1. Lecture Seven Chapter Six
Strategies for Writing Reports

2. REPORT WRITING PROCESS
DEFINE THE PROBLEM OR OBJECTIVE
What does reader want from the report? (Information, Data, Analysis
ESTABLISH HYPOTHESES
Set up IF - THEN statements
SEEK DATA
Primary (Collected through surveys, interviews, experiments.
Secondary ( Historical information)
FORMAT
Informal (Short Memo) - Letter or Memo Report - Formal

3. STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS
FORMAT CONSIDERATIONS
Audience
Effort (Phone Calls to several weeks in the library)
Value (End use)
Original Assignment (Expectations of Reader)
Precedent
Order (What appears first in the report) Direct - Indirect

4. ORGANIZATION Time (Is the information chronological)
Place (Is information geographic)
Quantity (Organized by statistical category)
Factors or Other Criteria (What helped you reach your conclusion?) (Optimum characteristics of a job candidate)

5. INTERNAL STRUCTURE
HEADINGS - Establish the degree of significance of material to follow (Can be used in formal and informal)
Reflect the outline of your report
Use as transition devices (When finish one section introduce the next)
Be descriptive but short ( No more than seven words)
First Degree (Some writers center and make bold) Be consistent
Second Degree (Usually at left margin) indicate a sub category of the section)
Third Degree (Indented, underscore, Capitalize the initial letter only. Follow the heading by a period and start the body of the paragraph

6. MEMORANDUM AND LETTER REPORTS
Most Informal (Follow style guide for the organization)
Introduction (Purpose and who authorized)
Body (Direct or Indirect Style)
Use Headings
Use Lists Only After Introducing Subject
Tell the Story Don’t Just Develop a List
Ending (Last paragraph should provide conclusions and recommendations)

7. LETTER REPORTS ORGANIZATION
DIRECT OR INDIRECT (Mostly Indirect because of uncertainty of reader reaction)
INTRODUCTION
Similar to Memo Report. Use to orient reader
BODY
No set length usually pages
ENDING
Conclusion and Recommendations

8. FORMAL REPORT PREFATORY TITLE FLY TITLE PAGE
Title,Presented To, Presented By
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
1st paragraph - Transmits report to recipient, states nature of report, mentions authorization
Body - Synopsis, helpful hits in reading and acknowledgments
Close with goodwill statement
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
SYNOPSIS
If not included in Letter of Transmittal. Sometimes called epitome, review, brief, digest or executive summary

9. REPORT PROPER INTRODUCTION State Purpose of Report Authorization
Methodology
Plan used to present information (First, second, finally)
Optional Sections
Statement of limitations
Scope of research
Definitions
Background of the report problem

10. REPORT PROPER CONTINUED
BODY
Well organized with useful of headings
Transitions used to introduce the next section
Smooth flow of information
Appropriate degree of objectivity
Assumptions and inferences are acknowledged
Correct tense (current tense for your data, past tense for historic data)
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND OR RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary (used to end informational report
Conclusions (List results of writers investigation. Do not introduce new information)
Recommendations can introduce new information resulting from research

11. VISUAL AIDS GENERAL RULES Appropriateness
Must add value not create clutter
Reference and Placement
Refer to visuals in text (Usually before it appears)
Size
Keep it as simple as possible
Content
Relates closely to current discussion
Conventions
Distinguish between figures and tables. Place title of table above and figure below

12. COMMON VISUALS PIE CHARTS Useful for proportions
BAR CHARTS (simple and complex)
Parts of a whole and comparing over a period of time
LINE GRAPHS
Presents trends in a informational and dramatic way
TABLES
Arranging data in a concise manner (see page for rules)