A surprising amount of one's time as a student and professional is spent reporting the results of one's research projects for presentation to teachers, managers, and clients. Indeed, without basic research skills and the ability to present research results clearly and completely, an individual will encounter many obstacles in school and on the job. The need for some research-writing ability is felt nearly equally by college students in all fields, engineering and science as well as business and the humanities. Graduate study often makes great demands on the student's research-writing skills, and most professions continue the demand; education, advertising¹ and marketing², economics and accounting³, science and engineering, psychology⁴, anthropology⁵, the arts, and agriculture may all require regular reporting of research data.

作为一名学生和专业人士被要求花费令人震惊之数量的时间报告他的研究项目的结果，以便提交给老师、管理人员和顾客。确实，没有基本的研究技术和清晰而完整地提交研究结果的能力，一个人在学校和工作当中将遭遇许多障碍。对于一些研究报告写作能力的需要，大学生几乎在所有的专业领域都能感觉到，工程学和科学也像商业与人文科学一样需要。毕业研究在学生的研究报告写作技巧上经常有很高的要求，而且大多数专业继续这种要求。教育、广告和销售，经济学和财会，科学与工程学，心理学，人类学，艺术，还有农业可能都需要周期的研究资料报告。

ELEMENTS OF THE RESEARCH PAPER

The standard research report, regardless of the field or the intended reader, contains four major sections. These sections may be broken down into a variety of subsections, and they may be arranged in a variety of ways, but they regularly make up the core of the report.

研究报告的要素

标准的研究报告，不管它的领域或者指定的读者是什么，都包含四个主要的段落。这些段落可以打散成变化的分段，而且它们可以一种变化的方式来排列，但它们有规律地组成了报告的核心。

Problem Section. The first required section of a research report is the statement of the problem with which the research project is concerned. This section requires a precise statement of the underlying⁶ question which the researcher has set out to answer. In this same section there should be an explanation of the significance--social, economic, medical, psychological, educational, etc.--of the question; in other words, why the investigation⁷ was worth conducting. Thus, if we set out, for example, to answer the question" what is the effect of regular consumption of fast foods on the health of the American teenager?" we must explain that the question is thought to have significant relevance⁸ to the health of this segment of the population and might lead to some sort of regulations on such foods.

问题段。一个研究报告首先需要的段落是对与被关注的研究项目联系在一起的问题陈述。这个段落需要对研究者已经着手回答的基本问题的确切陈述。在这个同样的段落里，会有一个解释，即问题的社会的、经济的、医疗的、心理的或教育等等方面的意义解释。换句话说，为什么调查是值得进行。所以，如果我们开始了，例如，回答问题："周期的快餐消费对于美国的少年人健康有什么影响？"我们必须解释这个问题被认为对人口中这个年龄段人的健康有意义，而且应该推导出一些关于食品的规律。

A frequent subsection of this problem section is a review of past research on the topic being investigated. This would consist of summaries of the contributions of previous researchers to the question under consideration with some assessment⁹ of the value of these contributions. This subsection has rhetorical usefulness in that it enhances the credibility of the researcher by indication that the data presented is based on a thorough knowledge of what has been done in the field and, possibly, grows out of some investigative tradition.

这个问题段的一种经常的分段是一个关于被调查话题过去研究的回顾。这将由以前的研究者对于这个问题贡献的概要所组成，并附有这些贡献的价值的一些评估。这个分段有修辞上的用途，它通过指出被提及的资料建立在一个已经具有广泛知识的领域基础上，加强了研究者的可信性。这个领域已经做过调查，而且这些知识可能由一些调查的传统产生。

Procedures Section. The second major section of the research report details, with as much data as possible, exactly how the study was carried out. This section includes description of any necessary equipment, how the subjects were selected if subjects were used, what statistical¹⁰ technique was used to evaluate the significance of the findings, how many observations were made and when, etc. An investigation of the relative effectiveness of various swim-strokes would have to detail the number of swimmers, the weather conditions at the time of the tests, and any other factors that contributed to the overall experiment. The goal of the procedures section is to allow the reader to duplicate the experiment if such were desired to confirm, or refute, your findings.

程序段。研究报告的第二个主要段落详尽，带着尽可能多的资料，指出这项研究是怎样确切地进行。这个段包括任何必需设备的描述，如果项目被使用这个项目是怎样被选中的，什么样的统计技术被使用来评估这个发现的意义，做了多少观察，在什么时候观察的，等等。一个各种游泳的相对有效性的调查会有详细的游泳者的数字、测试时天气的状况以及任何其他参与实验的所有因素。程序段的目的是允许读者复制这个实验，如果你的发现期待肯定或者反驳的话。

Results Section. The third, and perhaps most important, section of the research report is the presentation of the results obtained from the investigation. The basic rule in this section is to give all data relevant to the research question initially¹¹ asked. Although, of course, one's natural tendency might be to suppress any findings which do not in some way support one's hypothesis, such dishonesty is antithetical to good research reporting in any field. If the experiments undertaken fail to prove anything, if the data was inadequate¹² or contrary to expectations, the report should be honestly written and as complete as possible, just as it would be if the hypothesis were totally proven by the research.

结果段。第三段，可能是最重要的。研究报告的这一段是对于从调查中获得的结果的表述。在这一段的基本规则是给出与起初问到的研究问题相关的所有资料。当然，研究报告的自然倾向应该是隐藏任何从某些方式上不支持其假设的发现，但如此不诚实的是与任何领域优秀的研究报告相对立的。如果实验开始失败于证明任何事情，如果资料是不充分的或者与期待相反，这个报告应该诚实地写进来，而且像可能的那样完整，要像这个假设被研究完全证实了一样，如实地写进来。

Discussion Section. The final required section of a research report is a discussion of the results obtained and a statement of any conclusions which may be drawn¹³ from those results. Of primary interest in business and technical research reports is the validity of the results as the bases for company decisions: Will our planned construction project meet federal environmental guidelines and be approved for building? Will this new program attact skilled personnel to our company? Will this new oil recovery technique be financially feasible? Thus, the discussion section of the research report must evaluate the research results fully¹⁴: were they validly¹⁵ obtained, are they complete or limited, are they applicable over a wide range of circumstances? The discussion section should also point out what questions remain unanswered and perhaps suggest directions for further research.

讨论段。一个研究报告的这个最终需要的段落是所获得的结果的讨论或者是一个可能取自那些结果的任何结论的陈述。在商业和技术研究报告中，这个段的基本兴趣是结果作为公司决策基础的有效性：我们计划的建筑项目将符合联邦政府的环境指导方针并被批准施工吗？这个新项目将能吸引有技术的全体人员到我们公司来？这项新的石油恢复技术在经费上将是可行的？所以，这个研究报告的讨论段必须充分评估这个研究结果：它们是被靠得住地获得？它们是完整的或是有限的？它们适用于一个宽泛区域的情形？这个讨论段也应该指出什么问题留着没有回答以及为进一步研究可能提及的方向。

STYLE OF RESEARCH REPORTS

Research reports are considered formal professional communication. As such, there is little emphasis on a lively style, although, of course, there is no objection to writing that is pleasing and interesting. The primary goals of professional communication are accuracy, clarity, and completeness. The rough draft of any research report should be edited to ensure that all data is correctly presented, that all equipment is listed, that all results are properly detailed¹⁶. As an aid to the reader, headings indicating at least the major sections of the report should be used, and all data should be presented under the proper headings. In addition to their function of suggesting to the reader the contents of each section, headings enhance the formal appearance and professional quality of the report, increase to some degree the writer's credibility by reflecting a logical and methodical approach to the reporting process, and eliminate the need for wordy transitional devices between sections.

研究报告的风格

研究报告被当作是正式的专业表达。所以，在一种活泼的风格上很少有强调，当然，虽然对于写作是愉悦的和有趣的没有异议。专业表达的主要目标是准确、清楚和完整。任何研究报告的大致初稿应该被编辑以确信所有的资料被正确提及，所有的设备被列进单子，所有的结果是适当详细的。做为对读者的一个目的，标题至少提出被使用的研究报告的主要段落，而且所有的资料应该在适当的标题下被提及。在补充提及给读者各个段落内容的作用上，标题加强了这个报告的正规形式和专业性质，而且通过对报告过程的逻辑的和系统的表达，强化了作者可信性程度，同时排除了对于段落之间冗长过渡词句的需要。

Research data should be presented in a way that places proper emphasis on major aspects of the project. For different readers different aspects will take on different degrees of importance, and some concerned with the results of a research project, and thus the results section should be emphasized, probably by presenting it immediately after the problem section and before the procedures section. Other researchers would be most interested in the procedures section, and this should be highlighted in writing up research projects for publication in professional journals or for presentation at professional conferences. For non-technical readers and federal agencies, the implications of the results might be the most important consideration, and emphasis should be placed on the discussion of the report for this readership.

研究资料应该以一种适当强调这个项目的主要方面的方式来展示。对于不同的读者不同的方面将具有不同的重要程度，一些读者关注一个研究报告的结果，所以结果段应该被强调，通过在问题段之后和程序段之前适当地立即提及。其他的研究者对程序段会更有兴趣，所以在为专业性期刊上出版或者在专业性会议上发表写下的研究项目中，这段应该突出。对于没有技术的读者和联邦代理，结果的复杂性应该是最重要的考虑，并且出于读者人数考虑，强调应该被放在报告的讨论上。

For additional clarity and emphasis, major results should be presented in a visual format--tables, charts, graphs, diagrams--as well as in a verbal one.

为了增添清晰和强调，主要的结果应该用一种视觉样式来显示－－目录、图表、座标图、图解－－还有口头的表达。

Beyond checking the report for clarity and accuracy in the presentation of technical data, the author of a research report should review for basic grammatical and mechanical accuracy. Short sentences are preferable to long in the presentation of complex information. Listings should be used to break up long passages of prose and to emphasize information. The research writer should try to use the simplest possible language without sacrificing the professional quality of the report. Although specialized¹⁷ terms can be used, pretentious¹⁸ jargon¹⁹ should be avoided. A finished research report should be a readable and useful document prepared with the reader in mind.

为了清楚和准确除检查报告中陈述的技术资料外，一份研究报告的作者应该为了基本语法和习惯性准确再检查一遍。在复杂信息的表述中短句子比起长句子更可取。列出次序的方式应该得以使用，来打散文章中的长段并强调信息。研究报告的作者应该试图使用尽可能简单的语言同时又不牺牲报告的专业性质。虽然专业术语可以被使用，自抬身价的行话应该被避免。一份完工的研究报告应该是一份为心目中的读者准备的有可读性并且有用的文件。

CONCLUSION

Although we struggle with research reports in high school, dread²⁰ them in college, and are often burdened by them in our professional lives,learning to live comfortably with them is a relatively²¹ easy task. A positive attitude (i.e., one that sees the oral or written presentation of research results as of equal importance to the data-gathering process); an orderly approach which includes prewriting (i.e., before any actual research is done, the researcher should try to get down on paper as much about the subject under investigation as possible) and a formal research report structure as the framework for the investigation; and a reasonable approach to the actual writing process including editing for accuracy and clarity, will help one to produce effective research reports efficiently²².

结论

虽然我们在高等学校里为研究报告而苦恼，在大学里害怕它们，并且在我们的专业生涯里经常背着这个负担，但学会与它们一起舒服地生活是一件相对容易的事情。一个确定的判断（例如，对于收集资料的过程同样重要的研究结果的书面或口头的表达），一种包括打草稿在内的有次序的方式（例如，在任何实际研究进行之前，研究者应该试图在纸上写下关于这个项目在调查下尽可能多的信息）和一个正式的研究报告结构作为为了这项调查的框架，以及为了准确和清晰对于包括编辑在内的实际写作过程一个合理的方式，将帮助作者有效地产生出有影响的研究报告。