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REPORTS

Introduction: What is a Report

Gives information, puts forward ideas, gives survey findings and


recommends action. It can be either oral or written.

Usually follows a fixed format. The presentation of a report should


enable the reader to take in the information quickly and easily.
The usual sections of a report are:

1. Introduction
2. Findings
3. Conclusions or Evaluation
4. Recommendation

The three main purposes are: to inform/narrate, to


instruct/explain, to convince/persuade

There are TWO types of report:


a. Informational Report
b. Analytical or Investigative Report

Type of

Informational Report

Analytical/ Investigative Report

Report
Purpose

To present facts, data

To study a problem

To analyse information and


reach some conclusions

Features

Example

To make recommendations about

Usually short

future
Longeractions

May be included in a memo

More complex

or letter, or presented

Several separate sections

orally

Definite format

Simple format; not fixed

Formal language

May use a template


Sales report
May be less formal
Accidents report

Feasibility report

Project proposal

Status report

Evaluation report

Maintenance report

Market research report

Trip report

Annual report

SHORT REPORT
Places information on the page in a

way that is easy to understand.


A short report should contain:
a clear indication of your purpose
accurate and objective information
a suitable order of information which
highlights the main points and leads
logically to your conclusions
appropriate formal short report,
letter or memo formatting

Informal Reports

Information reports
Progress reports
Justification/recommendation reports
Feasibility reports
Minutes of meetings
Summaries

Information Reports

Information reports provide


findings without analysis
or persuasion. For example,
your boss asks you to
investigate prepaid legal
services as a possible
employee benefit.

Information Reports
Introduction

Findings

Conclusion

Explain why you are writing;

define purpose.
Describe credibility of data
methods and sources.
Provide background.
Preview what is to follow.

Information Reports
Introduction

Findings

Conclusion

Organize chronologically,

alphabetically, topically, by
importance, or by another method.
Group similar topics together.
Use appropriate headings.

Information Reports
Introduction

Findings

Conclusion

Summarize findings.
Suggest action to be taken.
Express appreciation, if applicable.

Progress Reports

Progress reports explain the


progress of continuing
projects. For example, you
must report on the progress of
a golf tournament your
organization is planning.

Progress Reports
Specify in the opening the

purpose and nature of the


project.
Provide background
information if the audience
requires filling in.
Describe the work completed.

Progress Reports
Explain the work currently in progress,
including personnel, activities, methods, and
locations.
Anticipate problems and possible remedies.
Discuss future activities and provide the
expected completion date.

Progress Report Memo


Format

Click icon to
view example.

Adobe Acrobat
7.0 Document

Justification/
Recommendation Reports
Justification/recommendation
reports are written to justify or
recommend something, such
as buying equipment, changing a
procedure, hiring an employee,
consolidating departments, and
so forth.

Justification/Recommenda
tion ReportMemo Format

Click icon to
view example.

Adobe Acrobat
7.0 Document

Feasibility Reports

Feasibility reports examine the


practicality and advisability of
following a course of action.
For example, your company
must decide whether to add a
child-care facility.

Feasibility Reports
Begin by announcing your decision

immediately.
Describe the background and problem
necessitating the proposal.
Discuss the benefits of the proposal.
Describe any problems that may result.
Calculate the costs associated with the
proposal, if appropriate.
Show the time frame necessary for
implementation of the proposal.

Feasibility Report Memo


Format

Click icon to
view example.

Adobe Acrobat
7.0 Document

Minutes of Meetings

Meeting minutes
summarize the
proceedings of
a meeting.

Minutes of Meetings
Include name of group, date, time,

place, name of the meeting.


List names of attendees and absentees.
Describe disposition of previous
minutes.
Record old business, new business,
announcements, and reports.
Include the precise wording of motions.

Minutes of Meetings
Record the vote

and action taken.


Conclude with the
name and
signature of the
individual recording
the minutes.

Minutes of MeetingReport
Format

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view example.

Adobe Acrobat
7.0 Document

Summaries

Summaries compress
data from a longer
publication, such as a
business report, a
magazine article, or a book
chapter.

Summaries
Present the goal or purpose of the document

being summarized.
Highlight the research methods (if
appropriate), findings, conclusions, and
recommendations.
Omit illustrations, examples, and references.
Organize for readability by including
headings and bulleted or enumerated lists.
Include your reactions or an overall
evaluation of the document if asked to do so.

Executive Summary

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view example.

Adobe Acrobat
7.0 Document

Stages of Preparing a
Report
Before writing a report, you need to find out the answers to these
questions:
1.WHY are you writing the report?
2.WHO will be reading your report?
3.WHAT are the facts/ideas you have

to include?
4.WHERE can you get the facts and
information?
5. HOW are you going to present the
information/ ideas?

[PURPOSE]
[READER]
[SUBJECT
MATTER]
[SOURCES]
[FORMAT]

There are SIX (6) main steps to follow when


preparing a report:
1.Plan the work

2.Collect the information

3.Analyse the information

4.Write the draft of the report


5.Revise the draft
6.Edit the report

Step
PLAN

Task
Clarify the topic or issue

Decide what information is needed and where it can be obtained

Arrange for interviews and prepare questions

Design questionnaires

COLLECT

Plan observations
Carry
a library and
Internet search for secondary data
Designout
observation
forms

DATA

Carry out observations and/ or interviews

ANALYSE THE

Distribute questionnaires
Summarize the data obtained from observations

DATA

Tally responses to the questionnaire

Prepare tables, charts and graphs

Transcribe the interviews

WRITE THE

Identify
points from interviews
Write
themain
introduction

DRAFT

Organise the Findings into groups or categories

Describe the tables, charts and graphs

Write the Findings section

Discuss conclusions and recommendations with your partner

Write the Conclusions section


Review and revise what you have written
Write the Recommendations section
Cut, add, change the order and rewrite where necessary
Prepare the Front Matter

Prepare the End Matter

Edit the final draft- use the Editing Checklist

REVISE
EDIT

A Gantt Chart
Tas
k
No.

ACTIVITY

WEEK
1

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

Identify topic and purpose


Carry out secondary research
Design questionnaire
Distribute questionnaire
Carry out interviews
Write draft introduction
Analyse data
Prepare charts
Write draft Findings
Write draft Conclusions
Write draft Recommendations
Revise and edit draft
Prepare Front Matter & End Matter
Submit Final Report

9 10

Step 2: Collect the


Information

Primary Data:
raw data, collected by a researcher/ writer from
experiments, observations, surveys and interviews
Data which already exist that have been collected
by someone else, for another purpose (e.g.
university records of students grades, number of
cases of dengue in a district)
Secondary Data:
Data which have already been processed by
someone into tables or charts, and published in
books, journal articles, newspapers, reports, web
pages, theses etc.

Step 3: Analyse the Data


Process the data use the

information gathered to prepare the


visual aids (tables, graphs etc)
Should use reported speech.

Step 4: Write the Draft


I. INTRODUCTION
Report
A. Background
B. Terms of Reference
C. Purpose and Scope
D. Methods
II. FINDINGS
A. Observations
B. Questionnaire Reponses
C. Interview Responses
D. Summary of Findings
III. CONCLUSIONS
IV. RECOMMENDATIONS

Step 5: Revise the Draft


Some questions to ask yourself as guideline:
Check your facts- are they complete and

accurate?
Is there any information you need to add?
Is there anything you could cut out (e.g
unnecessary details)?
Are your points arranged logically?
Is the meaning of any phrases or sentences
unclear?
Have you followed the appropriate format?

Step 6: Edit the Final


Report
Check details in the report:
Page numbers
Numbering systems in reports
Prepare the Front Matter (A Cover/ Title Page,

Summary, Acknowledgements, Table of


Contents, Table of Contents, List of Tables and
Figures)
Prepare the End Matter (List of References,
Appendix)

The Formats of Reports


Cover Page
Title Page
Summary
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
I.Introduction
A. Background
B. Terms of reference
C. Purpose and Scope
D. Methods
I.Body of the report (Findings)
II.Conclusions
III.Recommendations
List of References
Appendices

FRONT MATTER
Or
PRELIMINARY SECTION

BODY

END MATTER
Or
SUPPLEMENTARY SECTION

Parts of a Report
FRONT MATTER/ PRELIMINARY SECTION
Title Page
a) The title of your report
b) The name and position of the person or the department to whom

you are submitting your report

c) Your name and position


d) The date you submitted the report

Acknowledgements
To express your gratitude to the people who have helped you in the
course of preparing your report.
Table of Contents
To have an overview of the whole report through a list of sections,
headings and sub-headings provided at the beginning of the
report.

List of Illustrations
Enable the reader to locate each item that you have used such as
diagrams, charts, pictures, photos, tables etc.
BODY

Introduction:

a) Background/ Problem A brief introduction to the history of the

problem will help your readers understand your report.

b) Terms of Reference- A section where you define the scope of your

report.

c) Purpose and Scope- The purpose is called the objective, aim, goal or

mission of the report. The scope is the range of subjects that you are
going to investigate.

d) Definition of terms Define or explain the terms that are

unfamiliar to your readers.

e) Methods- How and where you obtained the information that your

report contains. E.g. Survey, interview, questionnaire etc.

Findings:
Discoveries based on the facts and data collected. The data should
be properly analyzed, itemized and presented in a logical order
to facilitate easier reading and understanding.
Conclusions:
A summary of the main findings and it is a result of logical
deductions made from the information you have presented. It is
from these findings that you draw logical conclusions.
Recommendations:
A statement which proposed solution or specifies a course of action
to take. In other words, putting down your own suggestions
based on the conclusions that you have drawn from the findings.
You should indicate who should be responsible for taking the
action recommended, suggest alternative courses of action but
also state the desired action and readers can select their own
course of action.

List of References:
It is important that you include a list of all the titles of the
books, journals, newspaper articles, etc. that you have
referred to. Using material without acknowledgement is
called plagiarism and is punishable by law.
Appendices (Appendix):
Present additional material which is useful but not essential
for the completion of your report. May include a copy of
questionnaire, maps, diagrams, charts etc.

PROPOSALS

Proposals

- special reports

(presented in the form of reports or memos)

Why write proposals?


Today's managers expect employees to be able
to contribute not just their labor but also their
analysis and ideas, and provide them in writing
a document called the internal proposal.
What is proposals?
It is a special type of analytical report
designed to get products, plans or projects
accepted by others.

TYPES OF PROPOSALS
1. Unsolicited proposal :
usually written to obtain business or funding

without a specific invitation from management or


a potential client.
the writer makes the first move
the writer must convince the readers that a
problem exists and he/she can solve it
2.

Solicited proposals:
generally prepared at the request of external
parties who need something done
can also be requested by internal sources like
board of directors, management etc.

3. Internal proposals:
Submitted to decision makers in ones own organization
2 primary purposes:

(a) to seek approval for a course of action (such as


changing, recruiting procedures, revising companys
training program etc)
(b) to request additional resources (such as new
equipment, employees, extra fund etc)
4.
External proposals:
Submitted outside an organization to current or potential
clients/ government agencies.
to seek approval for projects or fund
directed to outsiders and more formal
are legally binding , once approved they form the basis
of contract.
proposals must be convincing to the outsiders

Proposal structure
Introduction: the key problem or benefit to be

discussed
Background and purpose: how the problem or need
originated: its cause and its history, how the writer
became involved, what previous solutions have been
attempted, and why they did not work; it may also
include the larger context of the problem in terms of
the organization, or broader social and economic trends
Main problem, need, or opportunity (one or two
sentences should summarize the main problem or need
and identify the cause)
Proposal and main support (one sentence)
Research sources and methods (not essential)

Informal Proposals
Introduction
Background
Proposal
Staffing
Budget
Authorization

request
Adobe Acrobat
Document

Informal
proposals
are usually
presented in 2- to
4-page letters or
memos and have
six main parts.
Click icon
to see model

Informal Proposals
Introduction should provide hook to

capture readers interest.


Background section identifies problems
and goals of project.
Proposal discusses plan and schedule for
solving existing problem.
Staffing section describes credentials and
expertise of project leaders.
Budget indicates project costs.
Authorization asks for approval to proceed.

APA Citation
Type of Citation Example and Use
1 author

2 authors
Citing specific parts
of a source

Personal
communication:

Citation of a secondary
source

...This was seen in an Australian study (Conger, 1979).


Conger (1979) has argued that...
In 1979, Conger conducted a study which showed that...
...(Davidson & Harrington, 2002)
Davidson and Harrington (2002)...
As one writer put it "the darkest days were still ahead
(Weston, 1988, p. 45).
Weston (1988) argued that "the darkest days were still
ahead
(p. 45).
This theory was put forward by Smith (2005, chap. 7)
Personal communications are not included in the reference
list.... (R. Smith, personal communication, January 28,
2002).
R. Smith (personal communication, January 28,
2002)... ..
(Farrow, 1968, as cited in Ward & Decan, 1988).
Farrow (1968, as cited in Ward & Decan, 1988) ...
Ward and Decan (1988) cited Farrow (1968) as finding...

Type of ArticlesReference List


Print Book
Electronic book

Generic webpage
Webpage:
association as
author
Magazine Online

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year of publication).Title


of book. Location of publication: Publisher.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year of publication).Title
of book(edition). Retrieved from URL OR
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year of publication).Title
of book(edition). doi:xxxx
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication).Title
of work. Retrieved from URL.
Australian Psychological Society. (2010).Bushfire
resources: Psychological preparedness and recovery.
Retrieved from http://www.psychology.org.au/bushfires/
Author, A. A. (year, month of publication). Title of
article.Magazine Title, volume number(issue number),
page-page. Retrieved from URL.
Novotney, A. (2010, January). Integrated care is nothing
new for these psychologists.Monitor on Psychology,
41(1). Retrieved from www.apa.org/monitor

For more information on How to Cite, refer to


http://eliser.lib.sp.edu.sg/elsr_website/Html/citation.pdf
http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing/apa.html

References
Nor Azni Abdullah (2008).

Communication Skills for the


Workplace. Petaling Jaya: August
Publishing Sdn. Bhd.
Guffey, M.E.(2010). Essentials of

Business Communication. USA:


Cengage Learning.

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