New, but SECONDS quality copy of John Bowden's "Writing a Report: How to Prepare, Write and Present Really Effective Reports": Revised and Updated 9th Edition, 2012, 239pp, ISBN 9781845284701

Condition Notes: The copies we have left have blemishes, or creases to them in places, e.g. a faint bump to the bottom of the spine or some crumpling to the long opening edge on the back. There is no loss of text or readability - it's simply that these copies have minor superficial faults incurred during transport to the warehouse and store

About this book: Now in its 9th edition, this extensively revised and updated handbook explains how you can write reports that will be:

1. Read without unnecessary delay

2. Understood without undue effort

3. Accepted, and where applicable, acted upon

Divided into three parts, the book looks in detail firstly at the practical side of report writing:

a) Preparation and planning

b) Collecting and handling information

c) Writing and revising

Secondly, at the creative side of report writing, it focuses on:

i. Getting the grammar, punctuation and spelling right

ii. Improving the overall appearance of reports

It looks at annual reports, appraisal reports, audit reports, minutes, progress reports, student project reports, technical reports.

There is an extensive glossary and a selection of sample reports

Contents:

List of illustrations

Preface to the ninth edition

Acknowledgements

Part 1. The Practical Side of Report Writing

1. Preparation and Planning

Setting your objective; Assessing your readership; Deciding what information you will need; Preparing your skeletal framework; testing and revising your skeletal framework; Summary

2. Collecting and Handling Information

Locating sources of relevant information; obtaining the information; sorting and grouping your findings; evaluating your findings; prioritising your findings; checking your findings; acknowledging your sources; summary

3. Writing and Revising Your Report

Pre-writing; Drafting the main body and appendixes; Reviewing the main body and appendixes; Drafting the references, conclusions, recommendations, introduction and summary; checking and amending the report; issuing the report; summary

Part 2. The Creative Side of Report Writing

4. A Style Guide to Good Report Writing

Report style; Achieving a good style; Choosing your words carefully; principles for effective report writing; summary

5. The Correct Use of English
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, summary

6. Improving the Presentation of Your Report

Word processing and desktop publishing; layout and design; typography; illustrations; colour; paper, covers, binding and indexing; summary

Part 3. Some Common Types of Report

Accident reports; agendas for committee meetings; annual reports; appraisal reports; audit reports; comparative testing reports; duty notes reports; explanatory reports; feasibility reports; informative reports; instructional manuals; interview reports; investigation into the financial affairs of a company reports; minutes; process description reports; progress reports; research reports; scientific reports; student project reports; systems evaluation reports; technical reports; trouble-shooting reports

Appendix 1: Harvard Referencing

Appendix 2: Sample Reports

Glossary

Resources

Index