Short Informal Reports

• Incident Reports

• Field Trip Reports

• Occasional Progress Reports

• Periodic Progress Reports

• Project Completion Reports

• Inspection Reports

• Laboratory Reports

General Format

1. A brief statement describing what the reader most needs to know

2. A short introduction to the problem

3. A discussion of the data, situation, or problem, and what has been done or could be done about it

4. A conclusion that sums up the results and possibly recommends what should be done next

Field Trip Report

Very briefly: What did you set out to do, and what did you achieve?

Who went where, why, and when?

In more detail:

• What did you do? What problems affected your work?

• What did you do about them?

Is the job complete? What still needs to be done?

SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

TRIP DETAILS1. Work done2. Problems

OUTCOME

Incident Report

• Why the message was written.

• What happened.

• What needs to be done.

• Who went where, why, and when?

• Details that describe what happened, what has been, done, and what action needs to be taken.

• The results and effects.

SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

FACTSAND EVENTS

OUTCOME

Progress Report

• A brief description of the overall situation

• Project history

• Work that has been done

• What is being done at present

• What will be done to complete the project

SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

PROGRESS

FUTURE PLANS

SITUATIONNOW