writing a report types of report newspaper
- 2. What is a report? A report is a practical document that describes, details or analyses a situation so that the reader can make decisions or take specific action.
- 3. Types of report Product report Business report Lab report Technical report Case study report Research report (inc. dissertations) and more…
- 4. Reports vs essays Similarities include: • Requirement for research, planning and clear structure • Critical analysis of evidence used to support points • Accurate referencing of all sources • Succinct, formal, objective, academic language • Editing and proof-reading prior to submission
- 5. Reports vs essays Differences – a report is: • More formally structured (like a dissertation, it may have contents page, numbered sections, headings and sub-headings) • Focused on reader’s needs (targeted towards a specific purpose) • Informative and fact based (as opposed to exploring arguments and ideas) • Includes recommendation for action • May use tables, graphs, bullet points
- 6. Purposes of reports Do not start work on a report until you clarify its purpose, which may be one or more of the following: Informative To define or establish a current situation Explanatory To explore and explain a situation and suggest possible actions Persuasive To investigate a problem and suggest a specific course of action
- 7. Structure (essay) This is the structure of a standard essay: • Question • Introduction • Main body • Conclusion • Reference list Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph
- 8. Structure (report) A report may contain many or all of the following: • Title • Acknowledgements • Executive summary • Contents page • Main body • Bibliography • Appendices Introduction Background information Methodology Findings Analysis Conclusions Recommendations
- 9. Clear overall structure • Title (accurately reflecting the content of the report) • Acknowledgements (if there are people or organisations you need to acknowledge as having contributed to the creation of the report) • Executive summary (Also known as an ‘abstract’ - a brief, 200-300 word, standalone summary of the report, including background, key aims, methods, findings and conclusions) • Contents page • Main body (see next slide) • Bibliography (for substantial reports at Masters and Phd level, a bibliography may reference sources influential to the work, in addition to work cited within it) • Appendices (useful but supplementary information)
- 10. Clear main body structure • Introduction (context, focus, aims, objectives of the report) • Background information (anything the reader may need to know at the start in order to understand the content of the report) • Methodology (how you found things out) • Findings (what you found out) • Analysis (understanding the findings, discussing what they mean) • Conclusions (key things those findings indicate, clarify or confirm) • Recommendations (Courses of action suggested by those findings)
- 11. Summary – key characteristics To recap, a report should: • Perform a function, clarified at the outset • Provide information in a logical, well sign-posted order • Present ideas and information (whether written or visual) as clearly as possible • Use critically analysed evidence to support conclusions • Offer clear recommendations as requested • Be accurately referenced and error-free on submission