Note-taking and Report Writing
Notes and reports are the investigator's evidence in waiting. This domain tests whether your records are contemporaneous, complete, objective and capable of refreshing memory months later.
Notes
Use a bound, paginated notebook. Record date, time (24-hour), location, persons present, weather and lighting, what you saw and heard, and exact words where they matter. Separate observation from information received, and attribute the source: 'the manager stated ...'. Do not erase - strike through with one line and initial. Record gaps, because unexplained silence undermines credibility. Sign and date the end of each entry.
Reports
A professional report opens with authority (who retained you, the date and the mandate), summarises findings, describes methodology, sets out a chronological narrative, identifies evidence and exhibits, and notes limitations. Write in the first person, past tense, active voice: 'I observed the man enter the building at 09:14', not 'the subject attended the premises'. Attach logs and photographs as appendices and refer to them.
Objectivity
Description beats conclusion. 'Her hands were shaking and her voice was raised' is evidence; 'she was nervous' is a conclusion. Where you must interpret, label it: 'it is my opinion that'. Never write more than the file supports.
Worked example
A surveillance log reads: '07:12 subject dep.' The report paragraph becomes: 'At 07:12, the man described in Appendix A left the front door of 15 Elm Street, entered the driver's side of a grey van bearing Ontario plate ABCD 123 and drove west on Elm Street. I followed at a distance of two to three vehicles until 07:31, when I lost sight at the Highway 401 ramp.' The loss of contact is recorded, not hidden.
Traps
Destroying handwritten notes after typing the report - they are producible and their absence invites attack; using conclusions; omitting negative observations ('I saw no one else enter'); failing to explain time gaps; and making later edits without initialling them.