R e p o r r t t W r r i i t t i i n g S t t r r u c t t u r r e O v e r r v i i e w
(*Check with teacher if required)
Cover letter or Memo*
Title page
Synopsis/Executive
Summary/Abstract
Table of Contents
Introduction
Body of the report
Analysis of data/Results
Conclusion
Recommendations*
Reference list
Glossary*
Appendix/Appendices*
1. Choose and refine the topic (Aim, Purpose, Scope)
2. Determine appropriate methods of research
3. Create Table of Contents
4. Conduct research
5. Collect relevant information from primary and secondary sources
6. Organise information under headings (keep notes and references)
7. Write first draft of body to ensure the Aim of the report has been met
8. Write Final draft of body (proof-read and check grammar, spelling, punctuation and referencing)
9. Write Conclusion
10. Write Recommendations (if required)
11. Write Executive Summary or Synopsis (if required)
12. Check Report is organised in correct order
13. Complete page numbers on Table of Contents
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Report Writing Structure Overview
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Name of Organisation
Title of report
Course/Unit code
Person to whom the report is addressed
Subject name
Student name
Student ID number
Date of completion
John Lody, LOD00001111
HOLMESGLEN
Students Working Part Time
Diploma of Community Services Work
CHCABC2A Social Research
Report for: Jane Wilson
Report by: John Lody
Student ID: LOD00001111
Due Date: 15/8/2012
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Report Writing Structure Overview
Header (name and student ID)
Things to remember:
Your title page must look good! Use different font sizes and styles/pictures/borders, etc.
The title of your report should stand out – make it bigger than the rest of your information.
Date of completion is the final due date for the research report.
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Useful phrases:
This report is about/investigates/ analyses/discusses…
Its purpose is to…
The report found/finds that…
This report recommends that…
Many students attempt to balance study and paid work. This report investigates the advantages and disadvantages
International students experience when they work part time while studying full time at Holmesglen. Its purpose is to make recommendations to International students who are planning to work part time while they study. The report found that the most important advantage for students working while studying was the ability to earn money so as to ease the financial hardships experienced while living in Australia. The students believed the biggest disadvantage of part time employment is having less time to study. This report recommends students need to balance their job and study commitments and try to work less than 20 hours per week.
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Report Writing Structure Overview
Reports often contain a Synopsis or
Executive Summary of approximately
150 words (usually one paragraph).
Please note: The Synopsis / Executive
Summary is to be written after the main body of the report is written.
The Synopsis or Executive Summary must include a summary of the following (Suggestion : each could be written in a paragraph ):
The purpose of your report
The method of your research
What you found out
(conclusion/s)
What you are recommending.
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Table of Contents
Heading
Sub-headings
1.0
Introduction……………………………………………………… 1
1.1 Aim……………………………………………………………… 1
1.2 Purpose………………………………………………………. 2
1.3 Scope………………………………………………………….. 2
1.4 Research methods………………………………………. 2
1.5 General background……………………………………. 2
2.0
International students studying at
Holmesglen……………………..……………………………….. 3
3.0
Advantages of working part time………………………. 4
3.1 Earning money….…………………………………………. 4
Headings:
Show headings and subheadings of the sections of the report.
3.2 Work experience…………………………………………. 4
3.3 Social experience………………………………………… 4
3.4 Improve language skills………………………………… 4
4.0 Disadvantages of working part time…………………… 5
4.1 Less time to study………………………………………… 5
4.2 Health problems…………………………………………... 5
4.3 Stress……………………………………………………………. 5
Numbering:
Use the decimal system of numbering.
4.4 Poor wages…………………………………………………… 5
5.0 Conclusion………………………………………………………….. 6
6.0 Recommendations……………………………………………… 7
Reference List….………………………………………………………… 8
Appendix…….…………………………………………………………….. 9
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Report Writing Structure Overview
Section heading
Page number
Please note: The Table of Contents should be prepared before writing the report. This is so that it provides a logical guide for the organisation of the information and the writing of the report.
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Aim:
What is the focus of this report?
Purpose: What does this report want to achieve?
1.0
Introduction
1.1
Aim
This report will investigate the advantages and disadvantages students experience when they work part time and are studying full time at Holmesglen.
1.2
Purpose
This report will make recommendations to International students who are planning to work during their study.
1.3
Scope
The data for this report was obtained from:
30 International students studying full time at
Holmesglen
15 male and 15 female, aged between 18 and 25
4 students from each of the following countries of origin: China, Sri Lanka, India, with the remainder representing other nationalities
Equal numbers of students were studying courses in
Hospitality, Community Services Work and
Children’s Services
Scope: Think of the different aspects of the topic you need to investigate. What is going to be looked at in this report? What will not be considered?
While this report focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of working part time and studying full time, it also considers students’ reasons for working part time. The report does not consider local or part time students.
Page 1 of 10
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Report Writing Structure Overview
The introduction should include the following information:
Aim
Purpose
Scope
Research methods
General background
Include page numbers in the footer
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*General Background (optional, check with your teacher if this is required): Provide general background information on the topic which helps the reader put your research question in context.
Note: Higher Education students may be required to provide a
Literature Review rather than a
General Background.
1.4
Research Methods
1.4.1
Primary Resources
Interviewing international students studying full time and working part time
(questionnaire)
1.4.2
Secondary Resources
Books, journals, web pages
1.5
General Background*
Australia is an increasingly popular study destination with students from around the world wishing to gain a top-quality education overseas. In 2010, over 469,619 international students were studying in Australia on a student visa. The majority of international students in Australia are studying in the higher education (University) sector, followed by the
Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and the
English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students
(ELICOS) sector (Studies in Australia, 2010).
According to statistics issued by Studies in Australia (2010),
Table 1 below shows the international student enrolments for the top five nationalities for 2010, which contributed
55.6% of Australia’s enrolments in all sectors. China was the largest contributor to the higher education sector (35.5%), the schools sector (43.9%) and the ELICOS sector (33.5%).
Research methods: How was the information obtained?
Primary sources (surveys, questionnaires)
Secondary sources (books, the internet, etc.)
Citation after paraphrase
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Graphics:
Remember to number and label the figure/diagram/graph/etc.
Table 1. International student enrolments in 2010
(Studies in Australia, 2010)
Nationality
China
India
Republic of Korea
Malaysia
Vietnam
Other
All nationalities
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Report Writing Structure Overview
Share of all nationalities %
126,313 26.9
68,758 14.6
25,909 5.5
21,451 4.6
18,920 4.6
208,268 44.3
469,619 100
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2.0 International students studying at Holmesglen
Since its establishment in 1982, Holmesglen Institute has continued to develop, now offering over 600 programs to more than 50,000 students per year and has been offering courses to international students for more than 20 years. Today there are over 4,000 international students from more than 80 countries around the world studying at the four campuses. The main countries of origin include
China, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand and Hong
Kong (Holmesglen 2009).
3.0 Advantages of working part time
The majority (78%) of students surveyed indicated that the main advantage of working part time was earning money. Very few students considered work experience (10%), improving their English language skills (7%) and social interaction (5%) as a major benefit of working part time.
Figure 1. Advantages of working part time
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Money Work experience
Improve
English
Social interaction
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Report Writing Structure Overview
When writing the body of your report:
Refer to the Scope.
Structure your report using the same headings and subheadings from your Table of
Contents .
Evaluate and analyse your research data under the chosen heading, and include any relevant pictorial representations (e.g. graphs, maps, diagrams).
Remember to include citations for all resources used in your report, according to the Holmesglen
Referencing Guide.
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5.0 Conclusion
International students studying in Australia often need to work part time and earn money to pay for their tuition fees and to cover living expenses such as accommodation, food and travel.
The findings of the survey revealed that the majority of students were engaged in part time employment. The most important advantage for working while studying is the ability to earn money so as to ease the financial burden of studying in
Australia. Other benefits include gaining work experience and improving their English language skills. The disadvantages of balancing study and work include: having less time to study due to work commitments and other issues such as stress and health problems attributed to shift work, job overload and lack of job satisfaction. In brief, the advantages of working part time outweigh the disadvantages. The effect of part time employment on international students depends upon their ability to manage both study and work. Colebatch (2009, p.1) claims that ‘the best results are obtained when students work between ten and twelve hours and only work during leisure hours’.
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Report Writing Structure Overview
When writing the conclusion, consider:
The information you have collected, analysed and evaluated.
What conclusions you can make from that information.
The conclusion:
Must relate to the aim given in the introduction.
Must summarise the report’s findings.
Must not include any new ideas of findings.
Must be written in paragraph form.
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Recommendations can be written in dot point form.
6.0 Recommendations
The following recommendations are directed to international students who are planning to work while they study.
Students should:
Arrange work around their study and ensure they meet their commitments
Arrange to work a maximum of 20 hours per week
Work full time and earn more money during the holidays to allow them to focus more on their studies
Try to find a job close to where they live or study to eliminate unnecessary travel time
Try and stay fit and healthy and include some relaxation and time out from work and study.
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Report Writing Structure Overview
Recommendations should specify what should be done to improve or solve the problem(s) you have examined in your topic.
You must detail:
What could be done.
Who should do it.
How the solutions could be implemented.
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Reference List
Colebatch, T 2009, ‘A little work and less play makes uni students brighter’, The Age Quarterly , 30 September, p. 1.
Emerson, L (ed.) 2007, Writing guidelines , 2nd edn, Thomson,
South Melbourne, VIC.
Holmesglen 2009, International – Programs , viewed 02
December 2011, http://www.holmesglen.edu.au/programs.
Kerns, R & Warne, M 2010, Managing study and work effectively , Pearson Education Australia, Melbourne.
McInnis,C & Hartley, R 2002, Managing study and work: The impact of full-time study and paid work on the undergraduate experience in Australian universities , viewed 02 December 2011, www.dest.gov.au/highered/eippubs/eip02_6/eip02_6.pdf.
Mullins, G, Quintrell, N & Hancock, L 2010, ‘The Experiences of
International and Local Students at Three Australian
Universities’, Higher Education Research & Development , vol.
14, no. 2, pp. 21-231.
Studies in Australia 2010, International students in Australia , viewed 27 November 2011, http://www.studiesinaustralia.com/why_study_in_australia/int ernational_students_in_australia.
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A reference list:
Shows the reader where the information comes from.
Includes all the books, articles and websites you accessed to prepare your report, not just what was cited.
Should be presented on a separate page.
Must be in alphabetical order.
For more detailed information on how to reference using the Holmesglen style, access the Referencing Guide at: www.holmesglen.edu.au/learningcom mons
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General rules for report writing:
Begin page numbering from Introduction page
Begin each section on a new page.
Write on one side of the page only.
Put your name and student number in the header, and the page number (Page x of y) in the footer.
Avoid using “I”, “You” and “We”.
Use passive verb forms: “Twenty people were interviewed” NOT “I interviewed twenty people”.
When using graphs and tables, refer to them in the text using phrases such as:
“Graph 4 shows…” or “…can be seen in Table 5.”
Remember to correctly cite the ideas of others, both in the body of the essay and in the reference list, whether you are quoting or paraphrasing. Plagiarism is not permitted. Follow the Holmesglen Referencing Guide.
Proof-read carefully and check your spelling. You may use US or UK spelling, but be consistent.
Use the same font style and size for all sections headings. In MSWord, use
“styles” to select Heading 1 , Heading 2 , etc. This will help you to automatically generate your Table of Contents.
Use 1 ½ line spacing.
Source: Academic Skills Unit, Holmesglen
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