A COURSE MODULE IN TECHNICAL WRITING

A Course Module in
Technical Writing
(PRE FINAL COVERAGE)

Course Code: GC TW
Course Description: Technical Writing
Course Instructor: Liaflora O. Orcullo, MAC

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 A COURSE MODULE IN TECHNICAL WRITING

PRE FINAL COVERAGE

MODULE 3
REPORT WRITING
I. INTRODUCTION
This module will give you skills on how to write reports according to its concept and style.

II. OBJECTIVES:
1. Explain the fundamental concepts of report writing.
2. Identify the basic classification of technical reports.
3. Apply guidelines in writing technical reports.

III. DISCUSSION

Fundamental concepts in report writing

Whether it's a book report, a lab report, a memo or a formal report, all reports share common principles, or rules. The
purpose of a report in an academic setting is to communicate what was done by whom, how she did it, what the results
were and what conclusions can be drawn from it. Reports can be written in any field about any subject, from science
experiments to mathematical proofs to analyses of literary works.

Be Relevant

The subject of your report should be timely and relevant to your field. Thoroughly research the existing literature about
your topic, and clearly define the problem your report will address. In your introduction, discuss why your topic is relevant
and any research holes or missing information it will fill or supply. Explain how your approach to the problem is different
from other methods of investigation and how your report will answer gaping questions in your field.

Organize Logically

A report must be organized in a logical and formulaic format. The introduction of your report must state the problem you
are addressing and your explanation of the need for the report.

The methods section of your report must articulate what you did and how you did it. The methods section must be clear
enough for anyone else to follow your steps.

The results section defines the numerical findings of your investigation. These numbers may be presented in graphs and
tables for interpretation by the reader.

The discussion section is where you interpret your findings and discuss how they either answer or do not answer your
original question or problem.

Report Accurately

A report must be well researched and contain factual information. If your findings are not what you expected, you must
discuss the difference in the report. Never skew data -- your findings -- or try to fit the data to match what you originally
thought. A report should be objective and accurate.

Including false information or trying to skew your findings to one angle or another will invalidate your whole report.
Carefully conduct your research and check all facts thoroughly.

Summarize Succinctly

The reader should be able to look in both your introduction and your discussion to find a summary of your report, including
the main focus, or problem, and the results of your investigation.

While your introduction should include a thorough explanation of the topic and the reason why your report is important,
you may also include a brief description of your findings. This summary should only be a general statement, without any
detail or explanation.

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Once you have explained your results, begin your discussion section with a reminder of the main topic of your report.
Remind the reader of what and why you were originally investigating before launching into your interpretation of the
results.

The KISS Principle

A writer is a very complex person and this complexity that everyone speaks about is in fact the mixture between the style
and the information transmitted to the target audience. Writers must always consider their target public and they must do
this while and as they respect the four most important rules of writing in general. These four rules are to be taken into
consideration by everyone who publishes any piece of writing and they are most of the times related to the KISS principle
(Keep It Short and Simple).

There is a strong and interdependent correlation between feelings and text, as when we regard both we notice that in a
multicultural and educated world they cannot exist without each other. People need their feelings to write and also need
written words to communicate their feelings. Taken altogether, these needs have gained the status of superior and
elevated states of mind.

Writing means communicating in an artful manner. There are numerous features of the technique of communication by
words that professional writers always take into account. However, one of the most important of all these rules is the
respect for the KISS principle. Even if many writers may have not heard of the name yet it does not mean that they do not
actually use the KISS principle.

Keep It Short and Simple! is the advice given to students by their teachers. Keep it short and simple! is the principle that
most writers are guided by whenever they write clearly, accurately and in an accessible style.The clarity of a text is one of
the most notable elements to take into account when you want your piece of writing to be understood and especially to be
enjoyed by the readership.
We may notice that with time, writing techniques and trends evolute fast. However has not proven to be the ruining factor
of the KISS rule. As much as their techniques may improve and develop, writers will always consider the importance of
this principle as they ought to produce accurate, clear and concise pieces of writing.

This principle was created to last and to help text creators suit their styles and techniques in function of the needs of their
readership.

By following the rules of the KISS principle writers will not only be able to control the techniques and the methods of their
writing but they will also be able to compose their text in the ideal tone and style that would suit their target public.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1108007

HOW TO FORMAT A REPORT

Whatever purpose you're writing a report for, and whether it is for school or business, you must give your report a logical
structure. When writing your report, think about how you can convey your ideas in a meaningful way that best shows your
understanding of your report's topic. The formatting of a report can help demonstrate this to your audience. Proper
formatting of an article helps readers to easily follow the contents of the report, and it makes it easy for them to find the
particular information they are looking for.

Include a title page that provides the title of the report, the author's name, the date it was written or presented, and the
organization or department for which it was written.

Summarize your report. This will be the first main section of your report. It is an executive summary or abstract that
highlights the problem and steps to solve it. Summaries are generally about a page in length, and they give the reader a
general overview of what is in the report. If you conducted a survey or experiment, include your research questions,
methods, and outcomes.

Write an introduction. The introduction demonstrates to your audience why the problem is important. It presents the
problem or situation in clear, concise language. The introduction also includes a short statement on how the problem
should be solved, or why or how the problem was created. This is the thesis statement, and it quickly conveys the crux of
the report in one to two sentences.

Divide the body of the report into sections. The body of the report offers greater detail of the problem, and it provides
some background to it. It also gives some in-depth analysis that goes beyond merely describing the problem to identifying
different aspects of the problem and drawing connections between them.

Divide the body of the report into headings and subheadings to help the reader understand the flow of the report.
Keep the headlines short, capitalizing the first letter of each main word in the headline. For example, you could divide the
body into "Problem," "Background," and "Analysis" sections. Any research methods you utilized and the scope of your
research should be explained and justified in separate sections.

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Draw conclusions at the end of the report. Your conclusion section is where you will offer suggestions of how to solve
the problem or answer the questions posed in the report. You can create a separate "Action Steps" or "Suggestions"
section. Provide ideas of how to move forward with the problem, and help the reader understand why it is important in a
broader sense. Make your audience members care about the problem on a wider scale by telling them how this problem
relates to them personally and why your solutions are the best way to solve it. If there are broader implications of your
research, identify them, and suggest how your research could be built upon in the future.

Cite your sources. Outside references used to support ideas should be cited at the end of your report in a bibliography
section. There are different styles of formatting for works cited pages, so be sure you are using the appropriate style for
your type of report. For example, the American Psychological Association (APA) style is used most offen in social
science reports. Visit Pudue University's Online Writing Lab (owl.english.purdue.edu) for more information on the different
types of citation styles, including Modern Language Association (MLA) and Chicago style.

Create a table of contents that gives page numbers for the different sections of your report. Include page numbers for
subheadings of main sections as well.

HOW TO WRITE AN EXPERIMENT REPORT

An experiment report is a common requirement for many science courses. This document explains to others what you did
and what you found so they can replicate your work and improve upon your findings. Although experiment reports can
vary in length and format, the general guidelines for structure and content remain the same.

Write the cover page to inform your audience of the topic of your experiment. The cover page traditionally has your name,
the name of any research partners, your class or lab information and the date. If your paper is not for a course, then it is
traditional to have your contact information and the name of the organization that you are affiliated with on the document.

On the following page, write a 150 to 300 word abstract that summarizes your experiment. You should focus on what your
objective was and how you were going to demonstrate your objective. Many abstracts also include a brief description of
the results of the experiment.

Develop the background and introductions. This section will define the terms that you use in the paper, explain what other
researchers have found on the topic and place your experiment in context. In general, you want to have enough
information in the introduction so the audience has all of the information needed to interpret the results and understand
the findings, but no unnecessary information.

State your hypothesis, or what you are testing. This may be called a research question in some fields, but the idea is the
same. It is a general statement that you are using your experiment to prove or disprove.

Describe the procedures or methodology. Explain exactly what you did, what tools you used, and what controls were in
place. It is often helpful to include diagrams and graphs for this section. Additionally, many audiences do not require a
step-by-step format, so the objective is to have enough information that the audience can replicate your experiment, but
you can omit any obvious details or stages.

Write your results and the analysis of your results. Depending on your discipline, it is often typical to present your findings
in a table and then to discuss the implications of those findings in the text. However, if that format does not fit your
findings, presenting the information through a narrative is perfectly acceptable, as long as it is clear.

Finalize your report with any possible errors from your experiment, any changes you would recommend be made in the
future and your conclusions. This section is designed to explain away any reasons why your experiment was not perfect
and allow you to contextualize your findings. It is normally a fairly short and concise section that summarizes the findings,
limitations and importance of your work.

SOURCE: The Fundamental Principles of Report Writing (penandthepad.com)

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TECHNICAL WRITING - PRE FINAL ASSESSMENT

Professor: Liaflora O. Orcullo, MAC

NAME: ____________________________________ Date: ___________

Course, Year & Section: _____________________ Score: __________
CPNo. ____________________________________

Directions: Write Report (4 pages) about the Climate Change you have observed in your
barangay. Follow the instructions below. SUBMIT HARD COPY (BOND PAPER). Deadline May 5, 2022.

Page 1. Cover page to contain the following:

- University (SDSSU) heading

Republic of the Philippines

North Eastern Mindanao State University
(Formerly Surigao del Sur State University)
LIANGA CAMPUS
Lianga, Surigao del Sur, 8307
Website: www.sdssu.edu.gov.ph

- Title of your report to be placed top part (below heading) of page 1, centered;
o Choose one topic below:
 Storm Surge
 Coral Bleaching
 Red Tide Pollution
 Typhoons
 Landslide
 Eutrophication (algal bloom)
- Type your name, course, year and section and cellphone number;
- Use short size bond paper. Margin in all four sides is 1 inch;
- Must be computerized / encoded, Arial font size 12;
- Four (4) pages only, insert page number bottom left.
- Deadline for submission is May

Page 2 - Write the INTRODUCTION (based on topic chosen) (paragraph 1 with 5 sentences) to contain your
purpose/objectives for writing the report; demonstrate what you have done to attain the purpose of your
report, also include what you hope will be the usefulness of your report.

Page 2 - Write the BODY of your report (paragraph 2 with 5 sentences) about the area where you observed the
climate change (base on the topic you have chosen, describe comparisons before and after and why you say
there is climate change (based on topic chosen) happening.

Page 2 – Continuation of your body (Paragraph 3 with 5 sentences) describe in paragraph 3 the destruction
happening in your barangay because of climate change (based on topic chosen).

Page 3 - Conduct a research then write a paragraph (paragraph 4 with 5 sentences) on what are the possible
solutions to the climate changes (based on topic chosen) happening in your barangays. Cite at least 3 authors
if you can.

Page 3 - Write a CONCLUSION (paragraph 5 with sentences) on what positive results will happen in your
barangay if people in your community, barangay officials and the LGU do actions to solve the climate change
(based on topic you have chosen) problem in your barangay.