A report is a type of paper written to discuss a topic or analyze a problem. At some point, you may be asked to write a report, either for schoolwork or for work. Sometimes reports require special requirements, and other times you are allowed to write whatever you want. Regardless of whether or not there are special requirements for your report, all great reports should be accurate, concise, clear, and well structured.
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Part 1 of 4: Preparing to Write a Report
Step 1. Read the requirements that must be followed to write a report
If you are writing a report for a school assignment, you may want to ask your teacher if there are certain guidelines to follow when writing a report. If you're writing a report for work, talk to your boss about his expectations for your report. Deciding what to include in a report before starting to work on it is an important first step in writing a great report.
- You may have to ask the teacher or boss about the word (or page) requirements for the report, whether to include tables, figures, illustrations, and even talk about specific details, such as the font type and font size to be used. used.
- Most reports will include a title page, summary (or abstract), introduction section, methods section (if applicable), results section (if applicable), discussion section, and conclusion.
Step 2. Choose a topic
Sometimes, you are asked to write a report on a specific topic, while other times you are allowed to choose your own topic. It's a good idea to choose a topic that interests you, especially if you're working on a long-term project. Or, choose a topic that is not very familiar to you. This will give you the opportunity to learn something new.
- Before you start writing a report, you should understand the topic and make sure you know the purpose of the report.
- Many science and engineering courses require reports. Sometimes, you may have to write a book report or other type of report for a humanities subject.
- If you're having trouble choosing a topic, try reading newspapers, popular magazines, or online news sources for inspiration. You may want to write about current events (such as political events, sporting events, or the economic situation) because you can get a lot of information on the topic of “pop culture”.
Step 3. Understand the topic well
Start reading information about your chosen topic. You may need to use books from the campus library or public library, or do a Google search for information from the internet. To write a great report, you must master the topic you are writing about. It is important to include up-to-date information on your topic, which is why you should do a lot of research before writing a report.
- First, do a “general” review of your topic (as opposed to an “in-depth” review). This means that you need to quickly read through various pieces of information on your chosen topic, instead of spending a lot of time focusing on a small number of articles.
- If you are writing on a topic that is multifaceted (for example, something that is debatable, like whether Indonesia should abolish the death penalty), you may need to understand both sides of the perspective in order to discuss the pros and cons of both.
- You can find a reference librarian to help you find literature that will help you write your report. The reference librarian will help you find credible sources you can use to gather information about your chosen topic. In addition, many reference librarians will also guide you through the research process and can also teach you how to use online databases.
Step 4. Use credible sources
There may be many sources providing information on your topic, but you need to make sure you find the most credible and reliable source. Reliable sources will include the author's name, and are often linked to a reputable institution (such as a university, a credible media publication, or a government or departmental program).
If you have doubts about a source, discuss it with your teacher, boss, or librarian. Sometimes poor sources or haphazardly written articles are published to look like peer-reviewed scientific work, and you don't want to be fooled by articles like this
Step 5. Define your target audience
Are you writing this report for a group of experts on a particular topic, or for someone who has no knowledge of the topic of your report? You should try to write as much as possible for those who will read your report.
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If you are writing a report for someone unfamiliar with the topic in the report, make sure you introduce the basics (eg background information, relevant information, and required terminology). Don't jump right into a complex description of the topic without providing context first.
To establish context, make sure what you write answers questions such as, “why is this topic important?”, “who did the research on this topic, what kind of research did they do, and why did they do it?”, and “does this topic have wider impact and effect?”
- If the report is intended for experts, you are free to use more complex language and jargon that is specific to the topic at hand. However, if you're writing for beginners or people who are unfamiliar with your chosen topic, don't use confusing language, and if you include jargon, make sure you also provide definitions.
Part 2 of 4: Organizing Reports
Step 1. Start with an abstract
The abstract briefly describes the contents of the report and answers the question “What did you do, why did you do it, and what did you learn?” Abstract length should not exceed half a page.
It may be easier for you to write an abstract after you have completed the body of the paper. However, the abstract will be placed before the body in the final report
Step 2. Write an introduction
This section will provide background information on the topic of the report. If you must include a literature review, it will be included here as well.
- In the introduction, describe the problem or topic to be investigated in the report. This could be a scientific issue, such as the rate of growth of the Hong Kong caterpillar (mealworm), or a current topic, such as increased security at airports.
- Summarize research that is relevant to the topic, but don't overwhelm the introduction. Most of the content of the report should be the result of your work, not a discussion someone else has.
- If you are conducting an experiment and writing a report about it, describe the experiment in the introduction.
Step 3. Present the method or focus of your analysis
In scientific writing, this is often presented in a section called “Methods”. In this section, describe the procedures, materials, and so on that you used.
- You can arrange the methods chronologically, starting with what you did first. Or, you can group them by type. This approach may be better for humanities research.
- Use grammatically correct sentences to describe the actions you took.
Step 4. Display the experimental results
In this section, you present the observations made, or the results of the applied methods. You should briefly describe the experiment or procedure (use less detail than you wrote in the Methods section) and report the main results.
- You can present experimental results in a number of different ways. You can organize them from most important to least important, from simplest to more complex, or by type.
- Do not interpret the results you get here. You will do that in the next section.
Step 5. Discuss your data
This is the body of the report. Here you analyze the results you get and tell the reader what they mean. Summarize the most important findings at the beginning of the discussion. You can write about it in more detail in the next paragraph.
- Explain the relationship between your results and previous scientific literature.
- See what additional research can help fill in gaps in your research or solve all problems.
- Describe the broader relevance of your experimental results. This is considered an answer to the question "So how?" What does your discovery mean? Why discovery is useful and important
- In some reports, you may be asked to end with a separate conclusion that reminds the reader of the most important points. For reports in general, you can conclude the report at the end of the Discussion section.
Part 3 of 4: Improving Writing Quality
Step 1. Share what you learned
A good way to think about writing a report is to think of it as a means of telling readers “this is what I did, and this is what I discovered” or “here's what I know about this particular topic.” Don't write to impress others, instead. instead write to communicate. This way, you will impress others even if you don't try.
Step 2. Use professional language
Avoid using the term "slang". For example, instead of saying “the results are amazing”, say “the results are very important and significant”. Do not use language that is too casual (casual and conversational). This means that the reader doesn't have to give the impression that you're talking to a friend, but rather that it has to be professional.
Check with the teacher (or anyone else who will be reading your report) whether it is appropriate to use first person pronouns (meaning the sentence you are going to use uses “I” as the subject). Often, first person pronouns are inappropriate in academic writing or reports. However, sometimes the use of first person pronouns is more effective and persuasive. Instead of guessing whether it's appropriate to use the first person pronoun, it's best to discuss it with your teacher
Step 3. Write in clear and concise sentences
The sentences you write should not be too complex or wordy. Try to use short sentences with a clear sentence structure. If possible, avoid using commas, semicolons, and colons excessively. The use of short, explicit sentences is an important feature of a good report.
Make direct and active sentences. Your sentence structure should look something like: “I researched this topic, found this data, and determined the following results”. Try to avoid using the passive voice, if possible, as it makes your report more confusing for the reader
Step 4. Enter the section and title
This will make the information in your report easy to find and will make your report more attractive to readers or reviewers.
You may need to create a different title to separate it from the rest of the text by making it bold, italic or a larger size. If you follow a specific style guide, such as the APA (American Psychological Association), be sure to follow their guide for titles
Step 5. Use a variety of trusted sources
Using multiple sources will broaden your knowledge of the specific topic you choose, give you more information to include in the report, and reduce the chances of you plagiarizing inadvertently.
- Use textbooks and textbooks, newspapers, academic and trade journals, and government reports and legal documents as reliable sources. These resources are widely available in print and online.
- If you're having trouble finding information on the topic of your report, ask a librarian for help! Librarians are trained to assist with these kinds of tasks.
- You may want to avoid material from opinionated sources. In other words, seek material from sources that are factual, and, if available, include data to support the statements made.
Step 6. Prepare well in advance
Writing reports takes time. Writing a good report takes more time. Take sufficient time to prepare, write, and revise your report. This means that you may have to start several weeks before the report deadline, depending on the speed at which you work and the length of the report and other requirements.
Set aside a certain amount of time to simply research your topic without writing. Take the time to become an expert on your chosen topic by studying as much written material on the topic as possible. When you're ready to move on to the writing phase, you'll have a solid knowledge base to cover in your report
Part 4 of 4: Revising the Report
Step 1. Allocate the time needed to revise or rewrite the report
The first draft (draft) of your report should serve as a first draft only. You should estimate the need to revise and rewrite the report several times before submitting it to the teacher for assessment or to the supervisor for evaluation. It's important to allocate enough time to make the appropriate and necessary edits and changes if you want to write really great reports.
Step 2. Check spelling and grammar
You should read the report thoroughly to check spelling and grammar. Keep in mind that a spell check on your computer won't detect every error. For example, you might confuse the use of the word “enter” with “input”, so don't rely on this function alone. Paying attention to small details in the report (such as spelling and grammar) will improve the overall quality of the report.
Step 3. Check the report format
Make sure you comply with any specific requirements in your assignment or project description. You may need a title page, a specific font type and size, or a custom margin size.
Step 4. Examine your work critically
Revisions should be more than proofreading. Instead, revision should be a critical examination of the work. Ultimately, you will have to look for errors that reduce the overall quality of your report, and this may mean deleting or rewriting a large part of your report.
Ask yourself: Did my report serve its purpose? If not, you may have to consider a significant revision
Step 5. Have someone review your report
If possible, ask a trusted friend, colleague or colleague to read your report. In addition to character checking for spelling and grammatical errors, he or she may be able to provide critical and productive input. This can help take your report from good to great.
