This document provides an overview of report writing, including the concept, objectives, characteristics, types, formats, and structure of reports. It defines a report as a factual account of a specific business or professional activity that aims to present data, record events, describe problems and solutions, and analyze situations. The document outlines the key characteristics of reports as being precise, factual, relevant, reader-oriented, clear, compact, and concrete. It also categorizes reports based on their function, periodicity, communicative form, nature, scope, and length. Finally, the document describes the typical parts of a formal report, including the preface, main body, and supplementary sections.
2. Concept
A factual and systematic account of a
specific business or professional
activity.
3. Objectives
• Presenting data
• Recording events & happenings
• Describing problems & suggesting solutions
• Analyzing situation or condition
• Giving feedback, suggestions or recommendations
4. Characteristics of Report
• Precision
• Factual details
• Relevance
• Reader-orientation
• Simple and unambiguous language
• Compact
• Clarity
• Concrete
• Consideration
• brevity
5. Types of Report
Criteria Types Description Examples
Function
Informational Objective representation of data Conference reports, seminar
reports
Analytical Presentation of data with analysis Project report, market research
reports
Periodicity
Routine Presentation of routine information Daily production report, monthly
inquiry report
Special Presentation of specific information
related to the situation
Thesis, dissertation
Communicative form
Oral Face to face presentation of
information
Sales reports, joining reports
Written Presentation of information in
written form
Project reports, research reports
Nature, scope &
length
Formal Long report with elaborate
description
Annual reports, technical reports
Informal Short reports Laboratory reports, daily
production reports
6. Formats of report
• Printed formats
• Used to collect routine information
• Simple & objective
• Time saving
• Locating important information is
easier
• Letter formats
• Contains all the elements of a letter
• Contains illustrations and
references
• Concise
• Helpful in decentralized working
7. Contd……
• Memo format
• Brief written information from one
person or department in an
organization or company to another
• contain headings for easy reading
and references
• Manuscript format
• Long & formal reports
• Divided into sections and sub-
sections
• Logical sequence
• Detailed description
8. Structure/ parts of formal report
Prefatory part
Main part
Supplementary part
9. Prefatory part
• Cover page
• Title page
• Preface (introduction, salient features,
scope)
• Letter of transmittal (objectives and
highlights)
• Acknowledgement
• Table of contents
• List of illustrations
• Abstract or executive summary (key
facts, findings, results & conclusion)
10. Main part
• Introduction purpose of writing report
• Methodology summarizes the methods of data collection, the procedure
for investigating
• Discussion focuses on facts and findings
• Conclusions includes summary of discussion, findings, results and
inferences
• Recommendations indicate the need and nature for further work in concerned area
11. Supplementary Part
• Appendices supporting material that help in understanding report References
list of source of information
• Glossary list of technical words with explanation used in the report Index
quick alphabetical guide to locate the information
12. Writing strategies
• Analyze the problem & the purpose
• Determine the scope of the report
• Determine the needs of audience
• Gather all the information and record the source