Report Writing
Report is a self-explanatory statement of facts relating to a specific
subject and serves the purpose of providing information for decision making and
follow up actions. It is a systematic presentation of ascertained facts about a
specific event / subject. Report is a summary of findings and recommendations
about a particular matter / problem. Report is for the guidance of higher
authorities including company executives and directors. Reports facilitate timely
decisions and follow up measures. According to Oxford Dictionary, report
means "a record of ascertained facts."
Types of Report
Reports are of two types mainly
– oral and written. The basis of an oral report depends on the facts seen or
observed, and it is a piece of face to face communication. If it is not
recorded, it is as transient as any other oral communication. It is time-saving
for the reporter, but it is time-consuming for the receiver as the receiver has
to listen to every word of the report. On the other hand, a written report is
comparatively more precise and permanent. It gives the reader an opportunity to
just go through it, or only read the abstract or the conclusions or
recommendations of it. It is more formal than an oral report and can be
referred to over and over again.
Formal reports vary a great
deal according to their purpose, content and significance, and different organizations
adopt different ways to categorize them. Some categorize them according to
their origin and basis or rate of recurrence, others by their extent or level
of formality or objective form. Whatever be the basis of classification, there is
one thing common to them – they all follow more or less a similar pattern. We
may for our purposes categorize these reports into the following two broad
categories:
(i) Informational
(ii) Interpretive
(iii) Routine
Both kinds of reports are the
result of an analysis, a piece of research, a survey of a situation and an
investigation of a problem. An informational report includes only the
information collected or the facts and events observed in an organized way. It
presents the real circumstances as they are and not as they should be. In
general, it does not include any conclusions or recommendations. As it presents
relevant information in order, it is more functional and useful to the
management. In most cases, it helps them to take quick decisions.
An interpretive report, like an
informational report, contains facts but it includes an assessment or
explanation or analysis of data and the reporter's conclusions. It may also
have recommendations for action. An interpretative report which usually carries
recommendations in it is also termed as a recommendation or re-commendatory report.
There are some reports which
are written in a prescribed form. In this case the report writer only puts a
tick mark against some items which are listed in the form or write very short
notes or comments against them. These reports are called routine reports as
they are formal by their very nature and carries information and sometimes
recommendations as well. These reports are usually written in an organized way
and the purpose of such reports is to record routine matters such as writing
reports on inspection of equipment, writing periodic reports on the onward
position of projects etc. at regular intervals.
The
following tree diagram can help to remember the various types of reports that
have been mentioned in this writing:
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