Sometimes, when I’m looking through report writing questions on exam papers I get quite exasperated because there seem to be two main areas that cause students problems: they don’t plan properly and they don’t interpret the statistics that they are given. So, let’s look at these in turn.
There’s nothing wrong with making detailed notes before you sit down to write a report – in fact, it really is the best way to go about it. It doesn’t matter whether you use pen and paper or your computer. A recent survey that we carried out shows that 44% of students still prefer planning their essays, reports etc. on paper, before typing them up into a Word document.
But what should you be planning?
First you need to think about the purpose of the report. Why you are writing it, what your aims and objectives are and who you are writing it for. If you get these facts down either on paper or in a ‘planning document’ on your computer it will help you to focus and concentrate better.
Next, you need to think about the content of the report and where you will get it from. Will it be the Internet, the library, books, periodicals, product brochures? Or will you need to do tests, send out questionnaire or interview people. Plan this stage carefully and logically as this is the most time-consuming part of writing any report . You need to collect enough information but avoid duplicating work. You also need to be able to arrange the facts you collect in a way that will be clear for your reader and get your point across in the best possible way. Make sure you decide which material is essential and which can be discarded so that you don’t overload your readers with facts.
You need to plan how you’ll present your report, too: what sections you’ll break it into and the headings you’ll use for these. Finally, you need to plan what Conclusions and Recommendations you are going to put to your reader.
So, as you can see, writing a good report involves a lot of planning. But if you accept that this is necessary and do it thoroughly it makes the actual writing of the report much easier and the finished product will be far more professional.
Now onto the next thing – statistics. Many reports include statistics – tables, graphs, results of questionnaires etc. But, if you’re going to include them in yours, make sure they mean something! Don’t include them if they simply repeat what you’re saying in the text – they’ve got to add something extra for the reader, or make a point more clearly. And, if they show something important, then highlight this for your readers – interpret them.
Never include them for the sake of it, or to make your report look more impressive. Also, make sure they are well-labelled and are neatly presented.
So, there you have it, but if you want even more help with this, then you should consider our Report Writing Course – and if you enrol before 26th October, there’s £25 off the fees!
Author: Diana Nadin
