Module 5 · Biological Agents
5.7 Writing Up a Biological Finding
8 min read
A biological finding has more independent parts than most damp findings, and each one can be established to a different level of confidence. What was it, is it active, how far does it go, does it matter structurally, and what caused it — five questions, five answers, and a report that runs them together will over-specify in some directions and under-specify in others. This lesson is about keeping them apart on the page.
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Separate identification, activity, extent, structural significance and cause.
- State each to the confidence the evidence supports.
- Write recommendations that follow from the findings rather than from the organism's name.
- Handle the case where extent could not be established.
Key terms
- Confidence qualifier
- Language marking how firmly a finding is established — confirmed, consistent with, cannot be excluded. Must correspond to the actual evidence.
- Established extent
- The extent actually determined by probing, mapping and opening up, as distinct from an estimate or an assumption.
- Consequential finding
- A separate finding that arises from the same evidence — structural loss from a historic infestation, for instance.
- Contingent recommendation
- A recommendation that applies only if a stated further finding is made, keeping the decision with the client rather than pre-empting it.
Read the rest of Biological Agents
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