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Ph.D. Student Handbook

Annual ph.d. progress report.

Starting in their second year, students will meet with a mentoring committee annually. Prior to candidacy, the mentoring committee will be composed of their Qualifying committee. After candidacy, the mentoring committee will be composed of their Dissertation committee, which depending on the nature of a student’s thesis may include members of the Qualifying committee. At least one week prior to the annual meeting (which also includes the candidacy exam), the student will provide a brief progress report (3-page max, excluding non-mandatory figures), an updated CV, and a copy of their IDP. At the beginning of the meeting, the student will meet alone with the committee, followed by a meeting of the advisor(s) with the committee. The committee chair will fill out the PhD Committee Meeting Report.

Access the Progress Report Submission form her e.

The purpose of the Dissertation Committee is to provide objective advice and fresh points of view to the student and Advisor. A lively discussion may be expected at these meetings, which is sure to benefit the student and the student’s research. Committee meetings are also important for ensuring that the student is: i) on schedule to complete the Thesis in an appropriate time frame, including maintaining the appropriate balance of experiments, analysis, writing, and dissemination; ii) thinking about and effectively pursuing post-graduation career plans; and iii) at the appropriate time is given permission to defend.

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Secondary Menu

  • Research Progress Report/Prelim Document

The preparation and submission of the Research Progress Report/Prelim Document emphasizes your research accomplishment at an early stage. The report also provides practice in technical writing, an important part of graduate training. The report serves as a first concrete step toward the preliminary examination, and the revised and updated version will also serve as the written document that guides the examination. As such, the report demonstrates your accomplished research and an understanding of the project, and is used to measure (and correct) your organizational and technical writing ability. It should be completed with minimal input from the research advisor.

A written prelim document  will be submitted by each student to the Director of Graduate Studies Assistant no later than March 1 of the Spring semester of year two. If a student’s affiliation with a lab is delayed due to not completing the required coursework stipulated in Section C or placement on academic probation due to poor academic performance, the preliminary exam will not be deferred.

The report will be evaluated by all members of the student’s supervisory committee, each providing critical comments and suggestions for revisions, both on the prelim document itself and the Chemistry Thesis Assessment Protocol (ChemTAP) worksheets provided. The report and comments will be returned to the student by March 15. A final and updated version of this report will serve as the written document for the preliminary examination and will be considered part of the examination.

Report Structure

The report should normally include the following sections. The body of the document should contain no more than 2500 words, not counting figures, references, and any appended experimental details. Students are encouraged to consult the ACS Style Guide and/or research journals in their research area for guidance on matters of style and format.

  • Abstract of no more than 100 words.
  • Introduction section that should state the broad goals and specific aims of the research, point to the significance and/or relevance of the research, and should provide sufficient background to place the research in the context of past and ongoing work in the research area, e.g. the literature.
  • Methods - brief section outlining relevant methods employed in the research, with expanded experimental details appended outside the body of the document as necessary.
  • Results - this section should summarize progress to date.
  • Discussion section
  • Future Work

When submitting the final draft of preliminary exam document to the committee the student should also provide a summary of their changes.

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Writing a progress/status report

By michael ernst, january, 2010.

Writing a weekly report about your research progress can make your research more successful, less frustrating, and more visible to others, among other benefits.

One good format is to write your report in four parts:

  • Quote the previous week's plan. This helps you determine whether you accomplished your goals.
  • State this week's progress. This can include information such as: what you have accomplished, what you learned, what difficulties you overcame, what difficulties are still blocking you, your new ideas for research directions or projects, and the like.
  • Give the next week's plan. A good format is a bulleted list, so we can see what you accomplished or did not. Try to make each goal measurable: there should be no ambiguity as to whether you were able to finish it. It's good to include longer-term goals as well.
  • Give an agenda for the meeting. Some people like to send this as a separate message, which is fine.

The report need not be onerous. It can be a few paragraphs or a page, so it shouldn't take you long to write. Minimize details that are not relevant to your audience, such as classwork and the like, in order to keep the report focused; you will spend less time writing it, and make it more likely to be read.

Writing the progress report has many benefits.

Writing the report will make you more productive, because it will force you to think about your work in a manner concretely enough to write down. Any time that you spend organizing your thoughts will more than pay itself back in better understanding and improved productivity. When a project is complete, it is all too easy to forget some of your contributions. You can look back over your progress reports to remember what was difficult, and to think about how to work more productively in the future. You may be able to re-use some of the text when writing up your results.

Writing the report will make your meetings more productive. When you have a weekly research meeting, the report should be sent 24 hours in advance, to help everyone prepare. (Two hours is not an acceptable alternative: it does not let everyone — both you and others — mull over the ideas.) Don't delay your report because you want to wait until you have better results to report. Instead, send the report on schedule, and if you get more results in the next 24 hours, you can discuss those at the meeting.

Writing the report will give you feedback from a new point of view. The report enables others outside your research project to know what you are doing. Those people may respond with ideas or suggestions, which can help get you unstuck or give you additional avenues to explore. It also keeps you on their radar screen and reminds them of your work, which a good thing if you don't meet with them frequently. (For PhD students, a periodic report to the members of your thesis committee can pay big dividends.)

Writing the report helps explain (to yourself especially, but also to others) how you spent your time — even if there isn't as much progress as you would have preferred, you can see that you did work hard, and how to be more efficient or effective in the future.

If your meetings are more frequent than weekly, then the progress report should also be more frequent. If your meetings are less frequent, it's a good idea to still send a progress report each week.

Important tip: Throughout the day, maintain a log of what you have done. This can be a simple text file. You can update it when you start and end a task, or at regular intervals throughout the day. It takes only a moment to maintain the log, and it makes writing the report easy. By contrast, without a log you might forget what you have done during the week, and writing the report could take a long time.

Back to Advice compiled by Michael Ernst .

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The Graduate School

Template for annual reviews for doctoral students.

As part of an ongoing effort to foster good graduate student mentoring and facilitate communication between graduate advisors and advisees, The Graduate School has developed a template for annual reviews for doctoral (and potentially other) students .  The purpose is to provide a tool that programs can use to: (1) allow students to report and reflect on their progress and accomplishments during the previous year and plan their activities and efforts for the coming year, and (2) aid major advisors in providing their graduate students with feedback on their progress to date and plans.   The template is attached, along with examples of similar forms currently being used by some departments (English, Marine Sciences, and Psychology).  The template draws from examples such as these, and incorporates feedback received from the Graduate Faculty Council and the Executive Committee.

Importantly, the template is designed to be   customizable .  We anticipate that programs will modify it — adding, changing, or deleting items – to suit the specific needs of their programs.  Although use of this or any form is purely voluntary (i.e., there is no Graduate School requirement that annual reviews of this sort be conducted), we strongly urge programs to institute a process based on some version of a tool like this.

We are distributing this template now so that programs that want to do so can use it this academic year.  However, we view this as a “living document” that we will be revising as we receive feedback on it.  In addition, we will be developing guidance/tips on implementations suggestions and strategies that we will be posting on the TGS website, along with the template itself, over the coming months.

Download Template

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the template itself or its use, please reach out to us at   [email protected]   or   [email protected] .

Kent E. Holsinger Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Vice Provost for Graduate Education  and Dean of The Graduate School

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All candidates for the PhD Degree are admitted on a probationary basis. A student's status with the Student Registry is that he or she will be registered for the CPGS in Computer Science . At the end of the first academic year, a formal assessment of progress is made. In the Department of Computer Science and Technology, this takes the form of a single document of no more than 10,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, bibliography and appendices.

The document is principally a PhD Proposal . That is, a document that demonstrates a clear path from the candidate's current position to a complete PhD thesis at the end of the third year. The document has two purposes: (i) to help the candidate to reflect on and plan their research project and (ii) to allow the Computer Laboratory to assess the student's progress and planned research.

In the document, the candidate should do the following:

  • Identify a potential problem or topic to address for the PhD.
  • identifying the seminal prior research in the topic area
  • the most closely related prior work, and
  • their strengths and weaknesses.

The goal is to show the limitations (or lack) of previous work. One method that could be employed to do this is to provide both a taxonomy of prior work and a gap analysis table: a table whose rows are the closest related work, the columns are the desired attributes of the solution, and each table entry is a Yes or a No. This would then clearly show that no prior work meets all the desired attributes.

This section of the document might be expected to form the basis of part of the candidate's final PhD thesis.

Candidates should have already done some preliminary research. This may be early attempts at proofs, a detailed analysis of existing methods, a critique of existing systems, assembly and testing of investigative apparatus, conduct of a pilot experiment, etc. This section of the document may form the basis of a chapter of the final PhD thesis. It is common for the candidate to have produced an academic paper (even if this is a minor paper for a workshop, for example), where they are the main author. The paper does not need to have been published, but the assessors should be able to see that it is of potentially publishable quality. Such a paper can be submitted as an appendix to the document; in this case the material in the paper should not be reproduced in the document, but should be summarised briefly in a self-contained way.

This should indicate, at a high level, the research that might be undertaken in the second and third years of the PhD. It needs to show that there is a viable route to a thesis in two years' time. In particular, it must state the specific research question or questions that are being addressed. If there are more than one question being addressed, it needs to be made clear how they are interconnected and how answering them would result in a coherent thesis story. They need to also be accompanied with a brief discussion of why they are important and interesting questions that are worthy of a Cambridge PhD, and why they are new (the gap analysis table could be used for this). Next, the candidate needs to describe the proposed method of attacking the questions, for example, by listing the major steps to completion through the next two years.

Some candidates find it useful to structure this as a cohesive one-page summary of the proposed thesis, with a tentative title, a paragraph setting the context, and three or four paragraphs describing chunks of the proposed research, each of which could be the basis for an academic paper and each of which could be expected to be a chapter of the final thesis. The chapters should make a cohesive overarching narrative of the thesis, rather than be stand-alone pieces of work.

A paragraph identifying criteria for success is recommended where the candidate explains how they will convince the research community that their approach is successful.

Potential risks are recommended to be identified: what could derail this methodology (technically) and if this happens what is plan B?

  • Timeplan: provide a detailed timetable, with explicit milestones for each term in the next two years against which the candidate will measure their progress. This would ideally include technical tasks that are planned to be accomplished during each time chunk.

It is essential that the supervisor(s) agrees that the document may be submitted. The document will be read by two other members of staff (assessors), who will interview the student about the content of the document in a viva. It should therefore give sufficient information that the assessors can satisfy themselves that all is well. It is expected that the interview will take place before the end of the first year.

Submission deadlines (electronic)

  • For students admitted in Michaelmas Term, by June 30, 23:59
  • For students admitted in Lent Term, October 30, 23:59
  • For students admitted in Easter Term, by January 30, 23:59

All submissions should be made electronically via the filer.

Electronic version (in PDF format) should be provided via the PhD report and thesis upload page . This deposits uploaded files on the departmental filer at /auto/anfs/www-uploads/phd = \\filer.cl.cam.ac.uk\webserver\www-uploads\phd.

Students intending to take up research placements during the vacations which begin on, before, or shortly after the submission deadlines must submit their report one month before departure to enable the examination process to be completed before the internship begins . No other extensions will be permitted unless otherwise authorized by the Secretary of the Degree Committee.

Oral examination

The student will be invited to discuss the documents with two assessors appointed by the student's principal supervisor. Neither of the assessors should be the student's principal supervisor though one may be the student's second advisor. Occasionally, the principal supervisor may be invited to clarify elements of the PhD Proposal and to attend the viva as an observer.

Where the initial PhD Proposal document is unsatisfactory, the assessors must ask for a revised submission and arrange a further discussion. Where the PhD Proposal is acceptable, it may still help the student to record suggested modifications in a final version of the Proposal. A copy of the revised document must be submitted to the Secretary of the Degree Committee.

The PhD Proposal document is internal to the Laboratory. However, since it is the basis for formal progress reports including registration for the PhD Degree and those made to funding bodies, assessors should endeavour to arrange a meeting where the documents should be assessed and discussed by the end of the student's first year at the latest. The Secretary of the Degree Committee should be informed of the result by the assessors and by the supervisor on the Postgraduate Feedback and Reporting System as soon as possible thereafter.

The report will be considered by the Degree Committee which will make its recommendations on the registration of the student to the Board of Graduate Studies.

In those cases where the student's progress is wholly inadequate, the supervisor should give them a written warning by 15 September (or the appropriate corresponding date - 15 December or 15 March) that they are in danger of termination, with copy to the Secretary of the Degree Committee.

The word limit is a maximum; it is not a target. Successful PhD Proposal documents can be significantly shorter than the limit. Writing within the word limit is important. It is part of the discipline of producing reports. When submitting reports (and the final PhD thesis), students will be required to sign a Statement of Word Length to confirm that the work does not exceed the limit of length prescribed (above) for the CPGS examination.

Originality

Attention is drawn to the University's guidance concerning plagiarism. The University states that "Plagiarism is defined as submitting as one's own work that which derives in part or in its entirety from the work of others without due acknowledgement. It is both poor scholarship and a breach of academic integrity." The Faculty's guidance concerning plagiarism and good academic practice can be found at https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/exams/plagiarism.html .

Reports may be soft-bound in comb-binding or stapled.

Secretary of the Degree Committee September 2013, updated September 2021, updated March 2022

Department of Computer Science and Technology University of Cambridge William Gates Building 15 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FD

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Progress report

Evaluate your progress.

The progress report allows to better monitor the progress of students in their program. It also makes it possible to evaluate the progress made  during the last year and to define the objectives for the following year. The information provided in the report ensures that all students are making systematic and consistent progress in their research.

It’s also an opportunity for the student and the thesis supervisor to meet and to take stock of the research and adjust accordingly. It is important to take advantage of these meetings to review the research goals and agree on the expected progress in the months to come. It is possible that several versions of the progress report are needed before coming to a final version.

Download the Annual Research Progress Report form (PDF, 796 KB) .

Who must submit a thesis progress report arrow_drop_down

All students registered in a thesis program must submit an annual progress report.   Students who receive scholarships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) or from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) must also submit progress reports.

How to submit the progress report arrow_drop_down

The student must submit the progress report to the thesis supervisor by submitting a Service Request in the Candidate Center accessible through  uoZone . The supervisor will then assess the student's progress. He or she will decide if the report is satisfactory or not, by comparing the objectives achieved by the student with the objectives established in the previous progress report.  If the student does not reach these objectives, the progress report could be deemed unsatisfactory.  It is therefore important that the student communicates with his supervisor throughout his studies in order to ensure an adequate progression of the academic path and the research. It is also possible that, following a meeting or a consultation, the student and the thesis supervisor decide to modify the objectives established during the last progress report. If this is the case, both must agree with the changes.

Once reviewed and approved by the thesis supervisor, the report will be submitted to the administration for verification and final approval.  The progress report will then be noted in the student's file.

When to submit a progress report arrow_drop_down

First report: During the second year of the program, specifically during the 4th term. Some faculties or units may however require a progress report before the 4th term. Following reports: One report per year until the submission of the thesis. If the progress is unsatisfactory, a report may be required more frequently.

Please note:

  • If the student has been granted an extension to complete the program, he or she will have to submit a progress report each term.
  • If the student is requesting a leave of absence, he or she must submit a progress report at the same time in order for the request to be approved.

Unsatisfactory progress reports arrow_drop_down

A progress report may be deemed unsatisfactory by the thesis supervisor or by the administration. 

A report can be unsatisfactory for several reasons. For example:

  • The thesis supervisor thinks that the student should be more advanced in the research;
  • External factors are influencing the research;
  • The objectives achieved by the student are not sufficient and/or are not aligned with the established objectives;
  • The research findings are not clear or do not support the thesis sufficiently.

In the case of an unsatisfactory report, the student will be informed of the imposed recommendations to follow. For example:

  • Submit a detailed study plan;
  • Establish more detailed goals with the thesis supervisor;
  • Meet with a thesis committee.

Please note:  After being informed that the report was unsatisfactory, the student will be asked to submit a new progress report that must be satisfactory before the next term.  Students who receive two unsatisfactory progress reports during their studies shall be withdrawn from the program.

Consequences of not submitting a progress report arrow_drop_down

If the student fails to submit a progress report, the access to registration will be blocked until the student remedies the situation. Not registering could have major financial impact and may eventually lead to the student's academic file being closed without further notice.  Any scholarship may be suspended or cancelled.

Tips for establishing effective communication with your thesis supervisor arrow_drop_down

  • The student must stay in touch with the thesis supervisor and meetings should be frequent to ensure the supervisor is well informed of the student's progress;
  • uOttawa encourages students to prepare self-evaluation reports on a regular basis and give them to the supervisor for feedback;
  • After each meeting, the student could make a summary including items discussed and the progress reached;
  • At the end of each meeting the student and the supervisor should plan the next meetings and establish objectives to be met. If possible, set the date of the following meeting.

The University of Edinburgh

  • Schools & departments

how to write progress report for phd students

Writing your PhD First-Year Report

This course is intended for PhD students in their first year who are currently working on their First Year Report.

Course Content and Unit Aims

Content and Structure

  • To compare the specific content requirements for your report with those of students from other schools and to identify common elements
  • To examine to what extent these common elements are reflected in the Contents pages of sample student reports from previous years
  • To start drafting the Contents page for your own report

The Introduction

  • To explore what functional elements report introductions typically include and how they are typically organised
  • To observe what elements are present in sample report Introductions and discuss reasons for the possible variations from the model
  • To introduce useful language features that could be used in different parts of your Introduction
  • To start drafting part or all of your Introduction

Literature Review

  • To look at different ways of structuring a literature review
  • To explore the different options available to you when referring to sources
  • To introduce useful phrases and language structures that can be used when referring to sources
  • To start drafting parts of your Literature Review

Criticality and Outlining Objectives

  • To look at different ways of stating your aims and objectives
  • To show how you can elaborate this section by summarising and justifying your chosen methods or approach
  • Where appropriate, to start drafting part or all of an Objectives section
  • To show you ways of expressing criticality in your writing

Future plans: proposed research design

  • To look at different ways of presenting a research design
  • To be made aware of different research design paradigms
  • To introduce useful language that can be used to describe future research design
  • To draft part of a research design

Individual Tutorials

  • To allow students the opportunity to ask for clarification on issues arising from the course materials.
  • To give students and tutor the opportunity for further discussion of tutor feedback.
  • To provide suggestions for further English language / academic literacy development.

Course Days/times

  • In-person – Wednesdays 10:00 - 12:00
  • Online – Mondays 10:00 - 11:00 

The in-person course will be offered at both the Holyrood Campus and at Kings Buildings.

Teaching Methods and Learning Outcomes

Research students at the University of Edinburgh are required to submit a document - a report or proposal - towards the end of their first year to show that their research is proceeding satisfactorily. This course is designed to help you compose such a document.

The course materials include descriptions of the typical structure of the main sections of first-year reports, together with summaries of the typical language features frequently used in specific parts of the texts. We have also included excerpts from authentic first-year reports from a variety of disciplines for you to analyse. The course consists of brief introductory lectures and tasks related to different sections of the report/proposal.

Your tutor will provide you with feedback (focusing on overall clarity, style, and organisation) on the extended writing tasks, and meet you for a class once per week, either on-line or in-person, depending which option you have chosen.  You can expect to spend around 3 hours per week altogether to fully benefit from this course , including the written assignment and (for the online course) pre-reading of the course materials.

In the final week (week 6) of the course, you will have the opportunity for a one-to-one online tutorial with your tutor to discuss any remaining questions you may have.

By the end of the course students should have a better understanding of:

  • ways of structuring the content of the report
  • ways of organising the different sections of the report
  • appropriate language for the different sections of the report and how to use that language accurately
  • any specific language areas that will need further work.

Eligibility

This article was published on 2023-11-23

How to write a scientific report at university

David foster, professor in science and engineering at the university of manchester, explains the best way to write a successful scientific report.

David H Foster's avatar

David H Foster

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At university, you might need to write scientific reports for laboratory experiments, computing and theoretical projects, and literature-based studies – and some eventually as research dissertations. All have a similar structure modelled on scientific journal articles. Their special format helps readers to navigate, understand and make comparisons across the research field.

Scientific report structure

The main components are similar for many subject areas, though some sections might be optional.

If you can choose a title, make it informative and not more than around 12 words. This is the average for scientific articles. Make every word count.  

The abstract summarises your report’s content in a restricted word limit. It might be read separately from your full report, so it should contain a micro-report, without references or personalisation.  

Usual elements you can include:  

  • Some background to the research area.
  • Reason for the work.
  • Main results.
  • Any implications.

Ensure you omit empty statements such as “results are discussed”, as they usually are.  

Introduction  

The introduction should give enough background for readers to assess your work without consulting previous publications.  

It can be organised along these lines:  

  • An opening statement to set the context.  
  • A summary of relevant published research.
  • Your research question, hypothesis or other motivation.  
  • The purpose of your work.
  • An indication of methodology.
  • Your outcome.

Choose citations to any previous research carefully. They should reflect priority and importance, not necessarily recency. Your choices signal your grasp of the field.  

Literature review  

Dissertations and literature-based studies demand a more comprehensive review of published research than is summarised in the introduction. Fortunately, you don’t need to examine thousands of articles. Just proceed systematically.  

  • Use two to three published reviews to familiarise yourself with the field.  
  • Use authoritative databases such as Scopus or Web of Science to find the most frequently cited articles.  
  • Read these articles, noting key points. Experiment with their order and then turn them into sentences, in your own words.  
  • Get advice about expected review length and database usage from your individual programme.

Aims and objectives  

Although the introduction describes the purpose of your work, dissertations might require something more accountable, with distinct aims and objectives.

The aim or aims represent the overall goal (for example, to land people on the moon). The objectives are the individual tasks that together achieve this goal (build rocket, recruit volunteers, launch rocket and so on).

The method section must give enough detail for a competent researcher to repeat your work. Technical descriptions should be accessible, so use generic names for equipment with proprietary names in parentheses (model, year, manufacturer, for example). Ensure that essential steps are clear, especially any affecting your conclusions.

The results section should contain mainly data and analysis. Start with a sentence or two to orient your reader. For numeric data, use graphs over tables and try to make graphs self-explanatory. Leave any interpretations for the discussion section.

The purpose of the discussion is to say what your results mean. Useful items to include:  

  • A reminder of the reason for the work.
  • A review of the results. Ensure you are not repeating the results themselves; this should be more about your thoughts on them.
  • The relationship between your results and the original objective.
  • Their relationship to the literature, with citations.  
  • Any limitations of your results.  
  • Any knowledge you gained, new questions or longer-term implications.

The last item might form a concluding paragraph or be placed in a separate conclusion section. If your report is an internal document, ensure you only refer to your future research plans.  

Try to finish with a “take-home” message complementing the opening of your introduction. For example: “This analysis has shown the process is feasible, but cost will decide its acceptability.”  

Five common mistakes to avoid when writing your doctoral dissertation   9 tips to improve your academic writing Five resources to help students with academic writing

Acknowledgements  

If appropriate, thank colleagues for advice, reading your report and technical support. Make sure that you secure their agreement first. Thank any funding agency. Avoid emotional declarations that you might later regret. That is all that is required in this section.  

Referencing  

Giving references ensures other authors’ ideas, procedures, results and inferences are credited. Use Web of Science or Scopus as mentioned earlier. Avoid databases giving online sources without journal publication details because they might be unreliable.

Don’t refer to Wikipedia. It isn’t a citable source.  

Use one referencing style consistently and make sure it matches the required style of your degree or department. Choose either numbers or author and year to refer to the full references listed near the end of your report. Include all publication details, not just website links. Every reference should be cited in the text.  

Figures and tables  

Each figure should have a caption below with a label, such as “Fig. 1”, with a title and a sentence or two about what it shows. Similarly for tables, except that the title appears above. Every figure and table should be cited in the text.

Theoretical studies  

More flexibility is possible with theoretical reports, but extra care is needed with logical development and mathematical presentation. An introduction and discussion are still needed, and possibly a literature review.

Final steps

Check that your report satisfies the formatting requirements of your department or degree programme. Check for grammatical errors, misspellings, informal language, punctuation, typos and repetition or omission.

Ask fellow students to read your report critically. Then rewrite it. Put it aside for a few days and read it afresh, making any new edits you’ve noticed. Keep up this process until you are happy with the final report. 

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Progress Report: What is it & How to Write it? (+Examples)

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Picture this: You're a project manager juggling multiple tasks, deadlines, and team members. Keeping the balance between different tasks is hard but very important.

Enter the progress report, your secret weapon in conquering chaos and ensuring smooth sailing.

But what exactly is a progress report, and how do you craft one effectively? In this blog post, I'll demystify progress reports and guide you through the process of writing one.

From daily progress reports to weekly progress reports, using practical progress report templates and a tried-and-true format.

What is a Progress Report?

A progress report is a vital tool in project management , designed to keep different types of stakeholders informed about the ongoing status of a project.

It's a concise document highlighting current achievements, challenges, and goals, allowing the project manager to track progress and make necessary adjustments.

Project progress reports are one of the most important types of project management reports . They help maintain transparency, communication, and accountability within a team, ensuring everyone is on the same page. They also provide valuable insights for decision-makers, helping them gauge the project's overall health and success.

Here's what you can expect to find in a typical progress report:

  • Project Overview: A brief summary of the project's objectives and scope.
  • Current Status: A snapshot of where the project stands regarding completed tasks, milestones reached, and overall progress.
  • Challenges and Issues: Any technical difficulties, resource constraints, or personnel issues.
  • Next Steps: The immediate tasks and goals on the horizon and how the team plans to tackle them.
  • Progress Report Format: The layout of the report can vary depending on the organization's preferences or industry standards.

Writing a progress report can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. You'll create a valuable document that keeps everyone informed and aligned by breaking it down into manageable sections and using clear, concise language.

Embrace the progress report writing skill and watch your team's productivity and communication soar.

Why are Progress Reports Important?

Why is a progress report important?

Progress reports play a vital role in project management, serving as a communication tool to keep stakeholders updated. Let's delve into why progress reports are crucial for the success of any project or business.

Transparency and Accountability

Progress reports eliminate ambiguity and promote transparency. By regularly sharing project updates with stakeholders, the project team is held accountable for their work. This accountability ensures everyone is on track to meet the project milestones and objectives.

Identify Potential Issues Early

Progress reports help identify potential problems before they escalate. Team members can spot bottlenecks, delays, and other issues by examining project data and analyzing the progress report.

Early detection enables the team to take prompt action and prevent these issues from derailing the project.

Effective Decision-Making

Armed with accurate and timely information from progress reports, project managers and stakeholders can make informed decisions.

When a project progresses smoothly, management can allocate resources more efficiently or plan for future phases. On the other hand, if a project encounters challenges, swift decisions can be made to reallocate resources or change course.

Maintaining Momentum

A progress report's important aspect is maintaining momentum. When team members see their progress documented and shared, it fosters a sense of accomplishment and motivation.

This positive reinforcement encourages teams to keep pushing forward and maintain their productivity.

Improved Communication and Collaboration

Progress reports facilitate better communication and collaboration among team members. By sharing updates and insights, the entire team stays informed, reducing the chances of miscommunication or misunderstandings.

Moreover, progress reports provide a platform for team members to ask questions, provide feedback, and offer support.

Performance Tracking

Business progress reports, such as quarterly, monthly, or annual progress reports, help track performance over time.

By comparing past reports, management can gauge the business's overall health and identify trends or patterns. This historical data can inform future strategies and drive continuous improvement.

How to Write a Progress Report

Step 1: define the purpose.

The first step in writing a progress report is understanding its purpose. Progress reports inform stakeholders about the project's status, including what has been accomplished, any challenges encountered, and future planning. This allows project managers to keep everyone in the loop and make informed decisions.

The purpose of this monthly progress report is to update the management team on the project's status. It presents an overview of completed tasks, in-progress tasks, upcoming tasks, and any challenges faced during the reporting period. This report will also provide insight into key performance metrics and future planning .

Step 2: Know Your Audience

Determine who will read the progress report. Is it for higher-ups, clients, or team members? Tailor the language, tone, and level of detail accordingly.

Step 3: Set the Timeframe

Decide the reporting period – weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Choose a timeframe that best suits your project's pace and stakeholder expectations.

Step 4: Collect Information

Gather data on tasks completed, team members involved, and any obstacles faced. Consult previous progress reports, project documentation , and team members for accurate information.

Step 5: Organize Content

Break down the report into logical sections. Here’s what we suggest:

  • Summary: A brief overview of the report's contents.
  • Completed Tasks: List tasks accomplished during the reporting period.
  • In-Progress Tasks: Describe ongoing tasks and their current status.
  • Upcoming Tasks: Outline tasks scheduled for the next reporting period.
  • Challenges: Discuss any obstacles encountered and how they were addressed.
  • Key Metrics: Highlight key project performance indicators and progress towards goals.
  • Future Planning: Discuss plans for the next reporting period and any adjustments needed.

Step 6: Write the Summary

Craft a concise summary that provides a snapshot of the report. Mention key achievements, challenges, and plans for the future. Keep it brief but informative.

This progress report covers our team's accomplishments during Q1, with a particular focus on the completion of the website redesign and the initiation of our social media marketing campaign. We've encountered some challenges in coordinating with external vendors, but we've implemented solutions to overcome those obstacles .

Step 7: Detail Completed Tasks

List all tasks completed during the reporting period. Include the following information:

  • Task description
  • Team members involved
  • Start and end dates
  • Any relevant metrics (e.g., hours spent, budget used)
  • Task 1 – Implement a user login system.
  • Team members: Jeff and Sarah.
  • Start date: January 1st.
  • End date: January 15th.
  • Metrics: 98% successful login rate.

Step 8: Discuss In-Progress Tasks

Outline ongoing tasks, their current status, and expected completion dates. Explain any delays and their impact on the project timeline .

  • Task 2 – Develop a mobile app.
  • Current status: 70% completed.
  • Expected completion date: February 15th.

Step 9: Describe Upcoming Tasks

Identify tasks scheduled for the next reporting period. Provide details such as:

  • Assigned team members
  • Estimated start and end dates
  • Dependencies on other tasks
  • Task 3 – Launch marketing campaign.
  • Assigned team members: Anas and Mark.
  • Estimated start date: February 16th.
  • Estimated end date: March 1st.
  • Dependencies: Completion of mobile app development.

Step 10: Address Challenges

Discuss any challenges encountered during the reporting period. Describe how they were resolved or any plans to address them in the future.

  • Challenge 1 – Unforeseen technical issues causing delays.
  • Resolution: Increased resources and adjusted project timeline to accommodate the additional time required.

Step 11: Present Key Metrics

Highlight key project management performance indicators and progress toward project goals. Use visuals like charts or graphs to make the data more digestible.

  • Metric 1 – User registration rate.
  • Current status: 500 new users per week.
  • Target goal: 1,000 new users per week.

Step 12: Plan for the Future

Discuss plans for the next reporting period, including any adjustments required. This may involve reallocating resources, revising timelines, or redefining objectives.

In the next reporting period, our focus will shift to improving user retention and engagement. We plan to implement new features based on user feedback and optimize the onboarding process.

Step 13: Proofread and Revise

Review the report for clarity, accuracy, and readability. Ensure all information is presented in a clear, concise manner.

Step 14: Submit the Report

Submit the progress report to the relevant stakeholders, ensuring they have ample time to review and provide feedback.

Example Progress Report Template

Use this template as a starting point for your progress report:

By following these steps and guidelines, you'll be well-equipped to write an effective progress report that keeps stakeholders informed and drives project success. Clear communication is key to maintaining momentum and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Examples of Progress Reports

1. business progress report.

Business Progress Report

A business progress report helps track company growth, accomplishments, and areas for improvement. It includes:

  • Revenue and sales figures.
  • Market trends and competition.
  • Operational efficiency.
  • Employee performance.
  • Goals and milestones achieved.

2. Quarterly Progress Reports

Quarterly Business Review

These reports offer a snapshot of a project or business every three months. They cover:

  • Major achievements.
  • Challenges faced and solutions.
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Updated project timeline.
  • Budget status.

3. Monthly Progress Reports

Monthly progress reports provide more frequent updates on projects or departments. They highlight:

  • Accomplishments and setbacks.
  • Progress towards monthly goals.
  • Resource utilization.
  • Issues and risks.
  • Action items for the upcoming month.

4. Project Status

Project Status Report

Project status reports focus on a specific project's progress. They showcase:

  • Project documentation updates.
  • Completed tasks and upcoming deliverables.
  • Risks and issues encountered.
  • Team members' performance.
  • Changes to project scope or timeline.

5. Personal Progress

Personal progress reports help individuals track their growth and development. They include:

  • Personal goals and objectives.
  • Achievements and lessons learned.
  • Skill development and training.
  • Performance feedback.
  • Areas for improvement and action plans.

Best Practices for Writing Progress Reports

Progress Report Template

Know Your Target Audience

When you create a progress report, start by identifying your target audience . Project stakeholders, team members, and future decision-makers should all benefit from your report.

Write in such a way that it is easy for them to understand. Avoid technical jargon and explain industry-specific language so everyone stays on the same page.

Reporting Frequency and Dates

Establish a reporting frequency for your progress reports. Whether weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, maintain consistency. Include report dates and the expected completion date of the current project to provide a clear timeline.

Stick to the Project's Scope

Focus on the project's scope and stay within the project's purpose. Don't digress or include unrelated details. A concise report ensures that readers remain engaged and informed.

Review Previous Reports

Refer to the previous report to identify any changes or developments. Highlight the work completed, project deliverables , and any updates to the project plan. Doing so will maintain continuity and keep stakeholders informed about the department's progress.

Prioritize and Organize

Arrange project priorities logically, focusing on the most critical aspects first. Organize the information in a clear, easy-to-follow format. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points for better readability.

Be Transparent About Problems

Don't shy away from discussing problems or challenges. Addressing issues helps stakeholders understand the project's status and any hurdles that may affect successful completion. Offer potential solutions or workarounds to demonstrate proactive thinking.

Back Up Progress with Relevant Data

Use relevant data to support your progress. Figures, charts, and percentages can provide a quick overview of the project's status. Make sure your data is accurate, up-to-date, and presented in an easy-to-understand format.

Highlight Team Member Contributions

Acknowledge team members who have made significant contributions to the project. This recognition boosts morale and encourages continued excellence.

Include Future Projections

Discuss what's next for the project, such as upcoming tasks or milestones. This helps stakeholders understand the trajectory of the project and anticipate the work ahead.

Keep it Simple and Actionable

Present complex ideas in a simple, easy-to-understand language. Break down complicated concepts into manageable chunks. Offer actionable insights and practical takeaways, so stakeholders can quickly grasp the project details.

Establish a Database

Create a database to store all progress reports. This repository helps stakeholders access past reports and provides valuable insights for future projects. It also ensures that information is preserved and easily accessible when needed.

Proofread and Edit

Before sharing your progress report, proofread and edit for clarity, consistency, and accuracy. This step ensures that your report is polished, professional, and easy to understand.

Progress Reporting FAQs

A progress report is most valuable when you're working on a long-term project. It's a way to keep stakeholders updated on progress and share important insights.

The primary purpose of a progress report is to provide a clear and concise overview of a project's status. This includes: – Communicating progress toward goals – Identifying potential issues and solutions – Demonstrating accountability and commitment to the project – Providing a step-by-step guide of completed tasks and upcoming work – Offering visual aids, like charts and graphs, to illustrate data A well-crafted progress report keeps stakeholders informed and fosters collaboration. It's also valuable for maintaining momentum and motivation throughout the project.

Writing Progress Reports Does Not Need to Be Hard

So, you've reached the end of this blog post. You're now equipped with the knowledge and tools to make progress report writing a breeze. Remember, it doesn't have to be a daunting task.

Keep it simple, stick to the facts, and let your progress shine. Talk about what you achieved, any challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. Use a clear, concise, structured format to ensure your message is easily understood.

To simplify the process, check out our guide on project reporting tools .

Ask yourself:

  • What are the key takeaways from this period?
  • How can I best communicate the status of the project?
  • Are there any challenges that need addressing?

Considering these questions will make your progress report informative, actionable, and engaging. And don't forget, practice makes perfect. The more progress reports you write, the easier and more efficient the process will become.

Explore Further

  • Essential Components of Project Management
  • Best Project Management Software 2023
  • The Inspiring History of Project Management. How Did It Begin?
  • 9 Essential Roles In Project Management

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Martin loves entrepreneurship and has helped dozens of entrepreneurs by validating the business idea, finding scalable customer acquisition channels, and building a data-driven organization. During his time working in investment banking, tech startups, and industry-leading companies he gained extensive knowledge in using different software tools to optimize business processes.

This insights and his love for researching SaaS products enables him to provide in-depth, fact-based software reviews to enable software buyers make better decisions.

51+ SAMPLE Research Progress Report in PDF | MS Word | Google Docs | Apple Pages

research progress report

Research Progress Report | MS Word | Google Docs | Apple Pages

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The Twists and Turns of a Lamont Grad’s Musical Journey

Emma atkinson, jazz musician, composer and mentor adam gang has taken an improvised rather than traditional route..

Adam Gang plays the saxophone.

Kids love to quit things. “It’s too hard” and “It’s too boring” are common refrains that echo from the mouths of youngsters who want to spend less time in structured activities and more time with their friends or in front of the TV.

Seventh-grader Adam Gang wanted to quit playing music. He had loved it when he was younger, inspired by his cousin Sam Yahel, a professional jazz pianist. On a piano that Yahel had given him, Gang learned to play Mozart and Chopin, begging his parents for piano lessons.

But in seventh grade, Gang decided that he wanted to play outside more.

“And my parents, they said, ‘Just give it one more week, and then you can quit if you still want to,’” Gang remembers. “And then I didn't quit after that week.”

He stuck with it and committed to becoming a better musician, so much so that he sold his brother’s hand-me-down video game consoles so that he wouldn’t become distracted.

“All I did was practice and focus on music,” Gang says.

After that pivotal moment, music became his life. Gang made all his closest friends through band, even starting a rock group with some friends in middle school. In high school, he joined the marching band and played classical percussion, getting together with friends to play drums for hours on end.

Stepping away from music—and coming back again

After growing up in Atlanta and then moving to Colorado Springs as a kid, Gang got an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in jazz studies in 2013. He then moved to Israel, where his father is from, for most of his 20s.

There, living with family, he left the music world again, this time for a bit longer.

“I went back to school, did most of a computer science degree at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and then, towards the end of that degree, I had a change of heart—I decided to drop out of school and go back to music and move back here to be a working musician,” Gang says.

Portrait of Adam Gang and his saxophone.

“Here,” he says, is the University of Denver.

Gang’s desire to become a working musician led him to DU’s Lamont School of Music, where many professors also perform professionally in the local music scene.

“I wanted to be able to be a part of the actual professional performing arts scene and also be pursuing a degree,” he says. “And I think DU was a nice combination of the two.”

Gang mainly plays the tenor saxophone—his favorite, he says—but is also proficient in other woodwinds like the clarinet and bass clarinet.

Much of his time at Lamont was spent as professor Remy Le Boeuf’s graduate assistant. Le Boeuf, a Grammy-nominated jazz saxophonist and composer, is an assistant professor and director of Lamont’s Jazz and Commercial Music Studies program.

During his meetings with Le Boeuf, Gang began to brainstorm how he could expand the boundaries of a traditional graduate assistantship and decided that he wanted to work directly with students.

“Since I started here, I've been doing group meetings every week—so students will come and bring their instruments and we'll play together, hands-on, and learn things together,” Gang says. “It could be jazz improvisation, or some sort of technical thing, or playing etudes together—just some sort of musical thing.”

As he was being mentored by Le Boeuf, Gang was mentoring undergrads. And he loved it.

“I remember a time when I was very hungry to learn,” Gang says. “I enjoy it. It feels good to see somebody progress and get closer to the point where they're ready to be fully self-motivated as a musician.”

New beginnings

In his first year at Lamont, Gang released an album of jazz standards, his take on songs that are already in the public jazz repertoire, with some improvisation. But he knew he wanted to do more.

“Last year, I was working with Remy Le Boeuf more on composition, and I was also taking courses with professor Annie Booth, who's a great composer as well,” he says. “And I was just writing a lot of new music, and in August 2023, I got some of my good friends to record the album with me—to play the music. And it came out much better than I would have hoped for.”

Gang’s album, titled “Where Does This Find You,” will drop sometime this summer. It’s an eclectic mix of songs, heavily influenced by Middle Eastern music.

“Where Does This Find You” holds personal significance for Gang, who has lived most of his life in two different countries.

“I find that I always have this feeling of like, ‘Oh, I miss being there. But I'm also happy that I'm here,’” he reflects. “And then those feelings become inseparable, because I think every place you live in leaves an imprint on your character and who you are as a person.”

Adam Gang will graduate this spring with his master’s degree in music performance with an emphasis in jazz studies.

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