Reports are the written documents, which give focused, salient content to specific audience. Reports are usually used for displaying the result of a particular experiment, inquiry or investigation. The audience for a report can be private or public, or an individual.
Reports are used in various organizations like business, education, science, government and many other fields. Reports are also use persuasive element like graphics, voice, images or some kind of specialized vocabulary. One of the most famous formats for presenting reports is the IMRAD: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. This is the standard structure for scientific research. Some reports can use alternative patterns.
Some additional elements that are used for persuading a reader to read a report are:
- Headings used for indicating topics
- Complex formats like charts
- Table of content
- Abstracts
- Summary
- Appendices
- Hyperlinks
Report writing is a very easy; all you need to do is write the required information. Here are some steps on how to write report.
Things Required:
- Books for research process
- Notes
Steps:
- Make an outline. Make another outline for what you want to write on the sheet of paper. In your report, there must be introduction, main body and conclusion.
- Start researching for your topic. Try to get references or information related to the specific question or arguments that you are planning to make. Look for some information online, encyclopedias or at the library. Take a print out of these pages of information and highlight the important things.
- You will have to add bibliography. Write down bibliography on a piece of paper or you can also type it. Write down all the sources used.
- Make a rough draft. Proofread it carefully and see if there are any errors in the report. Errors are not only grammar or spelling mistakes but also jumbled information and some missing points.
- If there are too many errors, then you will have to rewrite your report. If you want, you can add some pictures to enhance the look of the report. If it is appropriate, you can also use colored print.
- Print a copy of your report and see if there are any more errors left. If it has no errors, your report is ready.
Tips and Warnings:
- You will require at least two note cards for your research. One note card will be used for books, and other one for the internet.
- To catch all the errors quickly, read the paper aloud to yourself at home. You can also ask your family or friends to proofread it.
- Make sure that you gather all the information from more than one source. When you are taking information from the internet, make sure that it is from a reliable source.
- When you are writing the report, keep in mind that your readers have little or no information about the subject. You can add some definitions to certain topics in the paper.
- Do not postpone your research until the last minute. Creating a report requires a lot of time.
Never take someone else’s information for your own. That is known as plagiarizing.
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