REPORT WRITING

A report is a clearly structured document in which the writer presents findings of an investigation. Information obtained from research or from undertaking a project is delivered in a precise, concise writing style organised under a set of headings and sub-headings, which enable the reader to find data quickly. A research report is a written document that communicates the purpose, scope, objective(s), hypotheses, methodology, findings, limitations and finally, recommendations of a research project to others. The last stage of a marketing research process. It is more than a summary of findings; rather it is a record of the research process.

Significance Of Report Writing

A Research Report is considered a major component of the research study for the research task remains incomplete till the report has been presented and /or written. Even the most brilliant hypothesis, highly well designed and conducted research study and the most accurate and reliable findings are of any value unless they are effectively communicated to others. The purpose of research is not well served unless the findings are made known to others. Research results must invariably enter the general store of knowledge.

Steps in report writing

Logical Analysis of the subject matter Preparation of the final outline Preparation of the rough draft Rewriting & polishing of the rough draft Preparation of the final bibliography Writing the final draft

Logical Analysis of Subject Matter

It is the first step which is primarily concerned with the development of a subject. There are two ways in which to develop a subject (a) logically and (b) chronologically. The logical development is made on the basis of mental connections and associations between one thing and another by means of analysis. Chronological development is based on a connection or sequence in time or occurrence.

Preparation of the final outline

It is the next step in writing the research report. Outlines are the framework upon which long written works are constructed. They are an aid to the logical organisation of the material and a reminder of the points to be stressed in the report.

Preparation Of The Rough Draft

The researcher now sits to write down what he has done in the context of his research study. He will write down the procedure adopted by him in collecting the material for his study along with various limitations faced by him, the technique of analysis adopted by him, the broad findings and the various suggestions he wants to offer regarding the problem concerned.

Rewriting and polishing of the rough draft

This step happens to be the most difficult part of report writing. Usually this step requires more time than the writing of the rough draft. The careful revision makes the difference between a mediocre and a good piece of writing. While rewriting and polishing, one should check the report for weaknesses in logical development or presentation.

The researcher should also check the mechanics of report writing.

Preparation of the final bibliography

Next in order comes the task of the preparation of the final bibliography. The bibliography, which is generally appended to the research report, is a list of books in some way pertinent to the research which has been done. It should contain all those works which the researcher has consulted. The bibliography should be arranged alphabetically and may be divided into two parts; the first part may contain the names of books, and the second part may contain the names of magazine and newspaper articles.

Writing the Final Draft

This constitutes the last step. The final draft should be written in a concise form and in simple language. A research report should not be dull, it should be able to maintain the interest of the reader. Examples based on general observations should be included in the final draft so that It becomes easy to communicate research findings to the readers.

Layout Of a Report/Contents of a Report

The layout of the report means as to what the research report should contain. A comprehensive layout of the research report should contain: 1. PRELIMINARY PAGES- The preliminary section includes front pages of the report. These are as under: a) Title page-This contains the title of research, Designation of researcher(By whom project is submitted),Name of Institution/organization/university to which project is being submitted, Purpose for which project is submitted. b) Preface- It contains in brief the background, scope, purpose and general nature of the research upon which the report is being conducted. c) Acknowledgement page-In this section the researcher acknowledges the help and assistance of various people for this research. d)Table of Content: This table explains the contents of the research along with the sections and page numbers on which they can be found. e) List of Tables and Graphs: Here the researcher give the index of all the tables and graphs used in the research and page numbers on which they can be found.

2. MAIN TEXT The main text provides the complete outline of the research report along with all the details. It is the major and the main part of the report. It contains the following sections:1. Introduction-This is the first chapter in the body of the report. The purpose of introduction is to introduce the research project to the readers. It should contain: a) Brief introduction of the topic and the company. b) Scope of the study

c) Objectives of the study d) Literature review-This includes a brief summary of previous research work related to topic, which has been done by other persons in the past. e) Research Methodology Used-This includes a brief summary of what data collection techniques were used, what was the sample size, which sampling method was used and which technique or test was used for analyzing data. 2. Data analysis and Interpretation-It contains a detailed presentation of the findings of the study, with supporting data in the form of tables and charts.

3. Statement of Findings and Recommendations-After

data analysis and interpretation, the research report must contain a statement of all the findings in a summarized form. Moreover it should contain Suggestions regarding how problems identified in the report may be resolved. They should be given in a numbered list and should be feasible and realistic. There should be a logical relationship between the results and the recommendations.

 4. End Matter- At the end of the report, there are two

more selections, namely, bibliography and appendix. Bibliography gives information on various references made by the research. This is classified into four parts, namely, books, journals, newspapers and magazines and websites. While mentioning the reference books used, the order should be as follows. Authors Name, Title of the book, Publishers name, Place of Publication and Year of publication. It should be noted that while mentioning authors name
surname should come first.

 Ex: The researcher has used, Philip Kotlers, Principle of Marketing Books, it should be written as follows, Kotler Philip, Principles of Marketing, Printing Hall of India, New Delhi, 12th edition 2008. If a research article in a journal is referred, it should be explained as follows, Authors name, Title of the article, Name of the journal, year and month of publications volume and page number. It should be remembered that the title of the article would always be in quotations. If there are two or more authors instead of writing all names, first authors name followed by etc, all.

 Ex: If an article is written by three authors, it is mentioned as follows Arun etc all Understanding service quality perception in the Health care Industry, journal on services marketing, April - June 2008 volume XXV page number 143-160. In case of appendix, certain important documents like copy of questionnaire, balance sheet, etc are attached.

TYPES OF REPORTS
There are mainly two types of reports:
1. Technical report or base report In this report the main emphasis is on detailed description of a research study. It is the report which the other researchers want to see because it contains all the details about what was done and how it was done. The general outline of a technical report is as follows:

(i) (ii) (iii)

(iv)

(v)

A brief review of the main findings are presented just in two or three pages. Description of general objectives of the study. Methods used in the study. For Ex. if sample study is done then type of sample design used. i.e. sample size, sampling method etc. Data collection, its nature whether primary or secondary, Method of data collection etc. Data analysis and their findings in the form of tables and charts.

(vi) A detailed summary of the findings and recommendations. (vii) Bibliography of various sources used for the study must be given alphabetically. (viii) Appendices for all the technical matter relation to questionnaire. 2. Popular Report or management report Sometimes the client has no idea about research background and he is interested more in results rather than the methodology. In this case the major communication medium is the management report.

In other words, a popular report is one which lays more emphasis on description of research results and their implications in taking actions rather than the detailed description of the research procedure. This report gives emphasis on simplicity. Simplification is achieved by minimization of mathematical details and liberal use of diagrams and charts. The general outline of a popular report is as follows: (i) Emphasis is given on the findings of most practical aspects and the implication of these findings.

(ii) Suggestions for action on the basis of the findings of the study is the main section of the report. (iii) Description of objectives of the study. (iv) A brief and non-technical description of the methods and techniques used. (v) The main body of such kind of report contains data analysis described in a simple manner with minimum use of diagrams, charts etc.

 Reports can also be classified as: Oral and Written Reports ORAL REPORT- an oral report is any presentation of information through the spoken word. There are three major differences between oral and written reports: a) Oral reports lack visual advantages. Charts,diagrams or pictures can be used to a limited extent. b) The pace of presentation cannot be controlled and regulated by any one from an audience, who is being presented an oral report. In contrast, whenever a certain point is not clear in a written report the reader can read it two or more times,if needed slowly and more carefully.

c) Since a written report is bound to receive considerable attention and scrutiny from the readers the report-writer is likely to work hard to produce an accurate report of a high quality. In contrast, an oral report will not be so precise nor will the reporter give as much time in its presentation since it cannot be subjected to same degree of scrutiny as writtten reports because of the extremely limited time at the disposal of the audience for indicating its reaction.

 On the Basis of time interval: The reports could be daily, weekly,monthly ,quaterly, or annual. On the Basis of function: a) Informational- It is a factual(containing facts and figures) report on a particular subject and it neither contains an analysis nor conclusions. b) Examination- in addition to giving facts on a subject matter, it also analyese them but it does not specify conclusions or recommendations though the reader can draw conclusions on the basis of factual information and analysis contained in the report.

c) Analytical- This report not only presents and analyses data but it also draws conclusions and if necessary, make recommendations. On the basis of relationship between reader and writer: a) Administrative- It is a report that is written within an organization. b) Professional It is written by an outside professional expert to an organization. c) Independent- This report is generally prepared by non-profit research organizations and published for the benefit of the general public.

 On the basis of Employment status of authors: a) Private- This type of report is prepared in a business organisation. b) Public- This type of report is prepared in a government or public institution.

PRECAUTIONS FOR WRITING RESEARCH REPORTS

A research report is a channel of communicating the research findings to the readers of the report. A good research report is one which does this task efficiently and effectively. As such it must be prepared keeping the following precautions in view: 1. Research report should be long enough to cover the subject but short enough to maintain interest. 2. A research report should not be dull. it should be such as to sustain readers interest. 3. Technical jargon or technical terms should be avoided in a research report. The report should be able to convey the matter as simply as possible.

4. Readers are often interested in acquiring a quick knowledge

of the main findings and as such the report must provide a ready availability of the findings. For this purpose, charts, graphs and the statistical tables may be used for the various results in the main report in addition to the summary of important findings. 5. The reports should be free from grammatical mistakes and must be prepared strictly in accordance with the mechanics of report-writing such as the use of quotations and use of abbreviations in footnotes and the like. 6. Appendices should be enlisted in respect of all the technical data in the report.

7. Bibliography of sources consulted is a must for a good report and must necessarily be given. 8. Index is also considered an essential part of a good report and as such must be prepared and appended at the end. 9. Objective of the study, the nature of the problem, the methods employed and the analysis techniques adopted must all be clearly stated in the beginning of the report in the form of introduction. 10. Report must be attractive in appearance, neat and clean, whether typed or printed.

11. A research report should be original in nature(original work). It must contribute to the solution of a problem and must add to the store of knowledge.

Drawing Conclusions
The Conclusions researcher draw from his results should be focused on answering the questions he asked at the beginning of the research. When making conclusions from data,there are a number of common problems that should be avoided: a) Confusing belief with truth: Survey questions measure belief ,not truth. for ex. When questions about future behaviour are asked ,people rarely tell how they actually behave, at the time they are filling out the survey, they believe that they will act in a certain way ,which is rarely how they actually behave.

b) People Want Everything: Given a large enough population, there is going to be a group of people who want every possible combination of features, and given a list of possible features abstracted from an actual product, everyone will very much want everything. And why not? What is wrong with wanting it cheap, good and fast, even though one may know it is impossible? Thus, Surveys cannot be used to determine which features no one wants- there is no such thing-but a survey can tell how people prioritize features and which ones they value most highly. c) People Exaggerate: Generally, while presenting themselves, people always present themselves as they would like themselves to be rather than how actually they are. Generally people exaggerate their positive features while expressing their opinions.

d) People will choose an Answer even if they dont feel strongly

about it-When asked to choose from a list of options, even if people feel that their feelings, thoughts, or experiences lie outside the available options, they will choose an answer. e) People try to Outguess the survey: When answering any question, it is common to try to understand why the person asking the question is asking it and what he or she expects to hear. Due to this reason, it is important to avoid leading questions. Pre-testing an interviewing survey respondents is a good way to such type of questions. e) People Lie-Certainly not all people lie all the time about everything, but people do exaggerate anf fasify information when they have no incentive to tell the truth. For ex. If someone asks for an address that he can send a prize to, it is

 It is unlikely that people will lie about being able to receive mail there, but if he asks about their household income and they feel that it does not benefit them to answer honestly, they are less likely to be as truthful.

Suggestions And Recommendations

Once Conclusions are drawn, the next step for the researcher is to make recommendations.it is a mistake to make recommendations until clear conclusions have been drawn because it does not provide the client with the benefit of the the logic behind the recommendation. Recommendations are offered only if the conclusions support or require them to be made. If the researcher concludes that the program is effective based on the results and that there are no areas for improvement, no recommendations are needed, if however, it is concluded that there are reas in which the program is weak, the researcher has the opportunity and the responsbility to provide specific recommendations based on the conclusions.

 Making recommendations requires the researcher to understand the realities of the client organization, so that the recommendations can be acted on. Tips For Developing Recommendations: 1) Understand the limitations of the client organization for implementing the recommendations offered. 2) Ensure each recommendation is based on at least one conclusion. 3) State recommendations in language that the client can understand. 4) Do not compromise into not making a feasible recommendation when it is warranted, based on a clear conclusion.

ANNEXURE
Attachments are a valuable way of removing detail from a report . The more common terms for describinmg them are: attachments,Appendices,Annexes. Annexure provide a place to those items which do not fit in the report being too much detailed . The type of materials which are to be placed under annexure are as follows: a) The work of any past research which is used in the current report. b) Copy of questionnaire c) Detailed statistical Tables

 Organizational Details like copy of balance sheet or other final accounts. Significance of Annexure The appendices are used as an area for storing information which is important to the arguments raised in the research but because of its length, detail would otherwise interrupt the flow of arguments in the research. Requirement For All Attachments 1) All the materials included under annexure should be either numbered or letters can be assigned to them. The Letters or Numbers should be allotted in the order in which they are mentioned in the text.

2) They must be mentioned in the report itself. A note in brackets may be used. 3) They must be listed in or immediately after the table of contents.

Bibliography
The Bibliography contains the detailed information on books, references, journals and other materials ,showing the title of the books/reports used in the preparation of the reports, names of authors, publishers, the year of publication and, if possible, the page numbers. The Bibliography should be arranged in an alphabetical order. Bibliographies tell readers where they can locate information about a topic. It is a list of sources of information for a report. A Bibliography reference is written in the following manner and arranged alphabetically to facilitate the readers: i) Books:

a) One Author: Authors Last name, Authors First Name, Title of book, Place of Publication, Name of publishing house, Page numbers used. b) Two Author: First authors Last name, First authors Firest name, Second authors Last Name, Second authors First name,Title of book, Place of publication, Name of publisher, Page numbers used. c) More than two Authors: First authors last name, First authors first name et al ,Title of book ,place of Publication, Name of Publisher, Page numbers used.

ii) Periodical Article: A periodical is a publication that is published periodically,like a newspaper,a magazine, and a journal. a) Author Known: Authors last name ,Authors first name, Title of article in Tiltle of periodical, Volume number, place of Publication, publisher, date of periodical, Section number, Page numbers of article. For ex. Dudley, James et al. The Science of Genius and the Logical mind in New York Times,V.213,no.35,New York, NY: Times Publishing Inc., February 23,2001.Section C,Pg,12,17. b) UnKnown Author: Title of Article in Title of Periodical, Volume number, Place of Publication, Name of publisher, Date of periodical. Section or Volume Number, Page numbers of article.

iii) Internet Web Page: a) Author known: authors last name,authors first nameTitle of Web Pge(online),Place of publication,publisher,web page address,date site visited by you. b) Unknown Author: Title of web page(online),place of publication, Publisher, web page address, date site visited by you.

Significance of Bibliography
1) Bibliography is a detailed listing of the sources from which knowledge and specific information was acquired. 2) Bibliography acts as a mediator between the reader and research report. 3) Researcher always needs new and latest books for his research work. Research work is always qualitative if good books are consulted. such books may be searched in bibliographies. 4) Generally Bibliographies provide reliable informations i.e. author, title, edition, publishers place, name and year, page numbers.