SO YOU HAVE
TO WRITE A REPORT
10 Steps to a Better Report Grade
Getting Started

Step 1: Budget Your Time. There’s a basic formula:
 Allow
1/3 of the time for research.
 Allow
1/3 of the time for organizing data into a basic
written product and editing and/or reorganizing data.
 Allow
1/3 of the time for polishing the writing,
formatting and proofreading.
Research Phase

Step 2: Understand the Assignment
 What’s
the goal of the report?
 What’s the scope of the report? How many sources are
required? Think breadth.
 What level of detail is expected? How advanced?
Think depth here.
 What format is expected for the report and for citing
your sources?
Research Phase

Step 3: Choose Appropriate Sources

GO TO THE LIBRARY early. The Librarians are amazing
and helpful.

Wikipedia and Internet searches = introductory, OK for
definitions, a start.

Field-specific databases, professional journals, academic
sources = more appropriate for post-secondary research.
Research Phase
Did I mention
that you should
GO
to the LIBRARY?
… seriously, they’re really helpful there.
Research Phase

Step 4: Save Time by Recording Sources

Collect good data, including visuals (tables, graphs, etc.)

Even if you’re not sure you’ll use it, print it out or photocopy
it & note the source right on the printed page.

Note all information required by the citation format you
must use.
Research Phase

Recording sources as you go saves time because:
 You
can easily find the article again if you want more
information or want to check your facts.
 You
pre-build your bibliography/list of works cited,
avoiding annoying searches for details later.
 DID
YOU KNOW? The new version of Word has a
fantastic References feature.
Organization & Writing Phase

Step 5: Organize Your Data
 What
information seems to belong together naturally?
 If
you group your data differently, does a different
organization seem to appear?
 Pick
the organization that works best for your project
requirements & reader.
Organization & Writing Phase

Step 6: Turn groups of data into report sections
 Organize
etc.).
data in a group into a sensible order (chrono,
 Turn
each piece of data into a sentence. Turn the
group of sentences into a paragraph.
 Introduce
 Start
and conclude the paragraph.
thinking about intros, conclusions and
recommendations.
Organization and Writing Phase

Step 7: Meaningful Headings = Easy Marks
 The
organization you chose determines your headings.
Be consistent with the appearance of headings at each
level.
 Major

grouping = HEADING
Sub-grouping = Subheading

Sub-sub-grouping = Sub-subheading
Organization and Writing Phase

Step 8: Edit
 OK.
You’ve got a basic document.
 THIS IS NOT ENOUGH. Take a hard look. In what
ways is it lacking?

Too much about A, not enough about B. Balance the data.

Biased – all positive reviews for A. Dig deeper.

Lame sources for Z. Get better ones.

It’s hard to understand/visualize X. Find/create a
diagram/chart.
Revising/Polishing Phase

Step 9: Revise/Reorganize/Rewrite

Check for the overall flow of logic in this phase.

Add, change or delete, according to what you noticed in the
editing phase.

Finalize your intro, conclusions and recommendations. Do
they reflect your content?

Finally, have another person read your report. Does it
make sense to him or her?
Polishing Phase

Step 10: Unify the Formatting
 Ensure
all headings look the same. And all subheadings. And all sub-sub… you get it.
 Ensure
you have used the same font, spacing, margins,
and paper throughout.
 Number
 Add
the pages.
covering material.
Polishing Phase

Step 11: Proofread
 OK,
OK, there are actually 11 steps, not 10, but 11
doesn’t sound as good.
 Proofreading means checking your grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.
 Use Spellcheck. Use grammar check.
 THEN CHECK IT YOURSELF. Read it out loud (you heard
me). You’ll catch a lot of errors that way.
 Don’t forget to visit a Communications Centre near you!!