REPORT WRITINGPresented by:

Nitesh Kumar SrivastavaLL.M (ITEL)2011

Enrollment no:A0814111005

AIGLERAMITY UNIVERSITY UTTAR PRADESH

Meaning of Report Writing

According to Oxford English Dictionary“A report is a statement of the results of an investigation or

of any matter on which definite information is required” The legal research report is the statement that contains in brief the

procedure adopted and the finding arrived at by the researcher of a legal problem.

A legal report is not a complete description of work done by the researcher. it is only a brief statement of most significant facts that are necessary for understanding the generalization drawn by the investigator. It is the last phase of the research.

The basic aim of the report is to communicate the objectives of the work done, the procedures used in sufficient detail so that the work can be reproduced, discussion of results, and conclusions.

The essential of good repot writing

Decide the length of report Disclose correct and true information in a report Discuss all sides of the problem reasonably and impartially. Include

all relevant facts in a report Concentrate on the report structure and matter. Pre-decide the report

writing style. The report should be neatly presented and should be carefully documented Highlight and recap the main message in a report Use graphs, pie-charts, etc to show the numerical data records over

years Decide on the margins on a report. Ideally, the top and the side

margins should be the same (minimum 1 inch broad), but the lower/bottom margins can be one and a half times as broad as others

Characteristics of Report Report is a complete and compact written document giving updated

information about a specific problem Report is a systematic presentation of facts, figures, conclusions and

recommendations Report writers closely study the problem under investigation and

prepare a report after analyzing all relevant information regarding the problem

Report is a comprehensive document and covers all aspects of the subject matter of study. It is a self-explanatory and complete document by itself

Report is an effective tool of communication between top executives and subordinate staff working in an organization

Report writing is a time consuming, lengthy and costly activity as it involves collection of facts, drawing conclusion and making recommendations

MAIN STEP INVOLVES IN REPORT WRITING 1.Text The main text provides the complete outline of the research report

along with all details Title of the research study is repeated at the top or the first page of

the main text The main text of the report should have the following sections:

(i)Introduction; (ii)Methodology (design of his study); (iii) Content analysis and presentation of the result;(4)The summary

Introduction The purpose of introduction is to introduce this research project to

the readers It should be given to make clear to the reader why the problem was

considered worth investigating It should contain a clear statement of the objectives of research

Methodology (design of his study) It should give the exact meaning of measurement or term used

for the purpose The particular method and procedure used in data collection

should be mentioned The method that was followed in selecting the sample should

be presented Content analysis and presentation of the result This is the most important portion of the report. the collected

data is analysed and various inferences are drawn from it The contents of the report should be presented in such a way

that there is continuity of thought and there should be no gaps and discontinuity in expression

The new statement made in the discussion section should contribute something fresh to the readers understanding of the problem.

Contd… Besides the inference, sometimes suggestions are also required from

the investigator. suggestions should be practicable and based on logical reasoning.

Summary: It has become customary to conclude the research report with a very

brief summary, resting in brief the research problem, the methodology, the major findings and the major conclusions drawn from the research results.

FOOTNOTES AND END NOTES Footnotes give the source of authority of the statement of the text They are called footnotes because they are traditionally placed at the

foot of page Footnotes and Endnotes are used to give credit to sources of any

material borrowed, summarized or paraphrased The main difference between Footnotes and Endnotes is that Footnotes

are placed numerically at the foot of the very same page where direct references are made, while Endnotes are placed numerically at the end of the essay on a separate page entitled Endnotes or Notes

General Footnote Format Author’s First Name Last Name, Title (Place of publication: Publisher, date

of publication) page.

Janet Bode, The Colors of Freedom:  Immigrant Stories (New York: Franklin Watts,1999) 54.

REFERENCE References are listed in alphabetical order. References should be listed with the last names of all authors in the

order in which they appear in the reference cited. The names should be followed by the title of the reference. It should

then cite the source in detail. The year should follow in brackets. Examples: 1. R.B. Bird, W.E. Stewart, and E.N. Lightfoot .Transport

Phenomena., John Wiley, (2002) 2. S. Kumar, V. Ganvir, C. Satyanand, R. Kumar, K.S.

Gandhi .Alternative mechanisms of drop breakup in stirred vessels., Chem. Engg. Sci., 53(18), 3269-3280, (1998)

In the case of referring to journal articles, volume number is in bold font, issue number in brackets, the beginning and end page numbers, and the year in brackets.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography means booklist. Bibliography consist of the particulars of the literature referred to

and actually utilized in the preparation of the research report. Bibliography begins on a new page at the report. A bibliography is a list of author in alphabetical order. it follows the main text and is a separate part of the thesis. page

numberings is continuous and follows the page numbers of the text. Name of the author, title of the book, publishers address, year of the

publication, page number. Example: BOOK BY ONE AUTHOR: Ghosh B.N., “Scientific Methods and Social Research”, New Delhi,

Sterling Publishers Private Limited,1984.

Contd………. BOOK BY TWO AUTHOR: Sadhu A.N. and Amarjit Singh, “Research Methodology in Social

Science”, Bombay, Himalaya Publishing House,1980. Online Resources Internet: Author of message, (Date). Subject of message. Electronic

conference or bulletin board (Online). Available e-mail: LISTSERV@ e-mail address

EXAMPLE: Ellen Block, (September 15, 1995). New Winners. Teen Booklist

(Online). Smith@wellington.com World Wide Web: URL (Uniform Resource Locator or WWW address). author (or

item's name, if mentioned), date. EXAMPLE: http://www.boston.com. Today's News, August 1, 1996.

THANK YOU