Writing the Report

First Draft: Should be Revised, pruned and

polished
Language should be simple, unambiguous and
free from grammatical errors.

Visual aids

In the discussion section use graphics to

represent:
Concepts: To depict non-physical, conceptual
things and their relationships
Objects (photographs, drawings, diagrams)
Numbers (tables,bar charts, pie charts, line
graphs)
Words : Key definitions and examples are put
in a box with words.

Need for visual representation

When to use?
When you have a mass of statistics and
complex ideas to be presented
Text and illustrations are complementary in
technical reports.
Visual communication has more impact than
verbal communication.

Why?

Arouses interest and focus on essentials

Leads the reader to quicker comprehension

Supports and reinforces your words

Save time and effort in explanation and

interpretation

Explains the data in much lesser space

Makes your description vivid and eye-catching

Renders a professional flavour to your report

How

Provide neat, accurate and self-contained

illustration

Choose illustration proper to the data.

Label them completely

Integrate each illustration with the text.

Establish a balance between the verbal and

the visual.

Types of Illustrations

Tables

Dependent

Independent

Phrase

(Advantages and Disadvantages)

Figures

Graphs (Line, Bar, Pie, Scatter, Pictorial, Area)

Charts (Organization Charts, Flow Charts)

Maps

Photographs

Drawing and Diagrams

Graphs

Axis Label

Keys

Figure Title

Cite the source of information

Cross-references

Documentation

Revising,Editing and Proofreading

The first draft is reviewed for the following:

Accuracy of Facts

Clarity of Expressions

Overall Organization

Adequacy and appropriateness of the

contents to meet the set objecyives

Effectiveness in expression

Grammatical accuracy

Acknowledgement

Thanks are due to

Our sincere appreciation to

We owe a lot to

Mere thanks in few words would be highly

Inadequate to express my sincere thanks to

I am extremely grateful to

My heartfelt thanks are due to

I acknowledge with thanks the support

Difference between Abstract and

Summary

Abstract

Essence of the report

2-5% of the report

More relevant in
specialist-tospecialist
communication
Information is
qualitative

Summary

Entire report in a
nutshell

5-10% of the report

Meant for all readers

Information is both
qualitative and
quantitative
May include certain

Supplementary Parts

Appendices
Bibliography (References/Sources/Works
Cited)

Footnotes or Endnotes

Glossary

Index

Investigating the Sources of

Information

Library Search

Personal Observation(Controlled and

Uncontrolled)
Interviews(Interaction or conversation with a
purpose to collect primary information
directly from an expert)

Telephonic Interview

Questionnaires (Sequencing and Sampling)

Preparing Questions for Interviews

Open-ended questions

Close-ended questions

Restatement questions

Guidelines for preparing questions

Prepare about 20 questions for a 30 min

interview.
Prepare questions with adequate focus on the
topic

Think about sequence

Ask intelligent, smart questions

Use a mix of question types

Edit your questions

Advantages and Disadvantages

Provides qualitative
data
Enables you to
observe the
reactions of the
respondent
Efficient if set of
questions is ready

Expensive and time

consuming
As the answers are
detailed and not in
tabular form, you
may find the analysis
difficult.

Questionnaires

To collect data from a large number of people

scattered over a wide geographical area.
To secure information on behaviour
characteristics.

To gather opinion on attitudes

To obtain facts

Guidelines to prepare a
questionnaire

Ask questions relevant to your study

Provide clear instructions on how to fill the

questionnaire
Keep the questionnaire short and easy to answer
Formulate questions that provide easily tabulated or
analysed answers

Avoid leading questions

Ask only one thing at a time

Pre-test the questionnaire

Question Types

Open- ended questions

Close-ended questions

Multiple Choice type

Ranking type questions

Short answer type

Sequencing (logical or psychological)

Sampling (Types and Size)

Types:

Random

Stratified

Covering Letter

It accompanies the questionnaire. Its contents

are:

Purpose of the study

Brief description of the questionnaire

General instructions pertaining to the

questions

Request to fill in and return the form

Assurance of confidentiality and follow-up

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages
Less expensive than
the other methods
Specific segments of
population can be
reached

More reliable than

interviews
Bias of the

Disadvantages
There may be
difficulty in securing
replies
Often questions may
be inadequately
answered or
unanswered
Difficult to get