Sri Lanka Institute of

Information Technology

Comprehensive Design Analysis Project

Report Writing-1

Jayantha Amararachchi
Senior Lecturer

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Comprehensive Design Analysis Project

Report Writing

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Where do I begin?
RESEARCH
Scope out your prospect

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 Primary research

1. Interviews
2. Questionnaires
3. Observations
- of people, animals, situations

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 Secondary research:
(published records)

Internet
library
offices

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 Where to now?

DESIGN THE SOLUTION

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 Why does your report need to be
WONDERFUL?
WOW
• To impress supervisors. !

• To beat out the competition and get what you

want.(if any)

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 When to start writing?

As soon as possible, but with the end in mind…

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 REPORT WRITING

• What is a report?
• What does a report do?
• Types of reports
• Doing research
• Designing the solution -- (Start-up sheet)
• Choosing sequence and headlines
• Creating visual impact

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 An orderly, objective message
used to convey information
from one organisational area to another
or
from one institution to another.

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Three common types of reports…

1. Feasibility reports

2. Progress reports

3. Proposals

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FEASIBILITY REPORTS

 Economical & technical suitability

 Assess several alternatives
 using criteria
 and recommend the best alternative.

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 PROGRESS REPORTS

Provide information about

– progress achieved, and
– timetable for future work and completion
to
– identify possible problems, and
– make decisions about resource allocation.

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 Progress Reports
-Sections-
1. Title of Your Project
2. Names of Authors followed by their organization
3. Abstract
4. Materials & Methods
5. Results (program code etc.)
6. Discussion of the Results
7. Conclusion
8. Acknowledgements (if any)
9. References
10. Appendices
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 Before you start writing…

THINK!
Regardless of what you’re writing…

•What was the point /aim/objectives?

Why did you do this?
•What were the principal findings?
What’s the bottom line?
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 Preliminary work

Generate an Outline:
A ‘plot’ for your thesis writing
Several Pages - chapter headings / sub-
headings / figure titles
Start with ‘fleshing’ the structure given
Target: ‘logical story’ for the document
Discuss / revise with supervisor

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 Preliminary work

Clearly articulate:
Background / generic theory
Focal theory ( starting hypothesis)
The ‘contribution’ to knowledge

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 Starting your writing…
Methods
•You can write this as you go along
• You know what you’ve done
• Based upon your ‘protocol’
•‘Easiest’ Section?
• Must be ‘Replicable’
• Use Appendices for detailed items (Buffers /
patient info / statistics)
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 Continuing your writing…

Results
Start with Tables/Graphs
Make each ‘stand alone’.. Detailed legends
 Pick the pictures:
What ‘tells the story’?
 Describe, then number crunch
 Use Appendices for detailed items
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 Towards the end…

General Discussion
Start with Key Points.. Key pts each chapter
Think theory areas, think contribution
What is the relevance of your work
Expand into self contained sections or
paragraphs
‘Demonstrate your critical ‘self awareness’

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 Lastly…

Introduction
•Introduce the area: set the background
•Identify the ‘gaps’, conflicts etc.
•Does it justify what your Aims were?

Chapter Introductions
•What’s absolutely necessary?
•Avoid extensive ‘histories’
•Does it justify/refine your Aims? 21
 Finishing Off

References
– Kept up to date

Abstract
– Write as if this ‘stands alone’

Title
– Succinct but complete (truly reflects results)

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EFFECTIVE HEADINGS

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 YOUR APPENDIX.

Put complex details in an Appendix.

• Research papers, e.g. questionnaire forms, interview

questions
• Research results, e.g. questionnaire and interview answers
• Details of project costs

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