1 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting Information

The Norton Field Guide to Writing, 3e, © 2013, W. W. Norton & Company

Reporting Information

Chapter 9

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Key Features of Reports

• Tightly focused topic•Accurate, well-researched information• Various writing strategies•Clear definitions•Appropriate designs

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Guide to Writing Reports•Choose a topic•Consider the rhetorical situation•Generate ideas and text• Explore what you already know about the

topic• Narrow the topic• Develop a tentative thesis• Research and revise your thesis

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Ways of Organizing a Report

Begin by engaging reader

Provide background and thesis

Describe topic and define key terms

Explain topic by comparing, classifying, etc.

Conclude

Reports on topics that are unfamiliar to readers

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Ways of Organizing a Report

Reports on an event

Introduce topic and

background information

Narrate first event

Narrate second event

Repeat as necessary Conclude with

implications

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Ways of Organizing a Report

Reports that compare and contrast

Introduce topic and

background information

Describe one item

Describe another item using same structure used to describe the

first

Conclude by

restating thesis

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Writing a Draft• Draft a beginning• State thesis• Start with something that will pique interest• Begin with an illustrative example

• Draft an ending• Summarize main points• Point out implications of report• Frame report by referring to the introduction• Tell what happened

• Come up with a title

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Finishing Your Report

•Consider matters of design•Get response and revise• Edit and proofread• Take stock of your work