Writing reports and evaluations

Understanding your assignment task

Writing genres

Report vs. essay

Purpose and audience

Report format

Report format details

Critical evaluation

Reflective writing

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 2

Understanding your assignment task

How to analyze your assignment task

Step 1: Collect the information about the assignment Collect all given information about the assignment:

assignment task, FAQ sheet, and assessment criteria Be clear about the purpose of the assignment:

what skills, knowledge etc. you are being asked to demonstrate

Step 2: Work out the genre of the assignment Identify the genre and type of assignment required to write.

Step 3: Identify the key words in the assignment Break the question down into components by highlighting key words help

with your interpretation and analysis.

Step 4: checklist make a checklist of deliverables to tick off before submission.

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 3

Writing genres

Common assignment writing genres:

Abstract and executive summary

Annotated bibliography

Case study

Critique

Essay

Reflective journal

Report

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 4

Report vs. essayReport Essay

Function Presents information with a clear purpose to a specific audience

a result of research and/or analysis of data and/or issues.

Used to help make and evaluate decisions or account for actions

Often simulate industry reports

Presents a logically structured answer to a particular question, or questions, usually presented as an argument

Used to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and critical thinking as a cohesive whole

Structure Specific sections using numbered headings and sub-headings

May use graphics (tables, graphs, illustrations)

May be followed by recommendations and/or appendices

Continuous flow of text using minimal sub-headings

Rarely uses graphics Rarely has

recommendations or appendices

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 5

Purpose & audience

Before starting to write a report, two key questions need to be clarified: What is the purpose of the report? Who is the audience for the report?

Purpose: ? Is it to: collect data and present the findings? analyse a situation or activity? review and evaluate existing literature on a topic and identify issues?

All of these reports are forms of a research report, but they fulfil different functions.

AudienceAlthough lecturers are the obvious audience for any assessment task, it is important to think of the task in more objective terms, to see it as a 'real' task, e.g. as writing a report for a client or company. To help locate a report in a more realistic context, think carefully about all the potential readers of a report,and ask:

Who will read the report? What are their needs, what do they need to see? How do you make your report user-

friendly? How will you structure and package the report? How much detail needs to be included in the report?

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 6

Generic report format

Title page

Contents

Part 1: overview may include Introduction, rationale and summary of key findings

may be bullet point

Part 2: discussion Critical evaluation

discussion

May combine subheadings, bullet point and narrative (essay style)

Part 3: conclusion review, reflection

Usually narrative

Bibliography

Appendices

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 7

Report format details

Overview (less than 10% of the word length) Provide basic details of the work being reviewed e.g. date it was created, the name of the

author/creator.   Describe the main argument or purpose of the work. Rationale: explain the context in which the work was created.  Briefly summarize the main points of discussion or findings.  Have a concluding sentence that signposts what your evaluation of the work will be. For instance,

it may indicate whether it is a positive, negative, or mixed evaluation.

Discussion (see next slide)

Conclusion usually a very brief paragraph A statement indicating the overall evaluation of the work A summary of the key reasons, identified during the critical evaluation, why this evaluation was

formed. recommendations for improvement or future directions may be appropriate here.

Reference list Include all resources, including images, cited in your critique. Check with your lecturer/tutor for which referencing style to use.   

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 8

Discussion section

give a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the work

Sometimes you will be given a task-specific template or set of guidelines for this

Do not simply describe or highlight pros and cons. deconstruct the work methodically Critically analyze: identify aims, assumptions, strengths and

weaknesses make connections to wider context, if possible evaluate for effectiveness

provide evidence from the work itself, such as a quote or example

cite evidence from related academic sources. Explain how this evidence supports your evaluation of the work.

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 9

About learning

“One must learn by doing the thing; though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try”.

Sophocles, 495-406 BC

“Other people’s knowledge is just information.Teaching is helping people to turn information into knowledge……by getting them to do things with the information…”

P. Race, Assessment, Learning and Teaching Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth

“… to learn something does not mean to receive knowledge or information, but … that the relationship between person and world changes.”

Louise Limberg, 1999 Senior Professor of Library and Information Science

University of Gothenburg

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 10

What is reflective writing?

Reflective writing is: your response to experiences, thoughts, events or new information a way of thinking to explore your learning an opportunity to gain self-knowledge a way to achieve clarity and better understanding of what you are learning a chance to develop and reinforce writing skills a way of making meaning out of what you study

Reflective writing is not: just conveying information, instruction or argument pure description, though there may be descriptive elements straightforward decision or judgment (e.g. about whether something is

right or wrong, good or bad) simple problem-solving a summary of course notes a standard university essay

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 11

Why are we asked to do reflective writing?

To make connections builds on your prior knowledge, whether it is formal (e.g. education) or informal

(e.g. gained through experience). helps you develop and clarify the connections:

between what you already know and what you are learning between theory and practice between what you are doing and how and why you do it.

To examine your learning processes to consider and comment on your learning experiences—not only WHAT you've

learned, but HOW you learned it.

to clarify what you are learning clarify what you have studied integrate new knowledge with previous knowledge identify the questions you have identify what you have yet to learn.

Reflective sample from a weekly journal

Week 13 Reflective Practice & your ePortfolio 12

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 13

reflecting on mistakes and successes

A crucial part of your reflection Is an iterative, cyclic process Identifies your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and

barriers to learning

helps you avoid repeating them.

helps identify successful principles to use again. To become an active and aware learner To become a reflective practitioner once you graduate and

begin your professional life

The reflective practice model

Week 13 Reflective Practice & your ePortfolio 14

Rodin's The Thinker"

Originally conceived in 1880 as Dante, with the poet overlooking the Gates of Hell, it is now seen to "represent the power of thought and mental creativity"

This model comes from Kolb (1984)

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 15

Steps in reflective practice

Reflective Practice is a cyclic process. For example:

1. Describe the experience briefly

2. Reflect on what you experienced – what did you observe about yourself? about yourself interacting with the task?

3. Conceptualized the experience: is there a key theme in it? what is the main concept? can you relate this to other similar experiences

4. What could you do differently next time, what could you change and why?

5. Do the task again – what was the experience this time?

Guide to Writing Reports and Evaluations 16

Further readings

Report Writinghttps://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/2_AssessmentTasks/assess_tuts/reports_LL/types.html

Reflective writing http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/reflect.html

UTS Academic writing resourceshttp://www.lib.uts.edu.au/help/study-skills/writing-reading-speaking

Other general resourceshttp://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/olib.htmlhttp://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/taskanal.html http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/main.html