Writing reports is a crucial skill for many professions and academic programs. This website provides you with 10 top writing guidelines and examples of proper report styles.

Writing a Report: An Introduction

At your university or for your employment, you may be required to prepare a report (a business or technical report).

Writing a report can be done for a variety of reasons, including to convey information (such as in a lab report or financial report), to present research findings, to analyze an issue and then suggest a specific course of action, or for any number of other purposes.

A report may be lengthy or concise, formal, or casual. Depending on who is going to read your report and their degree of knowledge or skill, you will use a different tone and vocabulary. The material in reports should be presented logically in parts with headings and (if necessary) subheadings, and they should be clear and succinct.

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Formats for Writing Reports

Reports do not always have the same formats or have all the numerous sections that could be there. If you are unsure of the proper report writing format to use, ask your professor at the university or learn the preferred format that your employer favors.

You can be required to produce a research report as part of your academic degree, particularly if you are studying a scientific or technical field.

In it, you will address a specific topic (explaining why it warrants study and citing previous related studies); detail your research techniques; assess the findings of your research; and then, in the end, give recommendations or conclusions.

What are the sections of the report?

Title Page

Title page information includes the report's title, your name, the date, and academic details (such as the name of your course and tutor).

Acknowledgement

If you have received assistance (i.e., from experts, academics, and libraries).

Reference terms (optional)

This clarifies the parameters of your report, as well as its purpose and intended audience.

Summary/Abstract

 Briefly state your aims (if you do not include a term of reference section), major findings, conclusions, and suggestions in your summary or abstract.

Table of Contents

Include a list of your report's sections, subsections, diagrams, illustrations, appendices, and page references for each.

Introduction

The purpose of your research, its history and objectives, research methodologies, and a succinct conclusion should all be included.

Procedure, methodology, and methods

(Optional – if not included in the introduction)

How you conducted your study and the methods, tools, and procedures you employed.

Body of the Discussion (the longest part of your report)

Contains analysis and explanation of your findings, broken down into headings and subheadings for clarity (sometimes referencing current theory or prior study). You can also add visual details like charts, pictures, graphs, etc.

Results

(May also go before the main body of the report) (can also go before the main body of the report) the results of your study, which are also displayed in tables, etc., but are not followed by a commentary or an explanation.

Conclusion

What you can conclude about the outcomes—your inferences and the key outcomes of your study.

Recommendations

(May also be part of the conclusion section) (can also be part of the conclusion section). If you have more than one, number them all.

Appendices

Tables, surveys, and other extra information that is too lengthy for the main body of your report.

References

A list of all the references you made in your report.

Bibliography (optional)

Publications that you read or used for research, such as books and journals.

Glossary (optional)

Jargon or technical terms that your reader may not grasp.

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Tips for Writing a Report

With the help of these report writing guidelines, you can write more efficiently and with greater relevance. Five writing tips come first, then five language suggestions.

Include your table of contents and executive summary at the conclusion.

This implies that the page numbers and section headings will be consistent. If you have already written the remainder of the document, writing the executive summary will be a lot simpler.

Concentrate on the goal

Make sure you are aware of your report's intended audience and purpose. Read the assignment brief carefully and refer to it while writing a report for a university course to ensure that everything you write and add is pertinent.

If you are composing a business report, start by formulating an aim. This aids in your decision-making on the reader's relevance and importance. The report's purpose might be used as the title or included in the introduction.

Before writing, make a plan.

Assemble all the studies and pertinent data. You might need to do trials, background research, or interviews with people.

Choose a format for your report. How will you categorize the information you already have? How should these sections be broken down into headings and subheadings?

Write down all your points on paper, then organize them into sections and headings to create your framework. Consider using a "thought map" instead. In a box, write a subject word. Next, write thoughts around it. Draw lines connecting the ideas to the subject word. By doing this, you can see how the information relates to one another and how it might be categorized.

So that you can create the references section later, make sure to preserve a list of all your references. Consider how the structure of your report relates to its goal as you develop its layout. What inferences or suggestions can you draw? Are there any peculiar circumstances you would need to explain?

Employ a simple layout

Make your report more legible and appealing to the eye. In order to assist you, consider the following:

To divide the material into sections, use headings and subheadings. Keep in mind to regularly number these. Here are two other options:

• Provide enough margins and spacing to make the text appear less crowded.

• Write paragraphs that are well-organized. There should not be more than five sentences in a paragraph. For instance, the topic sentence in the first sentence expresses the major point of the paragraph. The second through fourth sentences elaborates on this concept by providing evidence or details, making comments about the issues brought up, or making references to further facts. The concluding phrase brings the discussion to a close or introduces the paragraph that follows.

Proofread and edit!

A list of questions you should ask yourself before submitting your report is provided below:

- Is the writing clear, concise, and simple to read?

- Do the sections make sense when read in order?

- Is each claim backed up by facts or evidence?

- Are the proposals and conclusions convincing?

- Have all the sources been properly cited?

Finally, have you adhered to the report's focus or conciseness?

Make sentences brief and clear.

Include only one primary topic per phrase, and provide supporting details in subsequent sentences that are introduced by suitable linking words (see below). Do not use extended sentences with several subclauses because they will be tough for your reader to follow. Attempt to limit sentences to no more than 15-20 words.

Use connecting words.

To make your reader follow your ideas, use words and phrases like "hence," "although," "For this reason," etc. Visit our article on connecting terms for a complete list of linking words (along with usage examples).

Employ standard English

If you are writing for a non-technical audience, define jargon and technical words and include them in a glossary.

• Whenever possible, avoid passive forms

Rather than using subject pronouns like "I" and "you," passive forms are frequently used in scientific and technical reports, but you can write more simply and clearly in business reports.

• Pay attention to the punctuation

Correct punctuation makes reading your report easier for the reader. Check out our punctuation guide if you are unsure of when to use commas or semicolons (for example).

• View Business Writing Essentials

How to Write Letters, Reports, and Emails for additional writing assistance.