Report writing

Consistent with Chapters 4 and 5 on assignment preparation, this chapter focuses on the report writing process and report layout and presentation. Although the information contained in this chapter is generally accepted business practice, you are advised to consult with your tutors and/or Unit Outline regarding any specific expectations they have for this work.

Eunson (2005) argues that one of the major complaints levelled at report writing is that they often read like essays. There are a number of important distinctions between these two types of documents. Generally, reports aid decision making and problem solving and are, therefore, more problem and action oriented. In terms of presentation, reports include separate sections (on separate pages) such as the table of contents, executive summary and recommendations, which are not usually included in essays. They also use numbered headings and sub-headings for major sections of the body.

7.1 The process

7.1.1 Identify the purpose of the report

Unless you are certain about the purpose of your report, it is unlikely that your conclusions and/or recommendations will be relevant. Therefore, it is important to clearly identify the purpose of the report. This can be achieved by writing a one-sentence statement about the problem, issue or question being posed. For example, the report may be required to assist in decision-making, to solve a problem, or perhaps to persuade the reader to adopt an idea or a particular approach. In any event, this activity requires reflective and analytical thinking.

Alternatively, it may be useful to write a concise title which clearly indicates the content and scope of the report. If you take this approach, however, you should be careful that the title is impartial and does not reflect a bias toward a preferred outcome.

7.1.2 Identify the readers and their needs

Generally speaking, the reader's knowledge of the subject will influence the type of background information and technical language you use in your report. However, since your readers are most likely to be your tutors and an 'imaginary reader', the principle is the same as that which applies to essay writing.

This approach emphasises the importance of creating meaning for the reader by avoiding unnecessary explanations and focusing on clearly defined issues that help the reader understand the nature and direction of the report.

7.1.3 Research the topic

In order to produce a high quality report, it is necessary to use relevant and current information from a variety of sources. Individuals who may have first-hand knowledge of the subject are a valuable source of information. However, secondary data contained on the net, texts and journal articles will form the bulk of the information for writing your report. It is also worthwhile supplementing this with information contained in newspaper articles, theses, conference papers, speeches, annual reports, brochures, and so on. Besides being an efficient means of collecting data, reading a variety of materials may provide useful insights into the nature of the problem, acquaint you with terminology, theory or methods you had not previously considered, refer you to other sources of information and generally assist you in formulating a tentative outline.

Whilst depth and breadth of reading are highly recommended, for practical purposes you should also be selective in what you read. Ignore outdated and irrelevant materials and always keep in mind the purpose of your report.

It is also important to record your sources on some type of database such as *Endnote. Cite the author, date, title, publisher, city of publication and page numbers. The database will assist you to prepare an accurate and complete reference list. See Chapter 10 for more details.

*Monash students can download Endnote software from the Web and Monash libraries offer Endnote classes throughout the year, go to the Monash library website http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/ for more details. Classes can be booked on-line through your mymonash portal.

7.1.4 Outline the report

Having reviewed, synthesised and interpreted the information, the next step is to prepare the body of your report. (Leave the introduction and conclusion until later). This is done by establishing a framework, or structure, around which you will write. Start off by experimenting with four or five major headings as signposts for your thinking. It is within these major sections that you will present the facts, explanations and reasoning that will lead to your conclusions and recommendations. This means that you place related issues into groups according to common characteristics. Again, this is based on the purpose of your report.

Each section heading should clearly indicate its content, should have reader interest and be as brief as possible. You then need to arrange these groups or headings into a logical sequence. The outlining process often requires a number of revisions but, once you are satisfied with it, you can work on developing the sub-sections under each heading.

7.1.5 Write the draft

When you have outlined the body of the report, that is, arranged the major section headings and sub-headings, the next step is to prepare the first draft. Do not worry overly about spelling and punctuation at this stage. Instead, focus on the ideas you are presenting, the evidence to support them, and their logical flow.

Try to form your own line of argument based on your research data. For every section commence by writing a sentence which encapsulates your main idea or ideas, then elaborate with supporting evidence. This means that you are expressing the ideas in your own words and explaining to the reader how other writers' ideas have had an influence on your argument, or how your argument has incorporated these ideas, and the reasons for this. If you find a quotation in your reading that makes a strong contribution to your argument, quote it, and ensure that you reference the source of the quote. However, avoid over-quoting as the reader will soon lose sense of the argument.

Once this has been done, ensure that the information flows logically and that you have guided the reader’s understanding by adding linking statements such as ‘After considering..., it follows that ... is important’. In other words, you need to explain your line of thinking for the reader, highlighting the relevance and importance of the sections which lead to the conclusion and/or recommendations.

An important consideration in this drafting stage is impartiality. As a researcher and writer you need to express your ideas in an objective manner. Consequently, it is general practice to write the report in third person, past tense. For example, instead of ‘We did this study...’ write ‘The purpose of this study was to...’. Also remember to write clearly and concisely without contractions such as ‘don’t’ or ‘shouldn’t’, and avoid using slang.

7.1.6 Edit the draft

Once you have completed a rough draft you need to check that your ideas are clearly expressed and that your writing makes sense. If possible, you should leave the report for at least one day before editing. Edit it yourself or have someone else proofread the report, checking for inconsistency of argument, poor grammar, spelling, typographical errors. Keep in mind that you may have to prepare several drafts of your report, reading through, correcting and refining your ideas and expression with each one.

7.1.7 The finished product

Making your report as comprehensive and professional as possible plays an important role in communicating your ideas to your reader.

There are various ways of enhancing the visual appeal of your report. Firstly, choose a typeface that is easy to read. Most word processing software offers a variety of font choices. You can also enlarge the font for a title page or reduce it for notations. Use bullet points, italics or boldface for emphasis, but use them consistently throughout the report.

Format the report so that it is visually pleasing. Leave plenty of room in the side margins (particularly the left), and at the top and bottom of each page. Include illustrations, tables or graphs, but make certain that they have been adequately explained in the body of the report. Do not incorporate them unless they are relevant to the point you are making.

7.2 Report presentation and layout

In this section a number of guidelines regarding report presentation and layout are presented. These guidelines are not prescriptive and some academic staff may have their own preferences, so it is important that you consult the subject outline and/or the tutor before proceeding.

7.2.1 Structure of a report

Although the structure of a report can vary, business and academic reports usually (but not always) contain the following parts:

The preliminary sections of a report include the transmittal document, title page, table of contents, lists of figures, tables and illustrations and executive summary. The preliminary pages are numbered with small Roman numerals.

A report often includes a covering letter, memo or email to the person who requested it. Essentially, the writer is saying, “Please find attached the report you requested” or “Please find attached the report you requested on…” “In this report you will find...”. He or she may also provide a brief summary of the report or alternatively, the writer may mention items of special interest and acknowledge those who may have contributed to the report. This is optional and you are only required to submit this on request.

Title page

Unless otherwise stated the title page of your report should include the following details:

title of the report
your name and student number
due date for the assignment
name of the tutor or lecturer for whom the report was written
the name of the unit (including the unit code)

Table of contents

This page is used to outline the sections and sub-sections of the report. It reveals the organisation of the report showing the headings and sub-headings and their corresponding page numbers.

List of figures, tables, illustrations

When there are six or more figures, tables and illustrations, they are listed on a separate page with their corresponding page numbers in the text. If only a few exist, then they are included in the table of contents’ page.

Executive summary/Summary and recommendations

Reports usually include a summary section which is called an ‘executive summary’. It was originally designed for busy executives who did not have time to read the entire report. It contains no quotations and is no more than one page in length. The executive summary is placed at the beginning of the report, after the table of contents, but before the introduction. It is given a Roman numeral rather than an Arabic page number.

The executive summary should include the following:

the purpose of the report
background to the report (e.g. company information)
sources of information
main findings
conclusions and recommendations

Introduction

The introduction of a report usually covers some or all of the following points:

purpose or objective of writing the report
background information (for example a brief history of the organisation, context of topic or problem)
scope, that is, the size or extent of study, amount of data collected, time frames, focus of data collection or discussion (for example, a department or whole organisation)
methodology, that is, the kind of data used (for example, who was interviewed, what type of material was referred to). In certain reports, the methodology may be set out in a separate section prior to the body of the report
assumptions and limitations, (for example, given the above material, any assumptions that were made and any limitations placed on the material included in the report)
plan, (for example, the structure adopted for the report). This briefly overviews the argument, framework or logical structure that the reader should expect to read in the rest of the report.

Results/findings/discussion

This is a significant part of the body of your report. This section should contain the basic facts supported by evidence by way of examples, quotations, charts, diagrams etc. The organisation of the main body of the report will vary considerably according to factors such as the type of problem posed, nature of the topic and the length of the report. However, as a general rule, the findings are divided into logical sections and sub-sections with appropriate headings and sub-headings. These should be numbered using the decimal system.

Conclusion

Round off your work with a concluding section. These are logical deductions drawn from the findings in the previous section. Sum up the main points and refer to any underlying theme. If any questions or issues remain unresolved, mention them in the conclusion.

The recommendations comprise the suggested course of action to be taken to solve a particular problem. They are written as action statements without justification. They are expressed in clear, specific language. They should be expressed in order of importance.

Include in an appendix any supporting evidence, such as tables, which is not possible to incorporate in the main body of the report. If original questionnaires or tests have been used they may be included in the appendices.

The reference list should give information about all sources consulted in writing the report. It is customary to arrange the reference list in alphabetical order according to author (see Chapter 10). Full publication details must be included.