# <center>Study Note 4: How to Write a Report</center>
###### tags: `Multimedia Wireless Network`

**Student ID : M10902804**
**Name : Ian Joseph Chandra (章利安)**

---
## General Purpose

<div style="text-align: justify">There are many different types of reports, including business, scientific and research reports. Reports generally involve presenting your investigation and analysis of information or an issue, recommending actions, and making proposals. These are 10 basic steps that used to create a report:</div>

1. Decide on the 'Terms of reference'
1. Decide on the procedure
1. Find the information
1. Decide on the structure
1. Draft the first part of your report
1. Analyse your findings and draw concolusions
1. Make recommendations
1. Draft the executive summary and table of contents
1. Compile a reference list
1. Revise your draft report

---
### Step 1: Decide on the 'Terms of Reference'

You need to read the instructions and any other information that given about the report, and then think about the purpose of the report. There will be 5W's in the purpose of the report:
1. What is it about?
1. What exactly is needed?
1. Why is it needed?
1. When do I need to do it?
1. Who is it for, or Who is it aimed at?

---
### Step 2: Decide on the Procedure

Make a plan of your investigation or research, and how you'll write the report. Make some questions related of your plan:
1. What information do I need?
1. Do I need to do any background reading?
1. What articles of documents do I need?
1. Do I need to contact the library for assistance?
1. Do I need to interview of observe people?
1. Do I have to record data?
1. How will i go about this?

If you could answer these questions, you could draft the procedure section of your report, which outlines the steps you've taken to carry out the investigation.

---
### Step 3: Find the Information

After decided the procedure of report making, you need to find out what kind of information you need for your report. Read written material, observe people or activities, and/or talk to people.

Make sure the information you find is relevant and guidelines and the marking scheudle to make sure you're on the right track. If you're not sure how the marks will be assigned, contact your lecturer.

---
### Step 4: Decide on the Structure

Reports generally have a similar structure, but some details may differ. The difference of every reports is depends on:
1. The type of the report (Is it a research report? laboratory report? business report? investigative report? etc).
1. How formal the report has to be.
1. The length of the report.

Depending on the type of the report, the structure could possibly includes:
1. A title page.
1. Executive summary.
1. Contents.
1. An introduction.
1. Terms of reference.
1. Procedure.
1. Findings.
1. Conclusions.
1. Recommendations.
1. References/Bibliography.
1. Appendices.
1. The sections, of a report usually have headings and subheadings, which are usually numbered.

---
### Step 5: Draft the First Part of Your Report

After make the structure of your report, you need to:
1. write down the headings and start to fill these in with the information you have gathered.
1. Draft the terms of reference, procedure and findings.
1. Start work out what will go in the report's appendix.

**Findings**
Findings are the result of what you read, obeserve, interview, and investigate. They form the basis of you report. You may include photos, tables, or graphs to make your report more readable and/or easier to follow.

**Appedices**
As you are writing your draft, decide what information you will pour in the appendix. These are used for information that:
* Too long to being included in the body of the report
* Supplements of complements the information in the report. For example: brochures, spreadsheets, or large tables.

### Step 6: Analyze The Findings and Draw Conclusions

Conclusion is the result of the findings analysis and interpretation of what you have found. These question could help you to draw the conclusion:
1. What are the things that I have found?
1. What are the significant or important things in my findings?
1. What do my findings suggest?

Note: <font color=red>Do not add any information that doesn't addressed in the findings to your concolusion.</font>

---
### Step 7: Make Recommendations

Recmmendations are the solutions for the problems which you think may occur in your report. This is the steps to create recommendations:
1. Reread your findings and conclusions.
1. Think about what you want the person who asked for the report should do or not do; what actions should they carry out?
1. Ensure that your recommendations are practical and are based logically on your conclusions.
1. Ensure you include enough detail for the reader to know what needs to be done and who should to it.

Note: <font color=red>Your recommendation should be written as a numbered list, and ordered from most to least important.</font>

---
### Step 8: Draft the Executive Summary and Table of Contents

Executive summary and/or list of contents are required in some reports. Even though these two sections come near in the beginning of the report, you won't be able to work on them until you finished your report, structure, and recommendations first.

An executive summary is usually about 100 words long. It tells the readers the topic discussion in the report, and summarise the recommendations.

---
### Step 9: Compile a Reference List

Reference list is a list of all sources that you referred to create your report. For the reference style you could use APA reference style.

---
### Step 10: Revise Your Draft Report

After finishing your report, don't forget to revise your work. These are the things needed to be checked:
1. Check the assignment question, the instructions/guidelines, and the marking schedule to make sure.
1. Ensure the required sections are already included and ordered correctly.
1. Ensure your informations is accurate, with no gaps.
1. If your argument is logical, dose your information support your conclusions and recommendations?
1. Ensure all terms, symbols, and abbreviations used have been explained.
1. Ensure any diagrams, tables, graphs, and illustrations are numbered and labelled.
1. Ensure the format of your report is correct, including your numbering, headings are consistent throughout the report.
1. Ensure the report could be read properly, and your writing is clear and effective.

---
## REFERENCES

https://www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz/current-students/study-tips-and-techniques/assignments/how-to-write-a-report/