Miel 发表于 2007-01-05 16:17:17
Note: All sources is directly taken from the net. A partial of the information is found in The Learning Centre website http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au. This is copyright material. Please acknowledge their authorship. It is being put on this blog for easier access. The author of the blog acknowledge the originality done by The Learning Centre.
What is the basic structure of a report?
Types of reports can vary greatly; they can range from an experimental report to an environmental impact statement. There is however, a basic structure common to most reports, irrespective of their type.
Major Components of A General Report
Title Page
Abstract
In less than 200 words ... what was the problem, how was it investigated, what did you find out and what do your findings mean?
Table of Contents
A list of the major and minor sections of your report.
Introduction
Set the scene; give some background information about the topic. State the aim/purpose of the investigation. Outline the body sections.
Main Body
Organise the sections in a logical sequence: what you investigated, what you found, what interpretations and what judgements you made. Use short informative headings and subheadings.
Conclusion
What has been achieved and what is the significance of your findings and your discussion? Have your aims been successful or not?
Recommendations
What do you recommend as a course of action following your conclusion?
References
A list of all the sources you used.
Appendices
Any information (graphs, charts, tables or other data) you used in your report but did not include in the body.
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Writing the Report
This section deals with the next step, writing the important sections of your report: the introduction, conclusion and abstract. They are important because 9 times out of 10, readers will focus on these sections.
Abstracts, Introductions & Conclusions—what's the difference?
An abstract is a brief statement which outlines the report in full; what was done, achieved, decided and concluded.
The introduction is a section which states your aims and some required background knowledge. An introduction will also outline the body of the report (where you state what you will do). Don't confuse the introduction with the abstract or summary; they are very different. Writers often confuse the main purpose behind writing an introduction and an abstract. The common misconception is that one is simply a smaller version of the other (that the introduction is a rewritten, chopped-up version of the abstract). However, this is not the case.
The Abstract
Most reports need an abstract, but they are generally more important for technical reports or scientific documents.
- An abstract is a succinct passage which provides a brief outline on what was achieved/decided/concluded in your report.
- An abstract is placed on a separate page before the contents page.
- An abstract can be written last so that every bit of necessary detail is taken from the finished report.
- An abstract is one part of a report that will certainly be read by a client/assessor/manager. The rest of the report is read if more detail is required.
- An abstract is about half a page in length. Sometimes a word limit is given. This can range from 50-300 words.
The Introduction
The aim of an introduction is to state what you have been asked to achieve and list your current course of action.
The Conclusion
The conclusion (along with the introduction and abstract) is generally the section most read by clients. If you can conclude your work /findings well, you facilitate your client’s understanding of your work’s significance, your achievements and whether your aims have been successful or not. Even in the face of failure, e.g. your experiments do not work, a proper conclusion would demonstrate an understanding of what you achieved. Here is how to do that:
- Note the shortcomings and pitfalls of the methods and/or equipment used
- State your findings from the analysis of your data
- Outline possible recommendations (e.g. provide suggestions for further research). Recommendations may form a separate heading if substantial.
A Note of Caution
Do not use your abstract to write your conclusion or vice versa as the reader will believe you have not put enough thought into why you are doing your work. Remember the abstract, introduction and conclusion have different purposes, different emphasis and different structures.
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How should I present my report?
- READ assignment guidelines in your course outlines. Reading these instructions will inevitably save you hours in that final effort to finish the report.
- Impress your marker by making it look like a professional report. You can do this easily because many word processing programs have a report template you can use or adapt.
- Type your report; it makes your work easier to read. Calculations can be done by hand, but adhere to the following guidelines:
- Rule your page. Put answers to all your calculations in a right hand column. This stops the reader from having to search your page for them.
- Double space your work. Don't squash visuals and text together.
- Everything must be geared towards making it easy for your readers. See our brochure on Technical Writing for additional advice on language and layout of reports.
- Project and thesis reports are kept in the collection of the main library and your school library. Refer to these as models.
Remember, keep it simple!
1. What was the original request? Does your work fulfil the requirements?
2. What does the audience need/want from your report? Have you included it?
3. When editing your report, retain what is important/ relevant, delete what is not.
4. Is there much repetition? Can you merge or delete sections?
5. Do your conclusions come from your findings and not from generalisations? (See example below).
Example Conclusions. . .
3 academics are traveling on a train through Britain. As the train crosses into Scotland they see a black sheep in a field.
The 1st academic remarks "Oh look, the sheep in Scotland are black". (overgeneralising)
The second academic replies "No, some sheep in Scotland are black". (a reasonable conclusion)
The third academic declares "There is at least one sheep in Scotland that is black on at least one side". (a precise and cautious conclusion)
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Report writing - example of a table of contents
| CONTENTS 1. Introduction ………………………… 1 |
| 2. Literature review ………………… 2 |
| 3. Methodology ………………………… 4 |
| 3.1. Participants …………. 4 |
| 3.2. Focus groups ………. 5 |
| 3.3. Survey forms ………. 7 |
| 4. Results …………………………………… 10 |
| 5. Discussion ……………………………… 13 |
| 6. Conclusion ……………………………… 15 |
| 7. Recommendations …………………. 16 |
Lists of figures, tables, illustrations, abbreviations and symbols
These are not generally required, particularly if you only have a few figures, tables, etc., but again, check your unit guide. Like the Table of contents, each is simply a list of figures, a list of tables, a list of illustrations and so on, and the page each particular item can be found on.
Report writing - example of an introduction
| In an article entitled, Few honours for e-degree, Joe Gelonesi (2002) presents many a cautionary tale for institutions embarking on e-learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the issues raised in this article on Based on Federal Government and industry reports (DEET 1999; McInnis 2001; Smith 2001) it was assumed that competition from private educational organisations will increase and that student engagement with universities is changing. This will necessitate universities rethinking what they offer and the way they offer it. he experiences of academics currently teaching in three Schools were considered in terms of changing student needs and acceptance of the new technologies by students and academics. Information was gathered by way of interviews with the selected academics. This was supplemented by a review of current literature on e-learning. Although expressions of interest were sought from students for focus group discussions, none were received and interviews were therefore limited to academic staff. While the lack of a student voice on such an important issue is a limiting factor, much of the literature makes clear the issues for students in the current educational-economic climate. In this report, the issues raised in Gelonesi’s article are identified and set amongst the current literature relating to online learning. These findings are then contextualised at Beacon by considering the perceived student and staff needs as identified through structured interviews. | The reasons for undertaking the study are outlined Any assumptions made in the study are noted The scope or extent of coverage is clarified Methodology (how the research was conducted) is outlined Limitations of the study are explained Plan of the report is specified |
Report writing - example of an executive summary
| The purpose of this report was to examine the implications on university teaching raised in the article by Joe Gelonesi in the Education Supplement of The Age ( The major findings indicate that while there is a need for some caution, e-learning should be seen as a way of enriching the teaching and learning currently being offered in universities. While it is clear that student needs will vary, this report recommends that Beacon University continue to develop and implement its e-learning approach if it wishes to continue providing quality education for traditional on-campus students as well as those who for work, family, geographic location or other reasons choose to study through distance education. | Purpose Methodology Findings Conclusion & Recommendations |
Report writing - example of a conclusion
| Online learning has become an important aspect of the way education is delivered. Initially, in tertiary education this push came about as a way of reducing course delivery costs, but as Gelonesi (2002) points out, online delivery is not necessarily a cheaper way of doing things. Some in the education sector also argue that online education is ‘second-rate’ because education is fundamentally interpersonal, and technology interferes with and reduces this interaction. However, it is becoming evident that students are seeking greater flexibility in their engagement with universities. For tertiary institutions like So, while the concerns about online education cannot be ignored, universities need to embrace this development, not as a replacement for face-to-face teaching, but as an alternative delivery mode. In some situations it may well be a more flexible alternative that better suits the needs of students. As Professor Anne Martin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at | Restatement of questions/problems that led to the preparation of the report Summary of key points
Link back to the purpose of the report |
Report writing - example of recommendations
| This report recommends that 1. Articulate a plan for further development of e-learning across all faculties. 2. Establish a working party to oversee and plan the implementation of e-learning across all faculties. 3. Conduct a forum to showcase exemplar units that have successfully incorporated e-learning. 4. Continue to investigate and document the needs of students and how the University can better meet these needs through a range of delivery modes, including online delivery. | Suggested solutions are presented as action statements – things to be done These are numbered and in a logical sequence |
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