Lecture 24 Writing Short Reports

Review of Lecture 23 In lecture 23, we learnt how to – Use food vocabulary – Use action verbs – Use some / any – Write recipes

Objectives of Lecture 24 After completing lecture 24, you should be able to – Identify various kinds of reports – Analyze a short report for its elements – Plan and write a short report

Questions to Consider What’s a report? Why do we write a report? Did you receive a report recently? What was it about? Have you ever written a report? What was the message, purpose and audience of the last report you wrote?

What is a report? A short report informs the reader about a specific subject to help make a decision. Usually no longer than 10 pages, a short report consists of facts and sometimes an analysis of the facts, as well as recommendations. The information is arranged in a memo format with both first- and second-level headings. Readers of these reports expect the information to be written clearly, concisely and completely.

Common Reports Book Report News Report Accident Report Weather Report Lab Report Sales Report Financial Report Science Report Event Report Project Report Progress Report Medical Report Legal Report Review Report Test Report Assessment Report Error Report

Kinds of Reports Trouble Reports Investigative Reports Project Reports – Proposals – Progress Reports (Periodic Reports) – Completion Reports Event Reports – News Report

Report Guidelines Do the necessary research. Take careful notes, record all necessary background information, collect relevant factual data, and interview key individuals. Anticipate how the audience will use your report. Consider how much your audience knows about your project and what types of information they most need. Be objective and ethical. Avoid guesswork, do not substitute impressions or unsupported personal opinions for careful research, avoid biased/skewed/incomplete data, and double check all facts/figures/specifications.

Report Guidelines (Cont…) Organize carefully. Include a purpose statement, findings, a conclusion, and recommendations. Write clearly and concisely. Use an informative title/subject that gets to the point right away, write in plain English, use international English, adopt a professional yet personal tone, and do not include unnecessary background information. Use appropriate format and visuals. Make your report look professional, readable, and easy to follow; help readers locate and digest information quickly; be consistent in your design and format; include only the most essential visuals; and design, import, and place visuals appropriately.

Usual Parts of a Short Report Title page Overview / Summary Introduction / Background Discussion Conclusion / Recommendations Attachments (if any)

Overview The overview is a brief summary which tells the reader quickly what the report is all about. It identifies the purpose and the most important features of the report, states the main conclusion, and sometimes makes recommendations. It does this in as few words as possible, condensing the report to several key sentences. It is usually best to write the overview last after you have written the background, discussion, and conclusion because only then will you have an overview yourself. Remember: The overview may be written last, but it is always placed first in the final report.

Background The background sets the scene for your reader. There is no need to confuse the overview with the background if you remember that the overview provides a brief summary of the entire report, whereas the background introduces the subject and explains the reason for the report. According to the requirements of your report, the background should try to answer such questions as Who? What? Why? Where? and When? The background information should place your reader mentally in the picture before he/she has to consider your findings and conclusions.

Discussion The discussion presents your findings. You should have as much evidence (facts, arguments, details, data, and results) as a reader will need to understand the subject. You must develop these findings in an organized, logical manner to avoid confusing your reader. You should also present your findings imaginatively to hold his/her interest. During the discussion, you may want to use headings and subheadings if you are discussing different aspects of the subject. Each heading or subheading must be an informative mini-title, summarizing the material covered in the paragraphs it is meant to introduce.

Conclusion Conclusions briefly state the major points that can be drawn from the discussion. If there is more than one conclusion, state the main conclusion first, and the remaining conclusions in decreasing order of importance. Although recommendations are not a necessary part of a report, you may include a discussion of your recommendations in this part of the report.

Tired drivers as risky as drinkers Health correspondent Sleep-deprived drivers are less alert than those who have drunk more than the legal limit of alcohol, according to new research. A study published today in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that fatigue can reach dangerous levels at a much earlier stage than has been assumed. The authors, from Australia and New Zealand, tested responses of 39 volunteers after sleep deprivation and after drinking alcohol equivalent to the legal driving limit in Scandinavia. They found that those who had been up since 6am performed worse in tests between 10.30pm and midnight than those who were tested in the morning with 50mg of alcohol in their bloodstream (the UK limit is 80mg). The researchers suggest that countries which set drink- driving limits should consider setting restrictions to prevent people who have been awake for more than 18 hours from driving, piloting aircraft, or operating machinery. Tiredness is estimated to play a part in between 16% and 60% of road accidents in the United States, they say, but few attempts have been made to work out at what point in the day or night that tiredness reaches serious levels. “The implications of fatigue for safe performance are well recognized particularly in road safety, but in other settings as well,” write Andrew Williamson of the School of Psychology University of New South Wales, and Anne-Marie Feyer from the University of Otago, Dunedin. The volunteers - lorry drivers and members of the transport corps of the Australian army - were put through tests to measure thinking speed and physical reactions, coordination and attention span. They carried out the tests after a day and night of wakefulness and after drinking alcohol. The researchers found that commonly experienced levels of sleep deprivation - staying awake for 17 to 19 hours - depressed performance in the same way as drinking a couple of glasses of alcohol.

Report Cards Comments Commendations – Performs well in everything he undertakes – Has good organization of thoughts – Grasps new ideas readily – Accepts responsibility well – Gets along well with the class – Takes an active part in discussions – Shows pride in his work – Her pleasant personality and cooperative attitude are an asset to our class

Report Cards Comments (Cont…) Work Habits Playground Behavior Self Confidence Poor Attendance and Tardiness Needs Extra Help Average Student New Student Showing Progress

Summary of Lecture 24 In lecture 24, we learnt how to – Identify various kinds of reports – Analyze a short report for its elements – Plan and write a short report