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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Report Writing

Report Writing

A report is a formal document written for a specific audience to meet a specific need.

Objectives:

· Understanding the nature and importance of reports

· Knowing the different types of reports

· Identifying four report formats

· Knowing the components of formal reports

· Chalking out various strategies of writing a report

Nature and Significance

A report is a formal document written for a specific audience to meet a specific need. A report is
factual and systematic account of a specific business or professional activity.

It may contain facts of a situation, project, or process; an analysis and interpretation of data,
events, and records; inferences or conclusions drawn from objective data; or suggestions and
recommendations. Although reports may include a variety of topics and objectives, they all help in
the process of decision making by answering questions and determining ways to improve certain
situations.

Reports help in the analysis of condition, situation, or a problem for an effective solution.

Reports serve several purposes, which may include:

* Presenting data;
* Describing problems and suggesting solutions;
* Discussing and analysing data;
* Recording events and happenings;
* Analysing a situation or a condition; or
* Giving feedback, suggestions, or recommendations.

Types of Reports

Criteria

Types

Description

Examples

Function
Informational

Analytical

Objective presentation of data without analysis or interpretation

Presentation of data with analysis and interpretation

Conference, seminar and trip reports.

Project, feasibility and market research reports.

Periodicity

Routine

Special

Presentation of routine information

Presentation of specific information related to single condition, situation, problem or occasion

Daily production, monthly sales and annual reports.

Inquiry, research, thesis and dissertation reports.

Communicative Form

Oral

Written

Face to face presentation of information

Presentation of information in written form

Accidents

Formats of Reports

Format

Description
1. Printed forms

Forms prepared to record for repetitive and routine data.

e.g. daily production, monthly sales and lab reports.

2. Letter format

Short informal reports to be communicated to someone outside an organization. e.g.

informational, analytical and non-formal.

3. Memo format

Short informal reports to be communicated to someone within an organization. e.g. informational,

analytical and non-formal.

4. Manuscript format

Formal reports printed on plain paper. e.g. formal reports.

Structure of Formal Reports

Parts of a Formal Report

A formal report may include the following elements:

1. Title Page
2. Preface
3. Letter of Transmittal
4. Acknowledgements
5. Table of Contents
6. List of Illustrations
7. Abstract/Executive Summary
8. Introduction
9. Methodology
10. Discussion/Findings/Analysis
11. Conclusion
12. Recommendations
13. Appendices
14. Reference and Bibliography

A technical report should contain the following sections;

Section

Details

1.Title page
Must include the title of the report. Reports for assessment, where the word length has been
specified, will often also require the summary word count and the main text word count

6.Summary

A summary of the whole report including important features, results and conclusions

5. Contents

Numbers and lists all section and subsection headings with page numbers

7.Introduction

States the objectives of the report and comments on the way the topic of the report is to be
treated. Leads straight into the report itself. Must not be a copy of the introduction in a lab
handout.

9.The sections which make up the body of the report

Divided into numbered and headed sections. These sections separate the different main ideas in
a logical order

10.Conclusions

A short, logical summing up of the theme(s) developed in the main text

12.References

Details of published sources of material referred to or quoted in the text (including any lecture
notes and URL addresses of any websites used.

13.Bibliography

Other published sources of material, including websites, not referred to in the text but useful for
background or further reading.

4.Acknowledgements

List of people who helped you research or prepare the report, including your proofreaders

11.Appendices (if appropriate)

Any further material which is essential for full understanding of your report (e.g. large scale
diagrams, computer code, raw data, specifications) but not required by a casual reader
2.Preface:

An optional element in a formal report and it mentions its salient features and scope.

8.Methodology:

While writing a report, information may have to be gathered from library and archival sources or
through internet surfing, interviews, surveys and formal/informal

discussions. It summarises the methods of data collection, the procedures for investigating the
situation/problem, and the criteria of survey.

3. Letter of Transmittal:

It is a brief covering letter from the report writer explaining the causes for writing the report. It may
contain the objectives, scope, acknowledgements and other highlights of the report.

Title Page

A REPORT ON

Improving Blast Efficiency Through Performance Analysis

SUBMITTED TO

Department of Science and Technology

Government of India

SUBITTED BY

Rakesh Kumar

Research Scholar, IIT, New Delhi

DATE

August 16, 2004

Sample Title Page

TABLE OF CONTENETS

Preface 1

Acknowledgement 2

List of illustrations 3

Abstract 4

1. Introduction 6
2. Methodology 9

3. Discussion 10

4. Conclusion 14

5. Recommendations 18

Appendices 20

References 28

Writing Strategies

The following steps will help in organizing and presenting the report systematically.

1. Analyse the problem and purpose: What do you want to present or discuss and why do you
want to present it?
2. Determine the scope of the report: Present only the most essential and important facts.
Scope of the report should be narrowed down to present specific information.
3. Determine the needs of the audience: A report will be effective only when the writer is able to
connect his/her purpose with the interests and needs of their readers.
4. Gather all the information: It is essential to ensure that the information gathered from both
primary and secondary resources is accurate, bias free, current and relevant.
5. Analyse and organise the information: Analysis of information involves evaluating the
information objectively, making comparative analyses of different sets of information for obtaining
new ideas and interpreting facts and figures for their relative importance. Organising information
involoves using an appropriate logical pattern to arrange the information

Posted by ramanaenglish1 at 9:55 PM

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