Report writing

Member’s

Nandan Shah

Yash Rawani

Ayushi Jain

Mohammed Ali

DhagaApeksha Mehta

Rohan Bhatkar

Mohammed

DriverMayur Sancheti

What is a report?

A report, by definition, is a “statement describing what has happened” or “describing a state of affairs”.

Reports means a statement or description of what has been said, done, etc.

What does it contain?

It contains facts, figures information,

analysis, options, suggestions,

recommendations, drafts, charts,

pictures, statistical tables etc. specially

compiled for a particular purpose.

A Report An EssayPresents information Presents an argument

Is meant to be scanned quickly by the reader Is meant to be read carefully

Uses numbered headings and sub-headings Uses minimal sub-headings, if any.

May not need references and

bibliography/reference list

Always needs references and

bibliography/reference list

Uses short, concise paragraphs and dot-

points where applicable

Links ideas into cohesive paragraphs,rather

than breaking them down into a list of dot-points

Uses graphics wherever possible (tables, graphs,

illustrations)

Rarely uses graphics

May need an abstract (sometimes called an executive

summary)

Will only need an abstract if it is very

long, or if your lecturer asks for one specifically

May be followed by recommendations

and/or appendices

Seldom has recommendations or appendices

INFORMATION & ANALYTICAL

ROUTINE & SPECIAL

ORAL & WRITTEN

FORMAL & NON-FORMAL

R O U T I N E R E P O R T S : Required to be prepared and submitted periodically on matters required by the organization so as to

help the management of the organization to take decisions relating to day to day affairs.

The main objectives are to let the management know what is happening in the organization, itsprogress what measures have been taken in solving the problems and what to do so that the organization may run smoothly and efficiently.

Are generally brief. They only give the facts. No comments or explanations are offered in such reports.

S P E C I A L R E P O R T S : Specially required to be prepared and submitted on matters of special nature. Due to an accident a

death of the foreman has occurred in a factory. The factory manager may ask for a detail report from the head foreman. Such a report is classified as special reports. These reports contain not only facts and details but they may contain suggestion, comments and explanations as well.

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Oral reports are when you are assigned to do a report by speaking. On the other hand, Written reports are submitted in writing.

Oral reports are those which are concluded via speech through any medium of communication such as cell phone, face to face, presentation video, etc.

Written reports are concluded in any form of writing either print media or hand written.

Written report is mainly in formal type, where as oral reports may be formal or informal.

Informal reports basically used for routine functions of an organization. Informal reports are widely used in corporate sector for conveying routine internal messages. There are not research based and take short time to prepare.In the words of Ricks and Gown, “Informal reports are commonly used vehicles to help managers in planning, organizing, staffing and controlling.”

The tone of a formal report is more analytical than informal reports. A Formal report does not mean more formal language, it means the report is more detailed, more complex in nature.

Formal reports provide bases for decision making. It can be either informational or analytical. It includes not only presentation of data but also in depth analysis followed by recommendation.

MEMO FORMAT

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT

PRINTED FORMAT

LETTER FORMAT

Memo is a document typically used for communication with a communication with a company.

Memo can be as formal like business letter and it is used to present a report.

Generally memo is sent to co-worker and colleagues.

In memo we don’t have to include formal salutation and closing remark.

Manuscript formatting depends greatly on the type of work that is being written, as well as the individual publisher, editor or producer.

There are some guidelines in writing a MANUSCRIPT

One inch margins

Double spaced text

A single, clear, 12-point typeface

No extra space between paragraphs

An indented first line for each paragraph

Information identifying the author and title of the manuscript on every page

po of

Mainly used when you go for a medical test, the report which you receive is in PRINTED FORMAT

You cannot change your words or your sentence as once it is printed you may have to re-write again.

While writing, margins should be 1 inched from all sides.

Start the letter by introducing yourself in a friendly manner.

State the purpose of your letter.

Always keep the attention of your audience as they are the readers in this case.

Explain the purpose of your letter in a sentence or 2 as you have to save your points for the body.

1.TITLE

6.CONCLUSION

3.CONTENT

2.SUMMARY

7.REFERENCES

4.INTRODUCTION

5.BODY

8.RECOMMENDATIONS

Must include the title of the report.

It should contain the title and theauthor's name the report reference number, date, its classification

(i.e. confidential, etc).

Most companies have well designed title pages available as a template

These have the advantage of producing a company image.

www.hindustantimes.com

SUMMARY The summary though is the last part of the text to be written, it is

perhaps the most difficult.

It gives a general picture of the report for those who want to be reminded of what they have already read, and also for those who will never see-or want to see- the total report.

Many companies have long circulation list for summaries, but supply the full report to only those whose status demands it.

Thus summary saves time and money.


This is a list of the headings of the report.

Depending on the complexity and length of the report, you could list tables, figures and appendices separately.

Make sure the correct page numbers are shown opposite the contents.

Up-to-date word processing packages can generate a table of contents for you.


States the objectives of the report and comments on the way the topic of the report is to be treated.

Leads straight into the report itself. Give enough background information to provide a context for the report.

State the purpose of the report. Clarify key terms and indicate the scope of

the report (i.e. what the report will cover).


The content of the body depends on the purpose of the report, and whether it is a report of primary or secondary research.

A report of primary research (based on your own observations and experiments) would include:

Method (summarises what you did and why). Use the past tense.

Findings or results (describes what you discovered, observed, etc, in your observations and experiments). Use the past tense.

Discussion (discusses and explains your findings and relates them to previous research). Use the present tense to make generalisations.

Analysis/discussion of the sources you are reporting.


REFERENCES &

RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES- are the source information of data that is included in report.

RECOMMENDATIONS- are suggestions forfuture action. They must be logically derivedfrom the body of your report.


CONCLUSION

A short, logical summing up of the themes developed in the main text.The conclusion should clearly related to the objectives of your report.No surprises please! (that is, don’t include new information here.)


Repo r t s communica te in fo rmat ion wh ich has

been compi led as a resu l t o f research and

ana lys is o f da ta and o f i s sues . Repor ts can

cover a w ide range o f top ics , bu t usua l l y

f ocus on t ransmi t t ing in fo rmat ion wi th a c lea r

purpose , t o a spec i f i c aud ience .

Good repor ts a re documen ts t ha t are accura te ,

ob jec t ive and comple te a l so be w el l -w r i t t en ,

c lea r ly s t ruc tu red and expressed i n a way t ha t

ho lds t he reader ' s a t ten t ion and mee ts t he i r

expec ta t ions .

Of ten repor ts a re s t ruc tu red i n a way t ha t

re f l ec ts the in fo rmat ion f ind ing p rocess and

t he w r i t ing up o f t he f i nd i ngs .

This shows what the report includes and excludes. For

example: Think about a periscope on a submarine. It comes out of the water and provides the viewer with a limited view of the landscape.

Scope defines what you’re going to talk about in the report, what your report will address and a brief summary of the key components of the report. If there is a major issue that a report is not covering, then it’s a good idea to mention that it won’t be covering it, along with an explanation as to why.

The scope section will typically only be a paragraph or two in length.

For most technical writers, audience analysis is the most important step in planning a targetdocument.

In order for a writer's final product to be fully successful, the piece must be aimed towards the intended audience, its knowledge, its opinions, its needs, and its wants.

These instructions will help you analyze your audience and develop a strategy to target your writing to your audience.

GATHERING THE INFORMATION• In format ion gather ing can be used for a

var ie ty of d i f fe rent reasons ; I t makes wr i te r aware o f more d iverse sources , op in ions and approaches which can on ly enhance qual i ty o f the repor t .

• Ef fect ive in format ion gather ing can:1 . Ut i l i ze your t ime more e f f ic ien t ly and

e f fec t ive ly deve lop cr i t i ca l th ink ingth rough the use o f sh i f t ing/sor t ing techn iques .

2 . I t b roaden our out look and in form our sub ject unders tand ing through the exp lora t ion o f more d iverse sources.

ANALYSING & ORGANISING

THE INFORMATION

• After thinking through what information, it is important to know, and understand how to find it.

• This comes to the task of analyzing the results of your research or consultations and organizing it.

WRITING THE 1ST DRAFT

• In professional contexts, the readers might

be managers, clients, project team

member.

• The answer will affect the content and

technical level, and is a major

consideration in the level of detail required

in the introduction

THE FINAL DRAFT• After all of the coding is done it is finally time to write the thesis,

dissertation, academic journal article, or intra-organizational

report.

• The writing phase of research is more efficient and productive

because of the hard work that you put into the collection,

organization, and coding of your data.

• Specific report formats vary widely, but there is a common

structure in most academic publications.

• Most universities, journals, corporations, and government

agencies provide very specific publication guidelines. In all cases

it is easier to follow editorial style guidelines if you use the style-

oriented tools of Word...

RE-VISING, RE-VIEWING

& EDITTING• The report should now be nearly complete

with an introduction, main text in sections, conclusions, properly, formatted, references and any appendices.

• Now you must add the page numbers,contents and title pages and write the summary

TYPES OF REPORT

• They were of 4 Types

1. Information & Analytical.

2. Routine & Special.

3. Oral & Written.

4. Formal & Non-Formal.

FORMATS

• They were 4 Formats too.

1. Memo Format.

2. Manuscript Format.

3. Printed Format.

4. Letter Format.

STRUCTURES

• There were 8 Structures1. 1.TITLE2. 2.SUMMARY3. 3.CONTENT4. 4.INTRODUCTION5. 5.BODY6. 7.REFERENCES7. 6.CONCLUSION8. 8.RECOMMENDATIONS

STRATEGIES

• 8 Strategies should be kept in mind while writing a report.

1 . Analyz ing the report & purpose.2. Determinat ion of the scope of report .3 . The need of audience analys is .4 . Gather ing the Informat ion5. Analyz ing & Organiz ing a report .6. Writ ing the 1 st Draft7. The F inal Draft8. Revis ing , Re-v iewing & Edit ing.

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Software

Report writing