Chapter 1
Writing Rousing
Technical Reports
“Being a real writer means
being able to do the work on a
bad day.”
- Norman Mailer
Fundamental
Concepts of Report
Writing
The K-I-S-S Concept
“Keep It Short and Simple”
highlights the use of simple but
concise words rather than the use
of jargons and complex words.
Quoting
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Quoting
the exact copying of a portion of
an original text.
Paraphrasing
using own words in restating
author’s ideas or words.
Summarizing
recapitulating author’s ideas or
words.
Use of Graphic Organizers
may be classified as tables or figures.
Tables are summary of data or
information which is systematically
presented in columns.
Documentation and Citation
Proper acknowledgement of
references or sources that
you use.
Two types of Citation
American Psychological Association (APA)
Style
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Style
In-Text Citations
APA: Uses author-date format for in-text
citations (e.g., (Smith, 2020)).
MLA: Uses author-page number format
for in-text citations (e.g., (Smith 23)).
Works Cited / References
APA: Refers to the bibliography as
“References” and lists sources in
alphabetical order by author’s last name. It
includes details like the title, publisher,
and DOI or URL (for online sources).
Works Cited / References
MLA: Refers to the bibliography as
“Works Cited” and similarly lists
sources alphabetically but doesn’t
typically require a DOI or URL for all
sources.
Headings/Subheadings
APA: Uses a structured heading system with
five levels of headings to organize content.
MLA: Does not have a formal heading
structure and typically uses only centered
titles or subheadings as needed.
Date Emphasis
APA: Date of publication is crucial, often
appearing after the author's name in citations
(e.g., (Smith, 2020)).
MLA: The publication date is important but not
emphasized as much as the author and title.
Title Formatting
APA: Titles of works (books, journals) are italicized;
article titles are in sentence case (capitalizing only
the first word and proper nouns).
MLA: Titles of works (books, films) are italicized,
while article titles are in quotation marks and title
case (capitalizing major words).
10 Steps in Writing
Technical Report
1. Determine the Problem
2. Identify who the audience is
3. Identify what you need to
learn
4. Gather necessary information
and data
5. Summarize your findings
6. Design, organize, and write your
report
[Link] possible conclusions and
recommendations
8. Cite your references if applicable
9. Review and revise your report
10. Present or submit your report
Categories of Report
Three Levels of Report
Three Levels of Report
INFORMATION ONLY
INFORMATION PLUS ANALYSIS
INFORMATION PLUS ANALYSIS PLUS A
RECOMMENDATION
Information only
Sales reports (sales figures for
the week or month).
Quarterly reports (figures
showing a plant's productivity
and profits for the quarter)
Information plus analysis
Annual reports
(financial data and an
organization's accomplishments
during the past year)
Information plus analysis
Audit reports
(interpretations of the facts
revealed during an audit)
Information plus analysis
Make-good or pay-back
reports (calculations of the
point at which a new capital
investment will pay for itself)
Information plus analysis plus a
recommendation
Feasibility reports (evaluate
two or more alternatives and
recommend which alternative
the organization should
choose)
Information plus analysis plus a
recommendation
Justification reports (justify the
need for a purchase, an
investment, a new personnel
line, or a change in procedure)
Information plus analysis plus a
recommendation
Problem-solving reports
(identify the causes of an
organizational problem and
recommend a solution)
Categories of Report
A report should be well-planned
and organized, logically
sequenced, and easy to read.
1. Informal report can range from a few
paragraphs to several pages. Whether an
informal report is written as a letter,
memo, or email message, it generally
includes an introduction, body, and
conclusion recommendations. This report
may function to inform, sell, direct, clarify,
or recommend.
Formal report is generally lengthy. It may
include title page, executive summary, table
of contents, list of figures and tables, list of
abbreviations and symbols, body,
conclusions or recommendations,
appendixes, index, and more. This report may
function to inform, document, direct, clarify,
examine, analyze, propose, and recommend
A report should be long enough to be
thorough and short enough to be
concise. To ensure that your report is
thorough, cover all the key issues. To
ensure that it's concise, KISS (keep it
short and simple).
10 Steps in Writing Technical Report
10 Steps in Writing Technical Report
thank you!