Report Writing
During your academic study, you may be asked to write a report. Like an essay, a report is a formal piece of written work, however, reports and essays have very different requirements. Understanding these requirements and the differences between them will help you know how to construct your assignment.
Look at the comparison below to identify the differences between a report and an essay.
Reports
- Informative and fact-based
- Presents findings and data
- Content is divided into sections with shorter paragraphs and bullet points
- Can be read in sections at the reader's convenience
Essays
- Argumentative and ideas based
- Analyses and critiques the theory of others
- A continuous piece of writing flowing to each connected paragraph
- Designed to be read from beginning to end
Report structure
Reports are a structured piece of writing designed to be read quickly and easily. Information is provided in headed sections of writing, enabling the reader to easily find the information they want. Look at the graphic below to see the differences in layout between a report and an essay.
What are the key features of report?
- A description, analysis and interpretation of a sequence of events or a situation.
- An evaluation of the facts or results of your project.
- A recommendation for change and/or future action.
The content of a report can vary depending on your subject of study and the criteria of the assignment. In the next section of this module, we’ll look at the purpose of your report and who its being presented to.