10 Steps to a Better Report Grade: A Comprehensive Guide by Carol Shields
Enhance your report writing skills with these 10 essential steps outlined by Carol Shields in 2010. From budgeting your time wisely to organizing your data effectively, this guide covers everything you need for a successful report.
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So You Have to Write a Report 10 STEPS TO A BETTER REPORT GRADE CREATED FOR THE WRITING CENTRE BY CAROL SHIELDS 2010
Getting Started 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 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: Sources Research Phase: Sources 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: Save Time Research Phase: Save Time 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: Save Time (cont.) Research Phase: Save Time (cont.) 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.
Organizing and Writing Phase Organizing and 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.
Organizing and Writing Phase (cont.) Organizing and Writing Phase (cont.) Step 6: Turn groups of data into report sections Organize data in a group into a sensible order (chrono, etc.). Turn each piece of data into a sentence. Turn the group of sentences into a paragraph. Introduce and conclude the paragraph. Start thinking about intros, conclusions and recommendations. 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
Organizing and Writing Phase (cont. 2) Organizing and Writing Phase (cont. 2) 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 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 Polishing Phase Step 10: Unify the Formatting Ensure all headings look the same. And all sub-headings. And all sub-sub you get it. Ensure you have used the same font, spacing, margins, and paper throughout. Number the pages. Add covering material.
Polishing Phase (cont.) Polishing Phase (cont.) 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 Writing Centre near you (C122)!!
