How to Write a Report

Language II

Seven Parts: Sample Reports Selecting your Topic Researching Your Topic Prewriting for Your Report

Writing Your Report Finalizing Your Report Questions and Answers

Dear students:
This is a brief and simplified guide on how to write a report, this is meant to
be just the first step into report writing. We will go into further details in the
near future.
At the end of this document you will find some links with more detailed
information for further reading. I suggest you to take a look at them since
they have plenty of thought-provoking, accurate and useful information.

You've been assigned to write a report and you have no idea where to begin. Don't worry.Follow
these steps to write a basic report in no time.

Part 1 of 5: Selecting your Topic

1
Understand the assignment. If your teacher, professor, or boss gave your guidelines for your
report, make sure you read them (and reread them). What is the assignment asking of you? Are
you supposed to inform your audience about a topic? Generally if you are writing a report for
an elementary, middle or high school class, you will be asked to present a topic without inserting
your opinion. Other assignments might ask you to persuade your audience about a certain way of
perceiving your topic, or analyze a topic. Ask your teacher about any questions you might have as
soon as possible.[1]
 Keep in mind that if your purpose is only to inform your audience, you should not put
your own opinion into your report or add any persuasive elements.

2
Choose a good topic that you love. Feeling passionate about a topic will drive you to do your
best work possible. Of course, sometimes you will not have the option to choose your topic. If this
is the case, try to find something about the assigned topic that you can get passionate about.
Always make sure to run your ideas by your teacher to make sure that it is okay that you approach
the report in this way.[2]
 If your assignment is to give a report on a particular event of the 1960’s in America, and you
don’t like history but you do like music, focus your report on the way the music in the 1960’s
tied into the event that occurred during that time. But make sure to include lots of details
about other things based on the topic too.

3
Pick an original topic. If you are giving a report to your classmates, try to pick a topic that is
original and engaging. If you are the third person to give a report on Disneyland that day, chances
are you probably won’t have your classmate’s attention. To avoid repetition, ask your teacher what
topics have already been picked.
 If the topic you want has been chosen, try to find a different angle to present it in. For
instance, if you wanted to do your report on Disneyland, but somebody already chose that
topic, you could focus your report on one specific section of Disneyland, like Adventureland.
You could discuss what inspired its creation, the different rides you find in that section, and
any major changes that have happened to Adventureland recently.[3]

4
Keep in mind that you can change your topic. If you begin to research the topic you have chosen
and realize that you can’t find any information on the topic, or that your topic is too broad, you can
always change your topic, so long as you are not starting your project the day before it’s due.
 If you find that your topic is too broad, try to pick a specific part of the topic to focus on. For
instance, if you wanted to do your report on World Fairs, but realized there are way too many
of them to talk about, and they are all too varied to discuss as a whole, choose one specific
world fair, such as the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, to focus on.

Part 2 of 5: Researching Your Topic

1
Research your topic. Make sure you have the correct number of sources for your paper
(your guidelines should cover how many sources your teacher expects you to have). [4]
 If you are giving a report on a specific person, research his/her life--what was his/her
childhood like? What did he/she do that was important? What was his/her family life like?
 If you are writing a report on an event, find out what other events led to your event, what
actually happened during the event, and what the aftermath of the event was.
2
Visit the library. Libraries are an excellent place to find information. Search the library’s database
for any books or materials related to your article. If you are having trouble, ask a librarian for help.
 If you find a great book that covers your topic well, look at the sources the author used
(these will generally be listed in the back of the book.) These sources can often lead to even
more useful information.

3
Make sure your online sources are reputable. If you are using the internet to find information
about your topic, always make sure to double check any facts you find. Stick with information
gathered by known experts in the field you are researching, government agency websites, and
scholarly journals. Try to avoid forums and other sources that have no credible backing. [5]
 If you are writing a report about a specific person, company, or place, try to find their own
website. For instance, if you are writing a report on Jane Goodall, a great source would be
using the Jane Goodall Institute website.

4
Keep track of all of the information you find. Write each source you use down on a flashcard.
Write down all of the information you can find on the source (such as the author, publication date,
publisher/website, city in which it was published, page number for where you found the information,
and so on) so that you can easily create your bibliography later.

Part 3 of 5: Prewriting for Your Report

1Come up with a thesis statement. Thesis statements are the main idea of your report. A thesis
statement summarizes what you want to prove in your report for your reader. All of your subsequent
topic sentences of body paragraphs should tie back into this thesis, so make sure that it is general
enough to stand throughout your essay. If you are simply reporting on a topic, create a thesis
statement that does not contain any opinion-based information. If you are creating a thesis that is
meant to persuade someone about a topic, or that is meant to deeply analyze a topic, the thesis
should contain an argument that you intend to prove in your essay. [6]
 Example of straightforward report thesis (Thesis 1): The three main halls of the
Panama-Pacific International Exposition were filled with modern creations of the day
and were an excellent representation of the innovative spirit of the Progressive era.
 Example of a persuasive or analytic report thesis (Thesis 2): The Panama-Pacific
International Exposition was intended as a celebration of the Progressive spirit, but
actually harbored a deep racism and principle of white supremacy that most visitors
chose to ignore or celebrate.

2
Create an outline. Outlines help you to visualize how your essay will look. Outlines can be
straightforward lists, idea webs or concept maps. Begin with your thesis statement and then pick
the three major ideas related to your thesis statement that you will want to cover in your essay.
Write down details about each main idea.
 Your main ideas should support your thesis. They should be the evidence that
provides support to your argument.
 Example main ideas for Thesis 1: Exhibits at the Court of the Universe, Exhibits at
the Court of the Four Seasons, Exhibits at the Court of Abundance.
 Example main ideas for Thesis 2: Racism in the ‘Joy Zone’, the statue of ‘The End of
the Trail’, and the presence of ‘Race Betterment’ lectures at the fair.

3
Decide how you will format your report. The structure of your paper depends on your topic. If
you are writing a report on a person, it would make the most sense to structure your report in
chronological order.
 For Thesis 1, the report would be structured as a spatial guide to the fair--the report
would discuss the main exhibits in each of the major buildings at the fair (the Court
of the Universe, the Court of the Four Seasons, and the Court of Abundance.)

Part 4 of 5: Writing Your Report

1
Write your introduction. Your intro is where you introduce your topic and state your thesis. Your
intro should be engaging but not corny--the goal should be to hook the reader so that they want to
read the rest of your report. You should provide some background information on your topic and
then state your thesis so that the reader knows what the report is going to be about. When you are
revising make sure you look at the first word in every sentence and try not to let any of them be
repetitive.
 Example Intro for Thesis 1: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) of
1915 was intended to celebrate both the creation of the Panama Canal, and the
technological advancements achieved at the turn of the century. The three main halls
of the PPIE were filled with modern creations of the day and were an excellent
representation of the innovative spirit of the Progressive era.[7]

2
Write your body paragraphs. The body paragraphs are where you state your evidence that
supports your thesis. Each body paragraph consists of a topic sentence and evidence supporting
the topic sentence. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the body paragraph and links
the paragraph back to the thesis.[8]
REMEMBER:

Your topic sentence sets the stage. Each paragraph should comprise a series of coherent,
well-organized sentences that develop a single topic or point for the reader's
understanding. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence: use it to introduce the topic
and ease the reader into the rest of the paragraph. In order to write a strong topic sentence,
you'll need to plan out the point of your paragraph, state your main idea clearly, and hook
your reader into the topic with an engaging dash of narrative.

 Follow the link to read more about body paragraphs

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Paragraph

 Example topic sentence for Thesis 1: At the PPIE, the Court of the Universe was the
heart of the exposition and represented the greatest achievements of man, as well
as the meeting of the East and the West.
 For a report that is about a person, a topic sentence might be something like, “John
Doe had a rough childhood that shaped who he became.” Obviously you would put
in more specific information relevant to the person you are reporting about.

 Follow the links to have plenty of topic sentences examples:

http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Persuasive-Topic-Sentences
http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Analytical-Topic-Sentences
http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Personal-Topic-Sentences

3
Support your topic sentence. After you write your topic sentence in the body paragraph, provide
evidence found in your research that supports your topic sentence. This evidence can be
descriptions of things mentioned in your topic sentence, quotes from experts on the subjects, or
more information about the topic listed.
 For the topic sentence listed above about the Court of the Universe, the body
paragraph should go on to list the different exhibits found at the exhibit, as well as
proving how the Court represented the meeting of the East and West.
 For a report about a person, you would provide evidence that proved John Doe had
a hard childhood and that his experiences led him to become the famous person he
was.

4
Write your conclusion. This paragraph both summarizes your thesis again, and provides your final
thoughts on your topic. It should reiterate to the reader what the reader should be taking away from
your report.[9]
REMEMBER:

The conclusion of a research paper needs to summarize the content and purpose of the
paper without seeming too wooden or dry. Every basic conclusion must share several key
elements, but there are also several tactics you can play around with to craft a more
effective conclusion and several you should avoid in order to prevent yourself from
weakening your paper's conclusion. Here are some writing tips to keep in mind when
creating the conclusion for your next research paper.
 Follow the links to read about conclusions and for conclusion samples:
http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Conclusion-for-History-Paper
http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Conclusion-for-History-Paper

5
Cite your sources. Your teacher or professor should tell you whether to use MLA, APA or Chicago
style when writing your essay. Format any quotes you use, as well as your bibliography accordingly.
6
Format your report. Try to follow your teacher's formatting instructions to the letter. If he or she
made no formatting instructions, go with something clean and classic. Standard format for
academic reports in the United States is 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, double-spaced
lines, and 1-inch margins all around.

Part 5 of 5: Finalizing Your Report

1
Read through your report from an outsider’s perspective. Does the point you are trying to
make come across clearly? Does all of your evidence support your thesis? If you were someone
reading your report for the first time, would you feel like you understood the topic after reading the
report?

2
Get someone else to read your report. Having a second pair of eyes can be helpful to make sure
your point is clear and your writing doesn’t sound awkward. Ask your helper, do you understand
what I am saying in my report? Is there anything you think I should take out or add? Is there
anything you would change?

3
Proofread your report. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Are there any
awkward sentences that you can rewrite?]

4
Read your report out loud. Reading out loud will help you to identify any sections of the report
that might sound awkward (like if there are run-on sentences.)
5
Put your paper aside for a few days. If you have time to put the paper away and clear your head
before proofreading, it is a good thing to do. Taking a break from your paper will help you to spot
more errors and parts that don’t make sense when you come back to it.

TO PUT IT IN A NUTSHELL
Types of Reports

(I suggest you to follow the links at the end of this document to see the different types of reports)

 Descriptive Report
 Literacy Paper
 Argumentative Paper
 Position Paper

Steps in the Writing Process

1. Identify a Report Topic

2. Understand Your Audience
3. Develop and Refine Your Topic
4. Create a Working Bibliography
5. Evaluate and Synthesize Resources
6. Take Notes on What You Read
7. Organize Your Ideas and Create Structure
8. Write the First Draft
9. Revie and Edit the Report
10. Cite References

1. Identify a Report Topic

Identifying something to write about is the first step in writing a report. The best way to begin searching for a topic is
to conduct some initial research.

2. Understand Your Audience

When identifying a topic for your report, you should concurrently begin to learn more about the audience that will be
reading your report.

3. Focus and Refine Your Topic

Almost any general topic that you identify will be too broad to write about in a comprehensive manner, so you'll need
to narrow your topic. There are a number of techniques that writers use to help them focus and refine their topics.

4. Create a Working Bibliography

A working bibliography is an organized set of bibliographic information about the resources that you find during your
research which might be helpful as you write your report.

5. Evaluate and Synthesize Resources

After you've identified resources, you can begin to evaluate if they will be useful to you.

6. Take Notes on What You Read

Once you've evaluated the various resources on your topic, you can begin to read them and take notes on what you
read. There are three basic ways to take notes when researching a topic.

7. Organize Your Ideas and Create Structure

After you've taken notes on what you've read, you can begin to organize your ideas and create a structure for your
report. Your report should have three main parts to it - the introduction, body, and conclusion - each serving an
important function. Within the report there a variety of ways that you can structure your ideas.

8. Write the First Draft

Your goal in writing the first draft is to get your ideas onto paper.

9. Revise and Edit the Report

The goal during this step is to improve the manner in which you are communicating your ideas.

10. Cite References

Failure to cite references can be construed as plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of using someone else's ideas in your
paper without giving them credit for them. Plagiarism is a serious offense, which can result in expulsion. There are
several different guidelines for citing references:

 MLA Style
 APA Style
 CBE Style
 Chicago Style

Information about the different types of documentation styles are available at the library and on the Internet.

FOR FURTHER READING GO TO:

 I strongly recommend this site, there is plenty of information to enlarge this reading material.

http://tutorials.istudy.psu.edu/writtenreports/writtenreports_print.html

 Some more info at:

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/report-writing-format.html

 Or at:

http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/format.html
  To read more on TYPES OF REPORTS go to :
https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/2_assessmenttasks/assess_tuts/reports_LL/types.html

 To read briefly about types of reports and purposes go to :

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/726/02/

DON’T MISS THEM!!

Take a look at the chart below. It is a rubric describing the main criteria for evaluating writing. I am not going to employ this
particular rubric to evaluate your work ,BUT… if you keep the main points detailed in the chart in mind, and you succeed in
developing/ including/ achieving them correctly throughout your written production, then your piece of writing will be
correctly carried out.