Reports How does a report differ from an assignment?
Assignments and reports have very different structures. The text of an assignment should flow and develop ideas logically, whereas reports are broken into discrete sections. Reports use headings and numbers (decimal notation) to identify sections. Reports have a table of contents, present research and have recommendations for action.
Structure of a report
How to approach writing a report
Covering letter
The structure of a report
Unfortunately, like everything else, reports vary in structure, and it is important to check with your lecturer what exactly is required of you. However, the following is a basic list of report sections, some of which may not be required by your lecturer.
Title page
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Main Body
Conclusion
Recommendations
Reference List
Appendices
How to approach writing a report
It is most logical to write up the body of the report first, then the conclusions, the recommendations (which are tied closely to the conclusions), then the Introduction and finally the Executive Summary, as an abbreviated version of the whole report.
The purpose of each section is as follows: Title page
Title of report, your name, place report is published, date, name of organisation/course/unit the report is written for.
Table of Contents
Indicates sections in report with page numbers.
List of main headings and subheadings using decimal notation.
Executive Summary
This provides an overview of the whole report.
For a fairly short report (about 3000-5000 words), the abstract should be about 10% of the total word length, as a guide. In much longer reports, it could be several pages in length. This section is often the first/only part of the report read. It must be very clear in its content, so the reader does not need to skim through the whole report to see if it contains information of interest. If you are asked to write an Executive Summary, this means that you need to write a report with an Executive Summary section included. An Executive Summary should outline the following:
Objectives of the report
Scope of the report (narrow down the topic)
Information sources used (mention any limitations)
Findings of the research
Recommendations
Conclusion
Introduction
Some of the content will be similar to the Executive Summary:
Introduces the reader to the subject matter.
Provides purpose and objectives of the report.
States terms of reference (what the research set out to cover).
Information sources used (mention any limitations).
Indicates general make-up of the report.
(Decimal notation starts at the Introduction. i.e. 1.0).
Main Body
Describes method/procedure
Presents findings/data in detail
Analyses, interprets, evaluates results
Conclusion
Conclusions drawn from the evidence and discussion provided in the body of the report.
Recommendations
Detailed statement of actions recommended by the author to overcome problems mentioned in the body and highlighted in the conclusion. Recommendations are usually presented in dot point form. For example; it is recommended that:
A staff induction program be developed to familiarize all new staff with company policies and procedures.
A mentoring system be established……..
(Some larger reports make recommendations all the way through the report, rather than have a separate recommendations section)
Reference List
Lists sources referred to in the text of the report.
Using the referencing style required by your lecturer, usually Harvard in CBS. (see Referencing)
Annexures
Provides supporting data which is too bulky or complicated for the text.
For example; statistics, maps, questionnaires etc.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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