Write a Report

This article will teach you how to write a report. It will cover selecting a topic, researching it, prewriting and writing your report, and finalizing it.

10 Second Summary

1. Select unique topic that you enjoy.
2. Research the topic using books and reputable online sources. Be sure to cite all of them.
3. Prewrite your report. Write a thesis statement and create an outline.
4. Write your report. Start with an introduction, then move on to supporting body paragraphs. Write a conclusion and cite your sources.
5. Finalize your report. Proofread it, and have someone else read it too. Read it aloud, and come back to it after a few days.

Steps

Sample Reports

Doc:Science Report,Book Report

Selecting your Topic

  1. Understand the assignment. If your teacher, professor, or boss gave your guidelines for your report, make sure you read them (and reread them). What is the assignment asking of you? Are you supposed to inform your audience about a topic? Generally if you are writing a report for an elementary, middle or high school class, you will be asked to present a topic without inserting your opinion. Other assignments might ask you to persuade your audience about a certain way of perceiving your topic, or analyze a topic. Ask your teacher about any questions you might have as soon as possible.[1]
    • Keep in mind that if your purpose is only to inform your audience, you should not put your own opinion into your report or add any persuasive elements.
  2. Choose a good topic that you love. Feeling passionate about a topic will drive you to do your best work possible. Of course, sometimes you will not have the option to choose your topic. If this is the case, try to find something about the assigned topic that you can get passionate about. Always make sure to run your ideas by your teacher to make sure that it is okay that you approach the report in this way.[2]
    • If your assignment is to give a report on a particular event of the 1960’s in America, and you don’t like history but you do like music, focus your report on the way the music in the 1960’s tied into the event that occurred during that time. But make sure to include lots of details about other things based on the topic too.
  3. Pick an original topic. If you are giving a report to your classmates, try to pick a topic that is original and engaging. If you are the third person to give a report on Disneyland that day, chances are you probably won’t have your classmates attention. To avoid repetition, ask your teacher what topics have already been picked.
    • If the topic you want has been chosen, try to find a different angle to present it in. For instance, if you wanted to do your report on Disneyland, but somebody already chose that topic, you could focus your report on one specific section of Disneyland, like Adventureland. You could discuss what inspired its creation, the different rides you find in that section, and any major changes that have happened to Adventureland recently.[3]
  4. Keep in mind that you can change your topic. If you begin to research the topic you have chosen and realize that you can’t find any information on the topic, or that your topic is too broad, you can always change your topic, so long as you are not starting your project the day before its due.
    • If you find that your topic is too broad, try to pick a specific part of the topic to focus on. For instance, if you wanted to do your report on World Fairs, but realized there are way too many of the them to talk about, and they are all too varied to discuss as a whole, choose one specific world fair, such as the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, to focus on.

Researching Your Topic

  1. Research your topic. Make sure you have the correct number of sources for your paper (your guidelines should cover how many sources your teacher expects you to have).[4] If you are writing a report about a time in history, make sure to add a time line.
    • If you are giving a report on a specific person, research his/her life--what was his/her childhood like? What did he/she do that was important? What was his/her family life like?I
    • If you are writing a report on an event, find out what other events led to your event, what actually happened during the event, and what the aftermath of the event was.
  2. Visit the library. Libraries are an excellent place to find information. Search the library’s database for any books or materials related to your article. If you are having trouble, ask a librarian for help.
    • If you find a great book that covers your topic well, look at the sources the author used (these will generally be listed in the back of the book.) These sources can often lead to even more useful information and websites.
  3. Make sure your online sources are reputable. If you are using the internet to find information about your topic, always make sure to double check any facts you find. Stick with information gathered by known experts in the field you are researching, government agency websites, and scholarly journals. Try to avoid forums and other sources that have no credible backing.[1]
    • If you are writing a report about a specific person, company, or place, try to find their own website. For instance, if you are writing a report on Jane Goodall, a great source would be using the Jane Goodall Institute website.
  4. Keep track of all of the information you find. Write each source you use down on a flashcard. Write down all of the information you can find on the source (such as the author, publication date, publisher/website, city in which it was published, page number for where you found the information, and so on) so that you can easily create your bibliography later.

Prewriting for Your Report

  1. Come up with a thesis statement. Thesis statements are the main idea of your report. A thesis statement summarizes what you want to prove in your report for your reader. All of your subsequent topic sentences of body paragraphs should tie back into this thesis, so make sure that it is general enough to stand throughout your essay. If you are simply reporting on a topic, create a thesis statement that does not contain any opinion-based information. If you are creating a thesis that is meant to persuade someone about a topic, or that is meant to deeply analyze a topic, the thesis should contain an argument that you intend to prove in your essay.[2]
    • Example of straightforward report thesis (Thesis 1): The three main halls of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition were filled with modern creations of the day and were an excellent representation of the innovative spirit of the Progressive era.
    • Example of a persuasive or analytic report thesis (Thesis 2): The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was intended as a celebration of the Progressive spirit, but actually harbored a deep racism and principle of white supremacy that most visitors chose to ignore or celebrate.
  2. Create an outline. Outlines help you to visualize how your essay will look. Outlines can be straightforward lists, idea webs or concept maps. Begin with your thesis statement and then pick the three major ideas related to your thesis statement that you will want to cover in your essay. Write down details about each main idea.
    • Your main ideas should support your thesis. They should be the evidence that provides support to your argument.
    • Example main ideas for Thesis 1: Exhibits at the Court of the Universe, Exhibits at the Court of the Four Seasons, Exhibits at the Court of Abundance.
    • Example main ideas for Thesis 2: Racism in the ‘Joy Zone’, the statue of ‘The End of the Trail’, and the presence of ‘Race Betterment’ lectures at the fair.
  3. Decide how you will format your report. The structure of your paper depends on your topic. If you are writing a report on a person, it would make the most sense to structure your report in chronological order.
    • For Thesis 1, the report would be structured as a spatial guide to the fair--the report would discuss the main exhibits in each of the major buildings at the fair (the Court of the Universe, the Court of the Four Seasons, and the Court of Abundance.)

Writing Your Report

  1. Write your introduction. Your intro is where you introduce your topic and state your thesis. Your intro should be engaging but not corny--the goal should be to hook the reader so that they want to read the rest of your report. You should provide some background information on your topic and then state your thesis so that the reader knows what the report is going to be about. When you are revising make sure you look at the first word in every sentence and try not to let any of them be repetitive.
    • Example Intro for Thesis 1: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) of 1915 was intended to celebrate both the creation of the Panama Canal, and the technological advancements achieved at the turn of the century. The three main halls of the PPIE were filled with modern creations of the day and were an excellent representation of the innovative spirit of the Progressive era.[5]
  2. Write your body paragraphs. The body paragraphs are where you state your evidence that supports your thesis. Each body paragraph consists of a topic sentence and evidence supporting the topic sentence. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the body paragraph and links the paragraph back to the thesis.[1]
    • Example topic sentence for Thesis 1: At the PPIE, the Court of the Universe was the heart of the exposition and represented the greatest achievements of man, as well as the meeting of the East and the West.
    • For a report that is about a person, a topic sentence might be something like, “John Doe had a rough childhood that shaped who he became.” Obviously you would put in more specific information relevant to the person you are reporting about.
  3. Support your topic sentence. After you write your topic sentence in the body paragraph, provide evidence found in your research that supports your topic sentence. This evidence can be descriptions of things mentioned in your topic sentence, quotes from experts on the subjects, or more information about the topic listed.
    • For the topic sentence listed above about the Court of the Universe, the body paragraph should go on to list the different exhibits found at the exhibit, as well as proving how the Court represented the meeting of the East and West.
    • For a report about a person, you would provide evidence that proved John Doe had a hard childhood and that his experiences led him to become the famous person he was.
  4. Write your conclusion. This paragraph both summarizes your thesis again, and provides your final thoughts on your topic. It should reiterate to the reader what the reader should be taking away from your report.[1]
  5. Cite your sources. Your teacher or professor should tell you whether to use MLA, APA or Chicago style when writing your essay. Format any quotes you use, as well as your bibliography accordingly.
  6. Format your report. Try to follow your teacher's formatting instructions to the letter. If he or she made no formatting instructions, go with something clean and classic. Standard format for academic reports in the United States is 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, double-spaced lines, and 1-inch margins all around.

Finalizing Your Report

  1. Read through your report from an outsider’s perspective. Does the point you are trying to make come across clearly? Does all of your evidence support your thesis? If you were someone reading your report for the first time, would you feel like you understood the topic after reading the report?
  2. Get someone else to read your report. Having a second pair of eyes can be helpful to make sure your point is clear and your writing doesn’t sound awkward. Ask your helper, do you understand what I am saying in my report? Is there anything you think I should take out or add? Is there anything you would change?
  3. Proofread your report. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Are there any awkward sentences that you can rewrite?[2]
  4. Read your report out loud. Reading out loud will help you to identify any sections of the report that might sound awkward (like if there are run-on sentences.)
  5. Put your paper aside for a few days. If you have time to put the paper away and clear your head before proofreading, it is a good thing to do. Taking a break from your paper will help you to spot more errors and parts that don’t make sense when you come back to it.

Don't be afraid to let a friend or family member read it too!

Tips

  • While writing, assume that your reader knows little to nothing about the subject. Add details and definitions to topics in the paper.
  • Focus on the main idea you want to convey. Make sure the idea has been established well right from the start.
  • Don't copy anyone's work. Not only is it saying you're lazy, its called plagiarizing, which is illegal.
  • Be sure to rely on more than one source for your information.
  • Don't delay your research until the last minute. Report creation takes longer than you might think, especially when you start fiddling with color, photos, borders, headings etc and that's only after the information has been written up properly.
  • Pick a topic you know more about.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-write-a-report-for-school.htm
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/658/
  3. ↑ http://traveltips.usatoday.com/eight-themes-disneyland-22045.html
  4. ↑ http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/PlanResearchPaper.html
  5. ↑ http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist9/ppietxt1.html
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