investigative report writing and presentation pdf

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Fundamentals of Investigative Report Writing

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

McMaster University used Case IQ to build a better approach to incident reporting, resolution, and analytics. Register for our webinar to learn how you can, too.

• Resource Center

Investigation Report Example: How to Write an Investigative Report

• What is the Importance of an Investigative Report?
• How to Write an Investigative Report: "Musts"
• How CaseIQ Can Help

Preliminary Case Information

Don’t gamble with your company’s investigation processes..

Request your demo of Case IQ to find out how users are saving time, closing more cases, reducing risk, and improving compliance.

Request a Demo

Do you dread the end of an investigation because you hate writing investigative reports? You’re not alone.

However, because it’s an important showcase of the investigation, you can’t cut corners on this critical investigation step. Your investigation report reflects on you and your investigation, so make sure it’s as clear, comprehensive, accurate, and polished.

How do you write an investigation report? What are the parts of an investigation report? What's an investigation report example? In this guide, you’ll learn how to make your workplace incident reports effective and efficient.

How mature are your workplace investigations?

An investigations maturity model can reveal your investigations program's strong points and areas for improvement. Learn how to evaluate your program in our upcoming fireside chat with investigations expert Meric Bloch.

An investigation report can:

• Spark some sort of action based on the findings it presents
• Record of the steps of the investigation
• Provide information for legal actions
• Provide valuable data to inform control and preventive measures

In short, your report documents what happened during the investigation and suggests what to do next.

In addition, the process of writing an investigation report can help you approach the investigation in a new way. You might think of more questions to ask the parties involved or understand an aspect of the incident that was unclear.

How to Write an Investigative Report: “Musts”

Before you begin, it’s important to understand the three critical tasks of a workplace investigative report.

• It must be organized in a such way that anybody internally or externally can understand it without having to reference other materials. That means it should have little to no jargon or specialized language and be a stand-alone summary of your investigation from start to finish.
• It must document the investigative findings objectively and accurately and provide decision makers with enough information to determine whether they should take further action.  With just one read-through, stakeholders should be able to understand what happened and how to handle it.
• It must indicate whether the allegations were substantiated, unsubstantiated, or whether there’s something missing that is needed to reach a conclusion. Use the evidence you’ve gathered to back up your analysis.

You might be wondering, “What are the contents of an investigation report?” Now that you know what your report should accomplish, we’ll move on to the sections it should include.

Want to streamline the report-writing process?

Download our free investigation report template to ensure you have consistent, compliant, and complete reports for every case.

Get the Template

Investigation Report Format: What to Include in Your Workplace Incident Report

Executive summary, incident summary, allegation subject, investigation details & notes, investigation interviews, conclusion & recommendations, final edits, how case iq can help.

The executive summary should be a concise overview of the investigation from beginning to end. It should not contain any information that is not already in the investigation report.

This may be the most important component of the investigation report because many readers won’t need to go beyond this section. High-level stakeholders get an overall picture of the allegations, investigation, and outcome without having to pore over the details.

To make this section easy to read, write in an active voice. For example: “I interviewed Carrie Smith,” not “Carrie Smith was interviewed.”

Example:   On February 23 rd , 2023, the Human Resources Manager received a written complaint of sexual harassment submitted by Carrie Smith, the stockroom manager. Smith claimed that on February 22 nd , 2023, her supervisor, Mark Robinson, pushed her against the wall in the boardroom and groped her breasts. Smith also alleged that Robinson on another occasion told her she was “too pretty” to be working in the stockroom and that he could arrange for a promotion for her. 

On February 24th, the Human Resources Manager assigned the case to me.

On February 25th, I interviewed Carrie Smith and two witnesses to the alleged February 22 nd  incident, John Jones and Pamela Miller. Jones and Miller did not corroborate the groping allegation but said they saw Smith running out of the boardroom in tears. Miller also reported hearing Robinson tell another employee, Sara Brown, that she had “a great rack”. 

On February 26 th , I interviewed Mark Robinson. He denied the groping incident and said he was “just joking around” with her in the boardroom but did not actually touch her and that Smith was too sensitive. He admitted to telling Smith she was too pretty to work in the stockroom, but contends that it was meant as a compliment.

Based on the interviews with the complainant and the alleged offender, I find that the complainant’s allegation of sexual harassment is substantiated.

It is my recommendation that the company provide the respondent with a written account of the findings of the investigation and a reminder of the company’s expectations for employee behavior. I also recommend that the respondent receive sexual harassment training and be advised that repeated harassing behavior may result in further discipline up to and including termination.

This section outlines the preliminary case information in a concise format, with only the most important details. It can go either before or after the executive summary.

• Your name and investigator identification number, if you have one
• Case number
• Date the case was assigned to you
• The date the report was reviewed
• How the report was received (e.g. hotline, email to HR manager, verbal report to supervisor)
• Name of the reporter/complainant

If the reporter is an employee, record their:

• Email address
• Work telephone number
• Employment level/position
• Employee identification number
• Department identification number

If the source  is not an employee, only record their:

• Personal telephone number

In either case, note the date that the report was submitted, as well as the date(s) of the alleged incident(s).

The purpose of this section is to answer the who, what, where, and when about the incident.

• What type of case is it? For example, is the case alleging harassment, discrimination, fraud, or other workplace misconduct?
• Specify the case type further.  For example, is it  sexual  harassment,  gender  discrimination,  accounts payable  fraud, etc.
• Who is the alleged victim?  For example, is it the reporter, another employee, a customer, or the whole company?
• If the alleged victim is an employee, identify the person’s supervisor.
• Were any other people involved besides the subject and the alleged victim?
• Where did the incident(s) take place?
• When did the incident(s) occur?
• Capture details of the allegation.  Example : Stacey Smith alleges that John Jones, an accounts payables clerk, has been funneling payments to a dummy supplier that he has set up in the company’s procurement system. Stacey says that she noticed a discrepancy when one of the suppliers she deals with questioned a payment and she had to ask an accounts payable clerk, Tom Tierney, to pull the file for her. When Tom accidentally brought Stacey the wrong file, she saw that monthly payments were being made to a supplier she had never heard of, and that the address of the supplier was John Jones’s address. Stacey knows John’s address because her sister is John’s next-door neighbor.

Describe the allegation or complaint in simple, clear language. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that the average reader outside the company may not understand.

In this section, note details about the alleged bad actor. Some of this information might be included in the initial report/complaint, but others you might have to dig for, especially if the subject isn’t an employee of the organization.

For every subject, include their:

• Email (work contact if they’re an employee, personal if not)
• Telephone number (see above)

If the subject of the allegation is an employee, also include their:

• Employment status (e.g. full-time, part-time, intern, contractor, etc.)
• Business location

Begin outlining the investigation details by defining the scope. It’s important to keep the scope of the investigation focused narrowly on the allegation and avoid drawing separate but related investigations into the report.

Example:   The investigation will focus on the anonymous tip received through the whistleblower hotline. The objective of the investigation is to determine whether the allegation reported via the hotline is true or false.

Next, record a description of each action taken during the investigation. This becomes a diary of your investigation, showing everything that was done during the investigation, who did it, and when.

For each action, outline:

• Type of action (e.g. initial review, meeting, contacting parties, conducting an interview, following up)
• Person responsible for the action
• Date when the action was completed
• Brief description of the action (i.e. who you met with, where, and for how long)

Be thorough and detailed, because this section of your report can be an invaluable resource if you are ever challenged on any details of your investigation.

Write a summary of each interview. These should be brief outlines listed separately for each interview.

Include the following information:

• Who conducted the interview
• Who was interviewed
• Where the interview took place
• Date of the interview

Include a list of people who refused to be interviewed or could not be interviewed and why.

Write a Report for Each Interview

This is an expanded version of the summaries documented above. Even though some of the information is repeated, be sure to include it so that you can use the summaries and reports separately as standalone documentation of the interviews conducted.

For each interview, document:

• Location of the interview
• Summary of the substance of the interview, based on your interview notes or recording.

Example:   I asked Jane Jameson to describe the events of July 13 th , 2016. She said: “After work, Peter approached me as I was leaving the building and asked me if I would like to work on his team. When I said that I was happy working with my current team, he told me that my team had too many women on it and that ‘all those hormones are causing problems’ so I should think about moving to a ‘sane’ team.”

I asked her how she reacted to that. She said: I told him that I found that offensive and he said that I needed to stop being so sensitive. I just walked away.”

I asked Jane to describe the events of the next day. She said: “The next day he came to my desk and asked me if I had given any thought to moving to his team. I repeated that I was happy where I was. At that point he started massaging my shoulders and said that moving to his team would have its ‘perks’. I asked him to stop twice and he wouldn’t. Sally walked over and told him to get lost and ‘leave Jane alone’ and he left.”

I thanked Jane for her cooperation and concluded the interview.

Assess Credibility

Aside from collecting the evidence, it is also an investigator’s job to analyze the evidence and reach a conclusion. Include a credibility assessment for each interview subject in the interview report. Describe your reasons for determining that the interviewee is or isn’t a credible source of information.

This involves assessing the credibility of the witness. The EEOC has published guidelines that recommend examining the following factors:

• Plausibility – Is the testimony believable and does it make sense?
• Demeanor – Did the person seem to be telling the truth?
• Motive to falsify – Does the person have a reason to lie?
• Corroboration – Is there testimony or evidence that corroborates the witness’s account?
• Past record – Does the subject have a history of similar behavior?

Example:   I consider Jane to be a credible interviewee based on the corroboration of her story with Sally and also because she has nothing to gain by reporting these incidents. She has no prior relationship with Peter and seemed genuinely upset by his behavior.

A well-written report is the only way to prove that an investigation was carried out thoroughly.

Download this free cheat sheet to learn best practices of writing investigation reports.

Get the Cheat Sheet

In this section, describe all the evidence obtained. This could include:

• Video or audio footage
• Email or messaging (e.g. Slack, Teams, etc.) records
• Employee security access records
• Computer or other device login records
• Documents or papers
• Physical objects (e.g. photos, posters, broken objects, etc.)

Number each piece of evidence for easy reference in your chain of evidence document.

As you gather and analyze evidence , it’s critically important to include and fully consider everything you find. Ignoring evidence that doesn’t support your conclusion will undermine your investigation and your credibility as an investigator. If you aren’t weighing some pieces as heavily as others, make sure you have a good explanation as to why.

In the final section of your report, detail your findings and conclusion. In other words, answer the questions that your investigation set out to answer.

This is where your analysis comes into play. However, be sure to only address the issue(s) being examined only, and don’t include any information that is not supported by fact. Otherwise, you could be accused of bias or speculation if the subject challenges your findings.

Investigation Findings Example:   My findings indicate that, based on the evidence, Bill’s allegation that Jim blocked him from the promotion is true. Jim’s behavior towards Bill is consistent with the definition of racial discrimination. The company’s code of conduct forbids discrimination; therefore, Jim’s behavior constitutes employee misconduct.

It’s important for your conclusion to be defensible, based on the evidence you have presented in your investigation report. Reference reliable evidence that is relevant to the case. Finally, explain that you’ve considered all the evidence, not just pieces that support your conclusion.

In some cases, you might have been asked to provide recommendations, too. Depending on your conclusion, you may recommend that the company:

• Does nothing
• Provides counseling or training
• Disciplines the employee(s)
• Transfers the employee(s)
• Terminates or demotes the employee(s)

Example: It is my recommendation that the company provide the respondent (Jim) with a written account of the findings of the investigation and a reminder of the company’s expectations for employee behavior. I also recommend that the respondent (Jim) receive anti-discrimination training and be advised that repeated discriminatory behavior may result in further discipline up to and including termination.

Grammatical errors or missed words can take even the best investigation report from professional to sloppy. That’s why checking your work before submitting the report is perhaps the most important step of them all.

Keep in mind that your investigative report may be seen by your supervisors, directors, and even C-level executives in your company, as well as attorneys and judges if the case goes to court.

If spelling, grammar, and punctuation aren’t your strong suit, enlist the services of a writer-friend or colleague to proofread your report. Or, if you’re a lone wolf kind of worker, upgrade your skills with a writing course or a read-through of books like  The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. At the very least, remember to run a spell check before you pass on any document to others.

Finally, do a quick scan to make sure you’ve included all the necessary sections and that case details are consistent.

Want more report-writing tips?

Watch our free webinar to get advice on what to include (and not include), proper language and tone, formatting tips, and more on how to effectively make an investigation report.

Watch the Webinar

RELATED: 3 Investigation Report Writing Mistakes You’re Still Making

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i write an investigation report.

To write an investigation report, you should ensure it's clear, comprehensive, accurate, and organized, documenting findings objectively and providing decision-makers with enough information to determine further action.

What are the basic parts of an investigation report?

The basic parts of an investigation report include an executive summary, preliminary case information, incident summary, allegation subject details, investigation details and notes, investigation interviews, evidence documentation, conclusion and recommendations, and final edits.

What is the purpose of an investigation report?

The purpose of an investigation report is to document the steps and findings of an investigation, providing a clear record of what occurred, suggesting actions to be taken, and potentially serving as valuable data for legal actions or informing control and preventive measures.

If you’re still managing cases with spreadsheets or outdated systems, you’re putting your organization at risk.

With all your investigation information stored in one place, you can create comprehensive, compliant investigation reports with a single click. Case IQ’s powerful case management software pulls all the information from the case file automatically, so you can close cases faster.

Learn more about how Case IQ can reduce resolution time and improve your organization’s investigations here.

Related Resources

How to easily integrate ai assistants into your investigative process, conference recap: what we learned about whistleblower support.

LIVE Online Instructor-Led Training – Enroll Today

The Leading Online Training Academy. Courses available 24/7. View courses

Call 1-800-730-6482 Schedule an Appointment

• State Pre-Licensing
• Florida Security D Training
• Live Online Instructor-Led Training
• California Security Guard Card Training
• Continuing Education
• State Exam Prep
• Professional Development
• Cannabis Security Training
• All Courses
• Student Spotlight

Request Info show-this Login

Call Us or Make an Appointment

Explore NITA

Online Courses

Return to shop

The Expert’s Guide to Writing Investigation Reports

August 27, 2021

- Ann Leigh Wilson

As a private investigator, writing investigative reports is a critical piece of both the investigative and post-investigative processes. In many ways, these reports will form the backbone of what Private Investigators are hired to do. The reports Private Investigators write are read carefully by a number of parties, such as HR teams, senior business leadership, police, and possibly even the…

As a private investigator, writing investigative reports is a critical piece of both the investigative and post-investigative processes. In many ways, these reports will form the backbone of what Private Investigators are hired to do. The reports Private Investigators write are read carefully by a number of parties, such as HR teams, senior business leadership, police, and possibly even the courts, and the findings and evidence they present are often used as the basis for future disciplinary and/or legal action. For these reasons, investigative reports must be done well. If you produce a high-quality investigative report, chances are you will be hired again. Do a poor or sloppy job and you will likely not be contracted again.

In this post, we will guide you on how to write expert investigative reports that achieve their purposes and function as testimonials to the quality of work that you do as a Private Investigator. We will explore what an investigative report is, the various elements of an investigative report, some tips on how to write an investigative report, and ways to improve your investigative report writing skills.

What is an investigative report?

An investigative report is a document that details the findings (evidence) related to a formal complaint or allegation, such as a workplace harassment complaint. These reports are often commissioned immediately upon the receipt of a formal complaint, and they are generally used to establish whether an allegation is supported by the facts.

Elements of an investigative report

Investigative reports can vary in size and scope depending on the type of allegation or complexity of a particular case. Lesser complaints of harassment that will result in basic disciplinary actions by an HR department generally require fewer elements than a larger, multi-faceted insurance fraud case destined for the court system. That said, in general, all reports will include some form of the following elements:

Generally, the very first element of an investigative report is the cover page or case summary page. In the private investigative context, this page should include a summary of all of the relevant case information in a concise and scannable format. Information that should appear on this page includes the case number, date, location of the incident, all relevant contact information, and any other relevant case reference information. For employee cases commissioned by a business, this would likely include things like the employee’s name, ID number, job code, email address, and any other identifying employee information required by the company.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is the most important piece of an investigative report. It is also the most read. It should provide a complete, yet concise, picture of the particular complaint or allegation, the scope of the investigative activities, a summary of the findings, and a conclusion.

This summary should answer all of the main questions that a person or organization will have about a particular case, such as:

• What happened?
• Who was involved?
• Where did the incident occur?
• When did it occur?
• How was the investigation conducted?
• What did the investigation find?
• Does the evidence support the complaint or allegation?
• What course of action is recommended?

Allegation Summary

The allegation summary is the place where you will go into the most detail about the specific complaint or allegation. It will include all of the specific details about what happened, who was involved, when it happened, what events led up to the incident, who witnessed it, etc.

Details of Investigation

This section of the report is where most of your documentation and detailed work will go in the report. Here you will carefully, concisely, and completely summarize every aspect of your investigation in an easy-to-follow, highly detailed, start-to-finish way. You will detail every aspect of your investigation (often in chronological order) and present key findings and evidence along the way. In many ways, this section of the report will function as a reference guide for each of the various summary documents in the report and will present the evidence in detail that led to your various conclusions or recommendations.

Conclusion & Recommendations

The conclusion is where you will wrap up your report with the key evidence that led you to your particular conclusion and the reasons why you believe the evidence either does or does not support the particular allegation or complaint. You will also provide any relevant assessments of an individual’s credibility, evaluations of the plausibility of the incident, and any other judgments that lead you to interpret the evidence the way that you did.

5 Tips for Writing a Successful Investigative Report

While the elements of a report are fairly straightforward, there are some best practices that you must adhere to if you want your reports to be most effective. These include:

1. Be clear and concise

The best way to convey your message is to avoid passive tense, jargon, acronyms, big words, long-winded explanations, and anything else that can clutter up your writing style. Write in a clear, easy-to-follow, straightforward style with minimal digressions and verbal clutter. Simply state things as they are without any frills.

2. Be detailed

Your job in the reporting process is to be extremely detailed. This means that you will consistently include names, dates, times, locations, specific quotes, and any other relevant facts in the report. Don’t simply say, “John saw Ali carrying the stolen files.” Rather, say something like, “John said he saw Ali leaving the west building and walking to the parking lot at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Friday night. She was carrying a large brown box with a white label on the side that said Financials.”

3. Be thorough

Double check your details and corroborate them with witnesses if possible. Sometimes it’s easy to take certain facts for granted. Part of your job in being accurate is to stress-test the various claims made during investigative interviews and flesh out the reasons why a person feels certain about their recollection of a particular detail or story.

4. Be inclusive of all evidence

Never omit facts that do not fit the narrative. Your report must cover everything, including the pesky facts that don’t seem to quite fit or may not appear immediately relevant. If you knowingly omit information or evidence from a report, it can result in serious personal or legal consequences for others and can lead you to develop a negative reputation within the investigative industry.

5. Be polished

Your writing must be free of grammatical mistakes, syntax issues, formatting issues, misspellings, and anything else that may call into question the quality of your report. If you’re not the most comfortable in this space, consider hiring a proofreader or editor to assist you in the creation of the report.

How to improve your investigative report writing skills

Many of the skills that private investigators need to perform their jobs are skills that can be taught. One of the best and fastest ways to learn these skills is through guided learning and instruction. 

At NITA, we offer a variety of online courses to help private investigators improve their skills. Our Field Notes and Report Writing Course is a great way to learn the core components of how to write an investigative report, as well as developing an understanding of the importance of observation and memory in the investigative process. You will also review a number of investigative report examples and learn some additional best practices for writing reports.

Interested in learning more? At NITA, we provide a wide selection of online courses for private investigators . We offer courses for people just setting out on their PI certification journey and seasoned private investigators looking to continue their education or maintain their certification.

You might also like:

• 9 Surveillance Techniques for Private Investigators
• Types of Evidence in an Investigation and How They are Used

RELATED COURSES

• Pre licensing Courses
• State Exam Preparation
• ALL Training

Sign Up For Industry Related Information

Our enrollment counselors are here to answer any questions you might have about our state- and board-approved status, pre-licensing training, or professional development programs.

Related Articles

Statement Analysis Explained: A PI’s Guide to Finding Gaps in Statements & Testimonies

Effective Communication: The Secret Weapon of Successful Private Investigators

How to Become a Private Investigator in New York

Call 1-800-730-6482.

Reach out for more information.

To speak with a NITA course advisor, schedule a free consultation.

• Sign up for free
• SafetyCulture
• Investigation Report

Learn How to Write Investigation Reports with Digital Templates

Gather evidence and document investigative interviews easily from your mobile device

Investigation Report Template

• Eliminate paperwork with digital checklists
• Generate reports from completed checklists
• Free to use for up to 10 users

An investigation report template aims to help investigators ensure a timely, complete, and accurate investigation of an allegation or complaint. Streamline evidence collection and investigation reporting with the use of this template and easily perform the following:

• Provide general information on the subject of investigation
• Specify the type of case and record the complaint summary
• Document physical evidence and investigative interviews
• Identify the disposition of the investigation and reach a conclusion
• Complete the investigation report with digital signatures

Click the following links to see what an investigative report example looks like on SafetyCulture’s web app and for a report sample in PDF format.

What is an Investigation Report?

An investigation report is a document that details the findings of an investigation as soon as a formal complaint is filed or an incident occurs. Also called an investigation summary report, this is where investigators record the issues of the matter, analyze the evidence, and formulate a concise but detailed conclusion. It is impartial and based on evidence, not on the opinions of an investigator or the parties involved.

How To Write An Investigation Report (with Examples)

What is investigative report writing anyway? An investigation is a step-by-step method for determining facts about an issue or incident in public or workplace settings . Without proper documentation via an official investigative report, however, one cannot present a clear picture of what happened. To ensure that all facts, testimonials, and evidence are collated for later analysis, an investigator should follow three essential steps.

Below is an actual investigation report example that shows and follows how to write an investigative report with three basic steps:

Step 1: Start With What You Know

The investigator should record the information about the subject (respondent or accused person) and the details of the complaint. Take note of specific descriptions such as times, dates, and locations to further clarify the issues of the matter.

Example: Alicia Bates alleges that Clark Nichols, a payroll clerk, has been falsifying his timesheet. Alicia says that she noticed a discrepancy when she reviewed the timesheets in preparation for the January 2019 payroll. On February 4, Alicia required Clark to explain in writing said discrepancies and saw that it did not align with the hours that he reported.

Step 2: Make Sense of What You Have

Evidence analysis can substantiate claims from either party. The investigator should gather physical evidence such as footage, email records, documents or papers, physical objects, etc. and document investigative interviews. These should then be analyzed to identify the relevant facts, assess the credibility of disputed facts, and dismiss irrelevant facts.

Example: CCTV footage shows that Clark was not in the office during the times he reported in his timesheet. I interviewed Clark on February 11, and he denied the allegations. He said that he would start as early as 4 AM sometimes and go to a local fast food chain for breakfast by 8 AM, which he argued explained his absence. Clark sought the assistance of a fellow payroll clerk, Alfred Mariano, to cover up his conduct. I interviewed Alfred on February 12, and he said that he usually sees Clark in the office after their lunch break.

Step 3: Formulate a Conclusion

State the conclusion reached based on the facts and supporting evidence. At the end of the report, the investigator should indicate whether the matter is substantiated, unsubstantiated, or inconclusive.

Example: There is clear evidence to prove that the subject falsified his timesheet, a violation of the Company Code of Conduct Section 3. Therefore, the complaint is substantiated.

What to Include in an Investigation Report?

Investigation reports can differ based on the industry of a business. There are, however, certain important elements that should always be included in a comprehensive report. The basic parts of an investigative report format include the background information of the case, names and titles of investigators, organization name, type of case (complaint, violation, incident , accident), case summary, proof or evidence, interview (as needed), case conclusion, and required signatures.

How to Use an Investigation Report Template

The accuracy of an investigation report lies in its structure. The structure allows reports to be consistent and reduces the time and effort spent in preparing and writing the report. Additionally, it would also be ideal if investigation reports are performed in a tool that allows easy collaboration, documentation in one safe location, and real-time report generation.

Steps to Using the Investigation Report Template

An effective investigation report follow these steps:

• Ask for basic information – This is the backbone of the investigation report—information including name, subject, contact details, the party conducting the investigation, the assigned investigator’s name, case number, and the dates that the case was created and completed (if applicable), should be added.
• Specify the type of case – Before proceeding with the report, identify the type of case to be investigated. It can be a case of a complaint, violation, incident, or an accident —specifying this would help in collecting the right data needed for a cohesive report.
• Gather supporting details – Provide a summary of the complaint by detailing initially known facts. It will also be helpful to include who was involved in the case and how the report was received.
• Provide evidence – Strengthen the report by attaching a photo of tangible evidence. This evidence can be in the form of footage, email records, security records, computer login records, documents, and physical objects, among others. It will also be ideal to conduct interviews with people involved or those who witnessed the incident firsthand.
• Arrive with a conclusion – After going through case notes, and analyzing claims and evidence, the investigator will then formulate a conclusion and indicate whether the case is substantiated, unsubstantiated, or inconclusive.

Investigation Report Example

To give you a better idea of what an investigation report looks like, below is a final investigation report sample we’ve created using an investigation report template. Preview and download an Investigation Report Template here.

Investigation Report Sample | SafetyCulture

FAQs about Investigation Reports

What is included in an investigation report.

An investigative report should include all the pertinent information about the incident along with all the evidence gathered to support the inquiry. This can consist of the type of case (e.g., complaint, violation, incident, or accident), a summary of details related to the case which will help provide better context on the issue, evidence such as photos, footage, email records, interview statements of people involved, and other substantial documents should be included to strengthen the report, and lastly, the conclusion which states the result of the findings from the case. 

Who writes the investigation report?

An investigator will be assigned either in-house or externally to look into the details of the incident. The investigator will be responsible in exploring the details of the allegations, examining the evidence, and formulating a conclusion. He/she will then write the report and present his/her findings to the stakeholders.

What is the importance of an investigation report?

An investigation report is an excellent way of presenting the information and evidence gathered during the investigation. Documenting investigations ensures a reliable account of the event.

Easily Document Investigation Reports with SafetyCulture

Evidence documentation and creating investigation reports using pen and paper can be time-consuming and burdensome. Investigators can use SafetyCulture , the world’s leading inspection software , and take advantage of these benefits:

• Customize effortlessly : Tailor templates with specific needs by incorporating custom logic into digital checklists 
• Empower your team: Invite your team members to utilize and explore the platform, enabling them to experience its capabilities
• Never miss an audit : Schedule inspections that notify all relevant personnel to ensure that no check-ins are overlooked
• Keep everyone informed : Generate comprehensive reports that are easily shareable with leaders, team members, and other relevant stakeholders

Free Investigation Report Templates

Incident investigation report template.

An incident investigation report template is used to document an incident as soon as it occurs, no matter how big or small. Capture relevant environmental, equipment, system, and people factors that may have contributed to the incident. You can also use this template to identify steps to be taken based on contributing factors and underlying causes.

Accident Investigation Report Template

An accident investigation report template is used to determine the root cause of an accident so that future occurrences can be prevented. This template can be used by workplace supervisors to gather general information on the injured employee, record witness statements, identify the details of the accident, and describe its consequences. An accident investigation report also includes recommendations to avoid accident reoccurrence.

Site Investigation Protocol

A site investigation report template is used by qualified investigators to determine characteristics of the soil in a specified property. It can help support a risk assessment, provide data for the design of remedial works, and benchmark the contamination status of a site. Use this template to specify the site information, characterize soil through testing, and complete the report by providing your overall findings and digital signature.

Fire Investigation Report Template

A fire investigation report is a comprehensive summary of a fire incident. Use this fire investigation report template to collaborate with the investigative team in identifying the root cause of a fire. Determine whether the fire was accidental or criminal and describe factors and issues that may have contributed to the incident. Document interviews from relevant witnesses, take photos of the area,and complete the report by providing recommendations to improve safety.

Jona Tarlengco

Explore more templates

• View template in library

Related pages

• Induction Software
• Construction Collaboration Software
• Workforce Optimization Software
• Care Management Software
• Visitor Management Software
• SOP Examples
• Construction Site Management
• Disaster Recovery Planning
• Construction Project Management
• Product Launch
• NDIS Audit Checklist
• Change Impact Assessment Template
• Environmental Aspects and Impacts Register
• 5 Whys Template
• Agile Transformation Checklist