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CV 3 - Writing A Report

A report is a structured document that examines issues or findings from an investigation to better understand factors and provide guidance for future research. An ideal report is clear, concise, accurate, well-organized, easy to understand, and visually appealing. It includes an executive summary, introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction outlines the context and purpose, while the body provides details on the research and findings. The conclusion gives the author's opinions on the facts discovered.

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Jeremias Mussambo
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75 views

CV 3 - Writing A Report

A report is a structured document that examines issues or findings from an investigation to better understand factors and provide guidance for future research. An ideal report is clear, concise, accurate, well-organized, easy to understand, and visually appealing. It includes an executive summary, introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction outlines the context and purpose, while the body provides details on the research and findings. The conclusion gives the author's opinions on the facts discovered.

Uploaded by

Jeremias Mussambo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

Writing a report
1.1. What is report?
A report is a clearly structured document in which the writer identifies and
examines issues, events, or findings of an investigation. In simple terms, a report
is an interpretation of findings through which the factors that seem to explain what
has been observed by researcher in the course of the study can be better
understood and it also provides a theoretical conception which can serve as a
guide for further researches.
1.2. The report writing process
I. Planning you report
As in all writing, planning is vitally important. The key questions to ask yourself
when planning a report are:
 What is the purpose of this report?
 Who are the readers of this report?
 What are the report’s main messages?
 How will the report be structured?
II. Characteristics of an ideal report
An ideal report must have following characteristics:
 An ideal report should be clear, concise, accurate and well organised with
clear section headings.
 Easy for the audience to understand.
 Presentation is a key element in successful report writing. Formatting,
revising and proof reading are important process for good report writing.
 All reports should have an executive summary that presents the essential
elements of the report from the introduction through to the
recommendations and outcomes.
 Reports should be visually appealing and easy to read. Diagrams, figures,
charts, tables and graphs can all add interest to a report.
III. Report writing structure
Reports follow a standardised format. This allows the reader to find the
information easily and focus on specific areas. Report can be divided into three
major parts:

1
Report Structure

Preliminary
Main Text End Part
Parts
IV. Organizing your report
A typical report should follow the structure outlined below. Shorter reports might
not need all the sections but they should at least include the highlighted sections.
1. Title – your title should tell the reader exactly what the report is about.
2. Contents list – shows the sections of the report. Gives the headings,
subheadings and page numbers.
3. Abstract or Executive Summary – gives a summary of the whole report.
Outlines the report’s purpose, methodology, findings, main conclusions
and recommendations. Mainly written in past tense, and prepared last.
4. Introduction – outlines the context, background and purpose of the
report. Defines terms and sets limits of the investigation. The
reader/audience can easily identify what the report is about, how
information was gathered, and why the report is needed. Mainly uses past
tense and can be written last – but is presented first.
5. Body of the report – the main body of the report will follow the structure
in the contents list. It will give precise information about the research you
have carried out and what you have discovered from it. The information
here should be mainly factual and not based on opinion. Tables, charts,
graphs or diagrams can make the information clearer. Some of the more
detailed information can go into appendices.
6. Conclusion – this is where you give your opinions on the facts that you
have discovered.
7. Recommendations (note: not all reports give recommendations) – the
opinions of the writer of the report about possible changes, or solutions to
the problems, including who should take action, what should be done,
when and how it should be done.
8. Bibliography (Not always required) – lists any sources that were read for
the research but were not cited in the report.
9. Appendices (Not always required) – additional relevant information. May
include interview questions, surveys, glossary etc. (Appendices are not
included in the word count).

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