Grade by Grade
E. Culminating Data Management Investigation · Culminating Data Management Investigation

Writing the Investigation Report

E2.1About 70 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can organize a report into title, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, conclusion, references and appendices.
  • I can write an abstract that summarizes the question, method, key results and conclusion.
  • I can present tables and graphs that are labelled, sourced and referred to in the text.
  • I can write results and discussion paragraphs that combine numbers with interpretation.
  • I can cite sources and include enough detail that someone else could repeat my study.

Words to know

abstract
A short paragraph (often 100 to 200 words) at the start of a report that summarizes the question, method, main results and conclusion.
method section
The part of a report that explains exactly how data were collected and prepared, so someone else could repeat the study.
results section
The part of a report that presents the findings (numbers, tables, graphs) without long interpretation.
discussion
The part of a report that interprets results, judges the strength of evidence, and explains limitations and follow-ups.
appendix
Material at the end of a report that supports it but would interrupt the main text, such as the survey, raw data or detailed calculations.
reproducible
Described in enough detail that another person could repeat the study and check the results.

Your work is only as good as its communication

A brilliant analysis that no one can follow does not change anyone's mind. The curriculum asks you to compile a clear, well-organized, and detailed report of your investigation. In university and in careers that use data (research, health, business, government), the report is the product: it is what people read, trust, and act on.

A good report lets a reader who has never met you understand what you asked, how you found out, what you found, how sure you are, and what it means. It also gives enough detail that someone else could repeat the study.

Title and abstractthe whole study in about 150 wordsIntroductionquestion, why it matters, background, hypothesesMethodpopulation, sample, survey, ethics, cleaningResultstables and graphs with numbersDiscussion and conclusionmeaning, strength, limitations, follow-upReferences and appendicessources, survey, data, calculationsBroad at the start and end, narrow and precise in the middle.
The standard structure of an investigation report. The introduction narrows from a broad issue to your question; the discussion widens back out to what your findings mean.

What goes in each section

  • Title: specific and informative. "Part-Time Work and School-Night Sleep among Grade 12 Students" beats "Sleep Project".
  • Abstract: question, method (sample and data), key numbers, conclusion. Write it last.
  • Introduction: the issue and why it matters, background research (with citations), the precise question, and the hypotheses.
  • Method: population, sampling frame and method, sample size and response rate, the survey or data source (attach it in an appendix), ethics and permission, data cleaning rules and exclusions, the analysis tools used. Write in the past tense.
  • Results: summary tables, graphs, and key statistics, each graph or table numbered, titled and referred to in the text ("Figure 2 shows...").
  • Discussion and conclusion: answer each hypothesis, strength of evidence, connection to background research, limitations, follow-up investigations.
  • References: every source, in a consistent style (your teacher may name one, such as APA).
  • Appendices: the survey, the codebook, the cleaned data, detailed calculations or the simulation set-up.
Worked example

The model investigation, Stage 21: the abstract

Write Amira's abstract (about 150 words).

  1. Sentence 1, purpose: what was investigated and in which population.
  2. Sentences 2 and 3, method: how the data were collected and how many responses were used.
  3. Sentences 4 to 6, results: the key numbers for each hypothesis.
  4. Final sentences, conclusion and caution, plus the probability problem.
  5. The finished abstract: "This investigation examined whether part-time work is associated with school-night sleep among Grade 12 students at Pinecrest Secondary School. An anonymous survey was given to a systematic random sample of 48 students; 43 responded (89.6%), and 40 valid responses were analysed. Students with jobs (n = 22) slept a mean of 7.43 h (s = 0.68 h), compared with 8.57 h (s = 0.59 h) for students without jobs (n = 18), and 27% versus 89% met the 8-hour guideline. In a randomization simulation, a difference of this size never arose by chance in 10 000 shuffles. Among students with jobs, weekly work hours were moderately negatively correlated with sleep (r = −0.62): each additional weekly hour was associated with about 4 fewer minutes of sleep per night. Because the study is observational and limited to one school, it shows association, not cause. A separate probability investigation confirmed that a carnival dice game has an expected profit of 0.75 tickets per play."

About 150 words covering purpose, method, results (with numbers) and conclusion, plus the probability problem. A reader knows the whole story in one minute.

School-night sleep by job status, Grade 12, Pinecrest0%25%50%75%100%% meeting 8-hour guideline27.3%Job (n = 22)88.9%No job (n = 18)Source: anonymous survey, random sample (example data).123451specific title2labelled axis3scale starts at 04group sizes (n)5source noted
A report-ready graph (example data). The numbered points show what it has: a specific title, labelled axes with units, a scale that starts at 0, the size of each group, and a source note.
Worked example

The model investigation, Stage 22: a results paragraph and a discussion paragraph

Write one results paragraph and one discussion paragraph for Hypothesis 2. Show the difference between them.

  1. Results (what was found): "Figure 4 shows school-night sleep against weekly hours of paid work for the 22 students with jobs. The relationship was negative and roughly linear, with no outliers. The correlation coefficient was r = −0.62 (r² = 0.39), and the least-squares line was ŷ = 8.330 − 0.0679x, where x is weekly work hours and ŷ is predicted sleep in hours. The residual plot (Figure 5) showed no pattern."
  2. Discussion (what it means): "These results support Hypothesis 2: students who worked more hours tended to sleep less. The slope means each additional weekly hour of work was associated with about 4 minutes less sleep per school night, so a student working 20 hours a week would be predicted to sleep about 57 minutes less than one working 6 hours. However, work hours explained only 39% of the variation in sleep; other factors, such as homework, evening activities and individual habits, clearly matter too. Because the data are observational, this association does not show that working causes less sleep."
  3. Notice: the results paragraph reports; the discussion paragraph interprets, connects to the hypothesis, and adds limits. Both refer to figures by number.

Results = facts and numbers, tied to figures. Discussion = meaning, connection to hypotheses, limitations.

Worked example

Example 3: Citations

Write reference entries for (a) the sleep guideline Amira used, and (b) a Statistics Canada data table.

  1. Every entry needs: the author or organization, the year, the title, where it was published, and a web address with the date you accessed it if it is online.
  2. (a) A template: Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. (year). Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth. [web address]. Accessed [date].
  3. (b) A template: Statistics Canada. (release year). [Title of table] (Table [table number]). [web address]. Accessed [date].
  4. Fill in the brackets from the source itself. Statistics Canada tables show a ready-made "How to cite" note on each table page; copy it and adjust it to your teacher's style.

Consistent entries that let a reader find exactly the source you used.

Checklist before you hand in

  • Does the abstract give the key numbers and the conclusion?
  • Is every hypothesis answered in the conclusion?
  • Is every figure and table numbered, titled, labelled with units and n, and mentioned in the text?
  • Could someone repeat your study from the method section?
  • Are limitations specific?
  • Is every source cited, and is the survey in an appendix?
  • Did you proofread numbers against your spreadsheet? (Typos in numbers destroy trust.)
Just for fun

Writers say "show, don't tell." Statisticians say "show, then tell, then show the margin of error, then cite where you got it." It's a longer motto, but it's reproducible.

Hands-on activity

Your investigation, step 10: draft the report

You need: your project log, analysis files and a word processor.

  1. Make a document with the section headings from this lesson.
  2. Paste in your best graphs and tables. Number them, give each a title, and check labels, units, n and source.
  3. Write the method first (it is just what you did). Then the results, then the discussion and conclusion, then the introduction.
  4. Write the abstract last, in about 150 words.
  5. Add references and appendices (survey, codebook, cleaned data or a sample of it, calculations).
  6. Read the report aloud to a family member. Every time they ask "what does that mean?", add a sentence of explanation.

What to look for: a reader who has never seen your project can explain your question, method and main result after reading the abstract and looking at the figures.

Your turn

1

In which section does the response rate belong?

2

Why is the abstract written last?

3

Improve this title: "My Data Project".

4

Classify as results or discussion: "This suggests that students with jobs may not have enough time to sleep."

5

List three things every graph in the report should have.

6

Where should the full survey go?

More practice: warm-up

1

Name the sections of an investigation report in order.

2

Which tense is usual for the method section?

3

About how long is an abstract?

4

What does "reproducible" mean?

5

Should graphs be referred to in the text?

More practice: on your own

1

Rewrite this weak results sentence: "The job people slept less, see graph."

2

Write one method sentence describing Amira's sampling.

3

A student's report has 14 graphs, many showing the same thing. Give advice.

4

Explain why both the mean and the standard deviation (and n) should be reported together.

5

Write a discussion sentence connecting Amira's results to her background research.

Challenge

1

Write a 3- or 4-sentence "limitations" paragraph for Amira's report that is specific and balanced.

2

A reader says the graph in this lesson is misleading because it shows percentages, not counts. Respond.

3

Explain how a report could make the same correct data look more dramatic than it is, and why you should avoid it.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which section explains exactly how the data were collected?

2.

An abstract should include:

3.

Which sentence belongs in the results section?

4.

Why should the y-axis of a bar graph of percentages usually start at 0?

5.

The survey questions should be placed in:

6.

A report is reproducible when:

For parents and teachers

Big idea (E2.1): the report communicates the whole investigation clearly and in enough detail to be checked and repeated: abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, conclusion, references and appendices.

How to help: Be the "intelligent outsider". Read the abstract and look at the graphs, then explain the project back to your teen. Where you get it wrong, the report needs to be clearer. Check that every graph has a title, labelled axes and units.

Common difficulties:

  • Results with no interpretation, or interpretation mixed into results.
  • Graphs without titles, units, n or sources.
  • Vague method sections ("I asked some people").
  • Missing citations, or citations without dates and web addresses.
  • Leaving the abstract until the last minute and making it too vague.