1

Lesson 2:
Basics of Technical Report
Writing
2 Lesson Objectives
This lesson is intended to:
▪ Introduce different types of technical
reports.
▪ Present and explain the basics of technical
report writing.
▪ Highlight basic and technical errors to avoid
in writing technical reports.
▪ Help students develop skills in technical
report writing.
3 Lesson Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, students should be
able to:
▪ Have knowledge of the different types of
technical reports.
▪ Explain the format for writing technical
reports.
▪ Avoid typical errors in technical report
writing.
▪ Write technical reports that communicate
effectively.
4 Types of Technical Reports
Technical reports come in many different
forms. They include:
▪ Inception Reports
▪ Progress Reports
▪ Preliminary Reports
▪ Feasibility Study Reports
▪ Geotechnical Investigation Reports
5 Report Types cont’d
▪ Design Reports
▪ Project Reports
▪ Internship Reports
▪ Research Reports
▪ Theses
▪ Field Trip Report
▪ Road Safety Audit Report
▪ Minutes of Site Meetings, etc.
6 Inception Report
▪ This is a report detailing how a project is
going to be undertaken or executed.
▪ Essentially, it provides the methodology
for the work, the work plan as well as
personnel and logistics requirements to
get the work done.
▪ It is written using the future tense and in
passive form.
7 Progress Report
▪ A progress report is a part of project
documentation that tells how far work has
progressed towards the final goal.
▪ In simple terms, it provides the current
status of a project, tasks completed and
milestones reached.
▪ The report is useful in giving indication as
to whether the project is on course or
behind schedule.
8 Internship Report
▪ This is a report written by a person to
account systematically for the activities
undertaken during the time when they
were attached to an entity (firm, company,
institution, etc.) as intern.
▪ If different activities were carried out during
different periods of the internship, the report
must cover the activities period by period
(e.g. Week 1 Activities, Week 2 Activities,
etc.)
9
Internship Report cont’d
▪ The report must detail lessons learned and
experienced gained on each activity.
▪ The cover page must state the period and
place (company, firm, etc.) of the
internship.
▪ The report must have an acknowledgment
portion expressing gratitude to the
internship host (company, firm, etc.) and all
who made the internship possible and
successful.
10 Preliminary Report
▪ It is an initial report to a project or investigation
when more data and information are yet to
come.
▪ It helps the reader to understand and know
something before the final output becomes
available.
▪ A preliminary report cannot be used to make
a definite determination as the evidence and
information it contains are generally limited in
scope and can still alter or change as more
results become available.
11 Geotchnical Report

▪ A geotechnical report provides a

permanent record (information) of the
ground or subsurface investigation
conducted at a particular site.
▪ It is of use to all interested parties during
the planning, design, construction,
operation, maintenance and /or
rehabilitation of a facility.
12 Geotechnical Report cont’d
The format of a geotechnical report consist of
the following:
▪ Introduction
o Name of client
o Scope of work
o Description of project in broad outline
▪ Fieldwork
o Actual fieldwork carried out with dates
o Equipment used
o Difficulties encountered
o Observations made
13 Geotechnical Report cont’d
▪ Laboratory work
o Lab test conducted and the standards
used (not step by step procedures for
performing test)
o New or uncommon tests should be
described in detail
▪ Analysis and interpretation of results
o Brief on climate, vegetation and geology
of project area
o Soil profile
o Strength characteristics
o Foundation designs
o Etc.
14 Geotechnical Report cont’d
▪ Conclusions and Recommendations
o Main findings
o Recommendations and their basis
clearly stated
▪ Appendices
o Field logs
o Mathematical derivations
o Graphs/Plots from lab tests
o Photographs of fieldworks, any key
site observations
15
Road Safety Audit Report
▪ This is a report on the examination of an
existing or future road, a network of
roads, intersections, construction zones,
etc., by an independent team of
professionals with varied expertise, to
identify and assess potential road safety
risks.
▪ The audit is a pro-active investigation
that helps to establish safety concerns
before they contribute to crashes or
accidents.
16 Safety Audit Report cont’d
▪ The report must assess the safety of all
road users including trucks, public
transport users, bicyclists, motorcyclists,
tri-cyclists, pedestrians, etc., and make
recommendations as to what has to be
done to eliminate or mitigate the safety
problems identified.
▪ If the audit is applied to a construction
zone, the report must establish whether
or not the traffic controls within the zone
offer protection to both construction
workers and road users.
17
Elements of a Technical Report

Title Page
This should contain;
▪ the subject of the Report (title)
▪ to whom the Report is to be submitted
▪ author of the Report
▪ date of submission
18
Elements cont’d
Executive Summary
▪ This is a write-up that summarizes the
report in about 100 to 200 words.
▪ It is usually written as a single paragraph
document.
▪ It should address:
a) the aim of the work being reported on;
b) what was done (methodology);
c) the findings (results);
d) the significance of the findings
(conclusions).
19 Elements cont’d
▪ The summary must be concise and specific so
that the reader can get the main points
without having to read the entire report.
▪ The summary must carry the heading
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY and centered on the
page.
▪ In general, Executive Summary is associated
with reports that deal with non-academic and
non research-oriented work, such as projects,
designs, investigations, safety audits, etc.
20 Elements cont’d
Abstract
▪ An abstract is a brief summary of an academic
or research-oriented writing, such as a research
article, thesis, paper review, or any in-depth
analysis of a particular subject, etc.
▪ It helps the reader quickly ascertain the paper's
purpose and content.
▪ The structure is very similar to that of an
executive summary.
21 Elements cont’d
▪ It is written as a single paragraph
document of up to one half or a full
page in length.
▪ It should contain no references, figures,
tables, nor abbreviations, acronyms,
measurements, etc., unless absolutely
essential.
▪ The summary must contain;
• basic-level introduction to the field
or subject;
22 Elements cont’d
• a brief account of the background and
rationale of the work;
• what was done;
• the results obtained;
• a statement of the main conclusions;
and,
• finally, 2-3 sentences putting the main
findings into general context.
23 Elements cont’d
Terms of Reference
▪ Terms of Reference (TOR) describe the
technical work involved in a project or
part of it, design, investigation, etc.
▪ They explain the objectives, the scope of
work, activities and tasks to be performed
and expected results and deliverables.
▪ Specifically, they are used to specify the
work required by an external consultant, a
committee of investigation, contractor,
supplier, etc.
24
Elements cont’d
Table of Contents
▪ This is written on a separate page.
▪ It shows how the information in the report
has been organized and the subject or
topics dealt with.
▪ It makes it easier to identify specific
information and where it can be found in
the report.
25
List of Abbreviations
▪ This is an alphabetical compilation of the
abbreviations that appear in the report or
document and their full meaning.
▪ The list is included in and comes right after
the Table of Contents.
▪ The list improves readability and helps
minimize confusion to readers who are not
familiar with them.
▪ Where only a few abbreviations appear in a
report or document, the list may be omitted.
26 Elements cont’d
Appendix (plural Appendices)
▪ Appendix is additional or supplementary
material attached at the end of a report.
▪ They are used to cover table data and
graphs whose insertion in the main body of
the report would disturb the flow.
▪ When there are too many figures or table
data, only few typical data and figures
may be used in the main body of the text
for illustration; the rest must be placed in an
appendix.
27
▪ There could be several appendices
provided each deals with a different set of
data or graphs.
▪ Appendices should start with the heading
“Appendix” followed by A, B, C, etc. For
example, Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.
▪ Reference (mention) must be made to
every Appendix in the main body of the
report. For example, “Details of the
analysis may be found in Appendix A.”
28

▪ If there are several appendices to a report,

they should follow the order of appearance
or mention in the report, i.e., Appendix A,
Appendix B, etc.
▪ Include the appendix after the reference list.
▪ The pages of each appendix must be
numbered separately with the page
numbers pre-fixed by the letter of the
appendix, e.g. A-1, A-2, etc., for the pages in
Appendix A.
29 Elements cont’d
Introduction
▪ This will form the beginning (first) chapter
of the report.
▪ It gives the background, the purpose, and
the scope of the project or work being
reported on.
▪ It states the terms of reference associated
with the project.
▪ It outlines the scope of work.
30 Main Body of Technical Report

▪ The main body or content of a technical

report must be sectioned into chapters.
▪ The terms of reference associated with the
project may help define the chapters to
develop.
▪ Preferably, each term of reference must
have a chapter dedicated to it.
31 Main Body cont’d
▪ Each chapter deals with a specific
subject.
▪ Each chapter has a number (Arabic
numeral) followed by a concise title
reflective of the content.
▪ The main body of every chapter consists
of sections and sub-sections.
▪ Materials in a chapter are presented
only under sections and sub-sections.
32 Main Body cont’d
▪ The sections have titles and are numbered
consecutively with reference to the
chapter number.
▪ The title/heading of a section/sub-section
cannot be the same as that of the
chapter.
▪ The title/heading of a section/sub-section
must reflect the contents of the
section/sub-section.
33 Main Body cont’d
▪ If a section has to be presented in sub-
sections, there must be, at least, two sub-
sections.
▪ Sub-sections are numbered with reference
to the number of the section under which
they come.
▪ The font characteristics of the title of
sections must be inferior to that of the
chapter. Same applies to a section and its
sub-sections.
▪ Titles/headings must not to be underlined.
34 Chapter Title Formatting
Formatting the title of a chapter consists of
the following:
▪ Chapter number (in Arabic numeral)
▪ Chapter title

It is a common error to see chapter

numbers written in words, i.e., Chapter One
instead of Chapter 1.
35
Typical Chapter Title Formats

Example 1 (different formatting styles)

Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.0 Literature Review
Chapter 2
Literature Review

Note: Always centre the chapter heading on the page.

36
Formats cont’d

Example 2 (Upper case characters)

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
37 Unacceptable Title Formats

Chapter Two: Literature Review

Chapter Two
2.0 Literature Review

Notes
1. Chapter numbers must be in Arabic
numerals (figures).
2. Do not mix formatting styles.
38

CHAPTER 2: INDIGENOUS AFRICAN CULTURE

2.1 Extended Family System
2.2 Socio-Cultural Practices
2.2.1 Female Circumcision
2.2.2 Male Circumcision
2.2.3 Puberty Rites
2.2.4 Marriage Ceremony
2.2.5 Child Naming Ceremony
2.3 Traditional Governance
39

The following are typical technical report writing

errors:
2.4 Burial ceremony
2.4.1 Normal deaths
2.5 Funeral rites
Error:
The section numbered 2.4 has only one sub-section
which is not allowed.
40
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
In many African cultures, it is uncommon for men or
adult males to sell food items on the market. That role
is strictly the preserve of women and young males
who have not yet attained puberty age. Even
though…

1.1 Introduction
Within the past three decades, urbanization has
diluted or sometimes even eliminated certain cultural
practices in many African societies. In a critical
review of the subject, many social scholars and
cultural historians….
Quiz
Identify three things that are technically not
acceptable with the write-up above.