TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING 1
(TECWRI 1)
TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING
✔ Is giving an account or description of an aspect of a particular art, science, trade
or profession learned by experience, study, observation or investigation.
REPORT
✔ An account of something seen, heard or read about.
✔ It is an official statement of facts.
✔ An organized factual and objective information by answering a question or
problems.
✔ It is a document designed to fulfill a need to know by communicating a set of
ideas from writers’ mind to a reading mind.
✔ A document intended for the purpose of recording and conveying information.
POLICE REPORT
✔ It is a chronological or step by step account of an incident that took place at a
given time.
FICTION
✔ A story having imaginary characters and situation and is written primarily to
entertain the reader.
NON – FICTION
✔ Is any communication that related to only facts and is written to given-information
to the reader.
PRINCIPLES IN REPORT WRITING
1. BREVITY – it is achieved by excluding from the report unnecessary details but at
the same time achieving completeness by including all relevant pertinent and
essential information.
2. CLARITY – clearness of the report.
3. COMPLETENESS – it requires the inclusion of all relevant, pertinent and
material information of the case. It must answer the 5 W’s and 1H.
4. ACCURACY – it conforms to the truth.
5. FORM AND STYLE – the arrangement of materials presented should make the
report easy to read and comprehend. It should include proper spacing,
paragraphing, underscoring, capitalization and heading.
CLASSIFICATION OF REPORTS
1. FORMAL REPORT – it requires extensive research and planning.
2. INFORMAL REPORT – short report in a form of memo or letter.
3. ROUTINARY REPORT – it is concerned with the following routinely questions.
4. PERIODIC REPORT – it is one made of regular intervals. The report may be
made by filling in a black form.
5. LABORATORY REPORT – one that gives results of work done in a laboratory.
6. INFORMATIONAL REPORT – present information without criticism and does not
give solutions or recommendations or make evaluations.
7. ANALYTICAL REPORT – it is where the writer not only present facts, but he/she
also analyzes and interprets them, draw conclusions and makes
recommendations.
EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
✔ Is the process of transferring an idea from a source to a receiver with the intent of
changing the behavior, that is, the receiver will eventually hear, listen, to
understand, accept and apply the idea.
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
1. SOURCE – The originator of the message may be an individual or a group of
individual, an institution or organization.
2. MESSAGE – the stimulus which the source transmits to the receiver; from an
abstract thing.
3. CHANNEL – the means by which the message travels from the source to the
receiver one on one/face to face exchange is called interpersonal channel. In
organization, it may come in a form of memos and letters.
4. RECEIVER – the one entity or person to whom the message is directed.
5. EFFECTS – the changes in the behavior that occur as a result of the
transmission of the message.
6. FEEDBACK – the response of the receiver to the message sent by the source.
4 MAIN TYPES OF COMMUNICATION EFFECTS
1. Change in receiver’s knowledge.
2. Change in the receivers understanding.
3. Change in the receiver’s overt attitude.
4. Change in the receiver’s behavior/acted.
THE PURPOSES OF COMMUNICATION
1. To supply and seek information.
2. To produce action or a reaction.
3. To persuade or influence.
4. To gain goodwill.
THE 4’S FORMULA FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
1. SHORTNESS
2. SIMPLICITY
3. STRENGTH
4. SINCERITY
6 PRINCIPLES OF GOOD WRITING
1. ACCURACY – be factually fair and complete.
2. BREVITY – the communication should be short and not redundant.
3. CLARITY – the communication should be grammatically correct, logical with
precise vocabulary, correct spelling and not obscure.
4. OBJECTIVITY - it should be impersonal and concentrated on fact.
5. SIMPLICITY – use plain language.
6. COURTESY - be polite and respectful.
THE 5W’s and 1H OF Police Reports
1. WHO
2. WHAT
3. WHERE
4. WHEN
5. WHY
6. HOW
THE IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES IN REPORT WRITING
1. ACCURACY – is achieved by relating the information which was gain through
physical sense to an investigation/writer.
- An investigator/writer should be able to distinguish the following (1) fact from
hearsay; (2) fact from opinion; and (3) fact from conclusion.
2. COMPLETENESS – is achieved by narrating the facts discovered during the
course of investigation.
3. BREVITY – is achieved by excluding from the report the unnecessary details, but
at the same time achieving completeness by including all relevant pertinent and
essential information.
4. IMPARTIALITY – is achieved by, as a rule, reporting facts without any addition or
deduction.
PURPOSE OF REPORT WRITING
Police organizations develop their reporting system to serve the following
purpose:
1. To account upward and outward for their activities and justify their programs.
2. To report upward and outward information concerning progress future needs and
plans and decisions being made.
3. To report upward for purposes of administrative control.
4. To inform downward concerning policies, programs, resources, procedures and
all other matters concerning work in the police organization.
MEMORANDUM
MEMORANDUMS – an inter-office communication dealing with official
matters.
- Are transmitted or routed within an organization.
3 MAIN PARTS OF THE MEMORANDUM
1. THE BEGINNING – the purpose of an opening paragraph is to arose the interest
of the reader. The opening sentence should be short, to the point, provocable
and cordial.
2. THE MIDDLE
✔ Go straight to the point
✔ Give all necessary information clearly and concisely.
✔ State actions required of your reader preferable concentrate on one action.
✔ Mention or focus the significant information points or items especially those that
relate very closely to the message of the memo.
3. THE END – the ending of the memorandum should be..
✔ CLEAR
✔ COURTEOUS
✔ COMPLETE
WRITING THE MEMORANDUM
1. THE HEADING – the heading of a memorandum is usually printed.
2. THE SUBJECT – a brief statement telling what the memorandum is about which
help the reader to prepare himself for the contents.
3. THE MESSAGE – the message is usually in three (3) parts;
✔ RATIONALE – tells the readers why the memorandum is written. This may
include telling the reader what you are going to do and how.
✔ INFORMATION – conveys the details, telling what the reader what you said were
going to tell him, in the manner you indicated.
✔ ACTION – give suggestions for future action or requesting guidance on future
action.
CATEGORIES OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS:
1. TOP SECRET – Information and material the unauthorized disclosure of which
would cause exceptionally grave damage to the nation. Politically, economically
or from security aspect.
2. SECRET MATTERS – information and matters the unauthorized disclosure of
which endanger national security caused serious injury to the interest or prestige
of the nation or any governmental activity or would be of great advantage to a
foreign nation.
3. CONFIDENTIAL MATTER – information or material the unauthorized disclosure
of which while not endangering the national security would be prejudicial to the
interest or prestige of the nation or any government activity or unwanted injury to
an individual or would be of advantage to a foreign nation.
4. RESTRICTED – it requires special protection other than that determined to be
top secret, secret or confidential.
