Guidelines for Writing a Survey Report for Social Science Thesis

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social science thesis

Are you a PhD student struggling with survey writing reports? Well, as a PhD instructor, I always share a few guidelines with my students for survey reports. According to my experience in the social science thesis, the discussion is based on human societies or relationships. In such studies, survey report writing is state of the art. And in disciplines like the social sciences, most of the theses revolve around the primary research design. So it’s important to know the primary research design. Its different means of conducting research should also be understood. The primary research method can be conducted through different means that are as follows;

  1. Observation
  2. Experiment
  3. Questionnaire or survey

Type Of Social Sciences Survey

Despite the variety of primary research methods, the survey is a dominant method of solving scientific issues. The popularity of a survey method in social sciences is due to the advantage that it provides. This relates to the greater degree of ease it provides to the researcher. The researcher can explore four types of surveys for effective data collection. These are as follows;

  1. Online survey
  2. Paper survey
  3. Telephonic survey
  4. Face-to-face survey

In the recent era, the most feasible method for social sciences surveys is online aspects. This is because this method is less expensive. It facilitates both the researchers, as well as participants. It also saves us from the poor listening issues we often face in telephonic surveys. Similarly, paper surveys also effectively provide all information in hard form. But it often lags because it’s expensive.

Moreover, face-to-face surveys help interviewers in judging the participant’s responses by means of their gestures. Hence, every kind of social sciences survey has its own dark and bright side. The wise selection of the type of survey is what drives its success.

Social Sciences Survey Analysis:

After collecting the survey from the target audience, the next step is Survey analysis. You can analyse the survey in a few simple steps that are as follows;

  1. Four measurement levels.
  2. Select the survey questions.
  3. Focus on quantitative data first.
  4. Cross-tabulation is a better way of understanding the audience.
  5. Properly understanding statistical differences among the variables.
  6. Consider causation versus correlation.
  7. Verify your results from the past data.

These seven steps will help the students in catering to almost all survey report writing problems before time. After the analysis, the next step is writing a Survey Report for Social Science Thesis. Following the correct order of writing according to these guidelines is important. This is because it will help you write a survey report for your social science thesis like a pro.

How To Write A Survey Report For Social Sciences Thesis?

Once the researcher has finished the survey or its analysis, the next step is writing a survey report. The survey reports aim to describe the following things one by one;

  1. Survey methods
  2. Its results
  3. Patterns
  4. Trends

If you’ve conducted a social sciences survey for a public/private organisation, then you know that such reports contain headings/sections. Each section of the survey report has a different purpose. In such surveys, the writer has to fill each section one by one. And proofreading is the last step before submission. But if you have to write a survey report for your thesis, you can follow this pattern;

Part One-Title Page

For making the first part of a survey report-the title page, the students need to revise it several times. The title acts like a label that aims to attract the public. Hence, several free online tools are useful for making a compelling title.

Part Two-Table of Contents

The table of content is also a necessary part of the survey report. To make it, the students don’t need to get specific guidelines. A well-organised Microsoft Word automated table of contents can achieve this context’s aims.

Part Three- Executive Summary

Like other academic papers, writing a survey report for social science thesis is easy. Although we place it after the table of contents, it is written at the end. Writing a survey report for the social sciences thesis is the easiest part.

You don’t need to worry if you’re facing a problem at this stage. Because following these five steps will clear all hurdles without exploring a 100-page book;

  1. Shortly introduce your problem statements.
  2. Start this right after writing the rationale of your studies.
  3. An important part is to write the path you’ll follow to solve the social problem.
  4. State your findings.
  5. Conclude your report by adding a few lines to suggest future recommendations.

Part Four- Background And Objectives

Part four, the longest part of the report, usually starts. In the background, students need to briefly address the problem’s history. This is where you can introduce the key terms, definitions, examples, and purpose of your studies. Likewise, aims and objectives describe the authors’ mindset. The research objectives and questions explain the study’s most prominent part. If an author fails to provide explicit, clear-cut information in these parts, it will confuse the reader. Hence, the research’s overall worth may also be affected in such a situation.

Part Five- Methodology

Perhaps the most useful part of the survey report is its methodology. Suppose you are a young student who wants to experiment on a social issue. What will you do to navigate your research? Of course, the other author’s work. This refers to the published articles with significant impact factors. In an appropriate piece of the scientific manuscript, the methodology section will probably solve all your academic problems. Likewise, your survey report will navigate future students and so forth. So you must stick to this point while writing a survey report methodology.

Part Six- Results

Like methods, results will also help young students. But not in the aspect of mapping the research design. This helps in the cross-checking part. The results reported in scientific articles will help the researcher know whether he’s on the right track. So while writing a survey report for the social sciences thesis, the sixth part (results) should discuss your findings.

Part Seven – Conclusion And Recommendations

For those new to research, the conclusion is very important for getting the crux of a long these. Here the researcher should only summarise all informative points with the study’s results. Introducing anything not discussed in prior parts of the survey report is not advisable. Yet adding future recommendations is a good practice, especially in a social sciences thesis.

Following these guidelines, a student survey report will have all basic components. For more information, keep in touch with us. We will bring more exciting articles for you.

Author Bio:

This article is written by Neil Jackson, a Digital Marketer working with the best thesis writing service, Affordable Dissertation UK. You may reach him by visiting his website.