Understanding Different Types of Research Reports
Understanding Different Types of Research Reports
The Executive Report
The Executive Report is a sophisticated version of the technical report. Its main features are simplification and immediacy. It places special emphasis on recommendations that emerge from the results, proposing concrete actions to implement the resolution of a problem. Examples include reports in the field of marketing, public policy, economics, etc.
Its presentation is sophisticated, as in the technical report. We must consider both reports are in the field of market decisions and political leadership.
The Released Report
The Released Report coincides with calls and press releases. It is host to various media and frequent readers. This report contains a summary of the most salient and striking results of the investigation (not usually exceeding more than one page). It uses a format very similar to newspaper reports, focusing mainly on the results, leaving background information or omitting all kinds of technical and methodological specifications. Example: Increased cardio-respiratory diseases in women as a result of increased consumption of snuff.
The report must maintain a certain unity and internal consistency in the logical exposition of results. Much of the credibility of qualitative research focuses on the lack of contradictions and loose threads when giving concrete responses. While inconsistency in quantitative results analysis is considered an interesting question, something deeper, in qualitative research it becomes a reason for disbelief and distrust of the entire investigation.
Elaboration of a Qualitative Report
The importance of a qualitative report is included within the circumstances or context in which research is carried out. It may be reflected in the different sections formally structuring the report:
- The context of the application receiving the report.
- The context for field work.
- The context of the study population.
The Presence of Context in Research
The context of application is the authority that conducts research. Not all instances have the same needs and sensitivities. Adapting to a hypothetical reader, the report outlines the different types of reports and their corresponding receptors, since each type of report puts the emphasis on a goal or purpose according to who requested or demanded the study (see box on page 144).
Scientific Report
The first great receiver of reports is the scientific community itself. It is made and used as a source of information for further research. Its main objective is to present the research in a specific way so that it can be evaluated from a methodological and scientific point of view. No information should be spared. It should be fairly detailed and thorough on all the related data collection, the technical details taken, and even the problems or deficiencies found during the investigation, and so on.
The result is a voluminous report that meets all requirements of an academic paper (bibliography, appendixes, notes, footnotes, etc.).
Technical Report
A second receiver will find reports from the technical bodies or executives, whether in the field of administration, politics, or the market. The usefulness of this type of report is mostly instrumental, and what is required is agility and simplification when presenting the results achieved. Its main task is to identify the research and give strength to the most relevant questions for which a solution is sought.