REPORTS

Lecture 4
CE 403
Professional Practices and
Communication
 Definition
• Formal statement of
– Facts
– information
• Written for a Specific Audience
• For making informed deision
 Definition
• Report also contains
– Inferences made
– Conclusions reached
– Recommendations provided
• Inferences, Conclusions and
Recommendations based on
– Facts
– Supporting evidence included
 Types of Reports
• Short
• Long

• Informational
• Interpretative
 Format of Short Reports
• Memorandum Report
• Letter Report

• Informational Memorandum Report

– Conference Report
– Progress Report
– Periodic Report

• Interpretative Memorandum Report

– Personnel Report
– Recommendation-Justification Report
 Informational Report
• Summarizes information by reviewing facts
covered
• Avoid giving inferences, opinions, judgements
recommendations from presented data
• Use neutral, unbiased language rather than
giving a particular point of view
 Informational Memorandum Report
• Informational reports presented in
memorandum form
• Normally used for circulation within the
organization by email, fax etc
Informational Memorandum Reports:
Conference Report
• Report written by employees or executives
after significant conference with individuals or
committees
• Text of report organized by topics discussed or
presented simply in chronological fashion
Informational Memorandum Reports:
Progress Report
• Shows progress i.e. accomplishments
– over time
– at a given stage of a major assignment
• Organizational plan of progress report is
usually inductive
 Contents of Progress Report
• Introduction
• Description of accomplishments during period
• Unanticipated problems (if any)
• Plans for next reporting period
• Summary (overall appraisal of progress to
date)
Informational Memorandum Reports:
Periodic Report
• Reports written at regular recurring periods-
weekly, monthly, quarterly etc
• In USA company periodic reports is expected
to be half a page if the news is favorable
• For unfavorable news, the report may be one
page which should include reasons for the
unfavorable situation and the way it was being
handled
 Analytical Memorandum Reports
• Seek to analyze a situation
• Has a conclusion
• May or may not have a recommendation
 Analytical Memorandum Reports:
Personnel Reports
• Introduction, which may contain the following
– Authorization
– Purpose
– Background
– Methodology and/or sources
– Plan of presentation
– Brief statement of decision
• Main body with headings and sub headings
• Terminal or closing section with summary and
conclusions
 Analytical Memorandum Reports:
Recommendation-Justification Reports
• Recommend a change or remain with status
quo (policy aspect)
• Support the idea that something is desirable
or undesirable (value aspect)
• Defend the accuracy of information (fact
aspect)
• Report may be in response to a request or it
may be voluntary
 Sections of Recommendation-
Justification Report
• Introduction
– Purpose
– Authorization
– Layout of report
• Body (Text, Discussion)
– Current state of the problem
– Effects and causes of problems
– Possible options to remove problems
– Criteria in evaluating solution
– Recommended solution
• Terminal Section (Conclusion, Recommendation)
– Brief summary of major points
– Conclusion
– recommendation
 Letter Reports
• Small report in letter form
• Used to send information to a reader outside the
organization
• Includes the following:
– Date
– Inside address
– Salutation
– Subject line (optional)
– Body
– Complimentary close
– Signature
– Reference section
 Writing a Letter Report
• First paragraph
– Pleasant greeting and authorization (date and name of person making
request)
– Purpose, aim (always)
– Problem, issues (if problems exist)
– Conclusion, statement of results (optional)
– Plan of presentation
• Middle paragraph
– Present all facts favorable or infavorable
– Mention sources and methodology used if any
– Emphasis on finding results
– Headings and visual aids whenever necessry
• Last paragraph
– Bring the letter to a pleasant friendly close
– Conclude or recommend if you desire to do so
– Offer to discuss further, if appropriate
 Structure of Short Reports
• Prefatory part or introduction
• Discussion, text or body
• Terminal section which includes summary,
conclusions and recommendations
 Writing a Short Report
• Introduction
– Give purpose or aim (always), background, list of
topics to be discussed, authorization
– For short introductions (one or two short
paragraphs), the title “Introduction” is generally
omitted
• Body or Text
– Present all relevant facts accurately and
impartially
– Organise
 Writing a Short Report
• Body or Text
– Emphasize important ideas by giving important
details, placement in document of relevant
information, stylistic means
– Use headings to guide reader through the report
– Include visual aids – graphs, charts, pictures whenever
they clarify
– Use topic sentences at the beginning of a paragraph
– Use introductory paragraphs at the beginning of a
major section
– Apply seven C’s of writing principles
 Writing a Short Report
• Terminal Section
– Summarize, conclude and offer recommendation
– Summary condenses text. Conclusions evaluate
and infer from text, recommendations offer
specific course of action
– Summarize points in the same order as topics
discussed in the text
– Do not include new material in the terminal
section of the report
 Long Report
• Extension of a short report
• Involves greater length and depth of
discussion of more complex problems
• Requires more preliminary collecting, sorting,
interpreting, writing, editing and creation of
visuals than short reports
• Mix of informative and persuasive information
 Structure of Long Report
• Prefatory part
• Main body
• Back matter
 Structure of Long Report
• Prefatory part
– Cover
– Frontispiece
– Copyright notice
– Forwarding letter/Transmittal letter
– Preface
– Acknowledgements
– Table of contents
– List of illustrations
– Abstract and Executive Summary
 Structure of Long Report
• Main body
– Introduction (section or separate chapter)
– Discussion or text (divided into chapters, sections,
subsections)
– Conclusions (section or separate chapter)
– Recommendations (section or separate chapter)
 Structure of Long Report
• Back matter
– Appendices
– List of references
– Bibliography
– Glossary
– Index
 Long Reports
• Expansion of a short report
• Greater length and depth of discussion of
more complex problems
• More collecting, sorting, interpreting, writing
editing, visuals
• Mix of informative and persuasive information
Preparatory Steps of a Long Report
• Recognize clearly issues, problems, purpose,
scope of report
• Realize who your readers will be
• Get an idea of sources of information
• Understand when the report needs to be
completed
• Recognize financial and time constraints
 Writing the Long Report: Four Steps
• First Step
– Define the problem
– Collect all needed material
– Sort and interpret data
– Organize the final outline
– Prepare visual aids
– Finally, write, edit, revise, type
 Writing the Long Report: Four Steps
• Second Step (Writing First Draft)
– Begin
– Write outline and start writing
– Summary, conclusions, recommendations
– Introduction
– Executive summary, letter of transmittal,
bibiography or endnotes, table of contents, table
of figures, tables etc
 Writing the Long Report: Four Steps
• Third Step (Editing, Revising Draft)
– Lay aside first draft for several days
– Look objectively at the material and identify
weakness of the draft
– Revise, rewrite draft several times
– etc
 Writing the Long Report: Four Steps
• Final Step (Type the Document)
– Write consistently using harmonious style
throughout report
– Use either double or single spacing (more popular
in recent years)
– Always double space between paragraphs, before
and after quotations, visual aids and footnotes
– In single spaced reports, paragraphs may be
indented or begin at left margin
 Writing the Long Report: Four Steps
• Final Step (Type the Document)
– Use single space for transmittal document,
quotation and examples, list of items to set off or
emphasize, footnotes, tables and visual aids
– A top margin of 1.5 to 2 inch
– Each page in a report except cover and title fly
should have a number. Small Roman numerals for
prefatory pages and Arabic numbers for
supplemental sheets
 Writing the Long Report: Four Steps
• Final Step (Type the Document)
– Numbering scheme:
• Cover and title fly: do not count number
• Title page: count but do not insert number
• Transmittal document: count but do not insert number
• Table of contents: count and number each page
• Table of tables: count and number
• Executive summary: count and number
 Writing the Long Report: Four Steps
• Final Step (Type the Document)
– Numbering scheme:
• For body and supplemental parts, put page numbers
near upper right corner of page, aligned with right
margin and 0.5 inch above the top imaginary line that
frames the typewritten material
• Number of first pages of each chapter is omiited
though counted or placed 0.5 incj below the imaginary
line that frames the bottom part of the typed material
 Cover and External Title
• Report title should have five W’s:
– Who (by whom and for whom)
– What (title or subject matter)
– When (date)
– Where
– Why
• Titles should be short
• Extremely short and vague titles should be
avoided
• Judgement terms should not be used
 Title Fly and Internal Title
• Title Fly: blank sheet of paper between the
cover and internal title page
• Title page has four parts
– Title as stated on the exterior cover
– The recipient of the report
– The preparer
– The date
 Letter of Transmittal
• Cover letter or cover memorandum addresses
the receiver of the report as in a letter with
five parts:
– Authorization: opening words refer to the request
made for preparing the report including the date
the request was made. Sometimes the actual
report request is included in the report as
supplementary information
– Transmittal details: puts into words the handing
over of the report to the recipient in person
 Letter of Transmittal
• Cover letter or cover memorandum addresses the receiver
of the report as in a letter with five parts:
– Background and methodology: briefly suggest research methods
employed and give the reader feel regarding scope and limits of
the report. It should include author’s as well as involved
committee members background and qualifications
– Highlights: information briefly mentioning conclusions should be
included. For friendly audience be precise about your
conclusion. For less friendly audience. Conclusions should be
more general than precise.
– Courteous ending: Acknowledge those who assisted, suggest
willingness to respond to further questions or indicate later
reports or more research findings will be forthcominh
 Table of Contents (ToC)
• Prepare Toc last-after assigning headings and final
page numbers
• Place Toc just before the report body
• All headings in ToC should parallel to those in text
• Table of tables: list of illustrations, data, visuals
• Visuals: detailed drawings are frequently placed
in the appendix. Explicit visual aids
supplementing oral presentation or supporting
the report may be placed in their own section
Executive Summary, Abstract, Synopsis
• Generally placed right after the transmittal letter
• Most read part of a report based on which many
executives take a decision whether to read the
report or not
• Some firms only circulate executive summary of
reports to management personnel
• It may be deductively organized
(recommendations first) nor inductively
organized*recommendations last)
Executive Summary, Abstract, synopsis
• Issues that are generally addressed in the
executive summary are:
– Purpose
– Scope
– Background
– Data analysis
– Methods of research
– Current issues
– Causes
Executive Summary, Abstract, synopsis
• Issues that are generally addressed in the
executive summary are:
– Effects
– Problem analysis
– Solutions criteria
– Conclusions
– Possible solutions/recommendations
– Benefits
– Time-frame analysis
 Bibliography
• List of sources cited as documentation for
relevant content in report
• Included at the end of the document (for
scholarly report always, for business report
optional)
• For additional reading, sources to reader
• Bibliographic forms:
– Modern Language Association (MLA) format
– American Psychological Association (APA) format
Footnote and End Notes (Citations)
• Either explain content or identify sources of
content (citation)
• Improves credibility, convince readers about the
trustworthiness of data presented. Gives
opportunity to reader to examine sources
• Footnotes generally provide additional
information, discuss or explain content within
text
• Footnotes are placed at bottom of page, at end of
chapter or at end of book so as to not interrupt
flow of thought in main text
Footnote and End Notes (Citations)
• To refer your reader to explanatory footnotes
or endnotes and to number them use
superscript numerals
• The superscripts may be numbered
consecutively throughout report or begin a
new series with each chapter