4: Reports

Overview

Yikes—your teacher has just assigned a research paper! No problem—this assignment will help you with the basics of constructing a document like this. When you are finished your research, you will be able to quickly and easily create a professional-looking paper you can be proud of.

After you have completed the learning activities in this section, you will be able to handle any assignment or project confidently, easily, and proficiently.

In this section you will

- learn how to create an outline for a report
- learn the basic format of a report
- learn how to create an attractive title page for the report
- learn how to use headers and footers to automatically number pages
- read and watch demonstrations to learn about report creation
- practise using the software to complete three practice activities

Reports

Reports are documents that present ideas and facts in a logical form so that readers can understand presented information, form opinions, and make decisions, if necessary.

The purpose of the report and the intended audience will determine the report’s length and format.

Reports can provide information, tell a story, or present an opinion.

Formal reports give information about a particular topic and are written according to a specific style guide, such as that of the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA). In the workplace, businesses use a variety of formatting styles to reflect their corporate image and unique style of branding.

Lists and Outlines

You have already learned how to create bulleted, numbered, and multilevel lists in the graphics section of this module. Using lists and outlines for report-writing will help you organize your thoughts in a meaningful and logical way in order to begin the writing process. These lists can guide your writing and ensure you discuss every point you want to make.

Here is an example of an outline that will help you begin writing a report.

MICROSOFT BUSINESS CERTIFICATION

1. Benefits of Certification
  1. Skills for business and technology
  2. Industry standards recognition
  3. Career options
2. Certification Options
  1. Microsoft Office Word
  2. Microsoft Office Excel
  3. Microsoft Office PowerPoint
  4. Microsoft Office Access
3. Career Connections
  1. Interests, Values, Beliefs, Resources, Prior Learning Experience
  2. Possible Career Paths
  3. ALIS Web site career planning

Formatting Business Reports

After completing your outline and then writing your report, you will format your report using a specific style. There are several formal report styles for you to choose from, so select a style appropriate for the purpose of your writing.

Click the links below to see examples of different report styles and their formatting.

Simple report for school or business

Reports for humanities (English and Social Studies): MLA

Reports for Social Sciences (Psychology): APA

As you probably noticed, reports can look very different depending on the formatting style the author uses. It is important to always check with your teacher or employer as to his or her preferred style.

In the following examples and demonstrations, you will discover the structure of a simple report, and then learn to apply formatting to enhance the look of the report and highlight important information.

Study this example to learn the format and structure of a simple business report.

To set the line spacing and text alignment, use the commands in the Paragraph group. The features are available in the toolbar:

They are also accessible via the Format menu under “Align” and “Line Spacing.”

Below are two refresher instruction sets.

Change line spacing

1. Select the lines you want to change.

1. In the toolbar, click Line spacing .
2. Select an option from the menu. To choose a custom value for spacing, click Custom spacing.

Note: You can also add space before or after a paragraph from the menu.

Change paragraph alignment

1. Select the paragraph you want to change.
2. In the toolbar, choose one of the alignment options:

- - Left align

- - Center align

- - Right align

- - Justify

Watch the “Paragraph Indents - Google Docs” video to learn how to use indents. Although you can use the Tab key to create indents, using the indent features on your ruler is a much more reliable way to create consistent indents as the settings will indent new paragraphs for you.

Headings and Subheadings

Well-placed, descriptive headings and subheadings help organize the body or content of a report in a logical manner, making the document easier to read. Headings highlight particular sections of the report, while subheadings are more specific to the individual ideas or topics covered in those sections. The headings and subheadings in your report correspond to the topics and subtopics in the outline of your report.

To learn how to use the formatting features in the font group to format headings and subheadings in a report, watch the “Google Docs: Working with Heading Styles” video.

Google Docs has preformatted styles to make formatting your documents quick and easy. In the menu shown on the right, or via the Format menu and the “Paragraph Styles” submenu, you will find a library of predefined sets of formats that include font, colour, size, and alignment decisions.

Page Breaks

Docs will automatically insert a new page when there is enough text for more than one page. You can also insert page breaks in a document manually by using Control + Enter, or by using the Page break feature on the Insert menu. This is useful when you want to control where a new page is inserted in a document.

Report Title Pages

Now that you know how to insert page breaks, you will be able to use a similar function to create a title page for your report so that the entire report can be saved in one file. The title page comes at the beginning of a report and is meant to create interest, generate a first impression, and provide information, such as:

- the report’s title (and subtitle if there is one)
- the author’s name
- the name of the course for which the report has been prepared and the name of the teacher if prepared for a particular class
- the preparation date of the report
- complementary graphics relating to the report

Look at the following link to see an example of a report title page that includes all necessary information.

You can create a report title page in a separate document, or by inserting a page break to create a new page before your report begins. Keeping the entire report together in one file is beneficial if you are submitting your report electronically to your teacher.

Watch the “MLA Review - Title Page” video for an example of how to create a title page for your report. Note that the video is specific to MLA formatting and these conventions may not be required by your teacher.

If you desire to, or if your teacher specifies that you must, have a graphic on your title page similar to the one in the example, watch the “Insert Image Google Docs” video.

Headers and Footers

Headers are inserted at the top of a page, footers are inserted at the bottom. Both carry information about the document, such as page number, the report’s submission date, the author’s name, and the title of the report. This information is repeated on every page.

To insert a header or footer, go to the Insert tab, then select the Header or Footer feature. Alternatively, you can double-click in the Header or Footer area on the document or use the shortcut key command.

To insert page numbers in your report, go to the “Page number” feature and select the layout option you want:

- Options on left: This will number every page in the top or bottom right corner
- Options on right: This will leave the first page (i.e., your title page) without a number and begin numbering on the second page in the top or bottom right corner

Once you have formatted your report, you will want to preview it to make sure that all formatting is in place. To preview a document, go to the print screen and look through the preview to ensure the proper formatting is being used.

Outline Assignment /3

In this practice, you will be asked to create a report outline using provided information. Use this as a check to determine if you understand the formatting necessary to create a multilevel list. You may go back and check steps if you need assistance.

1. Open a new, blank Google document.
2. Save the document as “Outline - Firstname Lastname” in your INF1030: Reports folder.
3. Create the outline below for the WorldSkills Competition, using the Multilevel List feature.
4. Choose Arial 12 point font.
5. Type in the title of the report in CAPITAL LETTERS, bold.

1. Hit your Enter key twice to leave one blank line between the title and the body of the outline.
2. Make sure the body of the outline is regular font (not bold), and Capitalize Each Word.
3. Click the Multilevel List button and select a style that uses both numbers and letters.
4. Spell check and proofread to catch any mistakes.
5. Print Preview the outline to see it in its final form.

1. Check your Outline against the exemplar.
2. Save the finished document with your changes.

Title Page Assignment /5

In this practice, you will be asked to create a title page for a report. Use this as a check to determine if you understand the formatting necessary to prepare a title page for a report. You may go back and check steps if you need assistance.

1. Open a new, blank Google document.
2. Save the document as “Title Page - Firstname Lastname” in your INF1030: Reports folder.
3. Spend a bit of time investigating the WorldSkills Competition using the Internet — once you have a feel for the competition, create a report title page. The following information should appear on your title page:
  - Title: WorldSkills Competition
  - Subtitle: Connecting Youth, Skills, and the Future
  - By: Your Name
  - The current date
4. Use formatting and styles to give your document professional appeal.
5. Insert a graphic appropriate to the spirit of the competition.
6. Take the time to spelling and grammar check as well as proofread the title page to catch any mistakes.
7. Preview your title page and make any necessary adjustments to make the page visually appealing and professional-looking.
8. Check your Title Page against the exemplar.
9. Save the document with your changes.

Report Assignment /7

In this practice, you will format a simple business report (the text of the report is provided for you). Use this as a check to determine if you understand the formatting necessary in report preparation. You may review the demonstrations in this training room if you need help. Refer to the Simple Business Report exemplar as a guide to help you prepare this document.

1. Open the document report. Make a copy and save it as “Report - Firstname Lastname” in your INF1030: Reports folder.
2. Select the report, change Line Spacing in the Paragraph tab to double space.
3. Centre and format the title, subtitle, and byline of the report.
4. Align-left the entire body of the report, starting with “Overview.”
5. Format the headings — OVERVIEW, THE ROAD TO WORLDS, SKILLS CATEGORIES, and WORLDSKILLS FACTS. Headings should be bold and uppercase, or choose an appropriate style.
6. Format the subheadings “skills canada alberta” and “locations” to Capitalize Each Word.
7. Single space and indent the following long quotation 1 inch left and right.

1. Insert page numbers in the footer of the report.
2. Single space the Works Cited page, leaving one blank line between each bibliography entry. Select the bibliography entries and create a .5 inch hanging indent.
3. Compare your document to the simple business report exemplar to check your formatting, then make any necessary changes to your report.
4. Take time to spelling and grammar check as well as proofread the report to catch any mistakes.
5. Print Preview the report to see it in its final form.
6. Check your Report against the report answer key.
7. Save the document.

Check Point

Self-check each practice session against the answer keys provided.

How did your documents compare to the exemplars and key provided? If your practice activities have errors, fix them then upload your documents to the Reports Assignment on Classroom, submit, and move on to the next assignment.

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