Report writing
This video lecture explains how to put a report together and focuses on the elements of a good report.
Constructing a paragraph
This interactive online tutorial will help you learn how to structure paragraphs effectively.
Assignment pre-reading service
Get feedback on your assignment's structure, focus, style, use of sources and referencing before you submit it for marking.
What is a report?
A report informs the reader simply and objectively about all relevant issues around a topic. It is a specific form of writing, which concisely identifies and examines issues, events or findings, such as events that have occurred within an organisation, findings from a research investigation or issues within a body of literature.
There are 3 features that characterise report writing at a very basic level:
- a pre-defined structure
- independent sections
- unbiased conclusions.
Pre-defined structure
Pre-defined structure
A report is a structured piece of work which follows a specific format. Your course coordinator or lecturer will:
- identify the main sections you need to include in your assignment
- indicate that you should follow a standard structure like a business report or science report.
Check your guidelines to be sure that you are following the structure they have specified.
Independent sections
Independent sections
Use headings in a report to organise information and indicate sections such as the introduction, discussion and conclusion. You can also add sub-sections to examine the literature you have sourced, develop your ideas and discuss the assigned topic in detail.
Indicate the difference between your main sections and sub-sections through numbering or by changing the heading font. Your assignment instructions will tell you which method is appropriate.
Unbiased conclusions
Unbiased conclusions
Reports should be unbiased, objective and should go through the process of:
- identifying and reviewing a range of issues in the discussion
- reaching an objective conclusion or position at the end
- making recommendations based on the discussion and conclusions.
Even if you begin your report with a particular point of view in mind, you should make sure to reach your conclusion via an objective and methodical review of the issues involved.
The conclusion is where you give emphasis to your findings and the recommendations or decisions you have arrived at after a careful analysis of all the issues. It should be clear to the reader that your conclusion is reasoned logically from your discussion of the issues and the evidence you have presented in the body of the report.
How is a report different from an essay?
Often, you will be given more guidance on how to write a report, particularly its structure and sections, compared to an essay where you decide the order of information in the essay body.
A report provides you with that structure before you begin to answer the question, while still allowing you some flexibility and freedom in deciding on the organisation of sub-sections. While you may have more freedom in structuring an essay, it can be more difficult to decide how to order the information in body paragraphs.
A report may be longer than an essay.
Report structure
Report structures vary so check with your assignment instructions or course coordinator.
Depending on the type of report you are writing, you may need to briefly summarise the findings in your introduction or provide an overview of your report in an executive summary or abstract.
Business report
Find out how to structure your business report, analyse a situation and provide solutions or suggestions for improvement.
Lab report structure
Find out how to structure your lab report, describe and analyse the results of an experiment, and explore a scientific concept.
Other reports
Find out how to use a flat, hierarchical, general-specific or relationship structure to organise information and discuss issues in your report.
Abstract
Learn how to write an abstract and about the purpose, length, types and style.
Title page
Find out how to format a title page and what to include if your assignment requires a title page.
Appendices
Find out how to use appendices to include additional information, transcripts, questionnaire details or raw data.
Analysing issues for a report
In most reports, you will need to include an analysis of the issues or events that the report is based on.
This can be a simple identification and description, or a complex comparison of the factors involved and an evaluation of the value or effectiveness of particular events, processes or policies. At a basic level, you may only need to:
- identify the issues that are relevant to the report
- describe what they comprise or how they work
- explain why they are relevant and important, why you chose them from a pool of available issues, or what their advantages or disadvantages are and why.
SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis Looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats surrounding a particular issue.
For a more evaluative focus to your analysis, use a SWOT analysis. This is a common technique drawn from business studies approaches to report writing. It involves looking at the pros and cons surrounding a particular issue:
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Opportunities
- Threats
Each of these headings could form a separate section or a single paragraph within the body of your report's structure.
This method of looking at the issue from different angles, especially pros and cons, allows you to write a more reflective and objective analysis of the topic.
If there are many issues to discuss in your report, you may wish to use SWOT to analyse each individual issue.
Force field analysis
Force field analysis Identifies the driving forces and obstacles before arriving at a decision and writing it up in your report.
Force field analysis is a similar technique to SWOT analysis, drawn from the management arena. This method identifies pros and cons before arriving at a decision, using a 3-step process:
- Identify the driving forces in support of a decision.
- Identify the restraining forces or obstacles against a decision.
- Prioritise the most significant driving and restraining forces that will impact on the decision and write these up in your report.
PESTLE analysis
PESTLE analysis Addresses the political, economic or educational, social, technological, legal and environmental influences relating to your topic.
Another technique for managing your analysis, which is also drawn from the discipline of management, involves addressing the following issues, aspects, or influences in relation to your topic:
- Political
- Economic or educational
- Sociological or social
- Technological
- Legal
- Environmental
Each of these perspectives could form a single paragraph or a separate section of the body of your report. In some reports, you may find it more beneficial to choose 3 out of the 6 perspectives to discuss in depth.
Once you've addressed the issues in the body of your report, you may need to look at ways to move forward with a particular issue or how to proceed with a particular decision. In this case, consider the implications for the future or what recommendations may be relevant.
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