### Basic Principles

of Good Report Writing ‘ 

### Accurate o Report

factual information

— 

### “I saw”. o Report

information gained through

the physical

senses —sight, smell, taste, hearing,

and touch. VO 

### Be aware of “feelings”

that may destroy objective descriptions

— 

### strong feelings

can cause the writer to seek evidence
to support

bis/her feelings

and reject evidence that will not support

them. o Make distinctions between fact and hearsay,

fact and opinion,

and fact and conclusions. o Be clear about the meaning

of words; avoid jargon. o Clarify

all abbreviations (e.g.,

SOB-short
of breath). o Proofread your report

for accuracy;

rewrite as necessary. FACT vs. HEARSAYV • A fact is information learned through use of investigator’s

own senses or • corroborated
by information the investigation

obtains. • Statements from other persons,

even witnesses, are hearsay.V • Hearsay

is admissible
in administrative hearings

and should not be prohibited.V FACT vs. OPINION • Fact las the quality of being independent

and can be confirmed
or substantiated. • Opinion

is an idea, an impression

or a notion resulting

from
a personal sentiment. • Opinions

are not to be expressed

in the main body of a report. FACT

T5 CONCLUSION • A fact proves itself while

a conclusion requires

collaborative evidence. • A fact exists independently

of the observer, while
a conclusion exists only in the mind of the observer. • A fact is observable, while

a conclusion

is reasoned. • A conclusion involves drawing

an inference that appears

to be the necessary

and logical consequence

of preceding presuppositions, information
or evidence.Basic Principles
of Good Report Writing (cont.) + Complete o Completeness

is achieved by reporting all the facts discovered during the courseof the investigation. oWhen in doubt, include the information. Information that appears irrelevant
to the investigator maybe relevant to the reviewer. oIn most cases,the only information the reader will have will be the information

in the report. o Partially stated facts canbe misleading and misinterpreted. o Explain why certain information

is lacking or incomplete. o Identify in detail the possible sourceof additional information and undeveloped leads. + Concise oAvoid unrelated; extraneous, incidental and nonessential information and unnecessary detail. oUse good sentence and paragraph structure. oAvoid numerous adjectives and repetitions. oAvoid wit, sarcasm and flowery expressions. oUse singleness of thought and purpose.

A good report will give the reader

aclear notion, idea or image of the investigation. oUse headings, paragraphing, sentence structure, indentations, underlining, and capitalization

to emphasize and give weight and/or visibility
to information the investigator deems more important. o Keep the report brief by stating the required information

in as few words as possible. + Impartial/Objective oThe investigator

is afact finder. Report all the material and evidentiary facts without addition or subtraction. oDo not conceal or withhold any information. oDo not assume oDo not conclude. oMaintain an unbiased and openmind about the case. 2Basic Principles

of Good Report Writing (cont.) o Avoid fonriulating preconceived

ideas about the guilt of the accused. o Avoid becoming emotionally

involved
in the process of seeking information. Clarity

and Report

Form o Arrange

the contents of the report to enable the reader to identify

the various sections of the report. o Write in chronological

order. o Observe the rules of grammar

and composition; spelling, punctuation, capitalization. o Avoid ambiguous

sentences and vague statements. o Additional parts of the complete report could include; title page, information
on undeveloped leads, investigator’s conclusions, witness list and exhibit/evidence
list. 3