1. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Lecture 6: Report Writing

2. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Objectives By the end of this lecture the student should – –Understand the different types of report –Understand the essentials elements of a good report –Appreciate how reports have the same fundamental structure –Understand the step-by-step guide for preparing and writing a report

3. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Overview Being asked to write a report can fill people with horror Writing reports correctly is an essential skill you will need as a student

4. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills What is a Report? A Definition – “A report is a communication of information or advice, from a person who has collected and studied the facts, to a person who has asked for the report because they need it for a specific purpose.” Using this definition what reports have you produced?

5. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Types of Report Reports can be transmitted in the forms of – –Conversations –Demonstrations –Letters –Memos –fill-in-forms –many-page documents

6. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills How can we Classify a Report? –Length –Tone –Subject matter –Timing –Importance –Style –Distribution

7. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Essentials of a Good Report It should be - –Unified –Complete –Accurate –Planned –Styled –Clear

8. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills What is the purpose of the Report? Why is the report required? Who exactly is it for? What do they want it for?

9. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Fundamental Structure Parts Elements Title Page /Abstract Introduction Body of the Report Final Section Terms of Reference or Objectives. Procedure or Method Findings Conclusions, Recommendations (if requested), Appendices and References

10. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Abstract Should be read separately Not an Introduction A summary An advert Avoid future tense Avoid “This paper” No refernces

11. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Introduction Clear unambiguous statement of the real subject Indication of the purpose Brief description of the methods to be used Announcement of the plan

12. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Body of the Report This is the report proper Several sections All of the facts –the character of the investigation –detailed explanation of methodology –procedure followed –results obtained Analysis

13. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Final Section Characteristics –Introduces nothing new –Harmonises with the introduction –Harmonises with the body of the report –Leaves final impression

14. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Format Layout Headings Numbering

15. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Section Headings Typography and Spacing Fussiness Independent Words or phrases Concise

16. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Long Formal Reports Typical Structure Preliminaries –Title page –Authorisation –Table of contents –List of tables and figures –Acknowledgements –Summary

17. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Long Formal Reports Typical Structure Main Report –Introduction –Findings and discussion –Conclusions and/or recommendations

18. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Long Formal Reports Typical Structure Supplements –References and bibliography –Appendices –Index

19. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Title Page What is it about? Who wrote it? For Whom? From where? When?

20. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills References - Five rules 1Any work not your own should be clearly marked 2Any quotations within quotation marks 3Every reference in the text should be listed 4Every item in the list must have a reference in the text 5Every figure or photograph must have a reference in the text

21. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Format Author, title, publisher, date of publication For example – Gowers, Sir Ernest, Complete Plain Words, Penguin Books, 1995

22. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Bibliography Is optional, and provides a guide to background reading around the report

23. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills How to get started Setting objective Researching and assembling material Organising material and planning report Writing first draft Editing report Producing report

24. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Awl Rite on the Knight Eye have a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques for my revue Mistakes I cannot sea. I’ve run this poem threw it, I’m sure your plea’s too no. Its letter perfect in it’s weigh My chequer tolled me sew

25. University of Sunderland Professionalism and Personal Skills Unit 6 Professionalism and Personal Skills Summary We have examined –Types of reports –Essentials elements of a good report –How reports have the same fundamental structure –Provided a step-by-step guide for preparing/writing a report –Tips on producing the final document