Reports

Mr. Azan Khalid

Reports

 A report is an organized presentation of factual information, often aimed at

multiple audiences, that may present the results of an investigation, a trip, or
a research project.
 For any report—whether formal or informal—assessing the readers’ needs is
essential.
 Following are different types of reports:
 Feasibility Reports
 Formal Reports
 Investigative Reports
 Laboratory Reports
Cont …

 Progress and Activity Reports

 Test Reports
 Trip Reports
 Trouble Reports

 Formal reports often present the results of long-term projects or those that
involve multiple participants.
 Such projects may be done either for your own organization or as a
contractual requirement for another organization.
Cont …

 Formal reports generally follow a precise format and include such elements as
abstracts and executive summaries.

 Informal and short reports normally run from a few paragraphs to a few pages
and ordinarily include only an introduction, a body, a conclusion, and (if
necessary) recommendations.

 Because of their brevity, informal reports are customarily written as

correspondence, including letters (if sent outside your organization), memos,
and e-mails.
Cont …

 The introduction announces the subject of the report, states its purpose, and gives
any essential background information.

 It may also summarize the conclusions, findings, or recommendations made in the

report.

 The body presents a clearly organized account of the report’s subject—the results
of a test carried out, the status of a project, and other details readers may need.

 The amount of detail to include depends on your reader’s knowledge and the
complexity of the subject.
Cont …

 The conclusion summarizes your findings and interprets their significance for
readers.

 In some reports, a final, separate section gives recommendations; in others,

the conclusions and the recommendations are combined into one section.

 This final section makes suggestions for a course of action based on the data
you have presented.
Formal Reports

 Formal reports are usually written accounts of major projects that require
substantial research, and they often involve more than one writer.

 Most formal reports are divided into three primary parts—front matter, body,
and back matter—each of which contains a number of elements.

 The number and arrangement of the elements may vary depending on the
subject, the length of the report, and the kinds of material covered.

 Furthermore, many organizations have a preferred style for formal reports

and furnish guidelines for report writers to follow.
Cont …

 The following list includes most of the elements a formal report might
contain, in the order they typically appear.

 Often, a cover letter or memo precedes the front matter and identifies the
report by title, the person or persons to whom it is being sent, the reason it
was written, and any content that the audience considers important.

 Memo  A written message specially in business.

Cont …

 Front Matter:
 Title Page
 Abstract
 Table of Contents
 List of Figures
 List of Tables
 Foreword
 Preface
 List of Abbreviations and Symbols
Cont …

 Body:
 Executive Summary
 Introduction
 Text (including headings)
 Conclusions
 Recommendations
 Explanatory Notes
 References (or works cited)
Cont …

 Back Matter:
 Appendixes
 Bibliography
 Glossary
 Index
Front Matter

 The front matter serves several functions: It gives readers a general idea of
the writer’s purpose, it gives an overview of the type of information in the
report, and it lists where specific information is covered in the report.

 Not all formal reports include every element of front matter.

 A title page and table of contents are usually mandatory, but the scope of the
report and its context as well as the intended audience determine whether
the other elements are included.
Title Page

 Although the formats of title pages may vary, they often include the following
items:

 The full title of the report. The title describes the topic, scope, and purpose
of the report.

 The name of the writer(s), principal investigator(s), or compiler(s).

Sometimes contributors identify themselves by their job title in the
organization or by their tasks in contributing to the report (Olivia Jones,
Principal Investigator).
Cont …

 The date or dates of the report. For one-time reports, the date shown is the
date the report is distributed. For reports issued periodically (monthly,
quarterly, or yearly), the subtitle shows the period that the report covers and
the distribution date is shown elsewhere on the title page.

 The name of the organization for which the writer(s) works.

 The name of the organization to which the report is being submitted. This
information is included if the report is written for a customer or client.

 The title page should not be numbered.

Cont …

 The back of the title page, which is left blank and unnumbered, is considered
page ii, and the abstract falls on page iii.

 The body of the report begins with Arabic number 1, and a new chapter or
large section typically begins on a new right-hand (odd-numbered) page.

 Reports with printing on only one side of each sheet can be numbered
consecutively regardless of where new sections begin.
Abstract

 An abstract, which normally follows the title page, highlights the major points
of the report.

 It enables the readers to decide whether to read the report.

Table of Contents

 Table of contents lists all the major sections or headings of the report in their
order of appearance, along with their page numbers.
List of Figures

 All visuals contained in the report—drawings, photographs, maps, charts, and

graphs—are labeled as figures.

 When a report contains more than five figures, list them, along with their
page numbers, in a separate section, beginning on a new page immediately
following the table of contents.
List of Tables

 When a report contains more than five tables, list them, along with their
titles and page numbers, in a separate section immediately following the list
of figures (if there is one).
Foreword

 A foreword is an optional introductory statement about a formal report or

publication that is written by someone other than the author(s).

 The foreword author is usually an authority in the field or an executive of the

organization sponsoring the report.

 That author’s name and affiliation appear at the end of the foreword, along
with the date it was written.
Cont …

 The foreword generally provides background information about the

publication’s significance and places it in the context of other works in the
field.

 The foreword precedes the preface when a work has both.

Preface

 The preface, another type of optional introductory statement, is written by

the author(s) of the formal report.

 It may announce the work’s purpose, scope, and context (including any
special circumstances leading to the work).

 A preface may also specify the audience for a work, contain acknowledgments
of those who helped in its preparation, and cite permission obtained for the
use of copyrighted works.
List of Abbreviations and Symbols.

 When the report uses numerous abbreviations and symbols that

readers may not be able to interpret, the front matter may include a
section that lists symbols and abbreviations with their meanings.
Body

 The body is the section of the report that provides context

for the report, describes in detail the methods and
procedures used to generate the report, demonstrates
how results were obtained, describes the results, draws
conclusions, and, if appropriate, makes recommendations.
Executive Summary.

 The body of the report begins with the executive

summary, which provides a more complete overview of
the report than an abstract does.
Introduction

 The introduction gives readers any general information,

such as the report’s purpose, scope, and context
necessary to understand the detailed information in the
rest of the report.
Text

 The text of the body presents, as appropriate, the details of how the
topic was investigated, how a problem was solved, what alternatives
were explored, and how the best choice among them was selected.

 This information is enhanced by the use of visuals, tables, and

references that both clarify the text and persuade the reader.
Conclusions

 The conclusions section pulls together the results of the

research and interprets the findings of the report.
Recommendations

 Recommendations, which are sometimes combined with the conclusions,

state what course of action should be taken based on the earlier arguments
and conclusions of the study.
References

 A list of references or works cited appears in a separate section if the

report refers to or quotes directly from printed or online research
sources.

 For a relatively short report, place a references or works-cited

section at the end of the body of the report.

 For a report with a number of sections or chapters, place references

or works cited at the end of each major section or chapter.
Cont …

 In either case, title the reference or works-cited section as such and

begin it on a new page.
Back Matter

 The back matter of a formal report contains supplementary material,

such as where to find additional information about the topic
(bibliography), and expands on certain subjects (appendixes).

 Other back-matter elements define special terms (glossary) and

provide information on how to easily locate information in the report
(index).
Appendixes

 An appendix clarifies or supplements the report with

information that is too detailed or lengthy for the primary
audience but is relevant to secondary audiences.
Bibliography.

 A bibliography lists alphabetically all of the sources that

were consulted to prepare the report—not just those cited
—and suggests additional resources that readers might
want to consult.
Glossary

 A glossary is an alphabetical list of specialized terms used

in the report and their definitions.
Index

 An index is an alphabetical list of all the major topics and subtopics

discussed in the report.

 It cites the page numbers where discussion of each topic can be found
and allows readers to find information on topics quickly and easily.