HOW TO WRITE YOUR OVERSEAS PROJECT WRITTEN REPORT
As you know, you have both a written report and an oral presentation to do in English for your project. Your English report should be bound and be visually attractive.
How long should the report be?
The report should be 1000-1200 words long. This number of words includes the title page and a contents page, but not the appendices (if you want to add any).
What should the report contain?
Your report should clearly explain the context of the project, why it was carried out, what you did and the results of the work. Divide it up as follows:
1. Title (on the title page)
2. Contents page: just list all the different parts of your report here. Don’t, whatever you do, include ‘contents page’ in the contents page.
3. Introduction: context (where you were, why the work was important, specific objectives)
4. Body: what you did and how you did it, including a clear description of the equipment you used and your role in the project
5. Conclusion: the results of your work and whether you achieved your objectives – this must not be personal, but the results of the work done for the company (e.g. this allowed the technicians to handle customers queries 30% more quickly, on average, than was previously the case)
6. Appendices are where you put additional information which is not essential, but which could interest the readers – in the report you write; ‘See appendix 5’ for further information’. This is a very useful way to avoid swamping the reader with too much detail in the main report.
How should the report be laid out?
The report must look professional, so leave appropriate margins around the page and double space the lines. Use a professional looking font (Times New Roman, for example) and use a size which is easy to read (12) without looking as if it is for primary school. On the title page, put your name in the top right-hand corner - this is to make it easier to file and find again. Do not begin a new page for each subsection of the report. Leave a space between paragraphs.
How should you illustrate the report?
Where it will help to communicate the information effectively, use illustrations. All illustrations must be numbered. Tables are always called ‘table 1’, ‘table 2’ and so on, and are counted separately, whereas graphs, pie charts and photos, etc. are called either ‘figures’ (British English) or ‘schemes’ (American English). All illustrations must have titles. For example, the first illustration might be ‘Figure 1. Architecture of a 3-tier application, the second ‘Figure 2. Structure of the Weblogic server application’, and the third ‘Table 1. Distribution of application users throughout the UK by region’.
Here are a few added, or repeated, pieces of advice from Mairi, Tracey, Simon and Bridget.
THE DO’S
Planning the content
1. Plan your report with care. It needs to be well-structured or you will not pass.
2. Avoid “dumbing down” (this means making it too simple). You are writing a professional report. Although reports are in fact read by English teachers, they are in theory supposed to be read by people with knowledge in your field who are not necessarily native English speakers.
3. It is essential to use a formal style.
4. We need a clear context for the work done.
5. The conclusion is the conclusion of the project: what worked or did not and future work.
Writing
1. Explain acronyms the first time they are used and on a separate page if there are many.
2. Write in English directly. It is far easier than translating and the result is much easier to understand.
3. Use paragraphs. Make sure that the entire content of the paragraph fits in logically with the first sentence of the paragraph. Remember that, in English, the first sentence of a paragraph in factual writing is often called the topic sentence because it tells the reader what the paragraph is about. This is different from French, where paragraphs often begin with a link to the last sentence. Paragraphs do not need to be indented when using a computer, but you should leave a line space between them.
4. Take time to do it properly.
5. Use formal language, no contracted forms (“it is” not “it’s”)
6. Use the past tense for what was done and the present simple for things which are general truths.
Illustrating
1. Use easy to read/understand diagrams which you should number ‘figure 1’, ‘figure 2’ or for tables, ‘table 1’, table 2 etc.
2. Write everything, including the axes of graphs, in English.
3. Use a decimal point, not a comma in numbers, e.g. 6.5 not 6,5.
Layout
1. Use a title page which must have your name in the top right corner. Also, the title of your report, your company’s name, the name of your supervisor in the company and your tutor at CPE must all be on this page.
2. The next page is the contents page (Contents, not the summary!).
3. Number the pages.
4. Unless you really want to make the reader angry, do not change lines inside paragraphs.
Reviewing
1. Click on “Language” and select the variety of English you want. This will remove most typing errors, as well as spelling mistakes.
2. You know what errors you usually make in English, so check your report for them.
3. Have a friend check it for glaring errors. This is not cheating but common sense!
THE DON’TS
1. Do not: wait until the night before the deadline at three in the morning to begin.
2. Do not: take your French report, translate the headings and put a two-sentence summary of what you said in French under each heading. This technique results in a mark of around 5.
3. Do not: use an automatic translator. The results of automatic translation would be funny if it were not for the resulting marks (between 3 and 5). Our all-time favourite silly translations include ‘beach time’ and ‘tablecloths of petrol’.
4. Do not: write in French but use English words – direct translations are a complete disaster. In fact, any translation is a mistake.
5. Do not: write a sort of diary. We do not want a logbook.
6. Do not: say how you felt about things.
7. Do not: use the present perfect for finished actions.
8. Do not: use the present tense for the past.
9. Do not: use the continuous for permanent things.
10. Do not: write lots of lists. You need to construct a written report in sentences.
11. Do not: use informal words or expressions like ‘got’.
12. Do not: use contractions like ‘it’s’.
13. Do not: talk about a mission. You are not on a mission. Missions are from God or from your country if you are employed as a spy or a commando. (007 goes on missions, you don’t).
14. Do not: begin a sentence in formal English with ‘and’, but’, ‘because’ or ‘so’.
15. Do not: use the word ‘indeed’ unless you really understand how to use it correctly. I have never met a student who did.
16. Do not: use three little dots at the end of a list – it is totally unacceptable.
Danger words
Here are some words or expressions that students often have problems with.
Permit or allow or enable all need a direct object (you allow someone to do something/ something to be done)
Plan is for a presentation, and Contents for a report (not: summary, agenda, outline or anything else!)
Concurrent (competitor) Implies
Mission Training
Photography (is the art of taking photos, not a photograph Satisfying does not mean satisfactory
Solicit (prostitutes do this when looking for clients, you don’t
Interesting is never used to mean something saved money or was profitable
Important person or event but large number or quantity Service does not mean department
Stage in a theatre (internship, secondment)
Had to (means you were forced) Execute = kill (except in computing)
Besides this, besides that – too informal Notice (see)
Integrate (worked in, became an integral part of (a team)
I was responsible for/ in charge of
Troubles (problems, difficulties)
Achievement As (such as, for example, for instance)
2D or 3D perspectives
Who for people/whichfor things Programming (not programmation)
To determine, the determination of To depend on
Synthetic (this is not a summary – it means it’s man-made, not natural)
Informalities to avoid
Come up with (found, thought of) get
Run out of (no more) ‘like’ for comparisons
Get rid of (remove) rough idea
A lot of or lots of (many things, problems, experiments, reagents much money, advice, help)