Report Writing

WHAT IS A REPORT?

A report is a structured written presentation directed to interested readers in response to some specific
purpose, aim or request. There are many varieties of reports, but generally their function is to give an
account of something, to answer a question, or to offer a solution to a problem.
Characteristics Of An Effective Report

An effective report is:

appropriate to its purpose and audience;
accurate;
logical;
clear and concise; and
well organized with clear section headings.

PURPOSES AND TYPES OF REPORT FORMATS

What Kinds Of Reports Are Written?

Informal lab reports-

Memo and letter reports

Formal reports

How Is The Report Organized?

This format should be flexible enough to adjust to your purpose and audience

WHAT was done (the problem being worked)

HOW it was done (the procedures used)

WHAT the results were

WHAT conclusions can be drawn

WHAT recommendations can be made

Where Are Reports Written?

 In academic settings

In industry and government

More recently, reports and proposals cross the lines between academia, industry, and government,
especially in the area of engagement and not-for-profit organizations relying on grants and other types of
support.

For Whom Are Reports Written? Who Are Your Stakeholders?

For teachers

Who know the field

Who know more than the writer

Who can give a critical evaluation

For diverse audiences (decision makers: experts and technicians, executives, and laypeople)

Some are known and some are unknown to the writer

Some know something about the field, but less than the writer

Some know very little about the field

Why Is The Report Written?

To transmit information to teachers: to show that the writer is thoroughly acquainted with the
material, the information, and/or the procedures. Therefore: be thorough and complete; be concise

To transmit information to decision makers: experts and technicians, executives, and laypeople

To help them make decisions and act on the results presented. Therefore: be concise; be thorough and
complete

Before you write, ask yourself the following questions:

Who will read the report?

 In what context will they be reading?

What do they want to know?

How should the report be structured?

What questions will your readers want your communication to answer?

What additional information do your readers need?

What information do you need to gather through research?

Reminders:

There is no universally agreed upon format.

You should follow the format for your course or your company.

Successful report writing contains several main parts:

Cover Sheet.
This should include full title of the report and your name.

Title Page.
Contains report title, name and organization for whom the report has been created, author’s name and
date of fulfillment.

Acknowledgments page.
Always include it into your research or business report saying thank you to people who helped you
with work. Besides, your business report writing will be successful if you refer to every person
thanking him for some concrete assistance.

Abstract/ Executive Summary.

This is an overview of the entire document. It should show the reader what this report is about. It
includes the purpose, reviewed literature, methodology you chose, brief list of your findings and
recommendations.

Table of Contents.
This page contains paper structure with numbers for every heading and subheading for the reader’s
convenience. At first, a draft is created in order to organize material and ideas, though it may be
changed during the report writing.
 The List of Tables, Figures and Illustrations.
You need to number all figures and tables presented in a business report and list them in order they
are given. If you use more than seven tables and/or figures, you should list them on a separate page
giving the page numbers they can be found in the work. Place figures, illustrations and tables in the
following order: list of figures, list of tables, list of illustrations.

The Body.
The Body of your report writing is the main part of the paper that contains all important materials and
data necessary for the research of the issue. The body includes literature review, methodology,
results or findings, analysis and discussion sections.

Literature review helps you to place the research into a background context and show its significance as
well as critically analyze scholarly articles and books, which relate to your topic.
Methodology contains methods and principles, which you used in your research. Besides, in this section
you must explain why you have chosen these methods for report writing and discuss ethical issues of the
topic.
Results and findings section contains the presentation of facts and the results of your research. It usually
includes figures and tables.
Analysis and discussion section shows the way you use your findings and how you compare them with
findings of other researchers.

Conclusion.
This is the final part of work. You should summarize your findings and draw conclusions, which are
supported by evidence.

Recommendations.
Make it with some suggestions concerning further research of the topic.

Appendix.
Report may contain an appendix or several ones, which may present a copy of a questionnaire, maps,
calculations, plans, etc.

Bibliography.
List all the sources, which have direct reference in the paper. The sources should be referenced in the
text using Harvard citation style.

PROCEDURE FOR REPORT WRITING

The following is a suggestion as to how you might proceed in compiling and presenting a report. There
are three stages:
Planning
Writing
Formatting, revising and proof-reading

STAGE ONE: PLANNING

1. Defining the purpose - read the brief carefully
- identify key words
- make sure you know what's really being asked
2. Defining the audience - determine your audience's level of understanding
- determine what your audience needs to know
3. Establishing parameters - determine the scope and level of detail required
- determine the length of the report and what can be covered in
that length
4. Gathering information - make sure the information you gather is relevant, contemporary
and factually correct
- make sure that you transcribe facts and figures correctly

STAGE TWO: WRITING

Write the report in three stages:

Write the body
Write the abstract/executive summary
Write the supplementary material

1. Writing the body

There are four components of the body of the report: the introduction, the discussion, the conclusion and
the recommendations.

Introduction
The introduction leads into the main subject matter by giving the necessary background of the report, its
aims, premises, scope, limitations, approach intended audience, possible benefits and any instructions that
may be useful for the reader. If specialist terms are used in the report, define them clearly.
It puts the discussion in perspective, explains why the report is necessary and gives background
information on the subject matter.

Discussion
The discussion is the main body of the report. Use headings and sub-headings. It describes, analyses,
interprets and evaluates the procedures, data, findings, relationships, visual material, methodology and
results in the report. This material should be presented in an order that leads logically towards the
conclusions and recommendations.
In writing the discussion section of the body, you should:
pitch at appropriate level
organize material logically
use clear, concise language
give concrete examples

Conclusion
Conclusions are drawn from evidence, analysis, interpretation and evaluation presented in the discussion.
No new material should be introduced; the conclusions should follow logically from the Discussion. The
Conclusions section should give:
Conclusions
Key points
Main findings

Recommendation
The Recommendation section (when used - not all reports give recommendations) should present your
informed opinions, suggestions, possible actions to be taken, applications and recommendations arising
from a rational consideration of the discussion and conclusions.
Be definite
Be perceptive
Be imaginative
Be rational

2. Abstract/executive summary

Once the body of the report is written, write the abstract. The abstract (also known as the Executive
Summary) is a concise summary presentation of the essential elements of the report, from the introduction
through to and including the recommendations. It should be independent (can be read on its own),
comprehensive (covers all the main points), clear and concise. As a general rule it should be short, only
10-15% of the length of the report, and should be written in full sentences and paragraphs. It should
include a summary of the following:

Purpose
Scope
Achievements
Main points
Conclusions
Recommendations

Ex:

This report considers three energy sources and recommends the best one.
(Too general)
This report compares nuclear plants, fossil fuels, and solar generators, in order to
determine which energy source will best meet the nation's needs. The criteria for
 This report considers three energy sources and recommends the best one.
(Too general)
comparison were the economic, social, and environmental effects of each alternative. The
study concludes that nuclear energy is the best of these options, because North America is
not self-sufficient in fossil fuels, and solar power is currently too unreliable for industrial
use. Although nuclear plants are potentially very dangerous, nuclear energy is still the best
short-term solution.
(Specific & detailed)

3. Writing the supplementary material

Transmittal document
The transmittal document is not part of the report, but accompanies the report. In letter, memo, or minute
form, it personalizes the report for a specific reader and calls attention to those items or sections in the
report which are of particular interest to that person.

Title page
Identifies the report with the following information:
Title
Author's name, position and qualifications
Authority for report
Place of origin
Date

Table of contents
The table of contents shows the section titles and major headings listed in order of appearance and
indicates page locations. Standard page numbering begins with the Introduction. The Abstract or
Executive Summary is usually numbered with lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.)

Bibliography
The bibliography lists all publications either cited or referred to in preparing the report. Use the
Referencing System recommended by your School.

STAGE THREE: FORMATTING, REVISING AND PROOF-READING

Apply the following "report checklist"

Have I fulfilled the purpose of the report?
Is it written at a level appropriate to its audience?
Are its facts correct?
Is it comprehensive?
Is all the included information relevant?
Are the layout and presentation well thought out?
Is the style clear, concise and professional?
Does the abstract summarize?
Does the introduction adequately introduce the discussion?
Is the discussion organized logically?
Does the conclusions section interpret, analyze and evaluate?
Are the recommendations reasonable?
Does the table of contents correspond with the actual contents? Are page numbers correct?
Have I acknowledged all sources of information through correct referencing?
Have I checked spelling, grammar and punctuation?
Have I carefully proof-read the final draft

Example Report

Terms of Reference
Margaret Anderson, Director of Personnel has requested this report on employee benefits satisfaction.
The report was to be submitted to her by 28 June.

Procedure
A representative selection of 15% of all employees were interviewed in the period between April 1st and
April 15th concerning:

Overall satisfaction with our current benefits package

Problems encountered when dealing with the personnel department

Suggestions for the improvement of communication policies

Problems encountered when dealing with our HMO

Findings
Employees were generally satisfied with the current benefits package.
Some problems were encountered when requesting vacation due to what is perceived as long approval
waiting periods.

Older employees repeatedly had problems with HMO prescription drugs procedures.

Employees between the ages of 22 and 30 report few problems with HMO.

Most employees complain about the lack of dental insurance in our benefits package.

The most common suggestion for improvement was for the ability to process benefits requests online.

Conclusions

Older employees, those over 50, are having serious problems with our HMO's ability to provide
prescription drugs.
Our benefits request system needs to be revised as most complaints concerning in-house processing.

Improvements need to take place in personnel department response time.

Information technology improvements should be considered as employees become more technologically

savvy.

Recommendations

Meet with HMO representatives to discuss the serious nature of complaints concerning prescription drug
benefits for older employees.

Give priority to vacation request response time as employees need faster approval in order to be able to
plan their vacations.

Take no special actions for the benefits package of younger employees.

Discuss the possibility of adding an online benefits requests system to our company Intranet.
Important Points to Remember

A report is divided into four areas:

Terms of Reference- This section gives background information on the reason for the report. It usually
includes the person requesting the report.
Procedure- The procedure provides the exact steps taken and methods used for the report.

Findings- The findings point out discoveries made during the course of the report investigation.

Conclusions- The conclusions provide logical conclusions based on the findings.

Recommendations- The recommendations state actions that the writer of the report feels need to be taken
based on the findings and conclusions.

Reports should be concise and factual. Opinions are given in the "conclusions" section. However, these
opinions should be based on facts presented in the "findings".

Use simple tenses (usually the present simple) to express facts.

Use the imperative form (Discuss the possibility ..., Give priority ..., etc.) in the "recommendations"
section as these apply to the company as a whole.