How to write a short report:
A short report informs the reader about a specific subject to help her make a
decision. Usually no longer than 10 pages, a short report consists of facts and
sometimes an analysis of the facts, as well as recommendations. The information
is arranged in a memo format with both first- and second-level headings. Readers
of these reports expect the information to be written clearly, concisely and
completely.
Title:
Includes:-
1. The title of the report
2. The name of the person or organization that the report has been written for
3. The name of the person or organization who wrote the report
4. The date of the report
Terms of reference
Includes:-
1. What the report is about
2. Why it is being written
3. Who it is being written for
Procedure
This section tells the reader how the information for the report was gathered.
It includes:-
1. Surveys
2. Interviews
3. Documents read
4. Observations
5. Questionnaires
Findings
This is the main body of the report, where you write down everything you have
found out from your investigation.
1. The information is best set out in a series of short paragraphs
2. Often it is helpful if each paragraph is given a clear heading to attract the
eye
3. Different numbering systems may be used as long as you remain consistent e.g.
1,2,3 or A,B,C or a,b,c, or i,ii,iii
Conclusion
Reports are generally written for busy people to help them make a decision.
Often they turn to the conclusion to get ideas of what the report has found
Includes:-
1. A summary of the main findings
Recommendations
Includes: -
1. Suggested actions
2. Who should take these actions
3. Further investigations, if necessary
Report writing style
1. Avoid the use of „I‟ when writing a report. Instead of writing “I spoke to
the manager who said...” – it is better to write “After discussions with the
manager it was found that...”
2. Avoid familiar language or slang
3. Where possible use facts, figures, graphs and/or photographs to help make the
report more interesting
How to write a Long report:
A long report is simply an extension of shorter report. It involves the
discussion of complex problems in greater depth and more detail. Some long
reports extend from a few pages to several hundred.
1. They are a mix of informative and persuasive information.
2. They tend to be long because they are a result of an intensive investigation.
3. In style, the long or formal report is impersonal and restrained in tone.
4. The writer or writers generally do not use the first person (I or WE), but
use third-person reference in some such ways. "It was found" and "the writers
are of the opinion"
A long formal report usually has the following basic structure
FRONT SECTION:
Title page:
It includes title, name of author and receiver, and date.
Letter of Transmittal:
It explains the purpose and content of the report and also highlights parts of
the report that may be of special interest.
Table of Contents:
It includes sections of report with corresponding page numbers.
MAIN SECTION:
Although the form and content of the main section will vary with different kinds
of report,the basic elements of this section are the following.
Summary:
Concisely describes the content and scope of the writing.
Introduction:
A paragraph introducing the topic and what you plan on writing about in the
report.
Discussion of findings:
It discusses the details of your investigation, the facts on which you have
based your conclusions or recommendations. It should be sub divided, with
numbered and descriptive subheadings.
Conclusions:
It is a concise interpretation of the facts that are covered in the body of the
report.
Recommendations:
Actions to be taken based on the conclusions of the report.
BACK SECTION:
References:
If you have referred in your report to any facts or figures that are not general
knowledgeor part of the organizations internal operation, you should give the
source in areference.
Appendixes:
Additional material that is useful but not essential to understanding the body
of the report.
HOW TO WRITE INTRODUCTIONS
The purpose of the introduction is to lead the reader into the topic of the
report; its nature will depend on the gap between the topic and the reader's
background knowledge. An introductory paragraph of a report should be written
such that it clearly introduces the topic and capturesreaders attention.
Beginning with the attention grabber, it should outline all those points or
ideas which are to be discussed further. Providing the background information to
the report it includes the following:
1. Who authorized the report.
2. What the report is about.
3. Why it is being prepared.
4. Research methods.
5. Limitations (if relevant).
6. Scope of the report.
Keep the introduction brief by adopting a light tone and staying away from
long-winded explanations. Use correct language and grammar and avoid slang or
paraphrasing. Ensure that the introduction is structurally correct and arranged
into manageable sentences and paragraphs. Finish with a final statement or
question that should lead naturally and automatically to the main body of your
essay. Leave your audience with a sense of anticipation that makes them want to
continue to the end.
SUMMARIES AND ABSTRACTS:
The summary is a report in miniature, normally of not more than 200 words. It
will state the main objectives of the work, and the principal results and
conclusions; it will omit all inessential detail.
1. A summary should not merely describe what the report is about; it should also
give some information about the results. Where appropriate, it may include
quantitative results.
2. The summary must stand alone; it must be intelligible without reading any
other part of the report except the title.It reduces a body of material to its
bare essentials. Creating a summary is,therefore, an exercise in compression.
3. The principles of writing summary are Be brief
An executive summary differs from an abstract in that an abstract will usually
be shorter and is intended to provide a neutral overview or orientation rather
than being a condensed version of the full document. The format of abstract will
depend on the work being abstracted. All abstracts share several mandatory
components, and there are also some optional parts that you can decide to
include or not. While preparing to draft an abstract, the following key process
elements should be kept inmind
1. Reason for writing
2. Problem
3. Methodology
4. Results
5. Implications
CONCLUSIONS:
The Conclusion section indicates the writer’s sense of the meaning of all the
fact findings. It should be a very short summing-up of the main findings from
the results and the discussion.
1. It should summarize the Findings and what they mean to the writer and provide
a logical basis and reason for proposing certain recommendations that follow.
2. It summarizes, interprets, and synthesizes.
In the conclusion you restate the problem and then answer the questions that
initiated the analysis.It should evaluate the significance of the report, and
reemphasize the main points. The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the
question and enables a broader consideration of issues, makes new connections,
and elaborates on the significance of the findings.
The conclusion section should not introduce any new information. It should
communicate a feeling of finality and closure. It should be written in plain
English for readers to easily understand it.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
This section proposes ways to solve the identified problems (with alternatives)
and rectify or improve a situation. The problem identification and the
recommended solutions must have a logical connection, obviously.
1. They are the writer's own ideas and are fully supported by the conclusions
and research findings.
2. Work your way up to the recommendations, which should track against all that
comes before them.
3. Furthermore, sometimes you can propose an Implementation/Action Plan
explaining exactly how to implement the recommendations to solve the problems.
4. In this section state who should act, when, and why.
5. State your recommendations in order of priority, and in plain English. Place
recommendations always at the end of the report.