HOW TO WRITE A REPORT

When you are satisfied with the overall organization of the major topics in your report and when you have gathered all the research material you will need, you can begin to write the paper. Experienced writers say that the research and organization stage of the process probably takes about 75-80% of their time. The remaining 25-20% is devoted to writing, revising and proofreading.

Sit down with pen and paper (or at a computer) and start to write from your notes. This means going through the cards you have prepared in the order you assigned them in the planning stage and stringing them into sentences, paragraphs, and chapters that follow the outline you have prepared. If possible, write the rough draft in one sitting.

You will learn more about writing and using the results of your research in IAU-ENG 2.8, Writing Longer Essays and 2.9, Writing Informal Reports.

A WORD ABOUT PLAGIARISM*

Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas and/or words in your writing without giving credit to the person who created them. The dictionary defines this as “literary theft”.

To copy a writer’s words, summarize them, or even reword them (from resource material) in your own work is the equivalent of stealing from a store or someone’s home. Anything writers create from their own mind, whether it is music, art, or writing, is considered to be their personal intellectual property. In general, no one is allowed to use what someone else has created, without permission, until fifty years after his or her death. Whenever you write or create something, you too own the copyright to your intellectual property and you have the right to say how and when it can be used or photocopied. Plagiarism is considered a major offence and brings severe penalties in both the academic or business community.

Plagiarism may result in immediate dismissal from an academic institution. Certainly anyone found plagiarizing material will receive a “0" on the assignment, without the opportunity to rewrite. In the business community, plagiarism can bring major law suits and/or fines for copyright infringement. It is never acceptable to “steal” someone else’s work, ideas or words.

Be very careful when researching to make accurate notes and record all the bibliographic information from each resource books. This information is then used to give credit to the author on a Works Cited page or bibliography at the end of your paper.