THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD OF JAMAICA FIELD REPORT WRITING TEMPLATE A field report is a communication tool and is written to give an account of an event as well as organise and evaluate the experience of the author or observer. Reports are written around clear objectives and for specific audiences. While written from the author’s perspectives it should provide an objective and accurate reflection of the event. General rules: Written in chronological order based on the findings or occurrences of events Times New Roman 12 point or Arial 12 point fonts 1.5 or double spacing Full-justified Each chapter or section should begin on a separate page Number pages A good report usually includes the section listed below: 1. Cover Sheet The cover sheet provides an introduction to your report and normally includes the following: Logo – for that of your organisation or sponsor Title of the report – a short one-line description of the activity, for example, “Port Royal Residential Camp Report” Name of author/s (if worked in groups, name group and list members separately) Date prepared 2. Table of Contents A road map to your document that provide specific and quick information to locate content. It saves the readers’ time and organises your content. Each chapter, heading, sub-topic or critical point should be mentioned and the paged noted. For Example: Chapter 1................................Page 2 Conclusion ......................................Page 59 Please note that this section may be arranged in tabular format for easy lay-out but the borders can be removed for seamless reading. 3. Acknowledgements Acknowledge the work and support of anyone or organisation in completing the report and the event being reported on, from co-operation of those you assisted or interfaced with to sponsors, etc. These may be listed alphabetically or according to the value of their support or based on Jamaica’s Table of Precedence if representatives of Government or the Diplomatic community are involved.
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Field Report Template prepared by West & Associates for the DEAJ
4. List of Acronyms If you use acronyms (abbreviations) in your report, remember to include a list with their meanings to avoid confusion as one acronym may have different meanings, for example, MAJ could mean Media Association of Jamaica or Medical Association of Jamaica. Acronyms are always listed in alphabetical order, for example: DEAJ – Duke of Edinburgh Award Jamaica JIS – Jamaica Information Service Please note that this section may be arranged in tabular format for easy lay-out but the borders can be removed for seamless reading 5. Executive Summary A quick qualitative and quantitative, clear and concise summary review of the main points from the entire report. This summary is written last, ie., after everything else in the report is done although it is placed preceding the report to allow readers to get a rapid overview and synopsis of the event, you are reporting on. Please note that brief information from all chapters/sections should be reflected in the summary.
6. Chapter 1 – Introduction, Overview Open your report with the reason/purpose/objective of the report and the event being reported on. Include your learning objectives, expectations, challenges, profile of the community, profile of the people.
7. Chapter 2 + x – Body of the Report Start giving a detailed account of your experience breaking out into individual chapters expanding on issues in chapter 1 as you go along and discussing the components. Use examples, references to data gathered, pictures, etc. to bring your report to life and emphasise key areas. In the case of the field report, each day could be a different chapter, reporting on how each day unfolded. (Include in the body the impact the project had on the community)
8. Summary of Findings/Lessons Learnt/Conclusions/Recommendations Analyse your observation of the experience from the body of the report, note any key lessons and make recommendations for future field assignments.
9. References Always acknowledge the source of any quote, reference or image. An acceptable format is (Name, Year, Title, Page Number), for example Girvan, Norman. 1993. Working Together For Development. Page 43
10. Appendices Include supporting documents or evidence of your activities that were not already included in the body of the report, or the details if only extracts were used.
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Field Report Template prepared by West & Associates for the DEAJ