University & Geography Reports

Whilst embarking on a degree in Geography, as a stand alone subject or joint honours, you will inevitably be asked to produce academic reports based on either:

- Field Work - An academic problem, research question or similar

Whatever the purpose of the report, it is important to consider and implement the following:

1) Ensure your briefing has been read fully and understood

Although this seems somewhat obvious, you would be amazed at the number of reports that are handed in only partly fulfilling the briefing or criteria that were set. If you require clarity on a certain question, then it is your responsibility to seek further advice either from your Study Advice Centre, Personal Tutor or from whom the assignment was set.

2) Set the Structure

A dissertation will most likely require an: Title Page, Contents, List of Figures/Tables, Abstract, Introduction, Research Questions/Hypotheses/Aims and Objectives, Literature Review, Research Rationale, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, References, Appendices A field class report will normally take the following structure: Title Page, Contents, Introduction, Aims/Objectives, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, References, (Appendices) An academic report based on a specific research question or statement will normally not require an abstract or contents but instead: An Introduction, various specific headings approaching a certain element of the question/statement, a conclusion and list of references

3) Research & Catalogue

Try to engage with the relevant literature and academic papers prior to embarking on writing the report. If your report is word processed then create an overarching folder for the piece of work, within it add a research folder. Here you can save articles by authors names/dates and then with some key words to jog your memory, for example:

Edwards et al_2009_Lakedistrict_waterquality Or Johnes_Ch8_Understanding Limnology

If your report will require a large amount of research you can create a contents for all your saved articles in a word document by author, title and some comments to help you identify why it is important to your work. Try and get a broad understanding of your research area, the key terminology, key topics/themes/understanding before writing your report as this will allow you to be confident with what you are writing and more importantly, allow you to be critical and informed.

4) Write!

Try to avoid the good old 'Insert Reference Here' trick, and instead reference your work (according to your university guidelines) as you write. I tend to write section by section, putting key areas for each section as a few words or statements under the heading, for example:

1 Introduction: Wye Valley BAP Legislation & Law Pressures of the Catchment 2 Methodology: Remember to talk through how I processed water samples for water quality purposes Gorden et al, 2009 - useful diagram on identifying macroinvertebrates GIS Work

5) Review, Rewrite and Rephrase

With the professional reports I write I would review each section the following day from its completion, with a fresh mind and fresh approach. The report should ideally be finished 5 days prior to its hand in or submission and revisited on each of the 5 days before being printed and bound as required.

6) Peer Review

Get friends, family or collegues to take a look. Although they may not be able to comment on the academic validity of your writing, if they can understand what you're trying to say then its more likely the tired academic marking it will also. They are also likely to pick up on grammatical errors, structural failings etc!

7) Dot the i's and cross the t's Before handing it in: - Check your list references match the reference citations in the text - It is structurally sound and well presented - It is double or 1.5 spaced (if necessary) - Your references are correctly written - It has page numbers and the contents match - Revisit the brief to ensure all parts have been completed

Although this may not be relevant to certain specific reports, or management plans it is a good and robust list of hints and tricks of the trade that should help you with getting the best from your reports. If in doubt, always ensure you check with your specific research supervisor or the module convenor/marker.