Report writing checklist

1. Title page 7. Results and findings

Does this include the: Are your diagrams clear and simple? REPORT WRITING
title? Are they clearly labelled?
What is a report?
author’s name? Do they relate closely to the text?
A report is a more highly structured form of writing than say, an essay, and is designed so that
module/course details? it can be read quickly and accurately; though reports are not necessarily read from beginning
8. Discussion to end. Structure and convention in written reports stress the process by which the information
2. Acknowledgements
Have you identified key issues? was gathered as much as the information itself. Reports should be organised for the
Have you acknowledged all sources of help?
Have you suggested explanations for your convenience of the intended reader. Reports are written on a wide range of subjects for a
findings? wide variety of reasons.
3. Contents Have you outlined any problems encountered? Before writing any report you should identify the objective and the preferred conventions of
Have you listed all the main sections in Have you presented a balanced view? structure and presentation. This is as true for reports you write at university as it is for reports
sequence? written in employment. All reports attempt to communicate findings for one reason or another,
Have you included a list of illustrations? 9. Conclusions and recommendations whether to inform decision makers, change public opinion or maintain a record of
Have you drawn together all of your main ideas? development. Whenever you write a report you must bear in mind why you are writing and
4. Abstract or summary Have you avoided including any new who you are writing for. All reports have an intended reader. Put yourself in his/her position.
Does this state: information? What does he/she need to know?
the main task? Are your recommendations clear and concise?
the methods used? This study advice sheet highlights common features in written reports and makes
the conclusions reached? 10. References recommendations for clear presentation and adherence to convention
the recommendations made? Have you listed all references?
Have you included all the necessary information
for locating each reference?
5. Introduction Stages in report writing
Are your references accurate and consistent? Structuring your report
Does this include: The following stages are involved in writing a report: Check with your tutor to
your terms of reference? 11. Appendices  planning your work; find out what your report
the limits of the report? Have you only included supporting information?  collecting your information; should include and how it
an outline of the method? should be presented. The
Does the reader need to read these sections?  organising and structuring your information;
a brief background to the subject matter? following elements are
 writing the first draft; however common to many
12. Writing style  checking and re-drafting. reports:
6. Methodology Have you used clear and concise language? • title page,
Does this include: Are your sentences short and jargon free? Draw up an outline structure for your report and set the work within • acknowledgements,
the form your enquiry took? Are your paragraphs tightly focused? a sensible time scale for completion by the given deadline. One • contents,
the way you collected your data? common structure is based on the 4 P’s: position, problem, • abstract or summary,
Have you used the active or the passive
possibilities, proposal. This means you outline the current position., • introduction,
voice?
describe the problem, examine the range of possibilities and decide • methodology,
on a proposal (Hemingway, 1993). Some of the most time- • results or findings,
consuming parts of the process are collecting and selecting your • discussion ,
information, and checking and revising your report. • conclusion and
 Clarify your terms of reference – what brief are you working to? recommendations,
 Decide on the main sections of your report – what instructions • references,
All study advice sheets are also available to view and download on the following website: • appendices.
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/skills/ have you been given ?

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 • Illustration checklist Style of writing
Sections in detail All illustrations should be carefully presented to Keep it simple. Avoid sentences that are
help convey your information. too long and eliminate unnecessary
• Title page • Are all your illustrations clearly labelled? jargon. Your tutor will be able to advise
This should include the title of the report (which should give a precise indication of the subject • Do they all have titles? whether the report should be written in
matter), the author’s name, module, course and the date. • Is the link between the text and diagram clear? the ‘active’ or ‘passive’ voice.
• Acknowledgements • Are the headings precise? The active voice reads as follows:
You should acknowledge any help you have received in collecting the information for the report, for • Are the axes of graphs clearly labelled? ‘I recommend ...’
example from staff in your department, support services or external companies. • Can tables be easily interpreted? The passive voice reads:
• Contents • Have you acknowledged all sources of help and ‘It is recommended that ...’
You should list all the main sections of the report in sequence with the page numbers they begin on. obtained permission to reproduce copyright The active voice allows you to write short,
If there are charts, diagrams or tables included in your report, these should be listed separately images? punchy sentences. The passive appears
under a title such as ‘List of Illustrations’ together with the page numbers on which they appear. • Have you numbered your illustrations and listed more formal and considered and is more
• Abstract or summary them in the Contents section? suitable for academic writing. Avoid
This should be a short paragraph summarising the main contents of the report. It should include a
mixing the two voices.
short statement of the main task, the methods used, conclusions reached and any • Title page In which voice will you be expected to
recommendations made. The abstract or summary should be concise, informative and independent Does this include the: write?
of the report. The summary may have more than one purpose: it reminds the reader what they have Title
read but it is also useful to busy managers or professors who may not always read the full report. Author’s name/
Write this section after you have written the main body of the report. Module/course details?
Layout
• Introduction Most reports have a progressive
This should give the context and scope of the report and should include your terms of reference • Acknowledgements numbering system. The most common
(what have you been asked to find out?) State your objectives clearly, define the limits of the report, system is the decimal notation system.
Have you acknowledged all sources of help? The main sections are given single arabic
outline the method of enquiry, give a brief general background to the subject of the report and
indicate the proposed development. numbers - 1, 2, 3 and so on.
• Contents
• Methodology Subsections are given a decimal number
In this section you should state how you carried out your enquiry. What form did your enquiry take? Have you listed all the main sections in - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and so on.
Did you carry out interviews or questionnaires, how did you collect your data? What measurements sequence? Sub-sections can be further divided into -
did you make? How did you choose the subjects for your interviews? Have you included a list of illustrations? 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3 and so on.
• Results or findings
Present your findings in as simple a way as possible. The more complicated the information looks, Presentation
the more difficult it will be to interpret. Graphs, charts and diagrams help your reader identify key Your report should be easy to read. Usually your department will ask for it to be word
results and break the flow of written text. processed.
• Discussion What are the requirements for your department or module?
This is the section where you analyse and interpret your results drawing from the information which • Leave wide margins for binding and feedback comments from your tutor.
you have collected, explaining its significance. Identify important issues and suggest explanations • Avoid rambling by using short sentences.
for your findings. Outline any problems encountered and try and present a balanced view. • Paragraphs should be short and concise.
• Conclusions and recommendations • Avoid using unnecessary jargon and unexplained abbreviations.
This is the section of the report which draws together the main issues. It should be expressed • List your standard measurements, units and technical terminology in a glossary at the end.
clearly and should not present any new information. You may wish to list your recommendations in • Headings should be clear – highlighted in bold or underlined.
a separate section or include them with the conclusions. • Label graphs, pictures or drawings as 'Figures', e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2 etc.
• References • Tables of information should be labelled separately, e.g. Table 1, Table 2 etc.
It is important that you give precise and accurate details of all the work by other authors which has
been referred to within the report. References are normally listed in alphabetical order bythe
authors' names or in numerical order. Check your Department handbook to find out what Redrafting and checking
referencing format is required by your Department. Once you have written the first draft of your report you will need to check it through. It is
• Appendices probably sensible to leave it on your desk for a day or so if you have the time. This will make a
An appendix contains additional related information which is not essential to read but can be clear break from the intensive writing period, allowing you to view your work more objectively.
consulted if the reader wishes. However the interpretation of the report should not depend on this Assess your work by re-reading particularly focusing on:
being read. You could include details of interview questions, statistical data, a glossary of terms, or • structure,
other such information. • content,
• style.

Use the Checklist which follows to check through your report before submitting it.