Report Prep
Write it so it survives the reader who was not there
Investigative report writing for police, HR, Title IX, insurance, corporate, and private investigators. Sixty lessons in ten modules move from purpose and responsibility through notes, structure, precise and neutral writing, documenting interviews, evidence and exhibits, analysis and findings, difficult reporting situations, and review, then close with six writing workshops, including a public sector report and a corporate or private investigation report. Follow the sequence, or pick the lesson for the report you are writing.
In production now; lessons are released in teaching order.
Module 1: Purpose, Audience, and Responsibility
Top ↑- 1
What a Report Is For and Who Reads It
The decision the report needs to support; primary readers and later reviewers; what the reader must understand without speaking to you.
Free sample - 2
Your Assignment Sets the Boundaries
The question you were asked to investigate; scope, authority, and reporting expectations; recognizing issues outside the assignment.
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Choosing the Right Report Type
Incident reports, interview summaries, and supplements; investigative reports and internal findings reports; matching the format to the assignment and organization.
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Public and Private Sector Reporting
Agency, employer, and client requirements; criminal allegations, policy concerns, and contractual questions; keeping different purposes and standards clearly identified.
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What You Know and How You Know It
Personal observations, reported information, and records; distinguishing evidence from inference; making the source of each important statement clear.
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Ownership, Accuracy, and Candor
Responsibility for the report you submit; including material limitations and contrary information; identifying matters that remain unresolved.
Module 2: Notes and Source Material
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It Starts With Your Notes
Capturing people, actions, locations, and times; recording exact language when it matters; separating observations from reminders and impressions.
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Taking Notes You Can Use Later
Consistent identifiers, abbreviations, and page references; marking uncertainty and incomplete information; making notes understandable after time has passed.
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Recording Time and Sequence
Event time, reporting time, and documentation time; estimated times and conflicting clocks; recording the basis for a reconstructed sequence.
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Working With Recordings and Transcripts
Locating passages with timestamps; checking transcript accuracy against the recording; identifying inaudible, interrupted, or incomplete material.
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Organizing the File Before You Write
Grouping interviews, records, evidence, and correspondence; building a source index; separating working material from the report package.
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Finding Gaps Before Drafting
Missing records and unanswered questions; conflicts between notes and other sources; deciding what needs clarification before writing.
Module 3: Structure and Reader Guidance
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A Report Structure You Can Adapt
Purpose, background, methods, evidence, and results; required organizational elements; choosing sections that fit the assignment.
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Writing the Opening
Why the investigation began; what the report covers; essential context without unnecessary history.
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Choosing Chronological or Topic Organization
When chronology helps the reader; when allegations, issues, or subjects should lead; combining approaches without repetition.
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Writing a Useful Summary
The central issue and significant results; material limitations and unresolved questions; checking the summary against the complete report.
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Paragraph Construction
One main point or event per paragraph; clear subjects, actions, and source attribution; transitions that explain relationships between facts.
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Writing for the Reader Who Wasn’t There
Introducing people, locations, and terminology; explaining necessary context; testing whether the account stands on its own.
Module 4: Precise and Neutral Writing
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Facts, Not Unsupported Conclusions
Observable facts versus descriptive labels; replacing conclusions with supporting details; reserving analysis for clearly identified sections.
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Neutral Language and Words That Signal Bias
Loaded verbs, adjectives, and labels; language that assumes intent or guilt; applying consistent descriptions to all parties.
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Writing Clearly Without Oversimplifying
Familiar words and direct sentences; defining necessary technical terms; preserving distinctions that affect meaning.
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Writing About Uncertainty
Known, estimated, disputed, and unknown information; matching the strength of language to the evidence; avoiding false precision and implied certainty.
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Documenting Demeanor Without Interpreting It
Specific behavior and the surrounding circumstances; separating observation from interpretation; avoiding claims about truthfulness based on demeanor alone.
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Documenting What Didn’t Happen
Actions not taken and information not obtained; negative results and the limits of the search; distinguishing absence of evidence from an established absence.
Module 5: Documenting Interviews and Accounts
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Preparing an Interview Summary
Date, setting, participants, and purpose; the source and method of documentation; organizing the account around relevant issues.
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Quotes Versus Summaries
When exact language matters; marking quotations and paraphrases accurately; preserving meaning and context when shortening an account.
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Separating the Question From the Answer
When the prompt is necessary to understand the response; leading, compound, or ambiguous questions; avoiding summaries that make answers sound more definite.
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Handling Conflicting Accounts
Stating the competing versions fairly; identifying agreement and material differences; separating reported contradictions from your evaluation.
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Changes, Clarifications, and Corrections to an Account
What changed and when; the explanation offered for the change; preserving the original account and later clarification.
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Sensitive Information and Communication Limitations
Relevant detail without unnecessary personal information; interpreters, accommodations, and communication barriers; documenting limitations without making unsupported judgments.
Module 6: Evidence, Records, and Exhibits
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Describing Evidence So It Can Be Identified
Unique identifiers and relevant characteristics; where the item or record came from; connecting the description to the evidence record.
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Documenting Collection, Receipt, and Transfer
Who obtained or received the evidence; dates, locations, condition, and handling; accurate references to custody and transfer records.
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Writing About Documents and Business Records
Author, custodian, date, and source; what the record shows and what it does not establish; incomplete records and limits on interpretation.
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Writing About Digital Evidence
Devices, accounts, files, and extraction sources; timestamps, time zones, and available metadata; distinguishing content from assumptions about its user or author.
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Photographs, Video, Diagrams, and Screenshots
Identifying the source and relevant segment; describing what is visible without adding unsupported meaning; recording edits, annotations, or presentation changes.
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Attachments, Exhibits, and References
Consistent labels and numbering; directing the reader to the relevant page or passage; checking that every referenced item is included or accounted for.
Module 7: Analysis, Findings, and Recommendations
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The Analysis: Connecting Evidence to the Question
Defining the question being answered; organizing the relevant evidence; explaining the reasoning between evidence and conclusion.
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Identifying the Applicable Standard
Locating the standard governing the assignment; distinguishing criminal, policy, civil, and contractual questions; identifying who is responsible for the ultimate determination.
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Weighing Support and Contrary Evidence
Evidence supporting the proposed finding; evidence that weakens or challenges it; explaining unresolved conflicts and material limitations.
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Considering Alternative Explanations
Plausible competing explanations; evidence that helps distinguish between them; recognizing when the investigation cannot resolve the choice.
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Findings and Conclusions
Answering each investigative question; using the organization’s authorized finding categories; matching the conclusion to the evidence and applicable standard.
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Recommendations: When They Belong and When They Don’t
Whether recommendations fall within the assignment; separating factual findings from proposed action; explaining the basis and limits of any recommendation.
Module 8: Difficult Reporting Situations
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Writing an Incomplete or Interim Report
Why the report is being issued now; work completed and work outstanding; preventing preliminary observations from appearing final.
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Multiple Subjects, Allegations, and Locations
Keeping people and issues distinct; connecting shared evidence without merging separate questions; organizing findings so each allegation receives an answer.
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Joint Investigations and Multiple Contributors
Assigning writing and review responsibilities; identifying who performed each action; reconciling inconsistent terminology and overlapping accounts.
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Documenting Decisions and Investigative Limits
Why an investigative step was taken or declined; access, resource, and scope limitations; separating documented reasons from later explanations.
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Supplements and Corrections
New information versus correction of an error; identifying the original report and affected passage; preserving the history of the record under applicable procedures.
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Sensitive Reports and Controlled Distribution
Identifying the intended recipients; following applicable handling and redaction requirements; routing privilege and disclosure questions to authorized counsel.
Module 9: Review and Quality Control
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The Accuracy Review
Names, dates, numbers, quotations, and identifiers; checking statements against their original sources; resolving inconsistencies before submission.
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The Completeness Review
Whether the report answers the assigned questions; missing contrary evidence and unexplained gaps; whether attachments support the account presented.
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The Reasoning Review
Conclusions without sufficient support; circular reasoning and assumptions presented as facts; whether an alternative explanation received fair consideration.
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Read It Like the Other Side
Statements a skeptical reader would challenge; ambiguous wording and missing context; revising for accuracy without becoming argumentative.
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Supervisory Review and Revision
Distinguishing factual corrections from style preferences; resolving substantive disagreements; checking that revisions preserve accuracy and authorship.
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The Most Common Report Mistakes and What They Cost
Unsupported labels, unclear sources, and broken chronology; missing exhibits, inconsistent findings, and overstated certainty; building a final checklist around recurring problems.
Module 10: Practical Writing Workshops
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Workshop One: From Notes to a Clear Narrative
Organize a mixed set of notes; identify missing facts and uncertain details; draft a readable account without inventing connections.
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Workshop Two: From Interview to Accurate Summary
Review a recording excerpt and supporting notes; select quotations and paraphrases; preserve qualifications, context, and the speaker’s meaning.
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Workshop Three: Conflicting Accounts and Evidence
Build a comparison of the competing accounts; integrate records that support or challenge each version; write the unresolved points and analysis separately.
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Workshop Four: A Public Sector Investigative Report
Define the incident, investigative steps, and evidence; attribute information and explain the sequence; produce a report suited to the assigned agency purpose.
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Workshop Five: A Corporate or Private Investigation Report
Define the client or employer’s questions and scope; organize evidence around the relevant issues; present findings, limitations, and authorized recommendations.
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Workshop Six: The Complete Report Audit
Review a report containing factual and structural defects; correct language, sourcing, analysis, and exhibit references; produce a final version and explain the substantive revisions.
Planned at $15 a month or $125 a year. Leave your email and you will hear when it opens.