Write a report telling the audience what you did and learned while conducting your own evaluation project.
One of the most important components of these reports is the “Results and Discussion” section, also called the “Findings” report.
This portion of your paper summarizes the main points and interprets your observations or data.
Summary
Begin your Findings report with a brief summary of your evaluation’s results.
You already went into detail on the evaluation’s procedure and the data you collected, so this summary serves as a reminder to the reader.
Use this space to mention the highlights of your results.
Do not attempt to interpret your results, but rather present information objectively and informatively.
This part of the Findings report should be no longer than one or two paragraphs.
Discussion
In the discussion section, you can provide interpretations based on your observations.
While the summary presents information, the discussion analyzes the data and explains to the reader what your results mean relative to the problem you stated in your introduction.
This part should be no longer than two pages.
Conclusion
A short summarizing paragraph that embeds the main points that were discussed throughout the whole paper.
Using Visual Aids
While the text is primary to your Findings report, use visual aids to support your text.
You do not need visual aids for every finding but consider using graphs and tables to represent more complex information or crucial findings.
The visual aid needs to refer to something in the text and draw attention to the visual aid by referencing titles like “Table 1” or “Figure 2” in parentheses but without quotation marks within your text.
You can also write “Referring to Figure 1” or “Figure 1 shows” to draw attention to the visual aids.
All tables and graphs need a number and a title, such as “Table 1: Summary of Survey Results.”
Follow the 7th edition APA style citation and formatting.
Format
Presenting your Findings report in an easy-to-read manner is essential.
Use headings and subheadings, and number each section consistently.
If your summary is numbered 1.0, your discussion will be 2.0.
The first topic heading in your discussion section will be 2.1, the second one will be 2.2, and each one will continue to be numbered consecutively.
Talking headings, or those headings about a certain point related to the topic heading, should be numbered 2.1.1, followed by 2.1.2, continuing consecutively.
These labels break up the information into sections, which is helpful to readers, and make the whole text well-organized and well-red.
Put/ attach all figures and tables and data collection instruments at the end of the text portion of your findings report.