Report writing
Report structures vary according to the purpose and across different disciplines but there are some common features that broadly set them apart from essays.
What is a report?
For university assessments, a report is similar to an essay in that both need:
- to be written in a formal style and follow academic writing conventions
- an introduction, body and conclusion
- analytical thinking and strong evidence to support the conclusion.
A report is often different to an essay in that a report:
- is usually a presentation of facts and information, rather than a theoretical discussion of ideas and opinions
- is often written for a specific audience (e.g. an organisation that has commissioned a report)
- is structured with headings and sub-headings (often numbered) so that it may be easily scanned by the reader
- uses short, concise paragraphs, and dot points where applicable
- often uses graphics to convey data
- often begins with an overview – an ‘introduction’, ‘background’, ‘abstract’ or ‘executive summary’
- makes recommendations or suggests further lines of research
- often has appendices with further details of processes or data.
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Further reading
Writing laboratory reports (UNSW)
Technical reports (Monash University)
Business reports (University of Wollongong)
