Page 278 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

• Defining structure and content
• Planning and division of labour (who does
what when?)
• Collection (and safe storage) of information
• Organization and structuring of information
• Writing the first draft
• Checking and rewriting
• Finalisation of manuscript
In report writing, there is no escaping some repetition. Small or large inconsistencies that had escaped notice will become apparent, and will have to be addressed. They will need attention and resolving. Organizing the report writing process in a structured way will avoid problems among the numerous contributors.
Structure of a report
Rule 31. Reports shall include:
(a) an account of the objectives;
(b) an account of the methods and tech-
niques employed;
(c) an account of the results achieved;
(d) basic graphic and photographic docu-
mentation on all phases of the activity;
(e) recommendations concerning con- servation and curation of the site and of any underwater cultural heritage
removed; and
(f) recommendations for future activities.
The structure of the research report should mirror the course of the research process while illustrating its positive and negative effects, and end with recommendations for preservation and future research.
A good report begins by defining the research goals, the assumptions made, the methods and techniques applied. The next stage is a description of the results obtained. This constitutes the basis for planning of possible future interventions or additional, complementary research. A very important element
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Reporting