Report writing can come in different shapes, depending on your topic and supervisor’s requirements. It can also contain all or just part of report writing components.
When writing reports, clarity or the clearness of thought or style is always key. It is a way of informing and persuading people as well as initiating change. You might prepare or contribute to annual, project or progress reports. A well structured report that has clear objectives will get more attention and is more likely to produce the intended results. After all, if your readers don’t understand the information in your material, then the report is a resounding failure. No amount of mesmerizing wordplay can fix that.
To ensure that you achieve optimal results, compose your reports with these guidelines in mind:
Choose the proper voice. Depending on the type of report you’re doing, some manners of writing will be more appropriate than others. Formal reports for academe and professional organizations usually need to be written in the third person, while company memos and letters are best done with a first person voice.
Who is your audience. This is the first thing you must ask yourself in order to determine the tone in which you should be writing. Writing a report to your manager will have a very different tone than if you were writing report to a layman. Determine who your reader (or readers) will be and what your purpose is in writing to them.
Write the body of the report first. The body of report writing is the main part that includes all the facts and materials essential for understanding of the problem. As we all know, it has three sections. First Theories, models, and hypotheses. This section is optional. By giving it, you introduce the theoretical basis for your project; Second Materials and methods. This is a part where you describe (and illustrate) the materials used, and give a step by step report on how you were completing your task; and Third Results. This section summarizes your efforts and gives information about what you discovered, invented, or confirmed through your research. The abstract, introduction, title and all those accompanying components are secondary to the body of your report. In fact, what ends up as the meat of your writing will usually dictate how all of those other aspects play out.
Use a consistent structure across each section. Once you start using a specific structure in one section, use it all throughout the piece. It makes reading through the material easier, allowing the reader to find what they’re looking for much faster.
Use headings and subheadings. These components will help organize your report, as well as guide your reader through every aspect of it. Most importantly, it helps solidify each idea in their minds.
Use lists. Bulleted lists, numbered lists and other types of itemized presentation are excellent instruments to use in reports. It gives important things the necessary visual emphasis.
Grammar check. Like all forms of writing, you can’t skimp on using the proper language elements. Use a good grammar checker and fix every possible error.
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