How to Write a Field Report
I. Title page – Title of study should be descriptive and fairly specific so the reader has an idea of what type of study you conducted, but not too wordy. Includes your names, class, and period.
II. Introduction – Gives a background of what the study is about. Here you can talk about literature review questions (ie. information on pollutants) things that are already known. Then lead up to the purpose of your investigation. You are collecting important data and you want whoever reads this to understand the importance of your work and how it relates to what is already known. They may possibly be inclined to give you money for further research in the future. The last paragraph should describe the study site (ie. where it is located, study organisms present, geological reference).
III. Methods – Tells exactly HOW you collected data (techniques you used). Be very specific including date, time of day, temperatures etc. Should begin with the hypothesis you tested. State what you predicted would happen. You can separate this section by using headings: macro invertebrates, pollutants (Nitrates, Phosphates, Fecal Coliform), and stream velocity.
IV. Results – This section is where you report your data, both using text and in tables or figures. Please remember units as well! Do not interpret your data…. that goes in Discussion section. Report trends and the most significant results in words, noting differences among groups. Try to follow the same order of events or components as in the methods section. You do not need to write a laundry list of all the detailed results just important summaries of patterns, greatest, or least concentrations you saw. If you talk about a figure cite it in the sentence. For example: “As you see in figure 1, the blue bird population has increased each year from 1999 to 2010.” Or simply “The blue bird population has increased each year from 1999 to 2010 (figure 1).”
V. Discussion – Interpret your study. Tell why you think you see the results you do. Does it support or reject your hypotheses? You can also mention errors that could have occurred in the experiment.
VI. Literature Cited- Compile all the online cites you used to form introduction (the pollutant questions).
VII. Acknowledgements – This is where you can thank anyone who aided you in the study whether it be moral support, financial support, helped to collect data, or mentored you.
Remember the best 2 out of 2nd and 6th period gets rewarded and sent on to Cowiche Canyon Conservancy! Good luck!
Author: Melissa Reitz, Yakima WATERS Project, CWU, Fall 2010