Team Lead Succeed – Helping you and your team achieve high-performance teamwo...
How to Prepare Better Reports
1. How to prepare better reports
Taken from Essential Study
Skills,
Burns & Sinfield pp197/208
2. What is a report?
A document designed
to deal with the real
world
A practical document
that describes, details
or analyses a situation
in the real world
The reader should be
able to make decisions
or take action at the
end of it
3. The “Why” question
Why am I writing
this report? – what
am I trying to
achieve
Why am I writing
this report – what
do I want my
reader to think and
do after reading
my report?
4. Think about the reader
Who is my reader?
What can I expect my reader to already know about
this topic?
How can I deal with this in my report?
What can I expect my reader to believe about my
topic?
How can I deal with this in my report?
What language, tone, style will my reader respond
to?
TIP: When drafting reports, think of the language,
evidence and examples that will influence real
reader
5. 10 steps to success
1. Prepare to research Tip: You will need to allow
2. Follow the action plan – time for your seminar
systematic and targeted tutor to give you
research feedback on your report –
3. Review your notes or it will be difficult to
reflect on how to improve
4. Plan the body your work!
5. Write the first draft
6. Leave it Tip: when getting work
7. Review, revise, edit back always make a note
8. Proof read of three things you do
9. Copy/type and hand in well, and three ways you
could improve and develop
10. Getting it back your practice
7. What makes a report?
Title page Abstract
Title and sub-title – A synopsis or summary is the
usually divided by a colon : gist of what your report is
Date – places report in real about
time It could include: overall aims,
Authors name and position specific objectives, the task,
– when you write a report, procedures or methodology,
you are often asked to key findings, key
write as though you are a recommendations
particular person in an Tip: as it refers to the
organisation whole report – write it last!
Distribution list
8. Contents page
Contents - lists clearly
all the major sections
of the report,
including subsections
and appendices – with
page numbers
Tip: Check out the
contents pages of
books – how do they
help you as a reader?
9. Introductions and Bodies………..
Introduction – Should help the reader
understand the what, why and how of your
report. It needs:
Background – why you are interested in the topic
or why the report was necessary
terms of reference – aim or purpose of your
research
the methodology – research methods you used to
put the report together – literature review, or
something more practical: interviews, visits
Body – small word, most work! Main part of
your report
10. Conclusions and recommendations
(nearly finished by now!)
Each part of the body
should have a
conclusion that points
out the implications of
your findings,
Each conclusion should
lead to a
recommendation –
recommendations tell
the reader what to do
about something…
11. And finally:
Appendices
do not count within the
word count!
Use sparingly – they
should not be longer than
your main work!
To show your reader
some of things you have
used to compile your
report
Bibliography
Use Harvard system
Glossary – a list of
unusual words
12. Further assistance:
The learning
development unit
www/londonmet.ac.uk/ldu
Has tutors that will
work with you one to
one
You can collect a
handout on how to write
reports, essays etc etc
Write2learn online
guide to academic
writing available 24
hours on webCT