Title Page
Suggestions on How to Write a Report
A N Other
Date
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CONTENTS Optional if short in length.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 This Report is written as advice on Report Writing.
2.0 Objectives
2.1 The Report provides: -
2.2.1 The basis of a process that will develop through the rest of the course.
2.2.2 It is targeted at providing a basis on which thinking on any relevant topic can be clarified.
2.2.3 It is intended to give an indication of a basic layout, but wide variations are acceptable, provided there is adherence to consistent rules.
3.0 (Executive) Summary
3.1 A Summary must be concise, and a Report must be of relevant length.
3.2 A report MUST have Objectives and Conclusions.
3.3 A report SHOULD have a Discussion of the key issues with evidence for the Conclusions drawn stated or referred to in Appendices and/or References.
3.4 A report should delete all NICE TO KNOW items from the body and relegate them to Appendices.
4.0 Discussion
4.1 “Current Situation”, “Facts”, “Issues” are all reasonable headings for the Discussion, there are, of course, many more.
4.2 Questions often give good guidance on how to answer, USE THAT GUIDANCE.
4.3 Layout should be indented paragraphs.
4.4 Give the Report plenty of margin space.
5.0 Recommendations and/or Conclusions
5.1 The Recommendations can be an Action Plan and the Conclusions can be an informed comment of the reasons or consequences of why the recommendations must/should be carried out.
5.2 Rigorously asking yourself repeatedly about the Objectives, keeps the mind focused on the real issues. In real life, the Objectives can be challenged at initial stages of the work.
5.3 Separating your investigative findings into MUST KNOW, SHOULD KNOW & NICE TO KNOW from the Reader’s or the Role’s perspective is an excellent discipline that keeps your work relevant and concise.
List of References certainly and Appendices perhaps