WRITING GUIDE

IMAGE SOURCE: University of Newcastle Library guide "Report Writing"

Planning:

• Plan your time well. Begin the assignment soon after it is issued and allow enough time to finish the report on time. Research and the writing process can take longer than expected.
• Check the assignment and/or marking rubric and plan your research carefully, using the structure suggested by the task documentation.

Researching:

• Familiarise yourself with the marking scheme.
• Analyse the question or ensure you understand the task required, both the scope of the task and the focus of the research.
• Collect your research in an organised way. Use the note making method suitable to the task (Cornell, Outline, Mind Map, 5W's, Scientific method).
• Use a variety of resources and substantiate the facts.

Drafting/writing:

• Write an outline of your report structure, using headings and dot points, to guide your report writing.
• Use formal language. Reports must be objective. Use language and terms relevant to the subject you are writing about.
• Separate your key ideas into headings and sub-headings so that your report is broken up into clear sections for the reader. You can use numbers, letters and dot points to separate sections of your report, but be consistent in the method you choose to use. See example below.
• Writing your report is an ongoing process of writing and re-writing. 
• You don't need to begin at the introduction and write through to the conclusion. Often the body paragraphs are written first. 
• Check your work carefully.  Make sure all spelling, punctuation and grammar is correct.
• Get someone else to read what you have written to see if it makes sense to them. Let them ask you questions about what you have written.  Your reply may encourage you to change what you have written.

• Remember, your work must be entirely your own.
• You must acknowledge all sources of information. This includes images, tables and graphs.
• You must not share your research with other students.

The ability to write a cohesive argument rests on your ability to link your arguments. This is achieved through using linking verbs to integrate your arguments and citations together.