Unit I Fundamentals of Report Writing

FUNDAMENTALS OF REPORT
WRITING
UNIT I
UNIT I
THE NATURE OF REPORT

WRITING
A report is an objective statement of the findings of the investigator; this is an official record of the
information that is relevant to an investigation. Therefore, a good report plays an important role in the
success of any investigations. But the fact remains that there are many reports that are haphazardly written
and, it results in jeopardizing the whole investigation process. There is a great demand for every report
writer to fully develop his writing skills so that the best written outputs will be achieved.
Reports are helpful and may influence the career of the investigator, or any law enforcer. Recognition
and promotion are mostly based on the quality of reports. The personality of an effective report writer is
also reflected in the kind of reports he writes. Well written reports show a favorable reports can damage the
writer’s career, as it may also destroy the image of the agency or the organization he is connected with.
POINTS TO CONSIDER IN WRITNG REPORTS
UNIT I
Well-written reports do not happen in a snap of a finger, but rather they are products of series of writing
activities that are perfected over constant practice. Good report writers are those who painstakingly take the
effort of writing and revising their work to achieve the best output. They follow certain points of considerations
and rules in writing reports like; using the best language, avoiding the errors of form, and avoiding errors of
substance.
The best language in report writing is one that could be easily understood by the target reader, because not
all reader has the time to read twice and decipher ambiguous reports. A report that contains the best language
includes the following characteristics: concise, clear, organized, thorough, accurate, and adequate. Faulty report
is awkward and ambiguous; and those with grammatical errors are an additional headache to the reader,
because it may present meaning aside from what it intends to convey. Report writers are greatly expected to be
well-versed in grammar and all its governing rules to avoid errors in spelling, typographical forms, file number,
and report format.
POINTS TO CONSIDER IN WRITNG REPORTS
UNIT I
The substance of the report is the most important aspect in writing, this has something to do with
the exact content of the report with the completeness of the 5W’s and 1H. The accurate content of the
report is seriously considered because it can seriously affect the lives of people like a criminal being set
free, or an innocent person being convicted. In addition, the credibility of the writer will also be
tarnished, along with the reputation of the whole company or agency he is representing. To avoid this
error, the writer must not delay in investigating and reporting, he must include essential facts, must
cover obvious leads, and must conduct adequate interviews.
STRATEGIES IN WRITNG GOOD REPORTS
UNIT I
Just like any other activity, writing is a process that requires strategies. Good written outputs are the
products of carefully crafted writing activity. A writer can expect a favorable outcome in his report if the
written activity has been developed from a specific goal, and follows from a time-tested strategy. The following
are suggested strategies that a writer must adhere in writing a report:
1. Check and re-check first whether notes on gathered facts are already complete and organized.
2. If notes on gathered facts are insufficient, go back into the process of gathering more facts related to the
situation.
3. Make an outline of the report basing from the completely gathered facts.
4. Use the chronological order of writing presenting facts and ideas in the written report.
5. The outline of the report should basically answer the complete 5W’s and 1H.
6. Prepare a report that could be either simple, brief, complex, or in memorandum forum, depending on its
required format.
UNIT I
TYPES OF REPORT WRITERS
According to the Philippine National Police Investigative Manual, there are three types of report writers:
Those who write without thinking, those who write and think at the same time, and those who think first and
write afterwards.
The writers who write without thinking are those who do not bother to gather facts and information to
support the written report. They are those who do not keen in observing and gathering facts to supplement the
written output. Thee are also writers who are not conscious of their grammar errors and do not intend to correct
what is grammatically wrong. They are lazy and careless in gathering specific information. As a whole, they are
not concern whether their readers will understand the written report or not.
On the other hand, there are also writers who write and think at the same time, these are the writers who
gather information and facts and put them into writing. In addition, they review and verify their works but they
are in a hurry to write, therefore the gathered informations are not properly documented. These kinds of writers
are also partially conscious of the grammatically of their written output, and submit their reports with average
accuracy.
UNIT I
TYPES OF REPORT WRITERS
The last types of report writers are those who think first and write afterwards. These writers are those who
gather specific data, facts, and evidences carefully before they write, and they are very keen in observing and
gathering information to back up their report. They are also very conscious of their grammar and goes on
correcting themselves to improve their written output. Because they are diligent in collecting facts, their reports
are accurate, complete, fair, concise, and specific. These writers are concern about the conciseness of their
report with the purpose in mind that their reader will be able to understand everything they have presented.
Lastly these are the writers who present reports that are free from biases, prejudices, subjectivity, and
errors in any form, and thus, they submit reports with 100% accuracy/

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FUNDAMENTALS OF REPORT

THE NATURE OF REPORT

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