reference to the table or figure should be made in the report, either in the text (“Table 1 shows the variation in external temperature over 24 hours”) or in brackets (“External temperature varied considerably during the operation of the furnace (Table 1)”.”). The table or figure should be inserted into the report as close as possible to the first reference to it. It should not be placed into the report before the first reference, or several pages away from the first reference. The exception to this is large tables or figures, which would be split over pages if inserted in the report. In this case, they are best added as appendices at the end of the report, and references appropriately within the text.
After results have been presented, include any discussion on the inferences or understandings from analyzing these results. If multiple experiments or processes were carried out, a discussion can be included after the presentation of each experiment’s results, with a discussion of the overall findings once all results have been presented and discussed. When structuring this section, it is important to follow a logical sequence. For example, if initial temperature measurements were required before starting a particular experimental step, the temperature results and any discussion should be presented prior to results and discussion concerning the experiment.
Out of the results and discussion comes the conclusion of your report. This section summarises your findings and should not include any new information. The conclusion may also include suggestions for other work that may be carried out to improve or expand upon the project work described.
References may be inserted as footnotes, or as a section at the end of the report. A consistent format should be followed within the references, providing enough information that a reader can find any referenced documents of interest. In addition to written documents, information from other sources, such as personal communications, conference presentations or websites, must also be appropriately referenced.