Writing Reports

Writing Reports

Writing Reports

• The reports dealt with in this slide presentation are common in subjects like business and education.

• You will normally be expected to identify a problem and carry out some enquiry to solve it.

Writing Reports

• Based on your knowledge and reading you will offer different possible solutions.

• You will need to carry out some kind of investigation to see which solution is best in a particular context.

Writing Reports

• You need to describe your method of investigation and describe your results.

• You need to evaluate the different solutions and make a choice.

• You will have to justify your solution and make recommendations based on your study.

Writing Reports

• The report is organized in the following way and will have headings and subheadings to show the structure. It may have bullet points and numbered lists and will probably include diagrams and charts.

– Title page: start by giving the title, the date and any other information you have been asked to provide.

Writing Reports

– Table of contents: follow with a list of contents which shows the structure and content of the report.

– Terms of reference: these provide the background to the report by defining the problem. They summarize the researcher’s understanding of the original brief.

Writing Reports

– Executive summary: this summary or abstract summarizes the main points of the report, including conclusions and recommendations.

– Background: this section introduces the problem and explains why the research was necessary.

Writing Reports

– Research methods: this section explains how the research was carried out. One of its purposes is to persuade the reader that it was done well and the results should be believed.

– Findings/Results: in this section, present the data that you have collected.

Writing Reports

– Conclusions: interpret the data and draw out the key points.

– Recommendations: in this section, identify any action arising from the conclusions and discuss what this involves in practice.

Writing Reports

– Appendices: include here the fine detail (e.g. a copy of a questionnaire or raw data) that is not necessary for the main body of the report or that would clutter the report.

– References: list all the materials that you referred to in writing the report.

Writing Reports

• Note: Departments differ in what they think should be in a report. Check what is required.

Writing Reports

Organization of the report

Preliminaries

Writing Reports

Executive Summary

Writing Reports

Background Description of the background. Explanation of why the research was necessary.

Writing Reports

Research Methods Report on how the research was carried out.

Writing Reports

Findings/Results Report of the findings. Inclusion of diagrams which need to be referred to.

Writing Reports

Discussion and Conclusion

Description of the findings.Comparison and contrast of the findings with previous research.Evaluation of the findings.

Writing Reports

Recommendations Recommendation of action.

Writing Reports

End matter

Writing Reports

• Note: Some sections may be organized differently: results and discussion may be one section; discussion and conclusion may be separate sections; recommendations may be part of the conclusion.

Questions?

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