Reports

Introduction

Within any type of workplace, great value is placed upon good communication and the ability to efficiently share information. One common way that information is shared by businesses is in the form of reports. There are two typical types of reports: informal reports and formal reports. The following section will explain when both of these reports are used, as well as important guidelines to follow when writing a report.

Informal Reports

Informal reports are generally shorter documents, typically 2-5 pages in length, which are used for various purposes. They generally will contain more content than an average letter or memo, but less than that of a formal report. There are two types of informal reports: letter report and business report.

Letter reports – This type of report is used when a business is sending a report to recipients outside of the company. This report follows the business letter format, but with additional content. These are often used for smaller projects that do not require much technical content, where a more in-depth formal report is not required.

Memo reports – This type of report is used when a business is sending a report to recipients within the company. This report follows the Memo format, but with additional content. Typically, a memo report will include more technical data than its counterpart, and is often used for projects where extensive explanations may be required

Guidelines for Informal Reports

There following will provide a brief summary of the ten important guidelines for writing informal reports, as presented in Technical Communication: A Practical Approach.

1. Plan before writing

It is important to have a clear purpose for your report before beginning to write. The information you provide in your report, and the way it is presented, depends heavily on the audience that you are writing for. Outlining also provides an easy way to organize how your report should be presented. For more on these topics, please see the Purpose, Audience, and Ideas and Outlining sections.

2. Letter or memo format

Once a format type has been decided upon, use the standards for writing a typical letter or memo. However, don’t be afraid to alter your report’s format if you believe that it could enhance your report. There will also be a few extra guidelines to follow, such as the inclusion of a report title, which is not found in the letter or memo format.

3. Make text visually appealing

To make the content clear to readers, information should be organized in an easy to understand manner. This may include creating bulleted lists, numbering steps or sections, and frequent use of headings or subheadings. Consider visiting the Page Layout section for more tips.

4. ABC format for organization

Please visit the ABC Approach section for more information

5. Include an ‘Introductory Summary’

An Introductory Summary is similar to an abstract, in that it presents the reader with an overview of the information contained within the report. The length of the summary should be kept to a minimum, while providing the reader with any pertinent information. This section should be included at the beginning of the report.

6. Important details in the body

The body of your report should be organized, and easy for readers to follow. Several methods of organizing information include headings, subheadings, and using small introductions for separate sections. Paragraphs should begin with a topics sentence which contains the outline that the rest of the paragraph will follow. This will keep readers on track as they read through your report. Also, any raw data or superfluous illustrations should be avoided in the body, as they tend to clutter the report.

7. Separate fact from opinion

It should be clear to your reader what is objective, factual data, and when you are stating your own opinions or making suggestions. Keep in mind that many reports are meant to be completely objective and should not contain any subjective opinions.

8. Focus attention in your conclusion

Your conclusion should draw your readers in, and explicitly state the conclusions (or suggestions) reached in your report in some detail. If these conclusions have already been stated in the body, then keep your conclusion short by briefly restating them.

9. Use attachments for details

Attachments are a good way to send extra information, without it cluttering your report. Typically attachments will include information that only a select portion of your audience will be interested in. An example of this could be a document detailing any financial costs that were estimated in your report.

10. Edit carefully

Please visit the Editing and Revising section for more information

Goals of Informal Reports

There are many possible goals for informal reports, and you will likely encounter quite a few of them as you continue writing reports. Some reports may center on areas such as analysis, providing recommendations, evaluations, or summaries. It is important to deduce what is expected of your report, so that an appropriate tone can be selected in accordance with the goal. Also, the goal of the report should tell you whether any subjective opinions are desired. For example, a recommendation report may require you to select a recommendation based on any data collected, as well as your own opinion.

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Further Readings

http://www.tony.atherton.btinternet.co.uk/articlehowritrept.htm
http://www.pearsoned.ca/highered/divisions/virtual_tours/northey/sample_chapter_9.pdf
http://bestentrepreneur.murdoch.edu.au/Guide_To_Report_Writing.pdf

ToDo:

-Formal Reports

-links to letter/memo formats

-cite sources (ACM format)

Edited by Scott