CANKAYA UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES
-ENGLISH UNIT-
CHAPTER II
TYPES of REPORTS
OUTLINE
1. Types of reports
2. Recommendation report
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Functions of Reports
Basic Categories of Reports on the Basis of Their Functions
Informative reports
offer data, facts, feedback, and other types of Business Plans,
information, without analysis or recommendation.
Lab Reports,
Manuals,
Brochures
Analytical reports
offer both information and analysis, and they can also Market Analysis Reports,
include recommendations.
Recommendation Reports
Proposals
offer structured persuasion for internal or external Grant Proposals,
audiences.
Investment Proposals,
Sales Proposals,
General Project Proposals
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Functions of Reports
TASK : Match these report types with their functions. Write “A” for analytical and “I”
for informative reports .
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Report type
Practicum Reports
Feasibility Reports
Summaries
Minutes of meetings
Troubleshooting Reports
Progress Reports
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF BASIC AND
ELECTIVE COURSES-
Function of the report
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REPORT TYPES
Formality of Reports
REPORTS
informal reports
informative
internal
formal reports
analytical
external
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Formality of Reports
The type of report you write depends highly on the purpose, audience, and
scope of the information.
If you are writing a report for your manager, you may provide the information
about the latest antivirus program for your company benefits via an informal,
analytical, and at the same time, internal report.
if you are trying to sell your new antivirus program to companies, you write a
formal, informative, and external report.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Informal Reports
Informal reports tend to



be short (usually eight or fewer pages),
use memo or letter format,
personal in tone.
Much of the writing done in industry and technical fields fall into the informal
report category.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Informal Reports
Although the objectives and preparatory steps that apply to formal and
informal reports are similar, the components of informal reports are less
extensive, the structure is more flexible.
Sometimes, as in the case of accident, trip, or expense reports, these
documents are prepared on a standard, preprinted form.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Informal Reports
Informal reports have 5 basic elements, arranged in a fairly standard form.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Introduction
Summary
Background
Conclusions & Recommendations
Discussion
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Formal Reports
Formal reports discuss the
results of a process of
thorough investigation
and analysis.
Formal reports are different from informal reports in
 length,
organization,
serious tone.
They represent the product of thorough investigation and analysis.
They present organized information to decision makers in business, industry,
government, and education.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Formal Reports
Formal reports discuss the
results of a process of
thorough investigation
and analysis.
Although formal reports in business are seen infrequently, they serve an
important function.
They provide management with vital data for decision making. As a part of
company’s decision-making process, formal reports communicate with many
people: executive and management personnel, senior engineers, perhaps legal
and financial officers, and other whose areas will be affected by the decision.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Formal Reports
Formal reports discuss the
results of a process of
thorough investigation
and analysis.
Formal reports are usually lengthy (10 or more pages) and often adhere to a
precise format and well-defined structure.
They are often designed to build a case carefully and to argue its conclusions
and recommendations.
The tone of a formal report is objective; there is no evidence of the “you”
attitude here.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Formal Reports
The Basic Elements of a Formal Report
Cover
Title Page
Letter of Transmittal
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Glossary
List of symbols
Executive Summary or Abstract
Introduction
Body
Conclusions
Recommendations
References
Appendices
formal reports have more elements than
informal reports because they are more
detailed and longer documents
In formal reports, you have more
personal or practical reasons to persuade
the readers, such a selling your product,
signing a contract, raising a fund for your
project, or starting a business.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
Common report types
Information reports
Progress reports
Recommendation reports
Feasibility reports
Trip reports
Instructions
Emprical Research reports
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
1. Information Reports
Reports that collect and organize information are informative or investigative
They may record routine activities such as daily, weekly, and monthly reports
of sales or profits.
They may investigate options, performance, or equipment.
Although they provide information, they do not analyze that information.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
1. Information Reports
information reports provide information without drawing conclusions or
making recommendations.
 Some information reports are highly standardized, such as police reports,
hospital admittance reports, monthly sales reports, or government regulatory
reports.
Information reports generally contain three parts: introduction, body
(findings), and conclusion. The body may have many subsections.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
2. Trip Reports
One distinct type of information report is the trip report.
business travelers identify the event they attended or the company they
visited objectively summarizes three to five main points and, if requested,
itemizes their expenses on a separate sheet.
Trip reports inform management about new procedures, equipment, trends,
and laws or regulations.
They may supply information affecting products, operations, and service.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
2. Trip Reports
A good trip report includes ;
an introduction,
information about the specific concerns of the readers,
information on topics of general interest to the company.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
3. Progress Reports
Progress reports monitor the headway of unusual or non-routine activities. For
example, progress reports would keep management informed about a
committee’s preparations for a trade show 14 months from now.
Continuing projects often require progress reports to describe their status.
Such reports usually answer three questions:
Is the project on schedule?
Are corrective measures needed?
What activities are next?
(How are you doing?)
(What have you done?)
(What are you going to do next?)
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
3. Progress Reports
Elements included in a progress report are:
Introduction
Project description: Briefly describe the work being done, stating the purpose
and scope.
Work Completed: Tell what you have accomplished to date.
Work Planned for Future Periods: Tell what you expect to accomplish in the
future: your goals, expected outcomes, and schedule.
Appraisal of Progress: Evaluate your progress. Indicate where you are ahead of
schedule and where you are behind. If there are good reasons as to why the
work is not going according to plan, state them clearly.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
4. Feasibility Reports
When a company must decide whether to proceed with a plan of action:
should a company invest thousands of dollars to expand its Web site?
A feasibility report would examine the practicality and advisability of following
a course of action.
They answer this question: Will this plan or proposal work?
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
4. Feasibility Reports
typically internal reports written to advise on matters such as :
consolidating departments,
offering a wellness program to employees, or
 hiring an outside firm to handle a company’s accounting or computing
operations.
The focus is on the decision of whether to stop or proceed with the proposal.
 Since your role is not to persuade the reader to accept the decision, you will
want to present the decision immediately.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
5. Empirical Research Reports
investigators gather information through carefully planned, systematic
observations or measurements.
Sample Situations:
When scientists send a satellite to investigate the atmosphere of a distant
planet,
when engineers test jet engine parts made of various alloys,
 when pollsters ask older citizens what kinds of outdoor recreation they
participate in,
they all are conducting empirical research.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
5. Empirical Research Reports
Empirical research has two distinct purposes:
Most aims to help people make practical decisions:
Testing jet engine parts to help designers determine which alloy to use in
a new engine.
Studying older persons’ recreational activities to help decision makers in
the state park system determine what sorts of services and facilities to
provide for senior citizens
Some aims to extend human knowledge :
to learn how fish remember,
what the molten core of the earth is like, or
why people fall in love.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
5. Empirical Research Reports
READERS’ QUESTIONS
Introduction
Why is your research important to us?
Objectives of the research
What were you trying to find out?
Methods
Was your research method sound?
Results
What results did your research produce?
Discussion
How do you interpret those results?
Conclusions
What is the significance of those results?
Recommendations
What do you think we should do?
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
6. Instructions (Manuals)
 range from the terse directions on a shampoo bottle (“Lather. Rinse. Repeat.”)
to the huge manuals that are hundreds or thousands of pages long for
servicing airplane engines,
managing large computer systems,
performing biomedical procedures.
Whether you are developing a new procedure, training a new coworker, or
preparing to leave for vacation, you may need to provide written directions to
someone else.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
6. Instructions (Manuals)
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
6. Instructions (Manuals)
To determine which elements to include :
Consider your readers’ aims and needs as well as their characteristics that will
shape the way they read and respond to your communication
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
7. Recommendation Reports
 similar to information reports :present information.
offer analysis in addition to data.
attempt to solve problems by evaluating options and offering
recommendations.
often solicited
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
REPORT TYPES
7. Recommendation Reports
reports that justify or recommend something:
buying equipment,
changing a procedure,
hiring an employee,
consolidating departments, or
investing funds.
Organizations may use forms with conventional headings.
When you are free to select an organizational plan yourself, audience and topic
determine your choice of direct or indirect structure.
CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT