A Guide to Writing c-, .

Assignment, Laboratory · and Project Reports

Some useful guidelines and hints

;:;~~ L'NiVERSIT'r' :..-.; ojD£R1rf

COmENTS

1. INTRODUcnON _.___ _._. __ .. ____ 3

1.1 THE PuRPosE OF TR1S GUIDE .................. •.. ..................................... .................. 3

\.2 TYPEs OF REPoRT ...... ... .. ................ ....•............................................................. 3 1.2.\ Individual Reports .... ...... ............... .... ........ .. ... ................................... ... 3 \.2.2 GeneT3.l Reports ................ ....................... ................................... .......... 3 1.2.3 Project Reports ......... ... .... ... .. ........................ ......................................... 3

2 WRlTlNG YOUR REPOR"T __ .. _. _____ . ___ .•. ____ 4

2.llNIROOUCTION .................................. ........ ... ... ............................... .................. 4 2.2 REPoRT FoRMAT ... .. .... ... ............ ... ...........•• ........................... .. ........ ........... ... ... 4 2.3 f>LA.NNING TIlE ASSIGNMENT .....•••.... .. ...... .. .. ....... .......................••................. .. .4 2.4 STRUCl1.JlUNG THE REPoRT ... .... ... .................•............ ... ............ ... .................... 5 2.5 TaESTART OF THE REPoRT .................................................••..•.....•.••..•.......... 6

'--' 2.5.1 Tule Page .. .. .... .. ...... ....... .... .................. .............. .... .... .... .. ........... ..... .. .. ..... 6 2.5.2 Admowledgemems .......... .... ... .. .. ..........•.......••....................... ... .. .... , .......... 6 2.5.3 Abstract .............•......••.............. .... ............ .... ... ..... .. ..•.•. .... ..•..•... .•. ••. ......... . 7 2.5.4 Table of ContetIlS ... .........•..••........... ... .. .. ......... ... .... .. .... .. .............. ............. 7 2.5.6 Li.sr of Figures or niu.rtra1Wns ....•..•....................................................... ... 8 2.5.7Notalion ........•....•. ...•••.................... ..................•.•.....•....•........................... 8 2.J.8InlrodJU:tion.: OveTVwv .... ......•........ ... ... .......... ... ... .... ... .. ... .. .. ... ................. 8 2.5.9 weTallJ.re R/n'iew ...... ... .... .. .............•. .••.. ...... ..... ........... .. ......... .................. 8 2.5.10 Methodology I Methods of Investigation .......... .... .... ......... ........... ... .. .. ... 8 2.5.1 I Terms of Refer/mee .... ..... ..... .......... .. ...•......•.. ....................................... ... 8

2.6. THE MAIN BODY OFTHE REPoRT ........................... .. ........ .. .. ••..... .••.••.......... 9

2.6.1 AluJiysis and DisclJ.Ssion .......•..•........... . ........... .. ....... .. ...... .. . ... .. .. ..... .. ....... 9 2.6.2 Conclusions and Recommendations .. .........•................................. .. .......... 9 2.6.3 References .............•...•..•........ .... .... ..........................•.......................... ....•.. 9 2.6.4 Bibliography ... .. ..... ..............•................ ........... .... .... ... .. ........ .. .. ... ... .. ...... 10 2. 6.5 Glossary .......•....••....•.•.... .. .. ... .. ..... ..........•..•..•...•....•.........•..•..•..•..•..••.. .•.. . 10

'-"' 2.6.4 Appe1li1ices ............. .. ..............••....... ... .. ..................... .. ... .... ..... ... ..... .... .... 10 3. FINAL PREsENTATION .. ................................ ..•• ..•••..... .............. •. ...•. ... ..•..... .. .•... II

3.1 General Sryle ... ..............•....••...•....... ...... ... .... ........ .... .... .. ...... .. ... ... ..... ... ..... 11 3.2 Presoua1Wn ... _ ....• ..,. ..•. ..... ........... ....••.. ................. ... ..............•.•.................. 11 3.3 Headings ............... : ........ .••.•............ : ...... : .............•...•.•• ...•................•....•.... 11 3.4 Meeting tk Required Dale ............................ ..... .... .... .. ......... .. , .......... .. ... .. 11 3.5 T abies and Figures ...•...•......... ..... ...............•....••.....••.....•..................•........ 11 3.6 Quotations •.•.•..................... .. .....•....•................... .... .. ... ... ........ .. ....... ... ... ... .. 11 3.7 'Weighting" of cOnlems ........••...... .... ........ .. ..... .. ................. .. ... .. ................. 12 3.8 And Finally ............................ .. .. .............................. " ............................... 12

APPENDIX I ... ... ... .... ....................... .. ..... .. .......................................................... 13 Sample Referencing ... ............ .. ................. _ .................... ................................ .. 13

t

1. Introduction

1.1 The Purpose of this Guide

As part of your academic study and in preparation for your future career, pi will be required !ron timc-to-time to write reports on a variety of topic =. Reports are DO! intended to be just cxtende! essays, bul structured to carefully specified terms of reference. This in itself. is a highly relevant skill fo managers and all writers of reports who are increasingly cruled upon to provide advice on various issue: _ in a formal manner.

This guide has been prepared to assist you in acqlll!illg these all important skills so tha! )'<Ill IDa) _

eveornally develop your own repOrt writing style. whilst at the same time nOl losing sight of the need It suucrure the report in a professiOtlaJ fonn:tt as required by the terms of refen:nce.

Good report writing is a skill chat is developed through pr.lCtice and increasing confidence, and it is ho.-..Q that in the early stages of report writing you will use this guide regularly as a soun;e of reference.

1.2 Types of Report

According to the dictionary a report is "an account given or opinion formally expressed, after -investigation or considerationn

• Jt will be seeD from this definition that a report is consi~ \0 be formal. and is required to give an account of the 1Dlllt« covered or to Stale an opinion on it; sometimes bolh are required. In mos! cases, conclusions have . to be drawn by the author of the report, and, often. -reco!IlIIlell.dations' given.

Generally speaking Ihere are two typeS of report though every report will no! fall neatly in to one or other of these categories.

1.2,1 IndivUWal Reporf$ The first is the individual. nport. "This is usually expressed in the ftnt penion and is the kind used for in!ernal routine re,POrts and, short reports au da.y-to-day matters. Often the~ q.'pes of reports loIke the fo~ of a memo or a 'w:!!)' page and m:.non:n.:illy Just used for progress reportmg,

1.2.2 Genual Reporf$ The second kind of repqn is the general report. This is more formal and is generally written in the Ihint person. Such nporlS:ire frequentlJ Composed for external or public circulation and are often quite lengthy. This second type of report is the type usu.alJy associated with academic assessment.

1.2.3 Project Reporrs One other type of rqJOrt that every student will meet is the project report. Almost every programme lias at least one individual study type project. wh.ich n:quiIes the student to study some topic - often of the students own choosing - but in mIlCh greater deplh than with most assignment type reports.

, -

2 Writing Your Report

2.1lntroduction

This pan of the Guide 10 Report Writing is primarily concerned with the !;lsk of writing up your rrport

TI!e three rILljor parts of your report an: !he planning stage, the work itself and the writing up. However, you would be well advised oar to leave ill the writing up until the end Even at the pl.mn.ing 513.ge of)'QUr report you should be able to work: out an outline structure for the flllaJ submission, which you can then ~fer to and possibly.modify as you proceed with your a<;tivities. ru your report develops you shooJd then be able 10 write up certain sectiOIL'l in dr:!ft form to fit in with che planned StI'1ICtI=. For insLlnCe, it should be possible for you to write up the background material at quite an early stage.

Towards the end of your report there will come i1 time when you have to call a b:l.lt to the planning and execution, and move into the final Sl:lge in which you write up your report. All your efforts in planning

V lld cmying out your investigation will be wasted unless your results arc written up in a way that can be easily understood by oU!er.;. Remember that if your rmdiDgs are Dot communic:lted effectively they will be overlooked.

2.2 Report Format

The feader(s) of )'Qur report will be interested in the full r:mge of activities that )'Qu have undertaken. Whatever structure you selcct, they an: likely to wanl to know al some time the following:

• What is the purpose-of the report? • How you conducted your investigation? • What methods)'Qu used to gather yourevidence'J • What you found QUI? • What does this mean, and what should be done ne~t?

A description of whaI you did is in itself not enough; you will be e~pected to analyse the silU:ltion that JU found. to eY:llU3te the data )'Qu collected and 10 reach conclusions andlor make recommendatiQIlS

'arising from the work thal)'Qu have done.

Whatever the aclual conteDt; of )'Que investigation, the structure of your final report mUSI always be evident to the reader and sIiou!d allow the findings and recoOllllendations to Ix presented in a logical fashion. What now follows is a fonnat you should use as a basis for your particular in~stigation. It is most unlikely that the people reading your report will Slart al the beginning and reoo through 10 the end. ThaI usu.al.ly only happens when teading a novel Of a story. Equally, it is unlikely that you will write section one of your report fi.rsl and then continue 10 write it in a sequential order through to the conclusions at the eod. 10 fact. you should find the pattern of writing that suits you besL If you are at all app!'1:hensive aOOUI writing up your report. find the easieSI and most attractive part of il and write that up fint to build up your confidence.

2.3 Planning the Assignmellt

Cornmunic:lting (:lnd thaI is basically what writing an assignment rePQrt is all about) is difficult al the besl of times _ however, there an: a number of things you can do 10 make it ellSier.

•

Ii

P."_ .. , UNTVERSITY :.a. __ ojDERllY

It is entirely possible to sit down with an assignment brief of SJY, 2,000 words, begin writing, and after 2,000 words, stop. It does nOI take much imagination to see that the end result of writing this way is nO! likely to win the Nobel Prize for UternnlI1~_ If you do try to worle this way, several things will happen. Firstly, you will probably not include all of the things you should/could, as you will forget some as you get ootllld up in the writing. Secondly, you will use up most of your word limit on the [ust few items, lUll then try to squash in the last ones when you realise that you are fast approaching the word limit. ThirdJI and most impo1'UUltly, when you realise thaI the report is mther badly laid out, you will be unable to edit and improve the report without re-writing large sections because it does not have a usable SUUCntre.

lbere are a few writers wllo can wort this way, but the vast majority do not For example, most novelist! usually create some kind of plan - usually an outline of the story. a list of chamcters, a list of chapters am what happens in each chapter, etc, They do this because: they know that the end result will be a much bener boolc than if they just S.al down and wrote with no clear idea of whero:: they are going.

2.4 Structuring the Report

lbc development of a suitable structure for an assignment report reqlli.res a certain amount of planning. Before writing any text, you need to work out what you want to say. where it needs to go in the report and how important it is compared to other things in the report.

The simplest way to think of a structure is to imagine a report having a start, middle and end. We can then further divide each of the51':, to give us a list of things needed in the report. and decide where in the report they should ~

Note: It is important to remember that different reports, wbilst following tbe same general pattern, will not oecessarily oeed to i.oclude all of these dilTerent sectious.. The table below gives genernl guidance as to ",b.at should be i.ocluded. If in doubt, ask your supervisor/tutor,

Table 2.1 Typical Report Colltellts

- '

~ UN1VERS!T'f ;.o..."-~ of DERBY

2.51lle START of the Report

Fictitious ex:unples are used below to illustr.ltc: the points mndc.

2.5.1 Title Page

Include a title page, incorporating the title of your report, your name and the date the l'qlOrt was completed_ The title should accur.!tely reflect !he n;UUre of your study ~nd should be brief and to the point. A main title and sub-title clarifies the purpose of the study. The contents and byout of a title p:!ge for a fictitious report appears in the box below.

Progr.unme : Module Code: Module title:­Au~or:

Submission Date:

Life, the Universe,

and Everything

l-D'ID Philosoph.y, stage 1 ABC 123 Big Ideas A. Einsteiii 25'" December 2001

Figure 2.1 Typic:ll Report Title Page

2.5.2 Acknowledgements

You may wish. to acknowledge the help given to yuu in carrying OIlt your in"e5ti/§ltion and the preparation of your report. H so, acknowledgements come :UteT the title page. In !he ex:unple given it would be appropriate to thank any orgarus.;nion for providing data and orh.eT information to assist in the study. Aclmowledgements sh.ould be in double spacing.

,

I~

F.~ ..... Ul\HVERSrTY :.or.._ .... ojDERBY

2.5.3 Abstr.lct

The abstract should st:lte clearly and concisely the terms of reference, scope. method and conclusions reached in the report. An abstract should never exceed 200 words and m:l.y be considernbly shorter. Try to lhink in tem\S of one or two sentences which summarize the content of each section of the RpOrt. An an:llogy often used is that of the 'poned version' of a nove] found in the back cover of what the novel is all about. 11Je abstract should be in single spacing. Hece is an example.

T~ ~ of ~ prod=ticn in 1M Univ~rnry ,,[ life ~ duc~ along will> /114 ,rad. UIIimt ag~."'etllS CDw:ring tAis ar= An ~ cllke diffuelll ~ of <i«WM/tlS prodl<c~ and a :UI"\'C)' <if tIu aspiratiQJu o{ p .... QNId jJIVo/.w:d ~ bUll c<>nductM P=ibk ad""""", in ~ prepanPicn are compIUui IJIId 1M fot=W and ""~ imp/icmion cwlinui. kodin!., a ~ fo' "pilcl m.dy U. 1998.

2.5.4 Table of Con!l:nts

The t.:lble of contems is an essential component of a report and should be as complete a.s necessary,........, make it u.sefullo other re:u:iers. TItis can be wrinen manually, but is rather tedious to do, and most wcit ... -processors have the facility to do this automatically - this helps when you re-edit, and the page numbers or section headings change. For information on table of contents, headings, etc. either check the Help facility of your chosen. word-processor package, or read one of the many books wrinen on these p~ckages (many of which are available in the Learning Q:ntre). An example contents page is shown below:

I Contents L1sTOFTABLE .. ...... ... .. .. .. . ... .. . ....... .... .. .. ... ... .. .. ... . ....... ........... ... ..... . ..................... .. 1 L1sT OF FlGURES ......... ........................................................................................... n NOTATION •••..•...•. ..•..•.•........••.•..••••...•.••.•...••....•..••...•.•. .. •. .•. •• .. •• .... •• ........•. •• ....... •. .. m Ji.rn(ODUC1l0N .•..•.•••...•..•..•..••••.••..••..•.••.•.•..••...•...••....•...••••.••••.•••....••••.•..•..•.••.... •... 3

Acklwwledgements 4 Abstracl or £:cecruive Summary 5 Inrroducriol1 5 Literature review 5 MethoOOwgy 6 AnalystS 6 Results 6 COIIC/usiol1 6 Fruure recommeruialiol1S 6

END OF THE REPoRT............ . .............. ....................................... .................... 6

ReJerellCes 6 Bibliography 7 Gwssary 8 ~~~s 8

APPENDlX I ...................... .......... ......................... ........................... ....... ........... 10 Samp~ Q~stionna.ire fO

APPENDlX 2 ......... ............ ... ........................ .... .. .............. ......... ........... .. ..... ....... II Sample Marketing MaleriaJ. II

Figure 2..2 Typical Report Contents Page

,

~ I}NTVERSI'TY ",,"<a.<itr...: ~(DERBY

2.5.5 List of Tables

q

Each table in the report should have a table number and tide at the top. The List I!f Tables gives the Dumber, title and page number of tables in the m;rin body of the report. but not appendices. Number these Pllc,ae:l using Roman numer.:Lls i.e. i, ii, iii ... ix etc.

2.5.6 List of Figures or illustr.ltions

Each figure that appe:ll'S ill your report should have a title and figure number below the figure, and should be refe.rred to in the text by both the number and title. The List DC Figures gives the figure number, title and page numbers for all figures in the main body of the report. Number these pages using ROIJl:ll]

nurner.L!s i.e. i, ii, iii .. , ix etc.

2.5.7 Notation

'n reports that cont:lin a significant number of equations and mathematical symbols, it is often helpful 10 '--yrovic\l:: a noution al the beginning of the report listing the symbols together with their definition, Number

these p;!ges using Roman numerals i,e. i, ii, iii "., Ix etc.

2.5.8 Introduction: Overview

The introduction should provide the readc:r(s) with the terms of reference, the organisation or person(s) for whom the report is intended, the issue under investigation and its importance, and such information as when and where il was corned out if that is nO' already obvious. This section should be as brief as possible, but should provide the reader(s) with the neCessary background information to give the setting of the investigation. Bear in mind yout reader(s) and how familiar they mayor may not be with the situation.

2.5.9 Literature Review

The value of a review to the reader(s) of yOW" report is that it expl:lins the conle~1 and b:xkground of the srudy if this is appropriale. Selection has 10 be.made, and only boob and articles which relate directly 10 lhe study should be included. The literature review can be WOllen first, and, if you have managed to

· \...-scipline yourself sufficiently well to write up sections and sub-sections as you have completed them, much of the work of this section will be ready for [1:vision before you begin to coUect d:ltl.

2.5.10 Methodology f Meth~ of Investigation. _

This section e~plains how the problem was investigaled and why particul:!r methods and techniques WC(e employed. Accounts or the p rocedu re, size or s:unple, method of selection. choice of variables and controls, and tests of measuremenl and sutistical analyses. if any, should be provided

2.5.11 Ten:ns of Reference

lltis should be a brief explanation of the purpose of the investigation. Expl:lin the problem in a few sentences. St.:lte the lerms of reference. Provide any background nece&sary 10 place the study in its context Dl:aw attention to any Iimilations of the study at this suge. In this section you should make il clear that you know whal the limitations of the study are.

•

~ UNTVF.RSllY ..... " .... oj OERBY

2.6. The MAlN BODY or the Report

10 '"

'This should conUin the marenal g.:lthered and prtSCnted in a logical sequence. lbe way the ~ults are presented is important and tables. charts, gr.lpfls and other figures shouJd illuminate !he text. If they do IlOI then then: is no point t.:lk.ing up valuable space. The 1e1lt, which should be written after the results ha~ . been prepared, should no! dupliCllte information in !he tables and figUIeS. but stlOuJd highlight significaru -aspects of the findings so thaI aU relevant facts are presented in 'a way thai druws the te<lders' attention to what is most important Re member, that readers appreciate quality and an:: wearied by qU<lIltity. Be careful , to !iJ:ni1 your inlet'pr'eutions to what c;m be =nab[y justified from the results. It is quite a good idea to

look at the way other students have presented tables and figures.

2.6.1 Analysis and Discussion

11 is orlen best to start this section with a re-sr.ate(DCllt of me problem before discussing how the results affcct existing knowledge of the subject. If your srudy aimed to test certain bypodJcsc$, then !his sccti~ should demonstrate whether or nO( they were $Upponcd by Ihe evidence. Any deficiencies in investigation should be mentioned. with suggestions about different approaches which might lIave been more appropriate, ImplicatiOl1 for improvement of practice, if any, should also be drawn OOl

2,6,2 Conclusions and Recommendations

The main cooclusions of the report sllould be summarised lIere brieOy and simply, Only conclusions th~t can be justifiably dr.iWll from the findings sl'Iould be lll3.de. There is often - a greal temptltion 10 drop in an opinion for whiell no evidence is provided In the n:port and this may spoil a good report by induding a throwaway remarL Before writing this sectioo, re.:.d througll the wIlDIe of the report and mak.c a note of the key points. Re:aders who want a quick: idea of wbat your investigation is aboul will look: at the abstr:lCl, the inuoduction and certainly the summlll)' and conclusions. This section sbould enable reade!l to undc:!ltand dearly what has been done and the conclusions thaI have been drawn from the evidence: providcd.. lbe conclusions should reiale to the tU1ll$ of refe~ee stated at the beginning of the R:port. Ally recomroend:l1ions should describe a course of ;x;tion 10 deal with the issue under investigation and should be based on the conclusions reached

2.6.3 References

Referencing of sources of-information is absolutely crucial in any repon The use of references allows you to establish your 'credentials' - i.e. demOnstr.lte that you really do lenow 'what you Me lalking about', and that you know and undcrnand wbat other writers in the field (especially those who have gone before you) have said. lne second issue with refeR:nees is thaI of plagiarisrn . this is wbcre a writer takes anOlher's wor1c and presents it as his or her own. Academic institutions in panicular We this ~mdy seriously, and ;1 one of the comparatively few reasons why students can get 'sent dowo ' (i.e. expelled) from a uni YCl"1'ity. It is entirely in order to use someone else's wolk. providing it is c=tIy atUibutcd (refemJCed). lbe best way \0 think of this is:lS an 'awiiJ truil'. If you state tbat a scientisl: or engineer performed some experimem and found some panicularly smprising or strange result, the refcn:nces to the publication of thatjoomal, newspaper article or book: will allow the reader to follow up that line of enqllJ1)'.

The system of cililtion or referencing which is used in the unive~jly is the Harvard system. (Note: The Learning Centre provides a free leaflet - Citing and Re/ereru:ing /niormaJicn . describing this system in ~.atef detail. You should try:md get a copy.) All syslems of referencing consist of two parts - citations and r eferences. A ciution is a k.ind of label placed in the lut of the report next to the quole, sludy.

,

II ;: .... ~ L'NIVERSrlY "JL '~lDERIr(

publica.tion which is being referred to, and the rden:nce is the full detail of that repon including such things as the :tumor, date, publisher, etc. which will allow.:llly reader to find the actual public::ttion referred 10.

With the Ha.rv:mi system, the forma! for citOltions i:; author and yeax of publication in brackets e.g. "Senith (1992) argues that ...• or "One major study (Smith, 1992) suggests thal .••• and references aR

listed nlphabeti<:aJJy iu author order at the end of the report. The layout for (!'!ferences is slightly different for books. journals, videos, web sites. eiC. as each have slightly differcnt identifiers. bul briefly;

Rcr"",1'IC<:S (Of books must j .. dodc: the folio"",,&, - N:une{.) ohutbor{s) Y= of pubtic:>tion in brxkets Tide ofboolr: in il:llic:s OT LD>i<r1ioed Edilion. if IX>t the fll'Sl Place of publication N:une of publisher Numbcrof volume. if".,..,!Iw> one

'-'E.umple: Smith, N.C. and O:>.inry. p" (199'2). The Management R=rdI H.mdbool<. London. Roulledge.

Rc:fcn:!'IC<:$ ro.- ar1idel must include the foUc"";ng: Name(s) of ~utI>ot1:$) Year of public3tioa in lockets Title of >rricle Tille of low-no.!. undc:rIino:I Yolwnc <1I>:i put numbets Page numbets !

Sreeh. C .• (1981). Treuds in non-ro:sponse """S. 1951-1979', Pub~c Opillion Quarterly, VoL 45. No. I, pp4O-

For further detailed information on referencing in the Harvard s~tem, you should visil http://vrwwJmtL.:I(..uk/lssllsldocslHarvard/BarvaJ;'d.htm

2.6.4 Biblio~phy '--)

This is the part of the rqmrt where books, journals, elC. an: listed, wh.ich (lillY have been useful as background reading, but not specifically as those you have referenced in the previous section. The books, journals. etc. should be Iisteo:rusing the same fonp.at as for referencing (Harv:.rd or British SIandard), and should appe:lt in alphabetic order.

2.6.5 Glossary

IT your assignment or report includes much teclmical jargon and acronyms, you should consider providing the reader with a glOSS<lI)' of lerms to aid undentanding.

2.6.6 Appendices

This is the place to include any elltra infonnation, which you beUeve to be useful or necessary to the readers undersmnding (not nOllll3.lly included in word counts). A good example of this would be sample forms. questionnaires, etc . that you may have used to collect d:ua. If you had sent out and received lxtck 100 copies of a questionnaire yOll would not normally included all 100 copies. but a representative sample e.g. five. would be useful to the reader

, "

;;:~~ UNIVERSITY ~o/DERBY

3. Final Preseubtion

3.1 General Style 1bc general style of !he report should be impersonal, but lh.is does nO{ mean (hat il must be all in the passive voj~. It does mean e;\;cluding the word 1. and, even more imponantly. such phrases as 'in my opinion', to the opinion of tlte writer' is even worse. lbc reader(s) an: interested in }'<lUf evidence and not your opinion.

Clarity, simplicity of style and brevity are the cardinal virtues, Abbreviations an: ine;\;c\lSable except for the more widely known. like CAD, and even (hese should be given in fun on the Em occasion they occur, sin~ the report may be read by someone who is unfamiliar with them. Technical tettnS should be avoidOO in !he introductory and concluding sections. In other sections the use of technical terms may be inevitable , but jargon (unnecessory tcchnicallanguage which can be expressed more simply) should be avoided.

3.2 Presentation

'-

~

Your report must be typed or word-processed on A4 paper. Type on one side of the paper only, in doubJ" spacing (ex~pt for the abSlr.lCt and quotations within !he text which must be in single spocing), leaving a -left hand margin of 40 mm and 25 mID for the right hand, top and bottom margins. All pages should be "- , 3.3 Headings

As with other writien conununicotion. your rePort should flow logically from one point to another. and ,­should develop in an orderly and easily understood fash.ion. With this aim in vi~w, it is 'of gI"eJl assistance ' if !he headings and sub-headings of (he various sections of the report ore laid down fll'Sl so that a proper framework: is consttucted. The writing of the full account can then be undertaken in the sure knowledge that a logical ammgemenl has been established. Further. (his method helps to avoid the accidell1al on:tission of imponanl points that hove to be made.

3.4 Meeting the Required Date

" Not only is .a repon required for a .speciEc purpose, it will ai.m.OSI always be required by a specific dal_ nus must be known at the outset and must be met at all costs. A report that is not readY when needed is valueless.

3.5 Tables and Figures

NOI all reports will have tables and figures but. if these are to be included. remember that they must be numbered and given a title as shown below. Remember, carefully check the table and figure numbers before you send off your repon.

Table 10.1 Typical allowable bearing value;

"

J:'~ ... ., UNIVERSITY ""'-- ,!{OERHY

:(St/\ • •

4m 4m

Figure 2..6 Geometry and lo,ading on roof truss

Tables and figures are generally nwnbe=l. as follows:

Table/Figure (chapler number_ sequential uble {figure number in the chapter}

v e.g .• Table 10.6 would be located in Chapter iO and would be the s.ix.th ubI<;: in that ch:1pter.

3.6 Quotations

All quotations must be acknowledged (properly referenced). If you are only quoting a few words orone sentence, it will be sufficient 10 indic:ue lhis by using inverted (;0= in the main text, followed by the citltion. If words are missed out of the quoution, indicate by tMce full stops. If the quotation is longer than a single sentence t!tell indent it;md usc single spacing.

3.7 'Weighting' of contents

Weighting of the contents of :my report is crucial - cspel:ially if, as with most assignmenu, the number of word.$ aUowed is Limited. and =ks are awarded using cert:lin criteria. If 50% of the available marks are for yourconclusioJ1S. it does nOl make sense to have a conclusion thaI represents only:!boot 5% of the It:port. The concepl of weighting is something you should build into your report sttucrore, ~nd always ~ave ~t the back of your mind.

v 3.8 And Fmally ...

When you b.ave digested all of the above, you may consider making a template conlllining:J.l1 of the titles. headings, sections, etc. as an aid to presenting and writing furore assign.cnentslreports. II's amazing how much time can be saved, by using simple document templates.

"

I " P?,,-~ UNTVf.RSrri ..., ojDERBY

APPENDIX 1

Sample Referencing

Citations and References always oa::ur in pairs ...

!

Xuxx., X.

== Xxxxxxxx xx xxxux = ~ :uxuxxxx x xx:ux xxx === =::cux.x.x.:u == xx xx ~ xx xxxx. Xxxx;:.;;()I. JUJU(

xxxx;uxxx = )( xxx X ;uxu

= = u> ~':';~i';';':~ :un. Xx.:cu xx J latter doubt on these

when a survey x)(=u

==

REFERENCE

Smith, N.C. and Dainty, P., (1992), The Maru.igement Research Handbook, London, Routledge.

Xx.ux., X, (nmUl). Xu:u:ux Xux.x.u, ~. Xx;u.x.u, Xux.xx.

X:u;u, X. (nnnn), X:uJr.xxxx X:uJr.:u:x. Xx.x.u.xx:u;u:. Xx.u.ux. X;u:ux.

CITATION ~

"

University of Derby Faculty of Arts.Design. and Tchnology

School of Technology (Above is a Header, always create a Header and Footer for each

assignment with page numbers)

(picture optional)

TITLE OF ASSIGNMENTIPROJECT

(CREATE THIS TEMPLATE IN WORD AND USE IT FOR ALL COURSWORK)

Programme : FdSc .. . .. .... . etc Module Title : DFM ........... etc Module Code : 4ME .......... etc Author : A.Refered ... etc Submission Date: 04/ 12122 . .. .. etc Tutor : John Paling .. etc

, , UNNERSITY ofDERBY

SCHOOLofTECHNQLQGY

REPORT STYLE

Best Practice: (The third Person)

L ! found that the vehicle was very old ...... ..

Should be: The vehicle was found to be very old .. . .. .

2. After Inspection we found that the ........ .

Should be: After Inspection it was found thai the . ...

3. My research showed that the race series ...... .

Should be: Research indicated that the race series .. .. .. .

4. We looked into several motorsport events and I decided to research .... .. .

Should be: Several motorsport events were looked at and further research

5. During our discussions we agreed to work during our Christmas holidays .. .... .

Should be: After discussions with the team it was felt that work would need to be carried out during the Christmas holidays ... ... .

Report Style Best practice . Jap 05

h,~ LTNTVF.RSlTY .. oj DERBY School of Art, Design and Technology

Report Completion Tick Sheet

nu, tick shee! is iDtcndcd to be used to help)"O\l in checlc.iDg your I$!ignmenl repon once you feel you have completed the leNaI wk Miring. If your """WeI is NO to any item, you should take !he time 10 revWI the mining itcmsflllU.l .q !hit win IlIn>cm certainly improve your overall mark !

Please complete this form and, if requested by your module tutor, hand in with your assignment rep<)rt.

@SchoolofArt, Design & Technology

I! ,