Precisely reporting results is one of the most often overlooked steps
in survey administration. Follow these simple tips when reporting survey
results:
Understand your audience- One of the worst
things that you can do is report results that are not the level of
sophistication of your audience. Describing complex statistical analyses
to an audience without a statistical background will bury any useful
conclusions and undermine the impact the entire process. On the other
hand, reporting only superficial results to a statistically advanced
audience will raise doubt of the validity of your conclusions.
Fully describe your methodology- In order
for your readers to accept your conclusions, they must understand
your methodology. Be sure to include thorough descriptions of your
respondents, questionnaire design strategy, sample selection methodology,
administration process, and data collection and analysis procedures.
Include a limitation section- One of the
best ways to show credibility and professionalism is through a limitation
section. A limitation outlines any difficulties you had in the survey
process, as well as any questions that were left unanswered through
the research. Being the first to point out limitations in your findings
shows that you are not trying to deceive the audience, and lends the
appearance of an "impartial observer" as opposed to a promoter of
your research. Listing possible sources of bias or error in your survey
will demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of the limitations
of their own work and that they have made reasonable judgments about
how to spend their limited time and resources.
