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Report Writing

The Jakarta Post Writing Center


Debra H. Yatim, December 7, 2018
Today we will cover:
• Tips on Planning to Write A
Report
• The Structure of a Report
• Writing the Report
• Effective Editing (and a look
at jargon to avoid)

Today’s Goals:
• You will write a Report, or at
least an Executive Summary
• You will have fun doing it!
But first, let’s get introduced

1 2 3
What What type of What do you
division do reports do badly need
you work in? you have to to learn
write? today?
• Usually, when you have to write a
report, you will already have such a
mass of information, you can’t
Planning the decide where to plunge in and
begin. So, before you start to write
Writing make some kind of PLAN.

• This will save you hours of writing


and will help to produce a better-
organized report.
Two different ways of
Planning (to write)
USING AN OUTLINE
• An OUTLINE begins as a large, blank sheet of paper onto
which you pour out all your facts, ideas, observations, etc.
completely at random. Write in note form. Try to get
everything down as fast as possible.
• When you have all your points on paper, START TO
ORGANIZE THEM: group them, assess them for strength,
relevance, decide their place in the report.
• You may number the points in order, or put headings next
to them, e.g. 'Intro', 'Discussion', 'Conclusion’ , etc.. Use
lines and arrows to link up related points.
• Gradually, you will create a network of ideas grouped
under headings - this is the structure of your report. If
possible, leave it for a day or two. Return with fresh ideas,
add points you'd forgotten, cross out anything you don't
need.
Doing Mind Mapping
Mind Mapping is another way of planning (some like
better). The idea is the same: by pouring out ideas at
random, you can concentrate on the content,
organize the material at leisure when the ideas are
set down.

There is no special magic to a It is easy to add new


Mind Map. Start by putting the information and to make
topic in a box in the middle of a links between the main
page, then draw lines to branch ideas. Order and
out from it with your main ideas. organization often take care
of themselves.
Sample of a Mind Map

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND


• Divide yourselves in two groups.
• Think about a purpose for a Report.
• Produce a report writing plan:
Group I: use an OUTLINE
Let’s Group II: use a MIND MAP.
Some tips:
Give It A Do it quickly. Pour out points as they occur to your group.
Don't worry about neatness or order. This is only an initial
TRY tool for your Report. Take 10 to 15 minutes over this.
• Look at your Writing Plan. Assess the points for importance
and relevance. Organize them under section headings. You
will probably need four sections.
Title
Introduction
Discussion
Summary and conclusions
Title
Abstract
STRUCTURE
of a REPORT
Introduction
Discussion
Summary and Conclusions
The TITLE is an important part of a report
because it provides the first information.
Report titles should intrigue readers, so
they want to read more.
An effective title clearly describes the
purpose of the report in a single statement
or question.
You should Include necessary
capitalization, correct grammar and
keywords that show up in Internet
searches.

Writing the REPORT TITLE


• Choose a report title that clearly explains the purpose or
angle of your topic.
• Opt for a title that defines the scope of your report, so
readers can determine if your report is one they want to
read.
• Include important variables that support your report. E.g
if your piece is about a Chemonics Outreach Event, your
report title might be “End of Year Outreach Event
Prepares Chemonics for 2019."

A Title Should…
Define the Scope of the Report
• A powerful title catches your readers'
attention. Choose your words wisely, so
they make a strong first impression.
• Brainstorm possible titles that have
… Capture descriptive adjectives and clearly defined
nouns.
eaders’ Attention • Rewrite, revise and reword your title until it
accurately represents your report’s views.
• Effective report titles set the tone for the
rest of the piece. E.g. if your report is about
the impact a ‘political year” is having on
sales, your title might say, “Community
Activities Employ Wait-and-See Attitude
Approaching ‘Political Year’."
• Your title should be clear, descriptive
and not too long; 10 to 15 words is
sufficient. Your title could be a
question or a statement, as long as it
clearly explains the purpose of the
report.
… Be • Avoid using words such as, "study of,"
"analysis of" or “report paper on" in
Descriptive your title.
• It's important to use correct grammar
and capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs,
adjectives and adverbs and the first
and last word. You should avoid
abbreviations.
It's important to include keywords in
your title that will show up in an Internet
search. This is especially important if
you or your Superior plan to post your
report on social networking or websites.
If you choose key nouns, readers who
are looking for your report can find it
online.
…Include Keywords
Avoid generic terms and be as specific
as possible. E.g., if your report is on the
need to combat hoaxes in the news ,
include words such as hoaxes, hate
speech, media literacy, media
responsibility, audience empowerment
in your title.
Writing the title and
abstract can be the easiest Be clear and concise. You
and most frustrating part of want everyone to know
writing a report. There are exactly what your report
two major things to keep in is about simply by
mind when writing your reading the titlee
title and abstract:
Write a Good
Title, Abstract,
Introduction
last Write the title, abstract (and
introduction) last. This may seem a
little strange, but it makes the most
sense to write them once you
understand what you reported, what
results you conveyed, and what you
want your audience to take away from
reading it.
• The title should describe what you
are reporting and to what effect. For
example: Participation in She- Leads
Training – Improving Women’s
Leadership in Media Literacy.
• This title hits all the main points:
Writing Your Title What: Women’s participation
Where: Literacy Leadership
Concept: She-Leads training by TJP
• This covers the basics and only the
basics. You don’t have to include
your event methods, nor results.
1 2 3
Hit the main People will be
searching for
Will catch
people’s
Tell the
audience
points that: (Google,
Library, Data-
attention exactly what
the report is
bases,etc.) about.
The
ABSTRACT What you
learned/found/ar Writing a Good
gue and its Abstract
significance

Writing a How you


An abstract
should be one

good
paragraph (3-4
made your sentences
findings MAX!). Don’t
ramble. You only

abstract/ (method)

What you are


need to cover a
few basic things.

executive reporting and


why it’s
summary important
•is to summarize your entire
report in a paragraph, so the
reader gets a brief idea what
The point of it is about.
an Abstract •If you can’t write a brief and
succinct abstract, then
you clearly don’t know what
your own report is about.
The introduction
should cover the
same topics as Thesis
Introduction your abstract but statement
in more detail.

The Also include:

INTRODUCTION
The reasons Reporting Overview of

Writing a good why the


report is being
made
framework
(if you have
the data
collection
one) methods
introduction

Your
findings
• Many times, when beginning any writing project,
you start with a “hook” (lead) to get your reader
interested. This is not always necessary in short
reports. It can, however, add to your report. It’s
acceptable but not required.
Start with a
• After covering everything mentioned, provide a one
“hook” (lead) paragraph roadmap of your report to give an idea of
how you present the document, e.g.:
This report will first discuss the relevant
literature and previously conducted studies
that relate to Chemonic’s field visit to Maros.
Secondly, we outline the method by which the
field visit was conducted, followed last by
a discussion of the results as well as future
implications of cooperation with the Maros
School for Women in Politics.”
• TIP: Don’t write your introduction first. As it is a
preview of the body copy, as in the abstract, it’s
usually best to write your introduction last.
• The introduction is the most read section of
any deliverable, and largely determines the
attitude of the reviewer toward the report.
Therefore, it is probably the most delicate part
of the writing of a report.
• Unfortunately, (for some, though not always) it
How to write an is a daunting task.
introduction: • A very simple method for writing a good
some suggestions introductory chapter is a core method that is
simple and efficient.
An Introduction should contain the following three parts:
1. Background.
In this part make clear what the context is. Ideally, give an idea of the
state-of-the art of the field the report is about. Keep it short. This part
should be less than a page long. Half-a-page should suffice in a normal
15-page report.

2. The Problem.
If there was no problem, there would be no reason for writing a
Report and definitely no reason for reading it. So, please tell the
reviewer why she should proceed reading. A simple sentence like "So

A Recipe for
far, no grassroots organization has done this well… " or "The above
mentioned solutions don't apply to the case ...", can sometimes be

Writing an
enough to clarify the point you want to get at. For this part, a few lines
are often sufficient.

Introduction 3. The Proposed Solution.


Outline the contribution of the report. Make sure you point out the
Relevant aspects of the findings. Highlight what is the difference
between your method and previous reports.
:
An anticipation of the Conclusions
This is very difficult to do properly.
If you decide to include this in the
Introduction
(a) keep it as short as possible,
(b) refer as much as possible to the
Optional Ingredients concluding section, and
(c) keep it well separated from the rest
of the introduction.

P.S. Providing an Outline (plan of the


report) is not always necessary, and is
only useful for long reports.
Keep the parts well separated.
Introductions in which parts 1 & 2 & 3 are not
clearly separated from each other are
usually very annoying and demanding to the
reviewer in terms concentration and energy.
Use "itemize", if possible: it helps.
Keep it short.
Removing everything that is not really necessary
is often a very effective strategy for
improving an Introduction.

Two Extra Tips


Long reports
Title or title page
(Contents list)
(Abstract)
Order of Introduction
Presentation Summary and conclusions
Recommendations
Discussion
(Appendix)
Short reports
Title
Introduction
Order of Discussion
Presentation
Summary and conclusions
Recommendations
(Appendix)
Now, the Order of the Writing itself
The order in Introduction
which you write Discussion
needn't follow
Summary and conclusion
the order of
presentation. Recommendations
We recommend (Abstract)
the following Title or title page
order of writing,
because each (Contents list)
section you (Appendix)
finish helps you
write the next After writing all the sections, read and revise them. Rewrite
one: sections if necessary. This is where initial editing comes in.
If you use plenty of clear headings and
Numbering have a full contents list at the start of the
report, you should find this is enough to
Sections and show where each part begins and ends,
and to cross-refer if necessary.
Paragraphs
If you do have to label sections and paragraphs,
keep it as simple as possible. Use capital letters to
label sections and numbers to label paragraphs
(A1, A2 and so on). If necessary, use small letters
on their own for parts of paragraphs.
Revision
Lastly…. • Always read critically what you've
written. If possible, leave it alone for
a few days and then re-read it. Or get
someone else to read it for you. Ask:
'Is this clear, concise and persuasive?'
Be prepared to revise your language
and structure. You may even have to
rewrite parts that don't work.
• This part is called EDITING your work.
And now…..

WRITING YOUR REPORT


•This is your chance to practice
everything you have learned,
by planning and writing a
report from scratch.
• The Director wants to review the main
activities of your division and know
what were the main foci of the work
Report last year, to send to Washington D.C.
The results of the review will help
Writing Washington make decisions about
Exercise whether to cut some activities, add to
them, or start some new programs.
• You have to prepare a short report on
the main activities of your section,
Write about 250 to 350 words (about a
side of A4, or 12 to 18 sentences of 20
words).
• Think about the Purpose carefully, then produce
a Plan using a mind map or an outline. Do it
quickly, pouring out the points as they occur to
you. Don't worry about neatness - no-one else
Initial needs to be able to read your plan.
• Take 10 to 15 minutes over this.
Steps • Look at your plan and assess the points for
importance and relevance. Then organize them
under the section headings. Initially, You will
(you have probably need four sections.
• Title
seen this • Introduction
slide before) • Discussion
• Summary and conclusions
Now write the
report.
Just • Take 20 to 25 minutes for this
stage.

Do • We haven't provided a 'model'


answer because everyone will
write a different report.

It • But there are a number of ways


you can check what you have
written.
Have you used
active verbs?
Is your average sentence
length around 15 to 20
words?
Check on You can check this by counting the
what you number of words you have used,
dividing that by the number of

have written
sentences.

In each section, and in each paragraph,


have you given the most important
information first, and then explained or
given the detail?
Read the report out loud. Are there
any words or phrases in your written
report that you wouldn't use if you
were talking? What would you say
instead? Could you use those words in
your report?
A great sample of concise writing (with inherent tips)
‘Brevity – A Memo to the War Cabinet’

• “To do our work, we all have to read a mass of papers. Nearly all
of them are far too long. This wastes time, while energy has to
be spent in looking for the essential points.
• I ask my colleagues and their staff to see to it that their reports
are shorter.
• The aim should be reports which set out the main points in a
series of short, crisp paragraphs.
• If a report relies on detailed analysis of some complicated
factors, or on statistics, these should be set out in an appendix.
• Often the occasion is best met by submitting not a full-dress
report, but an 'aide-memoire' consisting of headings only, which
can be expanded orally if needed.
‘Brevity – Memo to the War Cabinet (cont’d)’
• “Let us have an end of such phrases as these:
• 'It is also of importance to bear in mind the following
considerations', or 'Consideration should be given to the
possibility of carrying into effect'. Most of these woolly
phrases are mere padding, which can be left out altogether,
or replaced by a single word. Let us not shrink from using
the short expressive phrase, even if it is conversational.
• Reports drawn up on the lines I propose may first seem
rough as compared with the flat surface of officialese
jargon. But the saving in time will be great, while the
discipline of setting out the real points concisely will prove
an aid to clearer thinking.”
Sir Winston Churchill, 9 August 1940
Sir Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of
Great Britain
•1940 – 1945
•1950 - 1955

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND


“We Shall Fight On The Beaches” speech
“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall
into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or
fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our
island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing
grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall
never surrender, and if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it
were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the
British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its
power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old. ”
- Winston Churchill, June 4, 1940
Words to Avoid
Try to use the alternatives we suggest in brackets:
• additional (extra)
• advise (tell)
• applicant (you)
• commence (start)
• complete (fill in)
• comply with (keep to)
• consequently (so)
• ensure (make sure)
• forward (send)
• in accordance with (under, keeping to)
• in excess of (more than)
More words to avoid (with suggested alternatives)
• in respect of (for)
• in the event of (if)
• on receipt (when we/you get)
• on request (if you ask)
• particulars (details)
• per annum (a year)
• persons (people)
• prior to (before)
• purchase (buy)
• regarding (about)
• should you wish (if you wish)
• terminate (end)
• whilst (while)
• We hope you have enjoyed the workshop and that it will help
you write effectively.
• Plan carefully before you start writing. Use an outline or a mind
map so that you know exactly what you'll be writing about.
• Organize your report into sections.
• Use everyday English whenever possible.
• Avoid jargon and legalistic words, and explain any technical
terms you have to use.
Summary • Keep your sentence length down to an average of 15 to 20
words. Try to stick to one main idea in a sentence.
• Use active verbs as much as possible. Say 'we will do it' rather
than 'it will be done by us'.
• Be concise.
• Imagine you are talking to your reader. Write sincerely,
personally, in a style that is suitable and with the right tone of
voice.
• And always check that your report is accurate, clear, concise
and readable
•THANK YOU!!!

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