Report Writing Checklist
Report Writing Checklist
Ensure that you write to inform and not to impress. Do not write sentences that are overly wordy. Proof read many times. Remove unnecessary words to improve the meaning and clarity of your writing. Try to simplify your language. Be careful not to put too many points in one sentence. Be careful about being too general or too descriptive in your writing. Be careful of clumsy or awkward wording that spoils the meaning. Write complete sentences. Read the requirements of the assignment carefully and ensure that you address the question in the assignment. Do not go off at a tangent. Be careful to provide only details that are relevant to the topic.
Item Note Checked?
Headings If you have headings then format using Word Styles.
Dont add unnecessary headings in the report. Table of Contents Do not enter manually.
Hint: Use Word to auto-generate.
Right-click at the end and choose Update. Colloquial expressions Do not use colloquial expressions.Example: pretty much everything, perk up, nowadays, put your best foot forward, get rid of, no brainer, mess up, top dog
Example: Change figure out customer demand to forecast customer demand.
Example: Change far flung to remote.
Example: Change figure out the strategy to determine the strategy. Contractions Do not use contractions.
Examples: dont, doesnt, thats Vague statements Proof read all statements to ensure that all are meaningful.
Example: Do not write: In order to deal with Porters five competitive forces, GMC successfully competes in a competitive and challenging market and makes a significant enhancement in managing operational assets.
Example: Do not write: Over a last decade, the economy and the society has seen a lot of importance of using Information System and technology in the organisations and businesses. Spelling Do not use US spelling.
Examples: personalized, organizations, optimize, labor, utilize
Hint: Select the text of your document and then from the Review tab, click the Language button. Set the language to English Australia Company names Checked the spelling of company names and spell the names consistently throughout.
Example: Wal-Mart, WalMart, Wal-mart, Wal Mart
You have not over used They or It as a reference for a company name.
Capitalisation Use capitalisation consistently.
Example: Do not write: Management information Systems
You have not capitalised words unnecessarily.
Example: The products are divided into six segments including Beverages, Milk Products, Nutrition, Ice Cream, Prepared Dishes, Cooking Aids, Confectionery, Pet Care, and Pharmaceutical products. In-text citations Include in-text citations to support source information from the web, text books, and also journal articles.
All in-text citations must be entered in the correct format.
All in-text citations have been inserted in the correct place and are relevant to the text being cited.
Example: (Nonaka, 2005) Personal pronouns Do not use I, we, you, etc. References Place on separate page at the end of report.
The heading for my references section reads References not Bibliography or Works Cited.
My references have been done in an APA or Harvard style and are in alphabetical order.
My references are not numbered or bulleted. Leave a blank line between each reference for readability. If you use Word then the blank line will be added for you.
Do not include any references that are not cited in the text. This is a bibliography.
You have not justified the references and there is a blank line between each reference.
Hint: Use Microsoft Word to do the in-text citations and then use Word to generate the references. Make sure that you update if you add new in-text citations after you have created the TOC Proof ReadDo not hand in your first draft.
Your report is well proof read and has no obvious spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.
You have not left out words like the, an, or a where needed.
You have checked for errors in wording.
Example: it is fulfilled without any adieu. Writer probably meant to use the idiomatic expression without further ado
Example: it all happen with the push of a bottom should read it happens with the push of a button. Readability You have not used Google translate to translate text from another language into English.
You have not started any sentences with And or But.
You have not used ampersand (&) where the word and should be used. Figures, Tables, & Images If you add figures, tables, and images to your report then add a caption (References, Insert Caption). Images that are not your own should also include an in-text reference. Font You have used a 12-point font.
You have used the same font and font colour throughout the report.
Example: Calibri, Times New Roman, Arial
Terminology You have used the appropriate business terminology to describe the organisation and also information system.
Example: Instead of writing: Infor is a provider of business application software, with nearly 950 employees based in the Phillipines and has 260 customers, the firm is committed in providing technology that is beautiful, easy to use, and designed to speed performance. You should write: Infor is a provider of business application software, with nearly 950 employees based in the Phillipines which has 260 customers. The firm is committed to providing elegant that is beautiful, easy to use, and designed for performance and reliability.
Note that software is described as elegant not beautiful.
Example: Do not write: Wal-Mart has successfully implanted the concept of just-in-time inventory. Change the word implanted to implemented and then its OK.
Example: Change P&G together with Accenture to P&G partnered with. Logos You have not added any company logos.
Logos are copyrighted and you do not have permission to include in your report. Staple You have stapled top left only when submitting a hard copy. Theory You have related the theory to the organisation and also information system in question.
Example: Do not write half a page about DSS without relating it specifically to the organisation that is using DSS. Waffle / padding You have removed content that is not relevant and does not add value to the report. Diagrams & Figures You have added captions to any diagrams and figures.
You have referred to the diagram and figure somewhere in the body of the report. Punctuation All sentences end with a period and either one or two spaces after the full stop. Margins Margins should be set to wide which is at least 2.54cm both Left and Right. Page Settings You have not used page borders.
You have printed single-sided. Wording You have carefully worded statements.
You have not used the Thesaurus to replace words and as a result have destroyed the meaning.
Example: Nike has done a great job should be changed to Nike succeeded in.
Example: At the beginning, Nike... should be changed to Originally Nike...
Example: friendly with the environment and safe to return to nature at the end of their lives should be changed to environmentally friendly and bio-disposable.
Example: it takes away the risks of water pollution should be changed to it mitigates the risk of....
Example: The company has been able to provide its customers with extensive reach of financial services through the use of the internet and Information Technology can be corrected to read The company has been able to provide its customers with an extensive range of financial services through the use of the Internet and information technology.
Example: Change awkward wording such as Back to the first year of selling book online, Amazon ... to When Amazon first started selling books online ....
Example: Keep in simple. Instead of writing Many nurses have been short changed in their pay checks, others have less pay and some received double pay write Many nurses have been underpaid or overpaid.
Example: Instead of ...was way too slow and a lot of hard work write was too time consuming and laborious. Use of a Thesaurus Please do NOT copy content from some source on the WWW and then proceed to change every second word using synonyms from a Thesaurus. The end result will be a document that is extremely difficult to read and will not make any sense. For example, if you are writing about Woolworths fast food it is not recommended that you change this to crisp sustenance. Also time poor does not equate to time frugal. Your report will score poorly if you adopt this strategy.
Please refer to the library for information on how to paraphrase. Be objective You have not added any personal comments or statements which are subjective. In-text citations have been added for support.
Example: Do not write According to me,... Sources You have not used slideshare.net or Wikipedia. Abbreviations You have not used abbreviations.
Example: min -> minutes
Example: R and D -> Research and Development Too wordy You have written clear statements that are not wordy.
Example: Do not write On the other hand, they also looked at on what are the limitations of this new software... Word Count You have added the word count for the body of the document (not including the title page and the references). Check your facts You have researched fully and checked all my facts.
Example: A report that refers to the alliance between Qantas and British Airways but fails to mention the alliance between Qantas and Emirates is not good.
Example: A report that talks about the Amazon tablet computer but fails to refer to the product as the Kindle e-book reader.
Example: A report on Boeing that refers to Boeing as an airline. Avoid repetition You have proof read to ensure that there is no repetition in content.
Example: A sudden rapid drop of profits ... should be A rapid drop in profit.
Hint: Do not overstate points. Superlatives You have not used any superlatives.
Example: ... is a necessary and undeniable urgency Grammar You have proof read that the grammar is good.
Example: At present, BOQ has already fully implemented the new CRM system. However, whether the bank has achieved its purpose in modifying its CRM system still remains to be in question questionable until the financial results for the year 2013-2014 is are released. The effectiveness of the system will be reflected as to whether the bank has improved its financial performance and whether better customer relationship management was has been achieved. (Changes shown in strikethrough and highlighting.) Library Resources You have read and applied the information guides from the library on the following:
Searching for Information Online
Evaluating Information
How to Cite (In Text) and Reference (Harvard or APA whichever is the standard)
Plagiarism guide
Other Library Resources:
Writing Guidelines for Business by Emerson Good reference for business students. It covers topics such as writing reports, essays, research proposals and reports, and conducting literature reviews. It also has chapters on finding information and note taking. A useful all round guide to help you complete your assignments.
Introduction to Academic Writing by Oshima & Hogue This book is a more general look at the process of academic writing. It covers grammar, sentence structure and the writing process as a whole.
Ready to Write: From Paragraph to Essay by Blanchard & Root Covers the elements of good writing and the different types of essays you may have to write.
Library Support Help with:
referencing
Citing
Essay writing
Article research
Study skills
English skills
Originality Any attempt to improve originality by any of the following means will result in a mark of zero for the whole assignment:
Use of a thesaurus to change key words
Use of a language translator to translate source text from a another language into English
Use of an automated essay generator such as http://www.essaysoft.net/essay-generator.html
Students should understand that originality does not mean trying to disguise someone elses work as their own.
