Meaning and Definition of report

A report is any informational work (usually of writing, speech, television, or film) made with the
specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely presentable
form.

TYPES of REPORT

Business writing

When a report deals with business related information.it helps the management to take better
decisions.

A business report is an impartial ,objective, planned presentation of facts for one or more persons
for a specific significant business purpose.

Business reports are typically assigned to enable you to:

 Examine available and potential solutions to a problem, situation, or issue.

 Apply business and management theory to a practical situation.
 Demonstrate your analytical, reasoning, and evaluation skills in identifying and
weighing-up possible solutions and outcomes.
 Reach conclusions about a problem or issue.
 Provide recommendations for future action.
 Show concise and clear communication skills.

Business reports carry information on facts related to business activities. The very nature of
business report differentiates it from other reports.

The unique characteristics of business report are discussed below-

 Specific Issue: Every report, including business one, is written on specific subject. It is

written to fulfill certain need.

 Pre-Specified Audience: An important characteristic of report is that it has a pre-

specified audience. Usually a report is written for a limited number of audiences and the

need of the audience is always kept in mind.

 Specific Structure or Layout: In preparing report, certain structure or layout or format is

followed. The layout or structure of report is almost same in every case.

 Written on Past Events: In most of the cases, the reports are written on past events.

Most of the business reports carry the reasons of happing the incident, the ways of

recovery etc. Reports are also written in past forms.

 Neutral in Nature: In drafting reports, impartiality it strictly maintained. No biased or

non-objective material is included in it. Biased report may lead to disastrous decisions.

 Factual Information: Business report is always written based on factual information.

The data collected on specific events is factual, not factious.

 Joint Effort: A report is an outcome of joint efforts of a group of people. No one can

personally or solely prepare a report. Now-a-days, in most of the cases, committee is

formed containing three to seven people for furnishing a report on certain incident.

 Orderly Presentation: The information of a report is presented orderly so that the

audience can get his needed information from where it is located.

 Upward Flow: The direction of a report is always upward in the organizational structure.

The higher authority normally assigns the duty of preparing reports to their immediate

lower authority and after preparing the report, they submit it to their boss or higher

authority.

 Some Additional Aids in Presentation: A report is always presented in an attractive

way. In addition, analytical reports contain executive summary, contents and index,

necessary charts, graphs and design and conclusion and recommendation etc.

 Signature and Date: It is customary to put the signature of the reporter with date at the

end of the report. If it is prepared by a committee, signature must be given by each

member of the committee.

ACADEMIC REPORT

One of the most common academic text types is the academic report/thesis. It follows an
established pattern, which can differ a little between different subjects. An academic report in
technology or science can differ a little from one in economy or the humanities. Hence, you
should always check what rules apply to the report you are expected to write.

General description of the parts an academic report consists of.

Introductory part
The introductory part of an academic report should not be confused with the introduction in the
main text. The introductory part consists of formalities needed for the reader to gain an insight
into the structure and contents of the report.

Title page

The title page should provide the reader with quick information on title, author and type of work.
Information on faculty and university is also given. The title page often follows a specific
pattern, so check with your tutor how the title page should be structured at your institution. Here
is one example of a title page:

Abstract

This short text (often in English even if the report is written in another language) which is called
abstract or summary, is perhaps the text that will have the most readers. The text should account
for the contents of the report concisely, to give the reader the possibility to decide if the report is
of interest to the reader. Remember to include the results or the ”solution”, i.e. the conclusions,
in the abstract. The abstract also provides important data for computer based searches.

Table of contents and lists of figures and tables

The table of contents can appear in different layouts, but regardless of the design it should be
easy to interpret. The table of contents must reflect the headings of the report correctly, as well
as the heading levels. Do not leave out any headings (except the heading “Table of contents”)
and always state the page where the heading is found as the page in the table of contents. See the
example below:

Example of table of contents

Important!
You should not use more than three levels of headings, otherwise the work may appear
disorganized and difficult to grasp.

Tip!
In a word processing program there are often different templates for table of contents that the
program will create for you. By using these, you make sure the table of contents will be correct
and presentable.

MAIN TEXT
The main body of a report is the part that contains the actual text. This is divided into different
headings in order to make the structure clear to the reader. Some sections of the text, such as
introduction, aim, method, material and conclusion, are obligatory, while others can be named
differently depending on the subject. Sometimes you may want to split up or join together certain
headings depending on the structure of the study and the report. Therefore, there are some
different structures to decide on when your write your report. Of course one should choose a
structure that will present the topic and the results as clearly as possible.

Introduction

An introduction is needed to acquaint the reader with the report and the topic. It serves as a
‘settling-in period’ and orientation into the subject. The aim of the text is always included in the
introduction, but sometimes, especially in longer introductions, you give the aim an own
subheading in the introduction. The introduction can also include a background for the topic and
a review of the current research in the field, to place the topic in a greater context.

Important!
Do not add a new heading directly after a heading. There should always be some body text
between the headings.

Method

Under the heading ”Method” you state which method you have used to produce the results that
are presented in the text. You should also analyze the choice of method by motivating why the
method works best in the current context. If the introduction is short, and if the description of the
method is also short, you can sometimes choose to include the heading in the introduction.
Sometimes the headings “Method” and “Material” are also joined together.

Material

Under the heading ”Material” you find a discussion on the material which was used to achieve
the results of the report. Material includes both literature, substances (e.g. chemical substances
for experiments) and people you have interviewed in different ways. If the introduction is short,
and if the description of the material is also short, you can sometimes choose to include the
heading in the introduction. Sometimes you also choose to join together the headings “Method”
and “Material”.
Results

The heading ”Results” can be named differently, but it should always be clear that it is the results
of your study that are presented under this heading. In some cases it can be appropriate to join
together the presentation and the discussion of the results. In this case, remember to still have a
conclusion under a separate heading so that the reader does not think a part of the report is
missing. The most common method though, is to present the results objectively. It is also
important to consider how you can present the results most clearly – e.g. in diagrams, tables or in
text

Analysis/Discussion of results

Under the heading ”Analysis” or ”Discussion” you have the possibility to analyze the outcome
and draw conclusions from the study. Here you also have a chance to be more subjective than
you can in other parts of the report.

Final part
The final part consists of a list of references, and also appendices if any included. You can for
example add interview or survey questions as an appendix, or something else such as for
example detailed experimental data that you used when you produced the report.

List of references

For a description of what a list of references should look like, go to the section about Reference
management in the Writing guide

FORMAT
Title page : Acknowledgements : Contents page : Terms of reference : Procedure : Materials and
methods : Summary : Introduction : Main
body : Results :Conclusion : Recommendations : Appendices : References : Bibliography : Gloss
ary
DRAFTING the REPORT
Now ready to draft your report. In the earlier stage, you organized your report by gathering
relevant material for it and mapping out the structure of presentation of content or ideas in it. If
you have done all that consistently and logically, then you now have a mental map of your
report, and your task now is to fill up the map with words, graphics and other visuals that
complete the entire report. In this set of notes, you will be introduced to some important
considerations in the drafting of your report. These are:
1. Use the correct languages of report writing
2. Use appropriate style and tone
3. Incorporate charts and tables in the texts
4. Use in-text citations
5. Write an executive summary for the report
6. Edit and proofread the report

Job Application
Employment application means the letter written for getting a job. It is the primary means of
introducing the job seeker with the employer. Getting a job is a long way process. This process
starts with writing job application by the job seekers and ends with final selection of candidate
by the employer.

All applicants will be asked to fill out the same form, so use the following typical sections to
present evidence of how you've developed relevant skills and gained valuable experience through
your academic, work and personal life:

 Educational background - you'll usually be expected to provide information on

institutions attended, courses taken and qualifications gained.
 Work experience - you may be asked to describe or list the main duties of your current
job, or any positions that you've held in the past.
 Competency-based questions - this is where you get to show how you meet the person
specification for the role, by promoting yourself as the best candidate for the job.
  Personal statement - if a supporting statement is required, this should be well-structured
- possibly using headings to set out how you meet the job criteria.

Through the job application, job seeker offers to sell his or her labour and service for a
return. Therefore, the application for employment acts as personal advertisement. Job
application contains job seeker’s personal data like name, address, qualification and
experience along with his/her appeal for job.

TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

1. Solicited application: When job application is written in response to the advertisement

given by the employer, it is known as solicited application. That is, this application is
submitted in response to the invitation form the employer. Quible and others defined,
“When one sends a letter knowing that an opening exists in a company, this is called a
solicited letter of application.”In this situation, the applicant knows the required
qualifications. Solicited application generally includes the name of the position applied for,
reverence and date of the source etc.
2. Un-solicited application: Un-solicited job application is written for unannounced
vacancies. It is also known as prospecting application. In this situation, the job seeker
assumes that any job vacancy may be created in the organization in near future. Quible and
others defined, “When one sends a letter not knowing whether an opening exists in a
company, the letter is called an unsolicited application.

FORMAT

Your Street Address

City, State Zip Code
Telephone Number
Email Address
Month, Day, Year
Mr./Ms./Dr. FirstName LastName
Title
Name of Organization
Street or P. O. Box Address
City, State Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. LastName:

Opening paragraph: State what position or internship you are applying to; how you learned of
the organization or position, and basic information or qualifications about yourself.
2nd paragraph: Tell why you are interested in the employer or type of work the employer does
(Simply stating that you are interested does not tell why, and can sound like a form letter).
Demonstrate that you know enough about the employer or position to relate your background to
the employer or position. Mention specific qualifications which make you a good fit for the
employer's needs. This is an opportunity to explain in more detail relevant items in your resume.
Refer to the fact that your resume is enclosed. Mention other enclosures if such are required to
apply for a position.
3rd paragraph: Indicate that you would like the opportunity to interview for a position or to talk
with the employer to learn more about their opportunities or hiring plans. Restate briefly why
you're so passionate about the opportunity you're applying for. State that you would be glad to
provide the employer with any additional information needed. Thank the employer for her/his
consideration.

Sincerely,
(Your handwritten signature)
Your name typed

Prep of RESUME
A resume is a description of your education, paid employment, volunteer activities (including school
activities), general interests and personal strengths. It should outline your technical, transferable and
personal skills relevant to the position you are applying for.
There are many different styles of resume, however, there are some basic things that you definitely
need to include and these are outlined below.

 Profile – personal summary or statement about yourself

 Personal details – name, address, phone number and email
 Key skills – technical, transferable and personal skills list
 Key achievements – list of achievements
 Educational qualifications – list from secondary school to university
 Employment history – list jobs with significant times and date ranges
 Professional memberships/community involvements – activities you do outside of work such as
hobbies
 Referees – two people whom you have worked for previously who can provide a character
reference on your behalf