Report Writing

1. Report Writing SIT - JNTU

2. What is Report Writing? • To inform about some thing happening/happened • What do they consist of? • Facts • Arguments • Specific subject • Why reports? • allow information to be presented in an ordered way

3. Report & Essay

4. Report Structure • Letter of transmittal • Title page* • Table of contents • List of abbreviations and/or glossary • Executive summary/abstract • Introduction* • Body* • Conclusion* • Recommendations • Bibliography • Appendices

5. Letter of transmittal letter to the person who commissioned the report • a salutation • the purpose of the letter • the main finding of the report • any important considerations • an acknowledgement of any significant help • an expression of pleasure or gratitude

6. Title page This must contain: • the report title which clearly states the purpose of the report • full details of the person(s) for whom the report was prepared • full details of the person(s) who prepared the report • the date of the presentation of the report

7. Table of Contents Usually for reports longer than 10 pages:  list of • the headings • tables • appendices of the report

8. Acknowledgements  • short paragraph • thanking any person or organisation which gave you help •  in collecting data or preparing the report.

9. Abstract (Summary or Executive Summary) • the context of the research • the purpose of the report • the major findings • the conclusions • the main recommendations

10. Introduction • Give enough background information to provide a context for the report. • State the purpose of the report. • Clarify key terms and indicate the scope of the report (ie what the report will cover).

11. Body A report of primary research (based on your own observations and experiments) would include: • Literature review (what other people have written about this topic. • Method (summarises what you did and why). Use the past tense. • Findings or results (describes what you discovered, observed, etc, in your observations and experiements). Use the past tense. • Discussion (discusses and explains your findings and relates them to previous research). Use the present tense to make generalisations.

12. Body A report of secondary research (based on reading only) would include: • Information organised under appropriate topics with sub-headings. • You need to synthesise material from different sources under topic headings. • Analysis/discussion of the sources you are reporting.

13. Conclusion • Sum up the main points of the report. • Should clearly relate to the objectives of your report. • No surprises please! (that is, don’t include new information here.)

14. Recommendations • Suggestions for future action • Logically derived from the body of your report

15. Bibliography

16. Appendices  contains material which is too detailed, technical, or complex to include in the body of the report: • Specifications • a questionnaire • a long complex table of figures

17. PRESENTATION OF THE REPORT • use plenty of white space • ensure the separate parts of your report stand out clearly • use subheadings • allow generous spacing between the elements of your report • use dot points/ numbers/ letters to articulate these elements • use tables and figures (graphs, illustrations, maps etc) for clarification • number each page (a neat header and/or footer makes your work look more professional) • use consistent and appropriate formatting • use formal language.

18. COMMON PROBLEMS • the inclusion of careless, inaccurate, or conflicting • the inclusion of outdated or irrelevant data • facts and opinions that are not separated • unsupported conclusions and recommendations • careless presentation and proof-reading • too much emphasis on appearance and not enough attention to solid content.