Reporting Results

The level and scope of content depend on to whom the report is intended, e.g. employees, clients, customers, the public, etc.

Be sure employees had a chance to carefully review and discuss the report. Translate recommendations to action plans, including who is going to do what about the research results and by when.

Scholarly articles will likely require a report that includes an executive summary (this is a summary of conclusions and recommendations, not a listing of what sections of information are in the report -- that's a table of contents); description of the organization and the program, product, service, etc. under evaluation; explanation of the research goals, methods, and analysis procedures; listing of conclusions and recommendations; and any relevant attachments, e.g. the inclusion of research questionnaires, interview guides, etc.).

Be sure to record the research plans and activities in a research plan which can be referenced when a similar research effort is needed in the future.

Contents of a Research Report - An Example

Ensure your research plan is documented so that you can regularly and efficiently carry out your research activities. In your plan, record enough information so that someone outside of the organization can understand what you're researching and how. For example, consider the following format:

Title Page (name of the organization that is being or has a product/service/program that is being researched; date).

Table of Contents.

Executive Summary (one-page, concise overview of findings and recommendations).

Purpose of the Report (what type of research was conducted, what decisions are being aided by the findings of the research, who is making the decision, etc.).

Background About Organization and Product/Service/Program that is being researched:

a) Organization description/history

b) Product/service/program description (that is being researched)

• • Problem Statement (in the case of nonprofits, description of the community need that is being met by the product/service/program)
  • Overall Goal(s) of Product/Service/Program
  • Outcomes (or client/customer impacts) and Performance Measures (that can be measured as indicators toward the outcomes)
  • Activities/Technologies of the Product/Service/Program (general description of how the product/service/program is developed and delivered)
  • Staffing (description of the number of personnel and roles in the organization that are relevant to developing and delivering the product/service/program)

Overall Evaluation Goals (e.g. what questions are being answered by the research):

a) Methodology

b) Types of data/information that were collected

c) How data/information was collected (what instruments were used, etc.)

d) How data/information was analyzed

e) Limitations of the evaluation (e.g., cautions about findings/conclusions and how to use the findings/conclusions, etc.)

Interpretations and Conclusions (from analysis of the data/information).

Recommendations (regarding the decisions that must be made about the product/service/program).

Appendices: the content of the appendices depends on the goals of the research report, e.g.:

a) Instruments used to collect data/information

b) Data, e.g. in tabular format

c) Testimonials, comments made by users of the product/service/program

d) Case studies of users of the product/service/program

e) Any related literature

Some Pitfalls to Avoid

Don't get discouraged at research because it seems far too "scientific." It's not. Usually, the first 20% of effort will generate the first 80% of the plan, and this is far better than nothing.

There is no "perfect" research design. Don't worry about the research design is perfect. It's far more important to do something than to wait until every last detail has been tested.

Work hard to include some interviews in your research methods. Questionnaires don't capture "the story," and the story is usually the most powerful depiction of the benefits of your products, services, programs, etc.

Don't interview just the successes. You'll learn a great deal by understanding its failures, dropouts, etc.

Don't throw away research results once a report has been generated. Results don't take up much room, and they can provide precious information later when trying to understand changes in the product, service, or program.