Unit One

Report Writing
1. Basics of Report

1.1 Meaning of a Report

The word ‘report’ is derived from the Latin term ‘reportare’ which means to ‘carry back’
(re=back + portare =to carry). A report, therefore, is a description of an event carried back
to someone who wasn’t present on the scene.

A number of writers have made attempts to answer the question” what is a report”?
 C.A. Brown(1971) defines report, as:
A report is a communication from someone who has information, to someone who wants
to use that information.
 Philip S. Atkinson and Helen Reynolds(1970)wrote of a report as:
A Formal report represents in organized form the information that has been requested
by an authorized person.
 John Mitchell(1974) says:
A technical report is a written statement of the facts of a situation, project, process or
test which is presented to a specific audience.
From the above definitions it is possible to draw the following essential points:
 A report is a formal statement of facts or information or an account of
something.
 It is presented in a conventional form.
 It is written for a specific audience.
 It includes information about the procedure of collecting data and the
significance of such data.
 It often includes recommendations.

Difference between a Report and other forms of Writing:

A report differs from other forms of writing in that;

 Other forms are subjective in nature. They reflect on the writers’ personality.
 Reports and projects generally draw on outside sources.
 Reports present conclusions and recommendations based on investigation and
analysis of data obtained by observation of facts.
 Reports have a highly structured format.
 Each part of a report is numbered and captioned with headings and sub-
headings.
 Reports use languages that are concise and concrete.
 Reports make use of tables and graphs.
 Reports are usually preceded by a summary.
 Reports can also be oral but essays are only written.

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1.2 Purpose of a Report
A report can serve various purposes as follows:
 Report writing has intrinsic value. It trains the writer in planned and ordinarily
procedures and logical presentation of ideas and information.
 It helps an executive perform his/her functions of planning and evaluating men
and material resources effectively.
 It helps an institution or government to make important decisions on the basis
of the information presented or recommendation made in reports.
 Preparation of reports on activities enables an institute to improve its working
through an analysis of its own processes of production, distribution etc. and
comparison with other similar organization
 A report can be used also for offering a solution to a problem
 Give information about activities, progress and plans;
 To record events for future reference in decision-making.
 To justify and persuade readers about the need for action in controversial
situations.

1.3 Assigning a Report- Terms of Reference (ToR)

The task of producing a report on a specific problem can be assigned to an individual or a

team. The problem, purpose, scope or limitations, budget, cultural consideration, if any,
related to ethical or ethnic values of the organization, and the date of submission or time-
limit are clearly given while authorizing the person responsible for submitting the report.
These specifications guide the report writer. They form what is called Terms of Reference.
Someone who needs the report to be prepared is supposed to set down these terms.

2. Types of Reports

Report writing arises from a specific need and addresses of a specific audience. Technical
reports vary greatly in length, degree of formality, components or elements and purpose.

A. Short reports
Short reports are sometime only a page long; it could also be five or ten pages. There is no
commonly accepted number to judge a report as short or long.

a) Progress and Project Reports:

Progress and project reports are time and task related documents. Sometimes referred to
as status reports; they may describe specific elements- especially the completed,
continuing, and anticipated work on a project that spans a time period of more than a
few days.

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As an employee, for example, you may have to report periodically on your
accomplishments. If you are in charge of a project that extends over months or years, you
will be required to report at specific intervals on the status of that particular project.

Readers of progress or project reports want answers to questions that relate to time and
tasks as follows:
o How much work has been accomplished?
o Which work is currently being done?
o How much work is yet to be done?
o Is the project on schedule and within budget?
o Are there any foreseeable situations that might affect the completion of the
project as planned?
o Remarks, if any;
o Signature and designation of the reporting officer.

Guidelines of Writing a Progress Report

People write progress reports to keep interested parties informed about what has been
done on a project and about what remains to be done. Often the reader is the writer's
supervisor. As a result the tone should be serious and respectful. Even though progress
reports are often in the form of a memo, the writer should be careful to write formal,
standard prose. Progress reports represent not only the writer's work but the writer's
organizational and communication skills.

Progress reports can be structured in several ways. The following suggested pattern helps
the writer cover essential material.

Heading: If the progress report is a memo, it should contain the following standard
elements:

Date: Date the memo is sent

To: Name and position of the readers

From: Name and position of the writer

Subject: A clear phrase that focuses the reader's attention on the subject of the memo

Purpose Statement:

Because the reader is busy, get right to the point. Imagine you are meeting the reader in the
hall, and you say, "I wanted to talk to you about this." Use the same strategy for the first line
of the memo's body. Try saying out loud, "I wanted to tell you that" and then start writing

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whatever comes after that prompt. Often such a sentence will begin something like this:
"Progress on setting up the new program in testing is going very well." If there is a request
in the memo, make it explicitly up front; otherwise, your reader may miss it.

Background:

Usually in the same paragraph as the purpose statement, the writer gives the reader some
background information. If the occasion demands a written progress report instead of a
quick oral report, it is probably the case that the reader needs to be reminded of the details.
Tell the reader what the project is and clarify its purpose and time scale. If there have
been earlier progress reports, you might make a brief reference to them.

Work Completed:

The next section of a progress report explains what work has been done during the
reporting period. Specify the dates of the reporting period and use active voice verbs to
give the impression that you or you and your team have been busy. You might arrange this
section chronologically (following the actual sequence of the tasks being completed), or
you might divide this section into subparts of the larger project and report on each subpart
in sequence. Whatever pattern you use, be consistent.

Problems:

If the reader is likely to be interested in the glitches you have encountered along the way,
mention the problems you have encountered and explain how you have solved them. If
there are problems you have not yet been able to solve, explain your strategy for solving
them and tell the reader when you think you will have them solved.

Work Scheduled:

Specify the dates of the next segment of time in the project and outline a schedule of the
work you expect to get accomplished during the period. It is often a good idea to arrange
this section by dates which stand for deadlines. To finish the progress report, you might
add a sentence evaluating your progress thus far.

b) Site view Reports

• Site visit reports describe visits, trips, observations, or actions taken at a location
other than the writer’s own work site. Such visits are sometimes referred to as field
trips because they require leaving one’s normal place of employment and going into
the “field”.
• Site visits are necessary when inspectors need to review local situations; when
someone is needed to assist temporarily at another site or location. People who

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 make site visits usually document what happened, what they saw and learned,
and the impressions they gathered.
• Site visits always relate to place and the reason for the visit. They answer questions
such as these:
 What site was visited?
 When was the site visited?
 Why was the visit made?
 Who was involved?
 What precisely was gained or accomplished?

Site Visit Report Template

[NAME OF COMPANY/WORKSITE]

Site Visit Summary:

Site Visit Team Members:
Places and Facilities Visited:
Date(s) of Site Visit:
Type/Number of Staff Interviewed:
Management:
Employees:
Site documentation/reports/plans gathered:

Items for Follow up:

Narrative Summary:

I. Introduction
a. Size of workforce
b. Type of jobs/industry
c. Employee characteristics

II. Program Administration and Management

a. Health program benefits or potential benefits

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b. Program implementation and goals
c. Program costs
d. Program eligibility, promotion, and communications
e. Employee committees

III. Programs and Services

a. Current health, safety and health promotion activities (programs and services)
b. Training, education, and support
c. Assessment and data management, evaluation, program suggestions

IV. Policies
a. Including specific risk factor or health or safety issue areas
V. Employee Health Benefits
a. Health promotion benefits
b. Health insurance coverage
c. Incentives

VI. Environment
a. Findings from the tool for observing worksite environments (TOWE)
b. Barriers and Resources

VII. Community Linkages

VIII. Summary/Overall Impressions

Insert any relevant summary tables, figures, exhibits, or pictures

c) Feasibility Reports

Feasibility reports or studies assess the practicality of a proposed project or change.

Questions such as the following are usually addressed in any feasibility report:
 What is the current situation?
 Is sufficient need shown to warrant the action?
 Is sufficient capital available?
 What legal concerns must be considered?
 Is the technology available if needed?
 Are appropriate personnel available?
 What are the long-range benefits?
 What are the costs?
 What are the long-range problems?

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Sample Short Report Format

There are different kinds of short reports and all are recommended as long as the message
is put out right and also the nature of urgency and size determines the kind of format which
can be chosen.

A committee or a person in authority usually asks for a report. Information on the method
of enquiry that you used, what you found out, and what it means and possibly your
recommendations will be required.

The recommended layout is one that is ‘tried and tested’. It is formal but, if used properly, it
helps you to write an efficient, clear report. Although the headings are different, they
correspond in style to the content pattern.

The Introduction is:

 Title ( at the top of the report and often underlined)

 Terms of reference
 Proceedings/ procedure.

The Details are:

 Findings
 Conclusions

The Response is:

 Recommendations.

The Close is:

 Signature/ Name
 Date

Here are some notes on what each of the sections should contain:

 The title needs to state briefly what the report is about

 The terms of reference explain the purpose of the report, what exactly has been
requested, who has asked for the report, and when it is to be handed in. if no date is
mentioned in the question, then use any reasonable date. Often it will be ‘as soon as
possible’.
 The proceedings/ procedure lists and explain how the information was gathered
e.g. through interview, observation, questionnaire, visit etc.

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  The findings are the facts clearly stated. ‘Under findings’ there should be no
opinions on what has been found out.
 The conclusions are explanations of the findings and a discussion of what they
mean to the firm or the person who has asked for the report.
 The recommendations contain suggestions for future action.
 The Signature/ Name are usually placed at the end of the report.
 The date is usually the one on which the report is written.

Note: Remember that this is not the only layout used you may wish to adopt any that you
prefer.

Here are notes on a few of the other possible layouts. All of them are acceptable:

A style often used for brief, formal reports can be:

 Heading
 Introduction which includes a ‘terms of reference’ statement
 Findings
 Conclusions
 Signature and date.

A further fairly common style, particularly for less formal report, is:

 Introduction
 Analysis
 Solution
 Signature and date.

There are other equally acceptable formats. All of them should help the clarity of all aspects
of the report. There should be a sensible arrangement of ideas with linked conclusions and
recommendations. There must be no confusion about what the findings are and what
follows from them.

The language in a report needs to be clear, easy to follow, neutral and not emotional or
excited.

Sample Short Report

Staff opinions on proposed ban on smoking at Mt. Carmel Industries

Terms of reference

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The Management Committee has asked for a report with the aim of sounding staff views on
forbidding smoking in the factory and the offices. The report is wanted as soon as possible.

Proceedings

Interviews took place with all 50 members of staff who were asked whether they favoured:

1. A complete ban on smoking everywhere at Mt. Carmel Industries

2. Restricting smoking to one room which would be available at break times.

Findings

The interviews revealed:

 40% in favour of complete ban

 34% against a complete ban
 72% in favour of having a room available for smoking at break times
 16% against having a room available for smoking at break times.

The staff raised several supplementary considerations including:

 How the restrictions will be enforced

 What exceptions will be permitted?

Conclusions

 There is not a substantial majority in favour of or against a full ban on smoking.

 There is strong support for a separate room to be made available to smokers.
 The details of the proposal are not fully clear.

Recommendations

1. Reconsider the proposal. A complete ban would not be universally acceptable.

2. Ask the staff committee to liaise with its members and to suggest solutions.

Name Date Signature

Activity 1

Answer the following questions.

1. What is the difference between short and long report?

2. Discuss the different types of short reports.

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Activity 2

Situation

Assume that you work in the Ministry of transport and works. At a recent staff meeting the
Executive Director requests you to write a report on the causes of increase in road
accidents in Addis Ababa and also provide possible solutions. The report is to be handed in
on 20th April 2019. When carrying out your research you distributed a questionaire
randomly to 250 respondents as seen below:

Findings

Most respondents attributed the causes to the following factors:

100 Drivers said :

 Bad roads
 Narrow roads
 Roads over-used and haven’t been repaired since the colonial days
 Same roads used for both big and small cars
120 passengers said:

Cars are overloaded

No limit on the number of passengers in the car( some people standing on
the way and others hanging in windows)
 Drivers chew Qat while driving.
30 traffic police (officers) said:

 No street lights to aid drivers at night

 Poor traffic signs and faded
 Over-speeding
 Some cars on the Hargeisa roads are “DMCs” (Dangerous Mechanical
Conditions) e.g. have faulty brakes, bald tires, faulty headlights etc.
 We are paid less salary and our morale is low to contain the problem.

Write the Report. Note: Follow all the steps in the layout of a short formal report

B. Long Reports

Topics to consider:
 Front matter (cover/title page, frontispiece, copyright notice, preface,
acknowledgment, table of contents, list of illustrations, abstract)
 Main Body (introduction, body, conclusion/recommendation)
 Back Matter (appendices, list of references, glossary, index)

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 3. Use of graphics
In reports, the following forms of graphic are commonly used:

 Bar chart
 Line chart
 Pie chart
 Pictograms
 Actual pictures
 Maps

These graphics are used also in oral presentation of reports. While using graphic
presentation of information, the writer or presenter of report considers how the use of
graphic presentation helps in grasping the information conveyed through words.
Sometimes, reports use graphics as a source of embellishment (beauty) and to add colors to
words.

Basic Principles

There are a number of general rules which must be borne in mind when planning and using
the graphical methods covered in this unit.

 Graphs and charts must be given clear but brief titles.

 The axes of graphs must be clearly labeled and the scales of values clearly marked.
 Diagrams should be accompanied by the original data, or at least by a reference to
the source of the data.
 Avoid excessive detail, as this defeats the object of diagrams.
 There should be a key or legend relating any shading or pattern used on a chart to
what it represents. In addition, or in place of a legend, labels can be used to mark
what each bar, segment or line represents.
 All bars and charts should display the source of information.
 It is also advisable to cross – reference all graphs and charts within the text such as
see figure X or see attached appendix Y.

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