Group Members

Name Nikita Agrawal Neelam Arkade Supriya Avhad Aishwarya Baile

Roll No 1 2 3 4

SIGNFICANCE OF REPORT WRITING

Research report is considered a major component of the research study for the research task remains incomplete till the report has been presented and/or written. As a matter of fact even the most brilliant hypothesis, highly well designed and conducted research study. Writing of report is the last step in a research study and requires a set of skills respect of stages of research

TYPES OF REPORTS Research reports vary greatly in length and type. Business firms prefer reports and the letter form just one or two pages in length banks insurance organisations and financial institutions are generally fond of the short balance sheet type of tabulation for their annual reports to their customers and shareholders chemists reports their results in symbols and formulae

(A) TECHNICAL REPORT

In the technical report the main emphasis is on 1. the methods employed , 2.assumptions made in the course of the study , 3.the detailed presentation of the findings including their limitations and supporting data . A general outline of a technical report can be as follows: 1.summary of results:- A brief review of the main findings just in two or three pages.

2.Nature of the study:- Description of the general objectives of study formulation of the problem in operational terms the working
hypothesis the types of analysis and data required, etc

3. Methods employed : - Specific methods used in the study and their limitations for instance in sampling study we should give details viz, sample selection ,etc 4. Data:- Discussion of data collected , their sources characteristics and limitations In case of a survey the manner in which data collected should be fully described. 5. Analysis of data and presentation of findings :- The analysis of data and presentations of the findings of the study with supporting data in the form of tables and charts be fully narrated in fact happens to be the main body of the report usually.

6. Conclusions :- A detailed summary of the findings and the policy implications drawn from the results be explained. 7.Bibliography:-Bibliography of various consulted be prepared and attached. 8. Technical appendices:- A appendices be given for all technical matters relating to questionnaire mathematical derivations elaboration on particular technique of analysis and the like ones. 9.Index :-Index must be prepared and be given invariably in the report at the end.

(B) Popular Report

The popular report is one which gives emphasis on simplicity and attractiveness. The simplification should be clear writing minimization of technical particularly mathematical, details and liberal use of charts and diagrams. Attractive layout along withlarge print. Subheadings, occasional cartoon now and then is another Characteristic feature of the popular report.

*We

give below a general outline of a popular report

1. The findings and their implications.

2. Recommendations for action.

3. Objective of the study. 4.Methods employed. 5.Results. 6.Techincal appendices.

DIFFERENT STEPS IN WRITING REPORT

1. Logical Analysis Of The Subject Matter : Two ways to develop a subject,(a) logically and (b) chronologically. 2. Preparation Of The Final Outline : It is the framework upon which long written works are constructed. 3. Preparation Of The Rough Draft : This follows above two steps.

4. Rewriting

And Polishing Of The Rough Draft : This step requires more time than the writing of the rough draft.

5. Preparation Of The Final Bibliography : It is a list of books. bibliography should be arranged alphabetically & divided into two parts. 6. Writing the final draft : This is last step. Should be written in a concise &objective style & in simple language.

Layout of research report

Comprises of:
A. Preliminary pages

B. Main text
C. End matter

 Preliminary Pages Should carry a title and date. Acknowledgements in the form of preface or foreword.

There should be a table of contents.

Followed by list of tables and illustrations so that the

decision-maker or anybody interested in reading the report can easily locate the required information in the report.

 (B) Main Text Introduction Statement of findings and recommendations: the

research report must contain a statement of findings and recommendations in non-technical language so that it can be easily understood by all concerned. The results: the main body of the report,extending over several chapters. The result section of the report should contain statistical summaries and reductions of the data rather than the raw data. The implications drawn from the results: The summary: conclude the research report with a very brief summary, resting in brief the research problem, the methodology, the major findings and the major conclusions drawn from the research results.

 End Matter
At the end of the report, appendices should be enlisted in

respect of all technical data: such as questionnaires, sample information, mathematical derivations and the like ones. Bibliography of sources consulted should also be given. Index (an alphabetical listing of names, places and topics along with the numbers of the pages in a book of report on which they are mentioned or discussed) should invariably be given at the end of the report. The value of index lies in the fact that it works as a guide to the reader for the contents in the report.

The following points deserve mention so far as the mechanics of writing a report are concerned

1. Size and physical design :The manuscript should be written on unruled paper 8.5 X 11 in size. If it is to be written by hand, than black or blue-black ink should be used. A margin of at least one and one- half inches should be allowed at the left hand and of at least half an inch at the right hand of the paper. There should also be one-inch margins, top and bottom. The paper should be neat and legible. If the manuscript is to be typed, then all typing should be double-spaced on one side of the page only except for the insertion of the long quotations.

2.Procedure Various steps in writing the report should be strictly adhered 3. Layout Keeping in view the objective and nature of the problem, the layout of the report should be thought of and decided and accordingly adopted

4.Treatment of quotations Quotations should be placed in quotation marks and double spaced, forming an immediate part of the text. But if a quotation is of a considerable length (more than four or five type written lines) then it should be single-spaced and indented at least half an inch to the right of the normal text margin.

 5 The footnotes footnotes are meant for cross references, citation of

authorities and sources, acknowledgement and elucidation or explanation of a point of view. The modern tendency is to make the minimum use of footnotes for scholarship does not need to be displayed . b) Footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page on which the reference or quotation which they identify or supplement ends. Footnotes are customarily separated from the textual material by a space of half an inch and a line about one and a half inches long Footnotes should be numbered consecutively, usually beginning with 1 in each chapter separately ,except in the case of statistical tables and other numerical material, where symbols such as the asterisk (*) or the like one may be used to prevent confusion. Footnotes are always typed in single space though they are divided from one another by double space

6. Documentation style The common order may be

described as under A. Regarding the single-volume reference
B. Regarding multivolume reference C. Regarding works arranged alphabetically

D. Regarding periodicals reference

E. Regarding anthologies and collections reference

F. Regarding second-hand quotations reference

G. Case of multiple authorship

 7. Punctuation and abbreviations in footnotes Certain

Latin and English abbreviations are quite often used in bibliographies and footnotes to eliminate tedious repetition. anon., anonymous ante., before art., article aug., augmented bk., book bull., bulletin cf., compare ch., chapter col., column

 8 Use of statistics, charts and graphs :

it contributes a great deal towards the clarification and

simplification of the material and research results. One may well remember that a good picture is often worth more than a thousand words. Statistics are usually presented in the form of tables, charts, bars and linegraphs and pictograms. Such presentation should be self explanatory and complete in itself. It should be suitable and appropriate looking to the problem at hand. Finally, statistical presentation should be neat and attractive.

 9 The final draft Revising and rewriting the rough draft of the report

should be done with great care before writing the final draft. For the purpose, the researcher should put to himself questions like Are the sentences written in the report clear? Are they grammatically correct? Do they say what is meant? Do the various points incorporated in the report fit together logically? Having at least one colleague read the report just before the final revision is extremely helpful

 10 Bibliography Bibliography should be prepared and

appended to the research report as discussed earlier

11 Preparation of the index At the end of the report, an

index should invariably be given, the value of which lies in the fact that it acts as a good guide to the reader. Index may be prepared both as subject index and as author index. The former gives the names of the subject-topics or concepts along with the number of pages on which they have appeared or discussed in the report, whereas the latter gives the similar information regarding the names of authors. The index should always be arranged alphabetically.

PRECAUTIONS FOR WRITING RESEARCH REPORTS

1.Research reports vary greatly in length.

2. It should be such as to sustain readers interest. 3. Abstract terminology & technical jargon should
be avoided in a research report.

4. Acquire quick knowledge of main findings & reports

must provide a ready availability of findings.

5. The layout of the report should be well thought out

&must be appropriate.

6. The layout of the report should be well thought out and must be appropriate and in accordance with the objective of the research problem. 7. The reports should be : free from grammatical mistakes must be prepared strictly in accordance with the techniques of composition of report-writing :- such as the use of quotations and use of abbreviations in footnotes and the like. 8. Bibliography of sources consulted is a must for a good report and must necessarily be given.

9. Index is also considered an essential part of a good report and as such must be prepared and appended at the end. 10. Objective of the study, the nature of the problem, the methods employed and the analysis techniques adopted must all be clearly stated in the beginning of the report in the form of introduction.