NOTES ON REPORT WRITING

NOTES ON REPORT WRITING

The purpose of the reports is to get you to read widely and critically on each topic, to analyse your data and observations in the light of this reading, and to present your report in a concise, well-structured and neat manner.

1.Read as widely as you can on the topic - the textbooks are not specific enough, and the reference list is only a start! Conduct a proper literature search using all the library resources available - ask for help at the Information Desk if you don't know how to go about it: its time you did! At this level you should be reading scientific papers, not relying on secondary sources (such as textbooks, dictionaries or encyclopaedia). We have provided many scientific papers for you in the readings list, but you should also become competent in locating these independently, on-line or on the shelf.

2.Read critically! Don't just accept what each author says - think about what they are saying and whether or not their conclusions are justified on the basis of the evidence presented in the article. Because this field is often interpretive, similar observations or measurements often are interpreted differently by different researchers its up to you to decide whether the arguments are valid or not. The significance of the work you are reporting is defined by its relationship to previous work. No piece of work should be viewed in isolation. Use literature that is relevant; do not include everything that you have read irrespective of its usefulness in elucidating the subject i.e. be discerning in your choice of what to include and what to leave out. Make sure you begin reading before the fieldtrips. You will need plenty of time to absorb and understand what you have read and the fieldtrips are valuable for giving the ideas substance. You will need to read and re-read the important papers to really understand them.

3.The environmental context of the study must be established - always assume that your reader knows nothing about the location or the subject matter so tell them about those aspects which are RELEVANT

4.Allow time for revision and, if possible, get someone to read and critically appraise the report for you.

5.Use the simple Harvard or author/date (http://www.unisa.edu.au/ltu/students/study/referencing/harvard.pdf) referencing technique common to most scientific journals (e.g. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms). The main purpose of references is so that someone else can find the papers you have read. You need to give them the appropriate information:

Use a citation such as (Smith and Jones, 1989) (i.e. Author, date) in the text which refers the reader to an alphabetically listed reference in the bibliography.

Do not use footnotes, numbered references, ibid, op cit or any other method of citation or referencing.

You should use a citation in every case where you have borrowed a quote, fact, idea or figure from elsewhere. That may mean more than one citation per sentence. Dont save them up for the end of the paragraph.

It is your job to remove any ambiguity about the origin of any statement and you will need to modify your sentences to make your job easier and avoid multiple identical citations.

Citations vary according to the number of authors, i.e. (Smith,1989) for a single author, (Smith and Jones, 1989) for two authors and (Smith et al., 1989) for three or more authors (et al. is an abbreviation of the latin 'et alia', 'and others', so is written in italics and with a full stop after al.). [The citations may also be written Smith (1989), Smith and Jones (1989) Smith et al. (1989) depending on the sentence structure.]

List all references actually used in the essay (not necessarily everything you have read!) in ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY AUTHOR'S SURNAME (i.e. Aarons to Zambolt) in a bibliography at the end of the essay, using the reference list in this unit outline as a guide to the appropriate style.

In the bibliography it is important to list all the authors, do not use 'et al.'.

Avoid using direct quotes, but if their use is unavoidable, they should be accompanied by the author's surname, year of publication, and the page number from which the quote is taken. Quotations longer than 3 lines should be indented on both sides in a separate paragraph.

In the case of Web sites and materials, you must observe the same requirements as for hardcopy materials; you need to give enough information to allow the reader to locate the material and you must give the authors (including organisation) details, year of publication, publisher/ organisation, and a title. You should also add Consulted 5/6/06, for example, in case the site has been updated. If this information is not available the information in it is unlikely to be suitable for inclusion in your learned report!

Failure to provide adequate referencing is possibly one form of plagiarism. Read the section on plagiarism above and make sure that you understand your responsibilities.

6. Use word processing software (such as Word) to produce your final copy for submission. Set up the page to A4 size, leaving a margin on the left side of at least 2 cm and make sure the text is double or one-and-a-half spaced. PROOFREAD AND CORRECT your work before submitting it! Spellchecking is a good idea, if only to prevent the marker getting annoyed with multiple spelling mistakes. Grammar checkers are not recommended, they are often wrong, inappropriate (i.e. encourage informal colloquialisms and active voice) and require a high level of understanding to be used well. Likewise, never use automatic hyphenation.

7.Illustrations (eg maps, graphs, tables, photos, drawings) are encouraged and must be relevant and informative. A good principle is to ensure that each figure/diagram is understandable on its own. Check that all maps/figures have scales, north arrows, etc, and that axes/titles are clearly labelled for all graphs. Illustrations must be located in the body of the report as close as possible to the primary reference (i.e. where you first refer to them), and what they illustrate must be explained in the legend eg "Fig 1 shows an earthflow on shale near Picton. The high L/D ratio can be clearly seen" (and make sure that what you say can be seen CAN be seen!!). The illustrations must be numbered consecutively and the primary source of the illustration must be acknowledged i.e. where you got it from, under the illustration, not in the text.

8.Some good references to aid your writing include:

i)An English dictionary, a dictionary of Physical Geography or Earth Sciences, and a thesaurus.

ii)Partridge E (1973) Usage and abusage: a Guide to Good English. Penguin.

Anderson JBH, Durston & Poole N (1970) Thesis and assignment writing. Wiley.

Hay, I. (1996) Communicating in Geography and the Environmental Sciences. Oxford University Press, Melbourne (PE1478.C65).

9. Each report has a specific structure which you should follow.

Field report 1 has a defined structure outlined in the unit guide and below. Each section is of a fixed length.

For the second field report you should follow the standard structure for a scientific report (below). Consult scientific papers and journals to observe how others have done it.

Field Report 1 Field Report 2

Title

Introduction

Geomorphic map (acting to help explain regional setting and methods)

Regional setting, experimental design and methods

Results (separate sections for each site)

Discussion (may include brief conclusion)

References Title

Abstract

Introduction

Regional Setting

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

References

Title: You must give a title which describes the content of the report. (i.e. not just Field Report or Macdonald River Fieldtrip. In the case of the first report the topic/question is the title (so use it). For the second field report where you have developed your own project you must choose your own descriptive title which hints at the main question and significance.

Abstract: This is a summary of the entire project, including the major findings of the study (i.e. it is not an introduction). Generally it is written last and then added to the front. References, and literature review are NOT included and the aims and methods are dealt with very briefly (methods not at all?). The word length should not exceed 200 words or 5 % of the total number of words in the paper, whichever is smaller.

Introduction: This is often the critical part of a report, alerting the reader to whether the author understands what they are doing. This should clearly and concisely state the aims of the report, set the report in the context of previous work on the problem in hand (i.e. briefly review relevant literature), and identify the field area. Essentially this provides the context for what is to come; outlining the significance of the topic and the contribution to knowledge that this work will make (i.e. specifying why any reader should be interested in reading it). Results are not included.

A template for an introduction might be:

Paragraph 1 General description of the topic (no site names; dont state your research question or hypothesis directly) and its significance.Paragraph 2 History of research on this topic in the world, in this region but not concentrating on this site. Identify a knowledge gap and the significance of closing that gap.

Paragraph 3 History of /knowledge of research on tis topic at this site. What makes this site suitable to investigate this topic?

Paragraph 4 Study aims and hypothesis/es (which flow from the previous paragraphs).

Any piece of science is based on background work reported in the scientific literature, and it is imperative that this be read clearly and critically, and summarised elegantly. You should restrict the scope of your review to issues directly at hand, ensuring that you have covered the ground that you make reference to later (i.e. in the discussion section). Reviewing the literature does not mean statements like papers by Smith (1999), Jones (2000) and Bloggs (in press) were read for this essay. Tell the reader what they said! E.g. Smith (1999) found that vegetation removal from sand dunes quickly resulted in the formation of blowouts.Regional Setting: This should be a brief overview of the area being studied, covering aspects relevant to the study and those aspects mentioned later in the report. These may include geology, climate, vegetation, land use, etc. where relevant. By this stage you must have said where the site is and included at least one location map. It is all too easy to waffle on about irrelevancies here; don't distract the reader from the main aim, but also dont leave out stuff they need to know (e.g. waves, winds and storms if you are writing about coasts; rain and floods if you are writing about rivers).

Methods: A clear and concise statement of all methods is required, including reconnaissance methods (map and air photo interpretation). There is no need to describe in detail common procedure (eg surveying with a dumpy level or clinometer) - just mention how they were used - but it is necessary to clearly explain techniques where there are several different methods that could be used (eg grain size analysis). Refer to papers rather than explain the technique in detail, unless the source is difficult to obtain (eg an unpublished thesis or report). If your technique is new, however, you must report it in detail, so that others can readily duplicate it. N.B. In the field sciences it is sometimes best to think of Methods as the Approach or Strategy behind the research. In other words explain how you selected your sites and sampling methods. A map on which each of your sites / sampling locations is visible must be included here or in the results section.

Results: Present, describe and explain the results clearly and concisely. Graphs, tables, maps and diagrams MUST be accompanied by description and explanation which links them in to the overall theme of the report and be given informative titles or captions and clear legends. Your report is not an account of your fieldtrip, so you must link all the results you show to the question and aims of the report, not as a diary or record of the day in the field.

Discussion: Analyse the results and draw conclusions. Discussion should include comparison of results or findings with previous work (ie link with the literature), tests of hypotheses, discussion of unusual or anomalous data, evaluation of trends and patterns. Not only must you point all these things out, you must explain them. The logic of your arguments must be clear. It is not uncommon for the new results to be discussed in the 'results' section and the 'discussion' section to be reserved for the wider implications. You should adjust the content of each section so the information is not divided artificially.

Conclusions: The conclusions of the discussion are re-stated. No new information, analyses, references or arguments are included. You are drawing together several conclusions which may otherwise have been lost in the detail of the discussion. Bland statements which simply state that the objective was achieved should never be included.

Keeping a field notebook

It is important that you get into the habit of writing thorough, accurate and legible notes at the outset. The main point of keeping a notebook is to record information that you will inevitably forget. No matter how vivid the impression seems at the time, after a while and after a dozen more sites, your memory will become corrupted. Your notebook is the ultimate aide-de-memoir to which you can refer back. Think of it as being intended for someone who has not visited the site and needs to be able to understand it and what you have done there.

In addition, it is good professional practice: if you are an expert witness for some environmental issue, your notebook can be tendered as evidence in legal proceedings, either in the Land and Environment court or at a Commission of Inquiry.

What you should record in your notebook

To start with, write your personal details on the first page, and a table of contents inside the front cover.

Get into the practice of structuring your notebook at the start of each exercise and continually taking notes. Use only ball-point pen: felt tip pen will run in wet weather and pencil will smudge or rip wet paper.

Do not depend on others, unless prescribed roles are allocated and this is one of the designated tasks. Even then, you should make sure you somehow get a copy of your team-members notes either by transcribing them or an electronic copy or photocopy.

This is a checklist of some things which you could well include at each site:

Datealways

Location (name and GPS)always

project title/ purpose of site visitalways

map of the site (approx scale; orientation)almost certainly

topographic cross-section (approx scale; orientation)probably

stratigraphic/ soil profile (scaled, labelled)probably

data table or list (e.g. clast counts)as necessary

graphs (sketched; axes labelled)as necessary

conceptual diagram explaining site/dataas necessary

list of samples taken (keyed to map and section)as necessary

photographs (numbers, subjects)as necessary

weather (especially if affecting observations, e.g storm)as necessary

interpretation (text): summary of your understandingalmost certainly

After the fieldwork you should photocopy or scan your book as a backup in case you later lose it.

Nobody is expecting works of art but your writing and diagrams should be clearly legible to another person. Use scales (e.g. 1 line = 1 metre) when drawing maps and sections. Use grids to help draw maps and sections to scale. Use as many pages as necessary: the more you record now, the more you will appreciate it later.

ENVS2266 REPORT 2 ALTERNATE (30%)

Due 11.55pm Monday 29th May 2022 (online through Turnitin)

An individual report

Length: max. 14 pages of text and figures (details below)

Introduction

River recovery occurs in different ways in river systems with different valley settings, flood regimes, and human disturbance histories.

Your task is to review key literature describing river recovery in coastal rivers of NSW, and to link this to published accounts of channel and floodplain change in the lower Macdonald River valley. Inclusion of a hydrology record, your own geomorphic maps, and analysis and interpretation of topography and geomorphic units should help you tell a story for the Macdonald River.

Research question

In your individual report, you are required to provide written results and discussion supported by diagrams and tables derived from your desktop research to answer the following question:

Has river recovery occurred in the lower Macdonald River valley in the last 50 years and, if so, is this type of recovery common in coastal rivers of eastern Australia?

In answering this question, you should provide information on the following:

a) Broadly, the historical anthropogenic factors and environmental conditions that precipitated fluvial change in the Macdonald River valley and other similar systems prior to and during the 1950s.

b) Evidence of channel adjustment and change in the Macdonald River (e.g. channel size, shape, alignment, and geomorphic units in the reach near Happy Apple) due to flooding in the 1950s.

c) Evidence of river recovery in the Macdonald River since the 1950s, including descriptions of the main geomorphic forms and processes.

General format and assessment criteria

This report is based on your own research and reading on the topic, as well as mapping and analysis undertaken during your practical classes. You will develop your own maps and topographic diagrams to support your assignment and you will answer the research question in the report, placing your findings and discussion points within a context revealed by your readings. The report should have a high standard of presentation (clarity and accuracy, not necessarily pretty), with maps, graphs and tables (as appropriate) and scientific citations and referencing.

The following general assessment criteria applies to Report 2:

Developing Functional Proficient Advanced

Lacks a clear explanation of research question; lacks a competent literature review; maps and results may not be presented completely or accurately and may not support argument; arguments lack support from suitable literature. Able to explain the research question clearly; includes a competent (basic) literature review; maps and results are presented completely or accurately and support argument; arguments are supported by references to suitable literature. As for Functional level but with greater insight into question; detailed literature review, excellent maps and results and discussion. Includes acknowledgement and/or discussion of limitations of available data and/or literature and/or interpretations. As for Proficient but with a high degree of originality in approach and/or discussion of literature and core concepts.

Literature review

You should survey peer-reviewed literature to develop an understanding of the previous research in the Macdonald River valley, and in other similar coastal rivers in eastern Australia. Focus on aspects of river recovery, but also consider different valley settings, flood regimes, and human disturbance histories and how they interact and/or affect river recovery. We expect wider reading than the papers we have provided, with appropriate citations in the introduction and discussion. Include in-text citations and a full reference list.

Data, methods and results

You are provided with essential GIS data for the Macdonald River, and you will create your own maps and derive topographic profiles using the GIS data. You should summarise the research approach and steps required (i.e. methods) to create your results. Your main results and discussion should be based on analysis of the following:

GIS spatial data provided by us (e.g. imagery, DEM, etc.) and geomorphic maps created by you (i.e. catchment, geomorphic units, historical change, etc.).

Hydrology data provided by us (i.e. discharge at St. Albans 1904-1973) and plotted by you.

Topographic data extracted from the DEM and plotted by you (i.e. cross-sections and longitudinal profiles).

River evolution diagram created by you.

Based on these data, your report should include:

A lower catchment and reach location map (Figure 1).

A hydrograph for the Macdonald River at St. Albans (Figure 2).

Geomorphic maps of the reach near Happy Apple for 1954 and 2009 (Figures 3a and 3b).

Measurement and analysis (i.e. derivation of key metrics) of historical channel change at Happy Apple (Table 1).

Cross-section and/or longitudinal profile data processed and fully labelled with geomorphic features (Figure 4).

Other results tables, graphs, photographs or figures that you feel add to your interpretation and explanation.

All figures (i.e. maps, graphs, photos, etc.) and tables must be explained and referred to in the text before being presented in the report and should be accompanied by informative captions so they can be read and understood without reading the text. Figures and tables should be presented clearly and accurately and should contain appropriate labels, when necessary. Do not include unmodified figures from published papers or other reports in your assignment. Do not include appendices of any sort (they will not be considered). All relevant data and information should appear in the main body of your report.

Sections of the report

You should develop and write your report to address the three research questions and major findings from your research. You should ensure coherence of the report using sections and headings/subheadings. You should use evidence-based scientific language, construct effective paragraphs and present text before figures and/or tables! A high-quality report will have evidence of collection of quality original data, original use and synthesis of data from the literature, clear and concise scientific language, and evidence-based writing.

As a guide, you should use 11 pt Times New Roman font, 1.5 line spacing and 2 cm page margins. Your report should include the following sections (14 pages total):

Page 1: Title A report title, your name and student ID.

Pages 2-4: Introduction An overview of the report topic, including a literature review, a summary of the major knowledge gaps, the research questions, and the specific aims of the report.

Pages 5-6: Regional Setting and Methods Details of the Macdonald River research area (including a lower catchment/reach map and hydrology record) and the research approach, including desktop techniques. Enough information should be given for the reader to be able to replicate the research.

Pages 7-9: Results Details of the major findings, including figures (i.e. Happy Apple maps and graphs) and/or tables to support the text. The results should be presented as factually as possible, without lengthy interpretation or discussion.

Pages 10-12: Discussion Interpretation of the results, and discussion of what they mean in the context of literature on the topic (i.e. including elsewhere in eastern Australia) with further figures (i.e. conceptual diagram) and/or tables as appropriate.

Page 13: Conclusion A concise synthesis of the importance of the major findings.

Page 14: References A summary list of sources referred to by formal citation in the body of the report.

Marking

You will gain marks for clearly stating the research question, placing it in a wider environmental/geomorphological context (from your literature review), and providing solid results, discussion, and conclusions in the report. In the results you should clearly present your findings and then in the discussion you should interpret them and place them in the context of existing knowledge and academic literature. Displaying that you are aware of the strengths and limitations of your findings and interpretations is good. Glossing over deficiencies or over-stating the significance of the results (especially by ignoring previous studies) is not good. Clear presentation of findings in original diagrams and tables is good. Inclusion of any items without description or discussion suggests you dont understand their significance.

The detailed marking rubric below describes the expectations for each section of the report and is replicated in iLearn.

DETAILED MARKING RUBRIC FOR REPORT 2 (30%)

Rubric section Report section Developing Functional Proficient Advanced Maximum marks

INTRODUCTION

Intro 1 Provides an overview of the topic with inclusion of relevant literature 5

Intro 2 Outlines the research question Intro 3 Specifies the scope and aims of the report REGIONAL SETTING and METHODS

Set/Meth 1 Gives appropriate details of the catchment, valley setting, river style and hydrology 4

Set/Meth 2 Answers Question 1 Set/Meth 3 Provides a detailed catchment map and the location of the reach near Happy Apple Set/Meth 4 Provides a clear overview of the research strategy RESULTS

Results 1 Text describes the major findings 9

Results 2 Clear and accurate geomorphic maps (i.e. 1954 and 2009) of the reach near Happy Apple including all relevant geomorphic units, transect locations, notation/labels, key, scale, north arrow, etc. Results 3 Cross-sections and/or longitudinal profile data processed and fully labelled with geomorphic features Results 4 Sedimentology/stratigraphy data processed, presented and interpreted correctly (e.g. added to cross-section) Results 5 Inclusion of other tables, graphs and photos that illustrate the main findings and support the argument presented, including captions and notations DISCUSSION

Discussion 1 Uses main findings (e.g. maps, topography, morphology) and literature to explain and interpret the processes of river recovery 9

Discussion 2 Discusses the trends/patterns in the data and their significance Discussion 3 Presents a well-considered argument that answers the research question Discussion 4 Presents a well-considered argument that answers Question 3 Discussion 5 Provides a geomorphic evolution and/or river recovery sequence (written, or in figure form) that includes major geomorphic changes Discussion 6 Uses relevant literature to back-up and substantiate the discussion CONCLUSION

Conclusion Clearly and concisely synthesises the main results and discussion points 1

REFERENCES

References References go beyond the recommended readings, cited and listed correctly 1

OVERALL

Overall 1 Demonstrates significant understanding of the research topic 1

Overall 2 Shows depth of insight and/or flair Total=30