Some academic assignments ask for a ‘report’, rather than an essay, and students are often confused about what that really means.Likewise, in business, confronted with a request for a ‘report’ to a senior manager, many people struggle to know what to write.Confusion often arises about the writing style, what to include, the language to use, the length of the document and other factors.
During your planning and writing, make sure that you keep your brief in mind: who are you writing for, and why are you writing?
All your thinking needs to be focused on that, which may require you to be ruthless in your reading and thinking. As you read and research, try to organise your work into sections by theme, a bit like writing a Literature Review.
Requirements for the precise form and content of a report will vary between organisation and departments and in study between courses, from tutor to tutor, as well as between subjects, so it’s worth finding out if there are any specific guidelines before you start.
Not all of these elements will be essential in every report.
It may include recommendations, or these may be included in a separate section.
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Recommendations suggest how you think the situation could be improved, and should be specific, achievable and measurable.
The introduction sets out what you plan to say and provides a brief summary of the problem under discussion. The main body of the report should be carefully structured in a way that leads the reader through the issue.
You should split it into sections using numbered sub-headings relating to themes or areas for consideration.
In academia there is some overlap between reports and essays, and the two words are sometimes used interchangeably, but reports are more likely to be needed for business, scientific and technical subjects, and in the workplace.
Essentially, a report is a short, sharp, concise document which is written for a particular purpose and audience.
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