Report writing

What is a report?
A very formal document that is written for a variety of purposes in the sciences, social sciences, engineering and business disciplines. Generally, contains findings pertaining to a given or specific task. Legal documents in the workplace, so need to be
precise, accurate and difficult to misinterpret.

Technical Reports are written to

give information analyse and interpret events and their implications persuade and influence decisions

Technical Reports are written

Accurately Clearly Concisely Objectively Without any attempt to arouse emotions

Functions of Technical Writing

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. To serve as basis for management decision To furnish needed information To give instructions To explain techniques To report achievements To analyse problem areas To determine design system requirements To serve as a basis for public relation To provide report to stockholders of companies To develop a product To provide service To record business proposals To procure business through proposals

Types of reports
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. laboratory reports health and safety reports research reports case study reports field study reports cost-benefit analysis reports proposals comparative advantage reports progress reports feasibility studies technical reports instruction manuals financial reports And the list goes on

Business Reports
Reports can range from short memos to lengthy reports such as 1. cost-benefit analysis reports; 2. research and field reports; 3. financial reports; 4. proposals; 5. progress reports; 6. health and safety reports; 7. quality reports; 8. case study reports

Engineering Reports
Can outline a proposal for a project; progress of a project; research and findings from a project; technical aspects of innovations; results from a feasibility or costbenefit analytical study.

Difference between report and essay

Reports are organized into separate sections according to the specific requirements of the given task. Each type of report serves a very specific purpose and is aimed at a very particular audience. While it is important that paragraphs are structured and there is unity, coherence and logical development to the report, it is not a continuous piece of writing like an essay.

Repetition, why?
Report writing may seem repetitive to us, but this is because reports are not usually read from cover-to-cover by one person.

For example, a manager may read only the synopsis or abstract and act on the advice it contains while a technical officer may read only the section that explains how things work. On the other hand, a personnel officer may look at only the conclusions and recommendations that directly affect his or her working area.

Difference between Technical Writing & General Writing

The source for general writing is imagination and inspiration, whereas for TW it is investigation and analysis. Essay has a beginning, but it may not have a logical conclusion. Essays do not have signposts, headings, or sub-headings, or bullets/numbering to indicate a coherent structure, moving from the beginning, and through the middle to an end as a report has.

Characteristics of Technical Writing

Purpose: To inform, instruct and persuade; to disseminate information, for permanent records

Content: Factual, straight-forward, specialized topics, free from distortions, unemotional, telling facts outright, limited interpretation
Style: Uses standard forms and preconceived designs, standard English, simple sentence structures, absence of attempts to arouse emotions, impersonal, technical vocabulary, objective tone

Organization: Observes coherence and orderly presentation of ideas

Use of Visual Aids/Graphical Organizers: tables, graphs, figures, etc. are necessary to facilitate comprehension and interpretation of facts, statistics and data

Language style
Concrete, active, plain, and formal as a rule No room for bias or dodging' results especially when they are considered to be legal documents.

Layout
The use of white space is very important in report writing.

Spacing between headings, subheadings, paragraphs, ends of sections, diagrams etc. need to be uniform. As a guide one space between heading and subheading, one space between paragraphs, and two spaces between the end of a section and the next heading.
Whatever you choose, make sure you aim for consistency.

What should I include in a report?

Because there is such a wide range of reports that serve different purposes, you will generally have guidelines to follow. As a general rule, however, the following should give you some indication of what to include in a formal report.

Parts of a Report
1. Title page 2. Letter of Transmittal 3. Abstract 4. Contents page 5. List of illustrations/or list of symbols 6. Glossary of terms 7. Introduction 8. Discussion 9. Conclusions 10. Recommendations 11. Annexes 12. References

A letter of transmittal
This is a covering letter which is sent with the report to the person or organization that requested the report. (Your assignment may not require you to provide this with your report.)

Sample letter of transmittal

Kalkadoo Council PO Box 102 Kalkadoo Qld 4830
10 July 2012

The Planning Committee Kalkadoo Shire Council PO Box 102 Kalkadoo Qld 4830
Dear Councillors, Please find enclosed the Feasibility Study into the damming of the Blue River as requested. The report discusses in detail the findings of the study for your perusal. It is our belief that discussions about the proposed dam should be given a high priority at the next planning meeting scheduled for 12 July 2012. Yours faithfully, Jane Brown John Black Jane Brown and John Black Environmental Engineers

A title page
1. 2. Outlines the name of the report; who prepared the report; for whom the report was prepared; the nature of the report; the date the report was prepared.

3.
4. 5.

Sample title page

FEASIBILITY STUDY PROPOSED DAM - BLUE RIVER KALKADOO 10 July 2012

Prepared for: Kalkadoo Shire Council Planning Committee

Prepared by: Jane Brown and John Black Environmental Engineers

An abstract or synopsis
Outlines, very briefly, the entire report. 50125 words) It contains: 1. the aim or purpose, 2. the procedures followed, 3. the main findings and 4. conclusions and recommendations that are outlined in the report. The abstract or synopsis is like an introduction of an essay.

Sample abstract

This report discusses the feasibility study carried out from 12 June 2001

to 7 December 2001 into the damming of the Blue River between

Johnson's Creek and Blackstump Creek. Water flow rates, sediment levels,

fish stock numbers, weed infiltration rates and salinity tests have been

carried out and positive conclusions have been drawn. It should be noted

that areas flooded by the proposed dam include only those areas already

declared unusable for agricultural purposes. It is expected that economic

opportunities for a fishery, council caravan park, irrigation leases and

household water meter reservoirs will be forthcoming within twelve

months of the dam's completion. It is recommended that the council

approves dam construction and seeks firm financial backing immediately.

A contents page
This includes the page numbers of each section within the report and any appendices that are attached to the report. It does not include the title page or abstract. These are attached to the report before the contents page.

Contents Introduction.............................................. Aim............................................................. Scope........................................................... Background to study.................................. Procedure..................................................... Data collection methods............................. Analysis of data.......................................... Conclusions................................................ Recommendations...................................... References.................................................. Appendices.................................................

Page 1 1 1 1

2 2

18 22 23 25

The report itself

Broken into sections and each section and subsection has a heading.

Often, a numbering system is used to indicate each section or subsection.

Sample numbering system used in report writing

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Aim 1.2. Scope 1.3. Background to study 2. PROCEDURE 2.1. Data collection method 2.2. Literature review 2.2.1. Literature review of journals 2000 - 2001 3. ANALYSIS Of DATA 3.1. Water flow of Blue River 3.2. Sediment levels of Blue River 3.3. Fish stock numbers 3.4. Weed infiltration rates 3.5. Salinity levels of Blue River 3.6. Likely areas to be flooded 4. CONCLUSIONS 5. RECOMMENDATIONS REFERENCES APPENDICES

Parts of a report
1. Introduction In it you give a brief overview of what is in a report, basically in a statement, like thesis statement, putting it in a sentence.

2. Aim Here you indicate the purpose of the report. 3. Scope This shows what the report includes and excludes. For example: This feasibility study indicates the environmental feasibility of the proposed damming of the Blue River between Johnson's Creek and Blackstump Creek. It does not include building specifications of the dam itself. A further proposal would be offered if council decides to proceed with the recommendations of this study.

Background to study
Any relevant details regarding
the background information needed to make sense of the information in the report.
It may outline the history of a project, or major players in the project.

Example (background to study)

In January 1999, Kalkadoo township experienced severe water shortages as a result of prolonged drought periods during 1997 and 1998. The Kalkadoo Shire Council has made it a priority for this situation to be remedied so that this situation does not occur in the future. The Shire Council had conducted investigations into providing a dam for the region in the mid-1980s but plans were halted due to public dissatisfaction with the outcome of those investigations. Further environmental studies needed to be conducted over a longer period to determine the impact of the dam on neighbouring farms and Crown land reserves. This series of investigations was completed in December 2000. The outcome suggested no significant negative environmental or economic impacts would be felt. In June 2001, the Shire Council proposed that the final stages of the feasibility study should be conducted, and conclusions and recommendations from the entire study should be tabled at Council's Planning Committee meeting scheduled for 12 January 2002. This feasibility study report should thus enable Council to make a final decision regarding improving water supplies to the Shire. This is one of its three priority areas for the period 2001-2002.

Procedures - Data collection methods

Briefly outline how you collected the data that will provide the basis for analysis that will produce conclusions and recommendations.

Even though it may be called something different, all reports use specific data and ways of collecting it that would be included in this section.

Procedure (Research Reports)

In research reports, you would probably use a different heading because your data would come mainly from texts and journal articles. This is the section where you would discuss the main issues arising from your research.

Procedure (Business Reports)

This section would detail the methods you used to collect that data and why those methods were chosen. Also outline the steps taken during the process of collecting data and carrying out research.

 During this six-month feasibility study, data was collected and analyzed according to the criteria outlined for environmental impact studies as set out in the Queensland Department of Primary Industry's Environmental Studies Handbook (2001). Water flow rates were measured according to rate of flow 100ml per hour. These rates were recorded three times per week during the study. Sediment and salinity levels were measured according to the percentage of suspended siltation carried in the fastest flowing section of the river channel. These measurements were also taken three times per week, and more often during the change of tides. Fish stock numbers were recorded once per month where tagged fish were counted and measured. Specific areas within the study region were targeted and fish stock numbers randomly checked using sonar equipment. Weed infiltration rates were recorded, both in the river itself, and in the land regions that would be directly affected by flooding. Weekly recordings were made of the types of species already present in the areas of study, and identification of new varieties was monitored.

Example

Data Analysis
Includes visual displays outlining the data you have collected.

Graphs, charts, tables, maps, graphic displays should always be used to summarize the findings. Each set of data may be displayed in more than one way and each diagram or visual should have a title, figure or table number, and should be thoroughly labeled.
Each set of data is systematically displayed and analyzed in a paragraph under the appropriate diagram.

Conclusions
Drawn directly from the analysis section of the report.
For each section under the main heading 'Analysis', there should be at least one corresponding conclusion.

Recommendations
Your suggestions for further action based on your conclusions. Not all reports will ask for recommendations. Some will have a section where both conclusions and recommendations are given. Recommendations are numbered as they normally follow sequentially.

Example
1. The damming of the Blue River between Johnson's Creek and Blackstump Creek should proceed. 2. Damming of this area could lead to significant economic advantages.

References
A reference list with details of sources used should be included after the conclusions/recommendations section. Any appendices follow the reference list.

Additional sections that may be required

Appendices Appendices include things like raw data sheets, extra or supplementary information or diagrams, maps of regions etc. You draw your reader's attention to the appropriate appendix by indicating this briefly at the appropriate place in the report. For example: Water flow rates indicate that there is no significant change between 1998 and 2001. Comprehensive flow rate charts for the period 1998-2000 are included as Appendix 1.

Here are some examples of appendices:

National Science Foundation Home page http://www.nsf.gov Go to Program AreasSocial, Behavioral, Economic Science

Go to Science Resources Statistics, then Featured Publications and look at Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities Look at the appendices: Technical Notes and Statistical Tables
Note how tables are shown in Appendix 2: Statistical Tables

Glossary
Sometimes, when there is a lot of 'jargon' contained in a report (as in Science or Engineering), a glossary of terms should also be included. This ensures that those reading the report understand the way you have used the terms or jargon in your report. Sometimes words can have different meanings in different disciplines. If you need to include a glossary, it would generally be placed just after the contents page.