Report Writing: Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis for Higher Education

This report analyses and evaluates strengths and weaknesses associated with report-writing for higher education. It identifies three strengths and three weaknesses on the basis of which it also suggests recommendations. The strengths include formal language, proper structure, and correct use of evidences. The weaknesses include formal punctuation, structure, and use of personal pronouns. The report provides recommendations for improvement such as providing guidance and training, assigning assessments, promoting academic integrity, and providing constructive feedback.

Skills for higher
education
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Executive summary
The purpose of this report is to analyse and evaluate strengths and weaknesses associated with
report-writing. In order to enhance skills for higher education, students should be made aware of
practices which helps them in future overall career development. This report is developed as to
identify numerous report-writing factors and the areas where improvement is required. This
report identifies three strengths as well as three weaknesses on the basis of which it also suggest
recommendations.
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Table of Contents
Executive summary ........................................................................................................................2
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................4
Findings ..........................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
Recommendations...........................................................................................................................4
References.......................................................................................................................................4
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Introduction
Report-writing is a useful skill which enables individuals to create systematic and
intellectual piece of information which is obtained from published or written sources. This report
aims at identifying various report-writing strengths as well as weaknesses in the example report.
It helps in determining skill gap which further allows students to focus upon attaining
improvement in required areas. The main objective of this report is to gain better understanding
about the subject of writing report. Through enhancing effective report-writing skills, students
can excel in the field of academic writing. This report would help them in practising report-
writing with high accuracy and systematic structure. The main strengths and weaknesses which
will be discussed in this report includes format of writing, language of content, structure
followed, use of first person, evidences, academic misconduct and formation of paragraphs.
Findings
The first report-writing strength that can be identified from example report is use of
formal language. According to Ansarifar, Shahriari and Pishghadam(2018) language used in
academic writing should be formal and of intellectual significance. It is preferred for writers to
avoid usage of casual language. Moreover, inaccurate generalisation must be avoided and it
should used where unnecessary information have to be removed. The language written must
clearly state the opinions and perceptions of writers and it should be clear to readers. The
complexity in sentences should be avoided which seems unclear to readers. Moreover phrases
should be supported with accurate punctuation in order to attain clarity in format of report-
writing. The report-writing should focus upon appropriate use of keywords instead of using
reference words. In addition to this, use of linking words to combine clauses or sentences should
be considered while preparing a report. Complicated scenarios should be written in a manner
which is clearly understood by readers.
The next strength that has been identified is structure followed. According to Hunziker
and Blankenagel (2021), the proper structure should be followed in report-writing to make it
more relevant and understandable. The structure of the report should be prepared in the order:
title page, executive summary, introduction, findings and so on. Reports prepared in appropriate
manner without following structure could result in lack of intellectuality and will make it
irrelevant. Moreover, paragraph structuring should be taken into consideration while forming
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reports. A report covers abundance of information and without following proper structure, it
became difficult to analyse for readers. Paragraph should starts with introductory lines
explaining the relevance of a given topic and then it should be followed with evidences and
interpretive statements. It should cover detailed explanation in the mid part
Another strength that can be identified in example report is correct use of evidences. As
per the view of Pears and Shields(2019), report-writing should be supported with appropriate use
of evidences from which information is obtained. Moreover, evidences should be properly
included in the report using correct format. The use of quotation marks and citations should be
emphasised in order to make a report more reliable or in compliance with academic integrity.
While paraphrasing acquired information from books and journals or online websites, it should
be cited accordingly. The content of report-writing should be supported with elements of
summarisation along with usage of appropriate citations. The use of evidence is important in
order to avoid academic misconduct and it makes the purpose of report-writing more authentic
and reliable.
In the following report, formal punctuation is considered to be the major weakness which
is identified in the report. As per the viewpoint of Henneke, while writing a report it is very
important to use the contractions and focusing on avoiding abbreviations while preparing a
report. Formal punctuation is considered to be a important aspect while writing a report. There
should be avoidance of contractions and also is is important to write each and every word in full
rather than writing the words in their abbreviated form. Another weakness which can be
identified in the report writing involves the structure of the report. While writing a report, it is
very important to follow a particular structure and should always begin with the sentence in
relation to the chosen topic. A report should always begin with a detail description about the
topic and should effectively explain the main objective and what the report basically covers. In
order to write a good report it is very important to follow a proper structure.
Another weakness which can be identified in the report involves use of personal
pronouns which are basically the nouns that indicate opinion of a individual. According to
Heemeng, the students while writing a report should avoid using personal pronouns such as my,
I and me. The report should be fully based on the evidence and primary logics. In context to
academic work, it always involves the information or data which has been tested in a scientific
way or that involves a logical sense. In order to make a effective report it is very important to
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mention the information or data which is highly based on scientific facts and logical senses and
should not involve any kind of pronouns which are personal. In context to academic writing, it is
very important that the report should involve all the necessary elements such as the title page,
table of contents, executive summary, introduction of the topic, main body, findings, conclusion
and references. It is very important to have a defined structure and the contents of the report
should be clearly stated in the table of contents page and should involve all the necessary
elements. While writing a report it is very important to avoid all these weaknesses as these might
result in in effective delivery of the information and might destroy the purpose and objective of
the whole report writing. Avoiding these weaknesses will help in improving the quality of report
and the information or data could be delivered in a effective manner. Therefore, in order to make
a effective report it is important to follow a defined structure and also focusing on avoiding use
of personal pronouns.
Conclusion
Various strengths and weaknesses associated with report-writing has been identified and
discussed. The report-writing factors such as structure of report, use of personal nouns, academic
caution and language used are discussed along with their relevance in report-writing. Through
determining various weaknesses and strengths in proper formation of reports, students should be
able to enhance their understanding on how attractive and potential reports should be created.
This analysis of report-writing factors helps in determining various criteria which further helps
in improving skills and abilities. This evaluation helps in developing better understanding about
academic writing which is advantageous for students in the process of career development. This
would assist students in enhancing their professional skills which will be helpful in promoting
their effective growth and development.
Recommendations
1. It is recommended that student should be provided with proper guidance and training in
order to help them understand the concept and relevance of effective report-writing.
Students could be taught and made understood better with the help of hypothetical
situation where they should apply a range of effective communication techniques.
2. It is recommended that students should be often assigned assessments of preparing
reports and they should be provided with relevant samples and models. Students should
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be made clear for strictly adhering to formats and structures provided in guidelines or
samples.
3. It is recommended that students should be enlightened with usage of words and how to
write constructively in formal language. It should be made clear to students that the use
of personal nouns should be strictly avoided. Moreover, they should be provided with a
list of words that are completely restricted.
4. It is recommended that students should be provided by constructive written feedback
clearly stating their areas of excellence and shortcomings. They should be made clear
with mistakes occurred in the proper formation of reports.
5. It is recommended that students should be guided to follow proper standards of academic
integrity. Awareness of academic integrity should be promoted among students in order
to ensure authenticity in the report-writing. It is recommended to ensure clarity of
punishments such as repetition of assessments in case of any academic misconduct.
Working notes
For completion of this assessment, information was gained regarding the primary
essentials of report writing in order to understand the shortcomings of a report sample. Then the
report was analysed and read in a detailed manner to identify whether the report consists of all
the major components required for good academic writing. Through understanding important
factors of report writing, errors were deducted to analyse weaknesses and strong points were also
identified for explaining strengths.
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References
Ansarifar, A., Shahriari, H. and Pishghadam, R., 2018. Phrasal complexity in academic writing:
A comparison of abstracts written by graduate students and expert writers in applied
linguistics. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 31, pp.58-71.
Hunziker, S. and Blankenagel, M., 2021. Writing up a Research Report. In Research Design in
Business and Management (pp. 53-84). Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden.
Pears, R. and Shields, G., 2019. Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
Rueda-Camino, J.A., Robles-Barrena, I. and Vegas-Sánchez, M.C., 2021. Skin lesions,
weakness, and axillary adenopathies in a 44-year-old woman. European Journal of
Internal Medicine, 93, pp.95-96.sses Face
Online
Introduction to the Report Writing of Essential Elements, 2022. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.vedantu.com/commerce/introduction-essential-elements>
Henneke, 2021. How to spot 8 weaknesses in your writing [Online] Available Through
<https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/writing-weaknesses/>
Heemeng, 2018. Finding the strengths and weaknesses of direct reports [Online] Available
Through <https://www.platohq.com/resources/finding-the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-
direct-reports>
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