Report Writing

Skills
Karwan Sherwani
Ishik University
Academic Debate and Critical
Thinking
 Content
• Objectives
• Meaning of report
• Why reporting?
• Types of reports
• Structure of report
• Main parts of a report
• Good vs bad reports
• Planning a report
• Tips for referencing and
citation
• Writing strategies
 Objectives
• To learn techniques of
writing a report
• To investigate and search
for information effectively
• To present information
accurately and
appropriately
• To master the topics
required for debating
 Report
“An account given of a particular matter, especially in the
form of an official document, after thorough investigation
or consideration by an appointed person or body.”

English Oxford Dictionaries

A written piece of information about a subject.

 Why reporting?
• To provide and share useful trusted information
• To keep a record of events/ decisions/ findings/ analyses
 Types of Reports
• Research report
• Lab report
• Book report
• News report
• Business report
• Meeting minutes
• Proposal reports
 Structure of Report
• Title page
• Summary (Abstract)
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Body (main sections/ discussion/ results/
methods)
• Conclusion
• References
• Appendices
 Main parts of a
Report
Introduction: a paragraph that starts the report. It
introduces the topic of the report and gives a statement that
tells the main idea of the report, called a thesis statement.

The introduction should be

interesting to grab the
reader’s attention.
 Main parts of a
Report
Body: this is the middle part of the report which
comprises the main information, data, discussions,
analyses, methods, examples and findings. It includes
sections and sub- sections.
 Main parts of a
Report
Conclusion: the paragraph that wraps everything up. It
gives the summary of the most important points. A strong
conclusion makes the readers feel satisfied that the writer
presented a complete and effective report. No new
information or materials should be presented here.
 Main parts in
brief
Introduction
• What will this
report be about?
• What is my
purpose for
writing it?
• What will I be
answering,
explaining or
proving?

Body
• What facts and
details do I
need to share?
• How can I
 Good vs Bad
Reports
Good

• Concise andBad • Too much information

accurate • Not enough information
information • Irrelevant data and details
• Relevant data and • No structure
details • No introduction
• Well-structured (all parts • No conclusion
included)
• No aim or purpose
• Clear aims and purposes
• Language issues
• Correct wordings • Formatting issues
and formatting
• Wrong information
 Planning a Report
• Selecting a Topic
• Making a list of useful keywords
• Searching for sources and saving them
• Reading them
• Reading more and more
• Developing an outline
• Formulate a thesis statement
• Writing first draft, second draft, third, forth, …final draft
• Proofreading
 Topic
1. s
Should social networking
colleges?
sites be banned in offices &

2. Are Degrees necessary for being successful?

3. Social Networking Sites Killing Email - True or False?
4. Are newspapers dying?
5. Higher Education here or abroad?
6. Do marks define the capability of a student?
7. Is English necessary to get developed?
8. Do women make better teachers than men?
9. Does Facebook consume a lot of your productive time?
10. Can a business grow big without being corrupt?
11. Effects of technology on communication in modern society.
 Topics
12. How has using technology and social media as tools impacted your
education?
13. How mistakes can sometimes turn into opportunities?
14. The Power of family and all that they have to offer.
15. Should schools have a mandatory life skills class?
16. Face to face learning is superior to online learning.
17. There is not enough innovation in education.
18. Should schools be more technologically advanced?
19. Education in prisons should be increased.
20. Everyone should do a special Summer School course every year.
21. How school does not prepare you for the real world.
 Tips for Referencing and Citation
• Give a reference to cited materials (Documentation)
• Citing without references (Plagiarism)
• APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago style, Oxford, etc.
(Styles)

http://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp/ieee
Example:

Inside text: (Greenhall, 2010: 15)

Greenhall (2010: 15) stated that ….
According to Greenhall (2010: 15), ……

In the list of references: Greenhall, M. (2010). Report

Writing Skills Training Course. Lancashire: Universe
of Learning Ltd.
 Writing strategies to
avoid plagiarism
• Quotations: texts taken word for word from a source
enclosed between quotation marks “ … ”
• Paraphrasing: presenting a text in your own words. The
paraphrased text is usually shorter than the original
source.
• Summarizing: presenting the main point(s) of a text in
your own words. The summary of a text is very
short and gives the broad meaning only.

In all the original author(s) must be provided.

 More tips
• Brainstorm the topic
• Take notes
• Write meaningful complete sentences
• Avoid very long sentences
• Present one theme per paragraph
• Use simple language and avoid jargons
• Read
 Guidelines for
assignment
• 3-5 page paper
• 4-7 sources (books, articles or websites)
• 700-1000 words
• Format: visit lecture notes
 References
• Greenhall, M. (2010). Report Writing Skills Training
Course. Lancashire: Universe of Learning Ltd.
• Harris, R. A. (2017). Using Sources Effectively:
Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism. 5th
edn. New York: Taylor & Francis.
• Roy, J. R. (2012). Sharpen Your Report Writing Skills. NJ:
Enslow Publishers Inc.
• Silyn-Roberts, H. (2000). Writing for Science and
Engineering: Papers Presentations and Reports. Oxford:
Butterworth-Heinmann.