Patching and Plastering - Patching hole in ceiling

There is a hole in a ceiling that I would like to repair, and any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated.:)

Background is as follows: found a leak above where the ceiling was, so in an emergency punched a hole through the ceiling to repair the leak... (I didn't do this myself - found it in it's current state).

It's a pretty big hole... I'd say at least six inches across, maybe more. (It is not a "neat" hole either as if someone sawed it out, it is pretty irregularly shaped suggested it was "punched" out.) What sort of method is recommened to fix something like this?

Thanks for any replies.:)

Do you have a drywall or plaster ceiling?

Uhhh, well... I think it's drywall... maybe:confused:

You see, I said I have a hole in A ceiling, not MY ceiling.:D

It is in a the basement bedroom of a house, and I'm guessing that it is drywall. Let's assume that it is for the sake of this thread..;)

Since it's rough, cut the hole back to the center of the ceiling joists. Cut a piece of drywall to fit the hole, screw up. Screw the ceiling around the patch as well. Put mesh tap on the seams. Apply drywall mud with a ten inch knife on both sides of tape. Second coat use a twelve inch knife. Let dry. Sand lightly. Put a skim over entire patch with twelve inch knife. Let set up but not totally dry. Feather the edges and any other imperfections with a wet sponge.