Writing in Science: Reports

Who Is Your Reader?

The key to writing a successful report is to understand the information needs of your audience. Reports generally have three audiences:

Primary audience

An expert who studies a similar topic. For example, a biochemist who studies enzyme interactions in algae may read recent research to better understand their own work, compare findings, or replicate another scientist’s methods. These readers are especially interested in the report’s methodology, data, and interpretation of the results.

Secondary audience

May be scientists but not researchers in the report’s specific field. For example, a funding organization’s review panel may include scientists from several fields. Although they are experts in their own disciplines, they need enough context to understand the significance and main takeaways of the work, even if they do not plan to conduct research on the topic themselves.

Tertiary audience

The public may not be the primary audience for a scientific report, but much research uses public funds and is shared with readers who have varied backgrounds and levels of technical expertise. These readers need to understand the research context, its relevance to a broader understanding of science, and its most important conclusions.

Other Important Tips

Make your reasoning clear

Data and data analysis are at the heart of a scientific report. Because professors often expect both a clear, detailed presentation of the findings and careful reasoning about what those findings mean, devote substantial time to these sections. Walk readers through your thought process step by step. An explanation may seem obvious to you, but your reader needs it to understand how you reached your conclusions.

Be Very Specific

Use precise names instead of generic terms or unclear pronouns such as “it.” Write so that someone reading the report five years from now could identify exactly what you mean. Include specific units of measurement, and define each acronym the first time it appears.

Report mistakes honestly

Mistakes are a normal part of doing science. Do not change or invent data to produce the “right” answer. Instead, use mistakes to add depth to your lab report. In the discussion section, explain what went wrong, why it happened, how it may have affected the experiment, and what it means for your conclusion. Demonstrating that you understand your work and can evaluate it critically is more valuable than appearing to have followed a lab manual perfectly—or misrepresenting what happened.

Passive voice

Unless your professor instructs you otherwise, use passive voice in lab reports and other scientific papers. In passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb; in active voice, the subject performs the action.

Tense/point of view

Unless your professor instructs you otherwise, use past tense; many regular past-tense verbs end in -ed. Also avoid first-person pronouns such as I, we, my, and our unless your professor allows them.

Formatting the Report

A scientific report usually includes the IMRAD sections along with front and back matter:

Title: Be concise, but specific
Abstract: a short paragraph summarizing the report
References: a bibliography
Note on figures and tables

Follow your professor’s requirements for figures, charts, and tables. Depending on the assignment, you may integrate them into the report with captions or labels or place them in an appendix. Some professors also require separate lists of tables and figures in the front matter. Consult the required style guide for instructions on presenting and formatting each type of visual.

Breaking Down the IMRAD Report

Section	Explanation	Reader Needs	Tips
Introduction	Contextualizes the report with a brief background on the specific topic of study. Reviews relevant literature (what work has been done on this) and establishes the gap (how this study contributes to the existing scholarship).Details the specific problem, research question, or objectives of the research study or experiment.	Orients the reader so they understand the reasons for this research and the document they are about to read.	Clarify the scope of the study (what you will do and what you won’t, what questions this can answer and what it can’t). Don’t just explain what the research is, but explain its relevance.
Materials and Methods	Details the processes or procedures of the study/experiment (what you did).Lists specific materials used, like regents, tools, equipment, etc. (how you did it).Offers a brief justification for methods and materials based on research objectives (why you did it this way).	Builds the reader’s trust that the methods are appropriate to the goals of the research, the data is reliable, and the study is replicable.	Think of this as the “recipe” for your experiment. The goal is to show how you collected the data (to ensure it is valid and accurate) and to allow others to follow your methods and replicate the results if necessary.
Results	Presents the data collected, usually as figures, tables, or charts.Explains in a concise, but detailed way, all qualitative and/or quantitative data collected from the procedure.	Allows readers to review and verify the data and to evaluate the research themselves.	Use visuals to present the data in a concise, clear way. Make sure the type of visual you’re using matches the type of data you’re presenting.
Analysis	Interprets the results in context of the research question or objectives of the study or experiment.Explains whether the data collected answered the research question, conformed the hypothesis, or fulfilled the objectives.	Helps readers to understand what the results mean.	Support your claims with evidence from your results and with clear reasoning (explain or justify why you think this). Explain any patterns or trends you see in the data: what is obvious to you may not be obvious to your reader.
Discussion	Sums up the main findings or take-aways from the study or experiment.Discusses the broader implications of the findings for the topic or field of studyMay discuss future work (what needs to come next?).	Helps readers understand the significance and/or relevance of the results of the research more broadly and identify what work is left to do and envision the direction future work may take.	Explain the significance of your work without “over-selling” it. What is the most important thing for the reader to know or take away? Think about logical next steps for this area of research.