English III: Technical Writing and Presentation Skills

BS Chemistry 4th Semester

Sehar Saleem
Department of English Language and Literature
University of Sahiwal

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 Lecture Two:
Report Writing

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 What is a Report?
• A report is a clear and concise document which is written for a
particular purpose and audience. The purpose of a report is to provide
an important information.

• A report generally sets out and analyses a situation or problem, often

making recommendation for future action.

• It is a factual paper and needs to be clear and well structured.

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Reports may contain the following
elements
• A description of a sequence of events or a situation.

• An evaluation of the facts or the result of a research

• Discussion of the likely outcomes of future courses of action

• Recommendation as to a course of action.

Not all of these elements will be essential in every report.

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What makes a good Report?
A well written report will demonstrate the ability of a writer to:

• Understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its

specifications.

• Gather, evaluate and analyze relevant information.

• Structure material in a coherent order.

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• Present you report according to the instructions of the report brief.

• Make appropriate conclusions that are supported by the evidences and

analysis.

• Make practical recommendations where required.

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Before Writing a Report
Prior Preparation and Planning
The structure of a report is very important to lead the reader through
your thinking course of action. Its worth taking a bit of time to plan it
out beforehand.

1) Know your brief

You usually receive a clear brief for a report, including what you are
studying and for whom the report should be prepared.

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2) Keep your brief in mind at all times
During your planning and writing, make sure that you keep your brief in
mind: who are you writing for, and why are you writing?

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The Structure of a Report
The main features of a report are described below to provide a general
guide.

1) Title
• The report must have a title or a subject that indicates what the report
is about.

• Other details a writer may include could be his name, the date and for
whom the report is written.

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For example;

[TITLE OF THE REPORT]

[Name of the writer+ Designation]
[Date/Month/Year]

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 2) Terms of Reference
• Under this heading there could be written a brief explanation of who
will read the report (audience)

• Why it was written (purpose)

• How it was written (methods)

• It may be in a form of subtitle of a single paragraph.

For example;

A report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for [Course XYZ],

Department of English, University of Sahiwal.

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The Structure of a Report (cont…)
3) Abstract
• The summary should briefly describe the content of the report.

• It should cover the aims of the report for about ½ a page in length.

• The summary or an abstract is the first thing that is read. So it should

provide the reader with a clear, helpful overview of the content of the
report.

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4) Content
This section should list the different chapters and headings together
with the page number.

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 5) Introduction
• The introduction sets the scene for the main body of the report.

• The aims and objectives of the report should be explained in detail.

• Any problems or limitations in the scope of the report should be

identified.

• A description of research methods, the parameters of the research and

any necessary background history should also be included.

• In some reports, particularly in science subjects, separate headings for

Methods and Results are used prior to the main body of the report.
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 6) Methods
This section shows the steps taken by the writer.
• A list of equipment used, explanation of procedures followed.

• Relevant information on material used, including sources of materials

and details of any necessary preparation.

• Interviews, surveys etc.

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 7) Results
• This section includes a summary of the results of the investigations or
experiments together.

• Any necessary diagrams, graphs, tables of gathered data that support

the results.

• Present result in a logical order without comment.

• Discussion of results usually takes place in the main body of the report.

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 8) Discussion
• The main body of the report is where a writer discusses his material.

• The facts and evidence a writer have gathered should be analyzed and
discussed with specific reference to the problem.

• This section can be divided into headings depends upon the length of a
report.

• The points should be grouped and arranged in an order that is logical

and easy to follow.

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Discussion (Cont…)

• Use headings and sub headings for clear structure.

• As with the whole report, all sources used should be acknowledged and
correctly referenced.

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 9) Conclusion
• In the conclusion, a writer shows the overall significance of what has
been covered.

• Conclusion highlights the central issues or findings.

• No new material is introduced in the section.

10) Recommendations and Suggestions

This section include the recommendations and suggestions of the writer.

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 (1) TITLE OF THE REPORT
Report by (name+ Designation)
Date

(2) ABSTRACT

(3) TABLE OF CONTENTS (if necessary)

(4) INTRODUCTION

(5) MAIN BODY

(6) CONCLUSION

(7) RECOMMENDATIONS/SUGGESTIONS

Name and Signature of the Reporter

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Writing a Report: Essential Stages
• All reports need to be clear, concise and well structured. The key to
write an effective report is to allocate time for planning and
preparation.
The essential stages of successful writing are described below.

Stage One: Understanding the report brief

• As mentioned above, it is important for a report writer to understand
the purpose of his writing.

• He needs to be careful about all the instructions and requirements to

create a report.
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 Stage Two: Gathering and Selecting Information

• Once a writer is clear about the purpose of his report, he needs to

begin to gather relevant information.

• His information may come from the variety of the sources.

• A writer has to read relevant literature to widen his understanding on

the topic before looking at other forms of information such as surveys
and questionnaires etc.

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 Stage Three: Organizing your Material

• Once the writer has gathered information, he needs to decide what

should be included in the report.

• A report writer must be careful about the organization of the material

in a logical sequence.

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 Stage Four: Analyzing the material
• Before writing the first draft, the writer must make notes using the
facts and evidences he has gathered.

The writer has to be conscious about certain things:

• What conclusion can be drawn from material?

• What are the limitations and flaws in the evidence?

• Do certain piece of evidence conflict with one another?

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 Stage Five: Writing the Report

• Having organize the material into appropriate sections and headings ,

the writer can begin his first draft.

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 Stage Six: Reviewing and Redrafting:
• After writing the first draft, the writer should try to read the report
from the perspective of the reader.

• Is it easy to follow with a clear structure that makes sense?

• Are the points clearly explained and supported by relevant evidences?

• After reading the first draft, a writer would be able to improve his
work.

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Points to remember while writing a
report
• A report must be written in past tense

• Do not use first person

• Use indirect speech

• Use passive voice

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Recommended Books
John Bowden’s Writing a Report : How to prepare, Write and Present
Effective Reports
John Langan’sCollege Writing Skills
Patterns of College Writing by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell

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Thank you

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