Module I4 Session 06

Report Writing: Style and Structure

Summary
Writing a report can seem daunting at first, but with a solid

understanding of the fundamental structure and style used in

constructing clear and concise reports, it can be achieved. The

standard report format is as follows: Title, Summary, Introduction,

Body, Conclusions, Recommendations, Appendix, References and

Table of Contents. We will first look at how to prepare a report

before the writing begins.

Learning objectives
At the end of the session, students will be able to:

 Write with a specific purpose and audience in mind

 Structure sentences, paragraphs and reports
 Write clearly and concisely

Purpose and audience

Before writing a report you should first identify some key factors,

which will help you plan your approach and write with clarity. The

first question you should ask yourself is, “what is the purpose of the

report?”

Purpose

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“What is it about, and what is it for?”

It is beneficial to establish the purpose of your report before you

start writing, so that you can think clearly on the subject, and

produce a report styled to fit the needs of your purpose.

Recognize what your report is for, (informing, instructing,

guiding) and focus your writing on explaining the details. If for

example, you want to write an instructional report for a team of

colleagues, you know that you must focus your writing on

providing clear concise instructions, which will allow your reader

to comprehend the processes that you are describing.

Audience

“Who are you writing for?”

The second question you should ask yourself is, “who is going to

read this report and why?” Knowing your audience will help you

determine how long your report should be, how it should be

presented, and what level of terminology you should use to best

attract and maintain the interest of your reader. If for example, you

are writing a report to inform policy makers, you would want to focus

on presenting your evidence clearly and concisely.

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We will now try an exercise on identifying audience and purpose:

Exercise one
Malaria Prevention

You are a Health worker at the Ministry Of Health and have been

asked to write a report on Malaria. You have access to the figures on

Malaria incidents in the Country over the last five years, as well as

access to the latest info on drugs and other barriers to prevent

Malaria.

1. Describe the purpose of your report, and identify your audience.

The sentence
Now that we know how to identify our audience and define a

purpose, we will look at how to write clearly and succinctly.

Understanding how to structure a sentence is essential to conveying

meaning clearly. Following are a few rules of thumb to help avoid

ambiguous sentences:

 Keep it short and to the point. Many people have trouble with

run-on sentences, creating ambiguity by attaching many ideas

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together with large combinations of commas, semicolons and

dashes. Complete one thought and close out your sentence

with end punctuation.

 Words for words sake. Avoid extraneous words, and

parentheses that do not add to your point.

 Don’t leave it hanging. Sentence fragments can be just as

confusing as run-on sentences. Make sure that you have

completed your sentence and that it makes sense, before

closing it out.

For a comprehensive explanation of the inner workings of sentences

and grammar, you can visit the links below.

Sentence help:

http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/sentence/index.htm

Grammar help:

http://www.speakspeak.com/html/d10_english_grammar.htm

We will now look over some common errors that can convolute

sentences and obscure meaning.

Sentence Fragment

“Mark has finished his work on time. Since he started planning

ahead.”

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The second sentence is a fragment here, because it does not contain

enough information to complete a thought. Most sentence fragments

are phrases that belong to the previous thought. To correct the

problem in this instance, we simply remove the period.

Correct

“Mark has finished his work on time since he started planning

ahead.”

Run-on sentence

“Jane loves Tom he is a good friend.”

A run-on sentence occurs when you have two complete sentences

that are not separated by correct punctuation. In this case we can

correct it with a comma and a linking word, or by using a period.

Correct

“Jane loves Tom, because he is a good friend.”

“Jane loves Tom. He is a good friend.”

Exercise 2

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Correct the following sentence fragments and run-on sentences.

We will play Cricket tomorrow. If it doesn’t rain.

In our survey we contacted 212 members of government 110

members of government responded.

In order to obtain funding. You have to write clear concise reports.

Michael loves to write reports he is talented at it and his wife’s name

is Shelly.

Structuring Sentences, Paragraphs and Reports

“Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and

then tell them what you told them.”

The diagram below is an excellent example on how to write clearly

and logically. We will now look at each part of this “map” and then

see how the pieces come together.

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Introduction
Introductory paragraph

The introduction should explain the general ideas to come, as well as

your thesis statement, which tells the reader what to expect from the

rest of the report. The rest of the report should gather evidence and

organize a case around your thesis statement.

Topic sentences

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A topic sentence is like a mini introduction to the body of your

paragraph. Your topic sentence should explain what the body of the

paragraph will cover, (just like your introduction explains what to

expect in the report). It is a good idea to “map” out your report, by

first writing topic sentences for each of the different paragraphs or

sections of your report.

2. Body
Support sentences

Support sentences are the body of paragraphs. This is the section of

your report that serves to provide evidence and examples that

reinforce your thesis statement. Support sentences are also used to

clearly explain and underpin main ideas.

3. Conclusion
Concluding sentences

The concluding sentence is used to reiterate the main points

developed by the support sentences, and signal the end of a

paragraph. They are also useful for adding emphasis to certain key

points, through repetition.

We will now look at how to create the different parts of a report

outside of the general writing, which are: Title, Summary,

Recommendations, Appendix, References, and Table of Contents.

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Title

The title is your first contact with the reader, and should inform them

succinctly about what they are about to read.

Summary

The purpose of a summary is to provide an overview of the report. It

is not necessary to give detailed information in the summary, but

rather to provide an indication of the type of information that the

report contains. Average summaries are between 100-150 words,

and are generally written after the report has been completed, so

that you know exactly what you are summarizing.

Recommendations

Recommendations are not an essential part of a report; however, if

you are including one, it should follow from your conclusion. A brief

statement clearly declaring your recommendations will suffice.

Appendix

An appendix contains materials that are peripheral, but relevant to

your report.

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For example you may wish to include a glossary of terms in your

appendix if you are writing a technical report for those who are not

experts on the subject. You may also include copies of research tools

such as questionnaires and manuals, as well as tables and diagrams

that you feel would disrupt the flow of your report by breaking it up.

If your appendix does contain tables, diagrams etc., make sure to

label them properly, so that the can easily be found when referenced.

References

If you have consulted or quoted any media sources, (print or

otherwise) to help you compile your report, they must be

acknowledged here, as well as in the text. Citing your resources not

only avoids running into plagiarism issues, but strengthens your

work by backing up your report with evidence from the work of

others. If you are quoting directly from someone else, the quote must

be followed by the author’s surname and date of publication in round

brackets, e.g. Calvino (1983). A standard bibliography is an

alphabetized list ordered by Author’s surnames. For a book you must

include: the author’s surname and full name, or initials; the full title

of the book; the edition (if other than the first); the place of

publication; the publisher, and the date of publication, e.g. Calvino,

Italo. Palomar. Torino: S.P.A., 1983.

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For a complete guide to correct citation, visit:

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/CWP/library/workshop/citmla.htm

Table of Contents

A table of contents is a page containing numbers that correspond to

different parts of your report, allowing readers to jump between

sections quickly. Number and title the different portions of your

report, (such as “1.2 Medical advancements in treating Malaria” “1.3

Government funding for treating Malaria” “2.1 References” etc.) and

then create a corresponding list of contents that lists the page

number as well as the reference number, which should be sequential,

starting from the summary. A good starting point for mapping out

your table of contents is to do it corresponding to your topic

sentences.

Below is an example of a “mapped” checklist that puts all of the

steps we have learned together followed by a table of contents. It is

a good guidance tool to use when preparing to write a report. The

“mapped” checklist is modeled on the Malaria prevention exercise

we completed earlier.

“Mapped” Checklist for Malaria Prevention

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1. Who is it for?

Health workers in district offices.

2. What is it about?

Malaria prevention - success stories over the last five years.

3. Title

Let’s Win the Battle Against Malaria

4. Summary

This report attempts to examine the benefits and drawbacks

between different methods of combating malaria in Southern Africa,

including rate of success, time, cost, and other socio-economic

factors.

5. Introduction

Exploring the methods for evaluating available options for

combating malaria, and the relative successes of different

options over the past five years.

6. Topic sentences

1. Insecticide treated nets have been proven to protect people

from malaria, by both preventing physical contact, and killing

the mosquito.

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2. Community based work projects to reduce mosquito breeding

grounds have been successful.

3. Indoor residual spraying remains one of the most widely used

methods of vector control.

4. All of the discussed methods for the prevention of malaria

work to some

degree, but is it more beneficial to take a proactive or reactive

stance?

5. What is the most successful and cost effective way to combat

malaria, and how can we implement these measures?

6. With community work and adequate resources, malaria could be

greatly reduced over the next decade.

7. Conclusion

Having examined the different malaria prevention methods, and

weighing their pros and cons, there are many possible solutions.

8. Recommendations

9. Appendix

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10. References

Table of Contents for Malaria Prevention

Contents

Page no

Summary……………………………………………………………………………….

Contents………………………………………………………………………………..

1.

Introduction………………………………………………………………………….4

2. Prevention

methods………………………………………………………………….5

2.1 Insecticide treated

nets……….........................................................................5

2.2 Community based work

projects…………………………………………….6

2.3 Indoor residual

spraying……………………………………………………..7

3. Success and

Cost……………………………………………………………………8

3.1 Proactive and reactive

approaches…………………………………………..8

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3.2 Striking a medium between cost and

success……………………………….9

3.3 Future

success……………………………………………………………….9

4.

Conclusions………………………………………………………………………..9

5. Recommendaions…………………………………………………………………

10

6.

Appendix………………………………………………………………………….10

7.

References………………………………………………………………………...11

Exercise 3
Bringing it all together

Now that you have an understanding of the content and structure of

a report, it is time to put that knowledge to use.

1. Using one of the reports that we read last session, map out

the topic sentences, then construct a table of contents.

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Tips for writing a report

 Write in plain English

 Select an appropriate title

 Use your spell checker

 Start writing

 Use your Report Map

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 Sleep on it

 You don’t need to start at the beginning

 Be engaging

 Use language the will be comprehensible by your intended

audience

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