Writing A Report

1. Before starting ask yourself the following questions: -

What is the report to cover?
Who is it for?
What results are expected?
What is the submission date?

2. Identify who will be reading the report to target the tone and content. It may be necessary to publish more than one version if there is a wide range of readers.

3. Establish what resources are available including time, budget and equipment. The information required will be dependent upon the purpose and objectives. You may have to carry out your own research or use information already available.

4. It is often useful to produce some notes on paper which may help to generate ideas.

5. Start the research by writing out sections of the report which are already understood, this helps to identify gaps or use separate sheets to reduce the amount of re-writing.

6. For a formal report write in the third person, i.e. ‘XYZ Pizzas should…’, not, ‘you should…’. Where possible, informal language should be used. Adjust the language to suit the reader.

7. Title page normally shows the author, title, recipient and date.

8. There should be a well-presented summary at the beginning, usually the last part to be written.

9. The contents page is very important as it gives the reader an overview at a glance. The numbered sections should be listed in sequence.

10. Terms of reference usually outline the purpose of the report, who it was commissioned by and its submission date and can sometimes be combined with the introduction.

11. An introduction will normally give a brief background to the contents. It may also explain the methods of investigation.

12. The methodology describes the way the research was carried out, e.g. desk research, questionnaire, interview.

13. The findings are normally divided between a number of sections, depending upon the complexity of the case. A different section is normally allocated to each separate area of information. The sections should follow a systematic order and be very clearly defined and accurate.

14. The conclusions summarise the main points, giving a brief overview of what has been discussed. The recommendations section may sometimes be combined with this.

15. Recommendations offer solutions, or next steps. Style of writing should be persuasive and positive. They should also be realistic and practical.

16. The appendices usually contain supporting material which may be referred to throughout the report, e.g. leaflets, copies of questionnaires and statistical information.

17. The acknowledgements, references and bibliography section includes references that have been used in conjunction with the contents. Include the author’s name, publication title, date, publisher’s name and the page number.

18. The layout should be clear and attractive, e.g. wide margins, and clearly defined headings, attractive fonts, etc. Pages should be well spaced and easy to read.

Do’s & Don'ts:

Do:

Make sure the report is brief and concise. All points should be relevant to the purpose of the report.

Check on copyright if the report is to be published.

Permission may be required to use data, or to quote other authors

Don’t:

Use jargon.

Write to impress.

Include information only because you have found it.