Report writing

By
Dr. Manas Kumar Pal
 Types of Research Report
Short Reports :
Usually 4-5 pages, for well defined problems, limited scope & employed
clear-cut methodology.
 Types of Research Report(Cond..)
Long Reports :
Technical report(TR):

Focus on specific topic pertaining to research objective. It include a descriptive

title, author name & information, date, list of key words, informative abstract,
body, acknowledgements, list of reference, & appendices.

The introduction should clearly identify its thesis & organizational plan for the
same.

The body should consists of sources of data, research procedures, sampling

design, & collection methods, instruments used & data analysis arranged into a
standard format under motivation, methods, results & discussion. It should
explain what has done, why it has done & what has discovered & what was
significant in the findings. The report should identify what is original about the
work & how it relates to past knowledge. No limit about pages, usually 10-15
pages.
 Types of Research Report(Contd..)
Long Reports :

The Management report:

Focus on findings & conclusion. There should be very less use of technical jargons
& language should be easy to understand. The features of such reports are short
& direct statements, underlining relevant parts for better emphasis, pictures &
graphs accompanying tables and graphics & animations accompanying the
presentation of the report.
Report Format
 The Parts of the Report
Title page should state:
The title of the report
The title should give a brief but complete indication of the purpose
of the research project.
Addresses and titles of the preparer and recipient may also be
included.
For whom the report was prepared
By whom it was prepared
Date of release or presentation
 The Parts of the Report (contd)
Letter of Transmittal
Releases or delivers the report to the recipient in relatively
formal and very formal reports.
Letter of Authorization
Approves the project, details who has responsibility for it,
and describes resources available to support it.
The Table of Contents
Should list the divisions and subdivisions of the report with
page references.
Is based on the final outline of the report, but it should
include only the first-level subdivisions.
 The Parts of the Report (contd)
The Executive Summary
Briefly explains why the research project was conducted,
what aspects of the problem were considered, what the
outcome was, and what should be done.
The Body
Introduction sectiondiscusses background information
and the specific objectives of the research.
 The Parts of the Report (contd)

The Body (contd)

Research methodology sectiondescribes the
structure and technical procedures of the project. It
may be supplemented with an appendix or glossary of
technical terms.
Research design
Sample design
Data collection and fieldwork
Analysis
Results section presents the findings of the project.
It includes tables, charts, and an organized narrative.
 The Parts of the Report (contd)
The Body (contd)
Conclusions and recommendations sectionprovides
opinions based on the results and suggestions for
action.
The conclusions and recommendations should be presented
in this section in more detail than in the summary, and the
text should include justification as needed.
The Appendix
Contains material that is too technical or too detailed
to go in the bodyincludes materials of interest only
to some readers or subsidiary materials not directly
related to the objectives.
 Basic Business Research Report Outline

1. Abstract 7. Conclusions
2. Introduction 8. References
3. Background 9. Appendices
a. Literature Review
b. Hypotheses
4. Research Methods
5. Results
6. Discussion
a. Implications
b. Limitations
c. Future Research
 Using Tables Effectively
Graphic Aids
Pictures or diagrams used to clarify complex points or
emphasize a message.
Should always be interpreted in the text.
Creating Tables
Most useful for presenting numerical information,
especially when several pieces of information have been
gathered about each item discussed.
Table number
Title
Stub heads and banner heads
Footnotes and source notes

2512
 Using Charts Effectively

Charts
Translate numerical information into visual form so that
relationships may be easily grasped.
Chart elements
Figure number
Title
Explanatory legends
Source and footnotes
Charts are subject to distortion.
THANK YOU