Overview

The Results section tells your readers about what you found when you conducted research. The Results Section is sometimes called the Findings Section. The names are interchangeable.

Where You Can Find Help

From Howdy or Hello? Technical and Professional Communication

• Results Section of a Recommendation Report
• Specific Guidelines on Headings
• Bulleted and Numbered Lists
• Use of Color

From LinkedIn Learning

• Video: “Understand the findings section” (4m 9s), from the Technical Writing: Reports course.

From Technical Communication

• Sample Report, Figure 18.8

How You Do It

1. Add the heading for your Results section:
   1. Add the word Results as the heading at the top of the page and center the line. You can also use the heading Findings.
   2. Format the word so that it is clearly the heading for the page. You can use the built-in headings in your word processor.
   3. Skip a blank line.
2. Write the opening paragraph for the Results section. This short paragraph provides an advance organizer for the rest of the Results section. See the example opening in the first paragraph of the Results section in the Sample Recommendation Report for help.
3. For each task you identified in your research process in the Methods section, add a matching subsection with details on your research findings in the Results section. Follow these guidelines for each Task subsection:
   
   

   Tips for Writing Subheadings

   • Use the subheadings in the Sample Recommendation Report as a model.
   • Consult the advice in the Specific Guidelines on Headings section of Howdy or Hello?.

   Task Heading

   • Begin the subsection with a subheading that identifies the task by number and provides a brief statement of the task. The subheading should match the subheading in the Methods section. Ideally your subheading should be approximately 1 to 1½ lines long.
   • Format your subheading so that it is different from the paragraphs in the body and matches the subheadings in the Methods section. You can use the built-in headings in your word processor.
   • See the Results section in the Sample Recommendation Report for help.

   Task Details

   Provide the relevant details under each heading. Include the following information:

   • Explain what you found as a result of your research. Provide the details as objectively as possible. Save your commentary for the Conclusions section.
   • Outline any limitations to the data you collected, such as any information that you could not verify or options that were not examined.
   • Add in-text citations for outside sources that you mention (for instance, books, websites, or videos) as you explain your findings, following these guidelines:
     • Make sure that any information you quote from your primary or secondary research is enclosed in quotation marks.
     • Follow the documentation style your group has agreed upon.
     • See the Documentation and Citations for Your Projects page for help.
   • Review the information in your subsection, and chunk the information into short paragraphs. The exact number of paragraphs in each of subsections will depend upon the specific details of your research process. See the section on “Chunking” on the Document Design: More Design Principles page.
   • You can also use bulleted lists if appropriate. See Bulleted and Numbered Lists for additional help.
   • See Task 1–6 in the Results section in the Sample Recommendation Report for help.

4. Compare the subheadings you have included with the tasks listed in other sections of the document. Ensure that they all use the same phrasing.
5. Review your Results section to make sure that you have included everything that answers the question, “What did you see or determine?”
6. Share your draft with your group and make additional revisions as necessary to connect with the other sections of your report.