Assignment #9: Formal Report Writing
Disease Report
As a PSW, you will encounter a number of formal reports and documents you must keep
track of throughout your daily activities. We will study these later on in this course. Let’s
focus on formal report writing that is typically used in professional settings, including
the field of health care.
A formal written report has a very specific purpose, and is broken down into multiple
sections. A formal report will focus on one topic and use research and multiple findings
to discuss that topic or subject. Different than an essay, a report has sub titles and
headings to introduce new information.
Formal reports will have the following sections:







A title page
Table of contents
Summary
Body
Conclusions and Recommendations
Appendices
Works Cited (Bibliography)
The information below will outline each heading and describe what should be included
for each section.
1. Title Page:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
4 parts
Title of report
Name and title of person for whom the report was written
Name and title of report writer
Course (for school projects)
Date
2. Table of Contents: It contains the list of major headings and sometimes
even sub-headings of the report and provides the appropriate page numbers to
locate them. In addition, include a list of tables, charts, graphs and
illustrations with the appropriate page numbers.
3. Summary: This is a concise overview (not more than one page) of the main points
to be covered in the report. Remember that time is money, and many people are too
busy to read the entire report. Use headings for each part of the summary. Here are
some suggestions:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Central problem or issue that necessitated the report
Points to be covered
Methods of collecting data
Outcome
Here are some sentence starters to help you begin your Summary:Title
This study was to ...
The main findings were that ...
It was concluded that ...
The recommendations are that ...
4. Body: The body begins with a brief introductory paragraph, which lies out as clearly
as possible the problem or topic being discussed. Use headings for each part of the
body, which is broken down below.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Purpose - writer’s aims and goals in the report
Scope - outlines report contents
Limitations - material the report does not include
Justification - lists and explains the benefits of the report
The Present Study - the text or main part of the body, which
the evidence to prove your point.
presents
NOTE: The Present Study contains all of the contents of your report. It is
the same as the body paragraphs of an essay. It is written in formal
paragraphs and demonstrates your ability to clearly explain what you have
researched and discovered. Be thorough and edit carefully to demonstrate
your mastery of the English language.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations: Explaining the facts and why the report
was written might not be enough. Draw conclusions about your research and evidence
in your report and make recommendations on the basis of your research and findings.
6. Appendix: Report writing relies on charts, graphs, diagrams, and photos to provide
visual support for the facts being presented. This is crucial because we understand a lot
of things better if we can see them. Remember your job is to clearly communicate.
Use every means you have to reach this goal, including visual elements.
Note: The support materials that you include in the appendix are usually too large and
unwieldy to fit into the body of the report. If you tried to put them in, the reader would
get lost in the less important facts and graphs and be able to stay focused on the main
focus of the report. If the Appendix becomes very large, consider having a table of
contents for it as well. Be organized. Help the reader by structuring everything you do
to enhance the clarity of what you are communicating.
7. Works Cited – list all of the resources used (websites, books, newspapers,
magazines, etc.)
Report Writing Checklist
When you have completed writing your report, it is a good idea to go over this checklist
and check off each of the following boxes when you are happy that you have achieved
each point.
 Is each section properly labelled and titled?
 Is each section included (title page, table of contents, summary, etc.)?
 Are the purpose and aims clear?
 Are the points supported by evidence and research?
 Is all the information relevant to the purpose?
 Is the balance between sections ok?
 Is there any (unnecessary) repetition?
 Is the order logical?
 Are the headings clear?
 Is the information presented clearly?
 Is there a good use of graphics?
 Is the language clear and easy to understand?
 Is the style formal?
 Are the any unnecessary words or phrases?
 Is the grammar and punctuation correct?
 Is the spelling ok?
 Are the conclusions and recommendations clearly linked to the purpose and
based on findings?
 Have you proofread your report?
 Is all research and outside info referenced on my Works Cited page?
Your Task: You must write a formal report on one of the topics below. You will choose
one topic to research. Organize your research into proper report format, with
appropriate headings. You must include the following research in your report:
description of disease, symptoms, treatment, cure (if applicable), statistics, facts,
survival rates, and anything else you think is important.
Choose one of the following topics:
ASL
Osteoporosis
Depression
Type 2 Diabetes
Alzheimer’s Disease
Cardiovascular Disease
Parkinson’s Disease
Arthritis
Obesity
Vision and Hearing Loss
Shingles
Cancer