ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES (EAPP)

LESSON: Summarizing Findings and Executing Report through Narrative and Visual/Graphic Forms

Non-linear texts are materials often referred to as graphic aids or visuals. They contain valuable
information which, when written in sentences or paragraphs may be difficult to understand

Summary is a brief statement or account of the main points [from one’s reading] (Oxford Language, 2022).
When you are writing a summary, you have to be careful not to copy the exact words of the original
source.
Summarizing helps learners like you distinguish the most important idea in a given text, ignore irrelevant
ideas, and incorporate central ideas in the most coherent way. With the help of non-linear texts,
summarizing and presenting reports can be easier.

Writing a good summary takes quite a few practices. To come up with a good one, it is important
to thoroughly understand the survey report you are reading. Below are the steps in writing a summary.
1. Skim the text, focusing on the main parts. If there are no subheadings, divide the survey report in
sections, similar to the given sample on What’s New.
2. Read the entire survey report, highlighting the important information.
3. Write down the important points you have noted, in your own words.
4. Review what you have written, and go through the process again, when necessary.

In addition to the steps in writing a summary mentioned above, here are some tips you have to remember:
1. The summary should cover the original as a whole.
2. The material should be presented in a neutral fashion. Do not include your own comment or evaluation.
3. The summary should be a condensed version of the material, presented in your own words. Do not
include anything that does not appear in the survey report.

All these require comprehension and writing skills, which you have developed in the previous lessons, and
with the help of the graphic aids, you have the powerful weapons to produce a clear survey report.
Below are the most common non-linear or graphic aids used in survey reports.
1. BAR GRAPH. It is a chart the graphically represents the comparison between categories of data. It
displays grouped data by way of parallel rectangular bars of equal width but with varying length. Each
rectangular block indicates specific category and the length of the bars depends on the values they hold.
The bars in a bar graph are presented in such a way that they do not touch each other, to indicate
elements as separate entities.
2. LINE GRAPH. It is used to display comparison between two variables. Line graphs involve an x-axis
horizontally and a y-axis vertically on a grid. Dot-connected and grid-plotted lines are what comprise a line
graph. These lines monitor and compare various data sets. Usually, the x-axis represents time
measurements while the y-axis is a representation of measure or percentage of quantity. For this reason, a
line graph is often used for tracking variables of one or more subjects in time.
3. PIE GRAPH. It is a type of graph in which a circle is divided into sectors each representing a proportion
of the whole. Each ‘section’ or ‘slice’ of the pie is a data percentage. The segments are arranged from
smallest to biggest in a clockwise formation. This way, the pie graph features easy-to-compare subjects
presented in a neat, easy-to-understand way.
4. HISTOGRAM. It is a type of bar chart that is used to represent statistical information by way of bars to
show the frequency distribution of continuous data. It indicates the number of observations which lie in-
between the range of values knows as class or bin.
5. PICTOGRAPH. It is a graph that shows numerical information by using picture symbols or icons to
represent data sets. It is the oldest form of graphic presentation. Smaller pictures represent a certain
amount of an item, and the pictures in the graphs are stacked up one after another.

EXECUTING SURVEY RESULTS USING NON-LINEAR TEXTS

Read the following examples and be guided on how you will present survey results using the
graphic aids we have just discussed.
Example A:
Kevin wanted to know which environmental activity would his classmates in Aurora National School, be
most interested in, as part of their community outreach program. He surveyed 132 Grade 11 learners and
obtained the following results:
 Activities Frequency of Responses

Clean-Up Drive 35

Information Campaign on Waste 27

Segregation

Mangrove Reforestation 33

Tree Planting Activity 37

The next task is to make a bar graph of the results showing the percentage of his classmates’
response in each category. To make a bar graph, we have to remember to put the activities on the x-axis
and the percentage of his classmates’ responses on the y-axis.
How do we find the percentage of responses in each of the activities? We have to divide the number
of responses for each activity, by the total number of learners surveyed.

Activities Frequency of Percentage

Responses

Clean-Up Drive 35 35/132 = .27(100) = 27%

Information Campaign on Proper Waste 17 17/132 = .13(100) = 13%

Segregation

Mangrove Reforestation 23 23/132 = .25(100) = 17%

Tree Planting Activity 57 57/132 = .43(100) = 43%

We can now make a bar graph where the height of each bar represents the percentage of responses
in each activity.

Environmental Activities Grade 11

Learners Want the Most
50% 43%
45%
40%
35%
30% 27%
25%
20% 17%
13%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Clean-Up Drive Information Mangrove Tree Planting
Campaign on Reforestation Activity
Proper Waste
Segregation

Environmental Activities

Let us try to make a pie graph using the same results. Are you ready? We have to remember that
each slice of the pie is represented by the percentage of the learners’ responses for each activity.
 Environmental Activities

43% 27%

13%
17%

Clean-Up Drive
Information Campaign on Proper Waste Segregation
Mangrove Reforestation
Tree Planting Activity
LESSON: Writes Various Reports on Surveys

➢ Survey reports make recommendations based on a careful analysis of data tallied and organized
from survey findings. A good survey report requires you to systematically move from a big-picture
summary down to your specific recommendations. How you write it determines whether you
convince others to follow your advice or you are ignored. (Samuel Hamilton).
➢ Once you have finished conducting a survey all that is left to do is write the report. A survey report
describes a survey, its results, and any patterns or trends found in the survey. Most survey reports
follow a standard organization, broken up under certain headings. Each section has a specific
purpose.

Part 1: Break the report up into separate sections with headings.

Survey reports usually use headings for each section. While there may be slight differences between
reports, the headings are typically the same. The standard headings for a report are:

o Title Page
o Table of Contents
o Executive Summary
o Background and Objectives
o Methodology
o Results
o Conclusion and Recommendations
o Appendices

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Write a 1–2-page executive summary paraphrasing the report. This comes at the very beginning of the
report, after the table of contents. An executive summary condenses the main points of the report into a
few pages. It should include:
• Background and Objectives
• Methodology of the survey.
• Key results of the survey.
• Conclusions drawn from the results of the survey.
• Recommendations based on the results of the survey.

State the objectives of the survey in the background section. Start the section by saying why the survey
was conducted. Explain the hypothesis and goals of the survey. You usually don't need to write more than
a page. Make sure to identify the:

• Study or target population: Who is being studied? Do they belong to a certain age group, cultural
group, religion, political belief, or other common practice?
• Variables of the study: What is the survey trying to study? Is the study looking for the association or
relationship between two things?
• Purpose of the study: How will this information be used? What new information can this survey help
us realize?
Provide background information by explaining similar research and studies.
This research can help you determine if your survey results support current beliefs on the topic or
disagree with them. Write 2 or more pages explaining the issue and how other researchers have
approached it.
• Look for surveys done by researchers in peer-viewed academic journals. In addition to these,
consult reports produced by similar companies, organizations, newspapers, or think tanks.
• Compare their results to yours. Do your results support or conflict with their claims? What new
information does your report provide on the matter?
• Provide a description of the issue backed with peer-reviewed evidence. Define what it is you're
trying to learn and explain why other studies haven't found this information.

Part 2: Explaining the methods and results.

Explain how the study was conducted in the methodology section. This section helps readers understand
how the survey was conducted. It comes after the background and objectives section. Depending on the
complexity of your study, this section may be several pages long. Some things you should cover in this
section include:
Who did you ask? How can you define the gender, age, and other
characteristics of these groups?
o Did you do the survey over email, telephone, website, or 1-on-1 interviews?
o Were participants randomly chosen or selected for a certain reason?
o How large was the sample size? In other words, how many people answered the results of the survey?
o Were participants offered anything in exchange for filling out the survey?

Describe what type of questions were asked in the methodology section. Some common types of questions
include multiple choice, interviews, and rating scales (called Likert scales). Describe the general theme of
the questions here, providing a few examples of questions.
• For example, you might sum up the general theme of your questions by saying, "Participants were
asked to answer questions about their daily routine and dietary practices."
• Don't put all of the questions in this section. Instead, include your questionnaire in the first
appendix (Appendix A).
 Report the results of the survey in a separate section. Once you have detailed the methodology of the
survey in full, start a new section that shows the results of the survey. This section is usually several
pages long. If needed, break up some of your results into bullets to make them easier to read.
• If your survey interviewed people, choose a few relevant responses and type them up in this
section. Refer the reader to the full questionnaire, which will be in the appendix.
• If your survey was broken up into multiple sections, report the results of each section separately,
with a subheading for each section.
• Avoid making any claims about the results in this section. Just report the data, using statistics,
sample answers, and quantitative data.
• Include graphs, charts and other visual representations of your data in this section.

Point out any interesting trends in the results section. You probably have a large amount of data. To help
your readers understand the significance of your survey, highlight the interesting patterns, trends, or
observations.
• For example, do people from a similar age group response to a certain question in a similar way?
• Look at questions that received the highest number of similar responses. This means that most
people answer the question in similar ways. What do you think that means?

Part 3: Analyzing your results

State the implications of your survey at the beginning of the conclusion. At the beginning of this
section, write a paragraph that summarizes the key takeaway points of your survey. Ask yourself what
should readers learn from this survey?
• Here you may break away from the objective tone of the rest of the paper. You might state if
readers should be alarmed, concerned, or intrigued by something.
• For example, you might highlight how current policy is failing or state how the survey
demonstrates that current practices are succeeding.

Make recommendations about what needs to be done about this issue. Once you have reported the results
of the survey, state what the reader should take away from the survey. What does the data imply? What
action should people take based on the results? This part might be anywhere from a few paragraphs to a
few pages long. Some common recommendations
include:
• More research needs to be done on this topic.
• Current guidelines or policy need to be changed.
• The company or institution needs to take action.
Include graphs, charts, surveys, and testimonies in the appendices. The first appendix (Appendix A)
should always be the survey questionnaire itself. Copy and paste the entire survey into this section. If you
want, add appendices showing your statistical data, interview results, graphs of the data, and a glossary of
technical terms.
• Appendices are typically labeled with letters, such as Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and so
on.
• You may refer to appendices throughout your paper. For example, you can say, “Refer to Appendix
A for the questionnaire” or “Participants were asked 20 questions (Appendix A)
Add a title page and table of contents to the first 2 pages. These should come at the front of the
report. The first page should state the title of the report, your name, and your institution. The second page
should be a table of contents.
• The table of contents should list the page numbers for each section (or heading) of the report.
Cite your research according to the style required for the survey report.
• In some classes and professional fields, you may be asked to format the report according to a
specific style guideline. Common ones used for survey reports include American Psychological
Association (APA) and Chicago styles.
• Typically, you will cite information using in-text parenthetical citations. Put the name of the author
and other information, such as the page number or year of publication, in parentheses at the end
of a sentence.
• Some professional organizations may have their own separate guidelines. Consult these for more
information.
• If you don’t need a specific style, make sure that the formatting for the paper is consistent
throughout. Use the same spacing, font, font size, and citations throughout the paper.

Adopt a clear, objective voice throughout the paper. Remember that your job is to report the
results of the survey. Try not to cast judgment on the participants or the survey results. If you would like
to make recommendations, only do so in the last section of the paper.
• Try not to editorialize the results as you report them. For example, don’t say, “The study shows an
alarming trend of increasing drug use that must be stopped.” Instead, just say, “The results show
an increase in drug use.”

Write in concise, simple sentences. State the information in the simplest way possible. Avoid flowery or
complicated language. Since some surveys can be very complex, a simple writing style will help your
readers understand your results.
• If you have a choice between a simple word and a complex word, choose the simpler term. For
example, instead of “1 out of 10 civilians testify to imbibing alcoholic drinks thrice daily,” just say
“1 out of 10 people report drinking alcohol 3 times a day.”
• Remove any unnecessary phrases or words. For example, instead of “In order to determine the
frequency of the adoption of dogs,” just say “To determine the frequency of dog adoption.”
Revise your paper thoroughly before submitting. Make sure that there are no grammatical errors,
misspellings, or other typos in the paper. Before submitting the report to your boss or professor, check
that the formatting is correct.
o Make sure you have page numbers on the bottom of the page. Check that the table of contents contains
the right page numbers.
o Remember, spell check on word processors doesn’t always catch every mistake. Ask someone else to
proofread for you to help you catch errors.
References

English for Academic and Professional Purposes Teacher’s Guide

English for Academic and Professional Purposes Learner’s Guide

https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Survey-Report

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