Every student must know how to write a report skillfully. It is a must for each and every level of schooling and higher grades of education. Education boards introduce report writing in the school curriculum to test the communication skills of a child and thus eradicate rote learning. A adept report written by a student demonstrates his learning skills and command over the language. Students usually bound themselves with fear of report writing, but once they get the knack of it, then they may find report writing as easy as a simple narrative essay. So let us start learning with the basic principles of report writing and understand how to begin writing a good report.
One cannot say that there are any mentioned hard and fast rules for report writing. Hence students can expect lots of flexibility which would be accepted in terms of how one writes a report. A student can write a report as he wishes, but all he needs to do is include some important points which will ensure qualitative output when writing a report.
1. The first and the foremost point a student should remember is the opening statement which is nothing but brief summary of the whole report.
2. The events that are mentioned in the report should be arranged in a logical order rather than sequential order.
3. Try and be precise and use of simple language works well.
4. Repetitions of facts should be avoided. The facts mentioned should be brief yet comprehensive.
5. A good report includes condensed details, critical thinking and lucid adjectives.
A good report on whatever subject or level it may be, for school submissions or for work purposes should have these eight important characteristics which makes it a good. These eight characteristics of a good report are
1. Fresh Presentation - The report that you are planning to write on whichever subject and on whichever level should have a fresh appeal to it.
2. Outstanding Originality - A good report is when the content of the report sound original and exceptionally good.
3. Appetizing Style - The style and manner in which the report is written should be impressive and engrossing. The content within the report should be equally interesting.
4. Lively and Lucid Language - Usage of vivid adjectives, brief yet comprehensive details, perceptive writing and energetic output are all important features of a good report.
5. Appealing to Human Interest - A report is considered to be good, if it is found interesting and appealing to a reader.
6. Factual Content - The content used within a report should do complete justice to the subject on which it is written. It should be factual and should remain pertaining to it.
7. Well Organized - The content of a good report has to be organized very well, preferably in a sensible order.
8. Grammatically Correct - Usage of proper grammar, punctuation and spellings should be given utmost importance while writing a report. A good report should be error free.
Once a student understands the principles and characteristics of a good report, then all remains is the way one should begin a report. The beginning of a report is the most important part of a good report. This is where a reader or the examiner is going to sum up a judgement on how he would find the rest of the report and whether he should continue reading or put it aside. So let us learn how to begin a report.
Before you begin to write a report, the most important thing one has to do is go through all the topics that are provided and select the one topic carefully for which which you have at least a bit of an understanding. Select a topic which you can associate yourself to or you have interest or experience to some extent.
You have obviously selected a topic which you have some interest in or can associate yourself with. So get down to work by jotting out all the points or events that come to your head related to the topic on a rough paper. Remember you need to write down these points as these are flow of thoughts which come and pass by; and when you don't note them down they may just disappear when you really want them.
Once you have made a rough note of all the points relevant to the subject, start putting them in an order to make sense. Roughly arrange these points in a manner on how and when you wish to use them. This way, once you start writing your report your focus is clear on how you are going to begin the report and how you will start including these points throughout the report.
Make sure that you arrange and present these points in your report in such a manner that they make it an interesting read. As mentioned earlier the first paragraph of the report is the cream of the whole report, hence make sure that you write about the most important points or facts in the beginning. Rest of the points should be included in the second and the third paragraphs. But make sure that these points too should be important and relevant to the first point.
While writing a report, you should ask yourself few questions such as, 'what?', 'who?', 'why?', 'when?' 'where?' and 'how?'. Now see that you try and answer all these questions in your report. That is finally the whole purpose of writing a report where one has to provide details of a particular event or a fact. So these questions need to be answered. However it is not necessary that you may need to answer all the question in every report, finally it depends upon the topic. You need to analyse which questions relate to the topic you selected and act accordingly.
Once everything is clear to you about how you are to start with the report writing format, you begin writing the first paragraph of the report. This is the only difficult part of the report writing. Once you get done with the first paragraph, you ease yourself and get into the flow of thoughts. Thus the next paragraphs set in, as it gets easier with the amount of rough homework that you carried out in the beginning of the report writing.
The report which starts out interesting in the beginning may go a bit slow towards the end. This usually happens when we are not thoroughly prepared with the logical sequence of the points. Once you know how to start and how to end, there is nothing that would stop you from writing a good report. But always remember something that you started on an interesting note has to end in the similar manner.
Principles of Report Writing
One cannot say that there are any mentioned hard and fast rules for report writing. Hence students can expect lots of flexibility which would be accepted in terms of how one writes a report. A student can write a report as he wishes, but all he needs to do is include some important points which will ensure qualitative output when writing a report.
1. The first and the foremost point a student should remember is the opening statement which is nothing but brief summary of the whole report.
2. The events that are mentioned in the report should be arranged in a logical order rather than sequential order.
3. Try and be precise and use of simple language works well.
4. Repetitions of facts should be avoided. The facts mentioned should be brief yet comprehensive.
5. A good report includes condensed details, critical thinking and lucid adjectives.
Characteristics of a Good Report
A good report on whatever subject or level it may be, for school submissions or for work purposes should have these eight important characteristics which makes it a good. These eight characteristics of a good report are
1. Fresh Presentation - The report that you are planning to write on whichever subject and on whichever level should have a fresh appeal to it.
2. Outstanding Originality - A good report is when the content of the report sound original and exceptionally good.
3. Appetizing Style - The style and manner in which the report is written should be impressive and engrossing. The content within the report should be equally interesting.
4. Lively and Lucid Language - Usage of vivid adjectives, brief yet comprehensive details, perceptive writing and energetic output are all important features of a good report.
5. Appealing to Human Interest - A report is considered to be good, if it is found interesting and appealing to a reader.
6. Factual Content - The content used within a report should do complete justice to the subject on which it is written. It should be factual and should remain pertaining to it.
7. Well Organized - The content of a good report has to be organized very well, preferably in a sensible order.
8. Grammatically Correct - Usage of proper grammar, punctuation and spellings should be given utmost importance while writing a report. A good report should be error free.
How to Begin a Report
Once a student understands the principles and characteristics of a good report, then all remains is the way one should begin a report. The beginning of a report is the most important part of a good report. This is where a reader or the examiner is going to sum up a judgement on how he would find the rest of the report and whether he should continue reading or put it aside. So let us learn how to begin a report.
Selection of the Topic
Before you begin to write a report, the most important thing one has to do is go through all the topics that are provided and select the one topic carefully for which which you have at least a bit of an understanding. Select a topic which you can associate yourself to or you have interest or experience to some extent.
Jot Down Relevant Points
You have obviously selected a topic which you have some interest in or can associate yourself with. So get down to work by jotting out all the points or events that come to your head related to the topic on a rough paper. Remember you need to write down these points as these are flow of thoughts which come and pass by; and when you don't note them down they may just disappear when you really want them.
Arrange Points in Logical Order
Once you have made a rough note of all the points relevant to the subject, start putting them in an order to make sense. Roughly arrange these points in a manner on how and when you wish to use them. This way, once you start writing your report your focus is clear on how you are going to begin the report and how you will start including these points throughout the report.
Make it Interesting
Make sure that you arrange and present these points in your report in such a manner that they make it an interesting read. As mentioned earlier the first paragraph of the report is the cream of the whole report, hence make sure that you write about the most important points or facts in the beginning. Rest of the points should be included in the second and the third paragraphs. But make sure that these points too should be important and relevant to the first point.
Ask Yourself
While writing a report, you should ask yourself few questions such as, 'what?', 'who?', 'why?', 'when?' 'where?' and 'how?'. Now see that you try and answer all these questions in your report. That is finally the whole purpose of writing a report where one has to provide details of a particular event or a fact. So these questions need to be answered. However it is not necessary that you may need to answer all the question in every report, finally it depends upon the topic. You need to analyse which questions relate to the topic you selected and act accordingly.
Go With the Flow
Once everything is clear to you about how you are to start with the report writing format, you begin writing the first paragraph of the report. This is the only difficult part of the report writing. Once you get done with the first paragraph, you ease yourself and get into the flow of thoughts. Thus the next paragraphs set in, as it gets easier with the amount of rough homework that you carried out in the beginning of the report writing.
Don't Drag the Ending
The report which starts out interesting in the beginning may go a bit slow towards the end. This usually happens when we are not thoroughly prepared with the logical sequence of the points. Once you know how to start and how to end, there is nothing that would stop you from writing a good report. But always remember something that you started on an interesting note has to end in the similar manner.
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