Presented by Mohammad Atique Rahman

Lecturer Department of International Relations

University of Dhaka Email: atique@du.ac.bd

What is Report? What is the purpose of report? Basic principles of quality report Types of report Different parts of report Key issues regarding report

A report is document containing information organized in a narrative, graphic, or tabular form, prepared on ad hoc, periodic, recurring, regular, or as required basis.

Reports may refer to specific periods, events, occurrences, or subjects, and may be communicated or presented in oral or written form.

It is a tool of communication strategy A report aims to inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible A report is written for a clear purpose and to a particular audience Information and evidence are presented, analysed and applied to a

particular problem or issue. The information is presented in a clearly structured format making use

of sections and headings so that the information is easy to locate and follow

A report presents information, not an argument is meant to be scanned quickly by the reader uses numbered headings and sub-headings uses short, concise paragraphs and dot-points where applicable uses graphics wherever possible (tables, graphs, illustrations) may need an abstract (sometimes called an executive summary) does not always need references and bibliography is often followed by recommendations and/or appendices.

Accuracy : Report factual information – e.g., “I saw.” Make distinctions between fact and hearsay, fact and opinion, and fact and

conclusions. Be clear about the meaning of words; avoid jargon. Clarify all abbreviations Proofread the report and rewrite as needed.

Completeness is achieved by reporting all the facts discovered during the course of an investigation. When in doubt, include the information. Information that appears irrelevant to the investigator may be

relevant to the reviewer. In most cases, the only information the reader will have will be

the information in the report. Partially stated facts can be misleading and misinterpreted. Explain why certain information is lacking or incomplete. Provide a detailed explanation of the possible source of

additional information and undeveloped leads.

Avoid unrelated, extraneous, incidental, and nonessential information and detail.

Pay attention to grammar. Avoid adjectives, wit, sarcasm, flowery expressions, and repetition. A report

is not a literary or creative writing exercise. Use singleness of thought and purpose. A good report will give the reader a clear idea or picture of the investigation. Use headings, paragraphing, sentence structure, indentations, underlining,

and capitalization to emphasize and give weight and/or visibility to information the investigator deems more important.

The investigator is a fact finder. Report the material and evidentiary facts without addition or subtraction. Do not conceal or withhold information. Do not assume. Do not conclude. Maintain an unbiased and open mind about the case.

Arrange the contents of the report in discrete sections to facilitate the reader’s review and understanding of the report.

Write in chronological order. Avoid ambiguous sentences and vague statements.

Organizational Report: Monthly, Quarterly and Annually Project report: Monthly, mid term and completion report Business Report Market survey report Investigation report

Stage One: Understanding the purpose of the report, your audience Stage two: gather relevant information Stage Three: Organising your material Stage Four: Analysing your material Stage Five: Writing the report Stage Six: Reviewing and redrafting Stage Seven: Presentation

Title page Acknowledgements Contents Executive Summary Introduction Methodology Results or findings Discussion Risk and Sustainability

Executive Summery: This should be a short paragraph summarizing the main contents of the report. It should include a short statement of the main task, the methods used, conclusions reached and any recommendations to be made. The abstract or summary should be concise, informative and independent of the report.

Methodology: In this section you should state how you carried out your enquiry.

What form did your enquiry take ? Did you carry out interviews or questionnaires, how did you collect your data ? What measurements did you make ? How did you choose the subjects for your interviews ? Present this information logically and concisely.

Results or findings Present your findings in as simple a way as possible. The more

complicated the information looks, the more difficult it will be to interpret. There are a number of ways in which results can be presented.

Here are a few : Log-frame Tables Graphs Pie charts Bar charts Diagrams

Risk and Sustainability At the end of the report can summarize risks

and sustainability i.e. Environmental Law and order situation Price hike Natural Disaster Political Situation