The document provides guidance on report writing. It discusses planning a report by considering the readers, purpose, and key messages. A report is defined as a written or spoken account of information based on investigation or research. An effective report is clear, concise, understandable for the audience, well-organized with headings. The document outlines structuring a report with elements like a cover letter, title page, executive summary, table of contents, introduction, findings, conclusions, recommendations, references, and appendices. It provides tips for writing each element clearly and effectively.

1. REPORT WRITING
By
Shamsuddin Bolatito (PhD).
A Presentation for
AFRICAN MEDICAL STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION (amsa)
IUA WINTER CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM 2020
@
International University of Africa (IUA) Khartoum, Sudan.
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2. Ability to communicate an ideas
01
To produce clear, concise and effective
reports by adopting a systematic
approach.
02
To present findings or recommend
a course for action
03
To identify element of good report
writing04
To develop our writing skills effectively05
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
2

3. Planning Your Report
The key questions to ask yourself when
planning a report are:
 who are the readers of this report
 what is the purpose of this report
 what are the report’s main messages
 how will the report be structured? 3

4. What is ‘A REPORT’?
4

5. A report is a spoken or written account of something
that one has observed, heard, done, or written
presentation of factual information based on an
investigation, research, or information.
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6. Purpose of
Report
We write to inform01
persuade02
inspire or even threaten
others
03
guide and direct learners04
communicate new or
different ideas
05
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7. What
makes an
effective
report?
 Clear, concise and accurate
 Easy for the audience to
understand
 Appropriate for the audience
 Well organised with clear
section headings
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8. TypesofReport
Routine Reports
Monthly Report,
Performance Report,
Review Report, Sales Report, Press
Report
Research Reports, Survey Reports &
Special Reports
Enquiry Reports & Investigation Reports
Confidential Reports
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9. Who are the participants
Why do they want it
What did they need to know
Where did it happened
When did it take place
How: Identify the way events took place and make a
list of them
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Planning the Report

10. Structuring
your
business
report
 A Covering Letter or Memorandum
 A Title Page
 An Executive Summary
 A Table of Contents
 An Introduction
 Findings or Discussions
 Conclusions
 Recommendations
 A List of References
 Appendices.
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11. A Covering Letter or Memorandum
The covering letter or memorandum should:
 remind the reader of their request for the
report
 state the purpose of the report
 acknowledge any assistance
 indicate future actions to be taken.
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12. The Title Page
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13. A
Title
Page
 The title page should be brief but
descriptive of the project.
 It should also include the date of
completion/submission of the report,
the author/s, and their
association/organisation.
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14. Executive Summary
The executive summary follows the title page, and should
make sense on its own. The executive summary helps the
reader quickly grasp the report’s purpose, aims, objectives,
main findings, conclusions, and key recommendations.
 The executive summary should not be longer than one page.
The executive summary differs from an abstract in that it
provides the key recommendations and conclusions, rather
than a summary of the document.
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15. Table
of
Contents
(TOC)
• The table of contents follows the
executive summary on a new
page.
• It states the pages for various
sections.
• The reader receives a clear
orientation to the report as the
table of contents lists all the
headings and sub-headings in
the report. 15

16. Introduction
The introduction sets the stage for the reader.
It gives the context for the report and
generates the reader’s interest. It orients the
reader to the purpose of the report and gives
them a clear indication of what they can
expect. 16

17. Findings or Discussion
 What was found during the research or
investigation.
 Gives the facts only – no interpretation by the
writer of the report.
 Tables, graphs or diagrams can be used.
 Must be relevant to the issues and problems
identified in the Terms of Reference.
 Arranged in a logical order with headings and
sub-headings. 17

18. Discussion
You may also be required to analyse,
interpret and evaluate the findings.
The discussion draws together different
parts of the findings and may refer to
findings of other studies or theories.
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19. Conclusion
Brief statements of the key findings of the
report (full explanation is given in the Findings
and/or Discussion).
Arranged so the major conclusions come first.
Should relate directly to the objectives set out
in the Terms of reference or Introduction.
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20.  Recommendations are oriented to the future:
 what changes are recommended,
 or what actions are recommended for the
future?
 They are specific, action-oriented suggestions
to solve the report problem
Recommendation
20

21. When Writing Recommendations:
make specific suggestions for actions to solve the report problem
avoid conditional words such as maybe and perhaps
present each suggestion separately and begin with a verb
number the recommendations
describe how the recommendations may be implemented (if you
were requested to do this)
arrange the recommendations in an announced order, such as
most important to least important.
(Guffey, et al. 2001, p. 392)
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22. A List of References
Whenever you use information from other
sources, references must be provided in-
text and in a list of references. The style of
referencing may be dictated by your
faculty or organisation.
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23. Appendices
If material is important to your discussion
and is directly referred to, then it should
be included in your discussion proper.
Additional relevant information may
include interview questions, surveys,
evaluation forms and photos.
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24. References
 Reference Emerson, L. (Ed.). (1995). Writing guidelines for business students.
Palmerston North, New Zealand: Dunmore Press
 University of Kent, Students Learning Advisory Service, Report Writing -Quick Guide,
extracted from www.kent.ac.uk/learning
 Ken Cage Manager: Student Learning Centre Massey University, Auckland 2004, (Report
Writing)
 De Luca, R. & Annals, A. (2006). Writing that works: a guide for tertiary students. 2nd ed.
Auckland, N. Z.: Pearson Education New Zealand.
 Lerner, M. (2001). Writing smart: your guide to great writing. 2nd rev. ed. Auckland, N.Z.:
Random House.
 Forsyth, P. (2010). How to write reports, and proposals. 2nd rev. ed. London: Kogan
Page.
 Guffey, M. E., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2001). Business communication: Process and
product (3rd Canadian ed.). Scarborough, Ontario: Nelson Thomson Learning.
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25. THANK YOU
Shamsuddin Bolatito (PhD)
Director of Administration, Training and Research
Sheikh Abdallah Makki Centre for Training and Reformation of Thought
samtito1421h@Hotmail.com
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26. Class Work
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•Exercise