Module 17: Writing Formal Reports

Question 1

What Does a Formal Report Look Like?

Answer 1

Formal reports use formal language and begin with an Executive Summary.

Question 2

A full formal report may contain the following components.

Answer 2

Cover

Letter or Memo of Transmittal

Title Page

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Executive Summary

Report Body
Conclusions (Summarizes main points of the report.)

Recommendations (Proposes actions to solve the problem. May be combined with Conclusions or may be put before the body rather than at the end.)

Appendices (Provides additional material that the careful reader may need: transcripts of interviews, copies of questionnaires, tallies of all the questions, computer printouts, previous reports.)

References or Works Cited (Lists sources of information used in the report.)

Question 3

Report Body

Answer 3

✓Introduction (States purpose and scope; may also cover limitations, assumptions, and methods.)

✓Background/history of the problem (Serves as context for later readers of the report.)

✓Body (Presents and interprets data in words and visuals. Analyzes the situation or problem, identifies and describes solutions, or evaluates possible solutions. Specific headings depend on the topic of the report.)

Question 4

How Do I Manage My Time?

Answer 4

Write each section as soon as you can. Spend most of your time on sections that support your recommendations.

Question 5

How Do I Draft the Report?

Answer 5

Draft the report body first, then the ending sections, then write the beginning parts of the formal report.

Question 6

INTRODUCTION

Answer 6

The introduction pulls the reader into the situation and previews the body of the report.

Question 7

The introduction may include:

Answer 7

Purpose
Scope
Limitations
Assumptions
Methods

Question 8

Purpose

Answer 8

Identifies the organizational problem the report addresses, the research or method the report summarizes, and the rhetorical purposes of the report: to explain, to analyze, to evaluate, to solve, to recommend.

Question 9

Scope

Answer 9

Covers the report topic

-When writers define the scope, they contain the content of the report: if the report is to examine only advertising, then readers cannot fault the writer for not considering other factors.

Question 10

Limitations

Answer 10

Describes constraints, like time or money, that limit full research and make the recommendations less valid, or valid only under certain conditions.

Question 11

Assumptions

Answer 11

Presumes certain realities that the writer uses to support the conclusions and recommendations. If the assumptions are incorrect, the conclusion will be wrong, too

Question 12

Methods

Answer 12

Describes the report data: what the writer observed; whom s/he chose to survey and interview; and how, when, and where respondents were interviewed.

Question 13

Report Ending

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Answer 13

All communication is an act of creation: when we make meaning, we create order out of chaos. Reports, too, can be creative. However, unlike fiction writing, your report should not contain any surprises for your intended audiences.

The ending sections do not introduce any new information; your conclusions and recommendations concisely and clearly summarize information covered in the body

Question 14

Tables

Answer 14

are words or numbers arranged in rows and columns.

Question 15

Figures

Answer 15

are everything else: bar graphs, pie charts, maps, drawings, photographs, computer printouts, and so forth

Question 16

How Do I Submit the Report?

Answer 16

Follow instructions carefully. If you don’t know, ask.

Question 17

TITLE PAGE

Answer 17

The title page of a report contains four items: the title of the report, who the report is for (the audience), who prepared the report, and the release date. The title of the report should be as informative as possible.

Question 18

LETTER OR MEMO OF TRANSMITTAL

Answer 18

The transmittal has several purposes: to send the report, to orient the reader to the report, and to influence the reader favourably toward the report and the writer.

Question 19

Executive Summary

Answer 19

provides a précisof the whole report