Report Writing the basics

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Purpose of report writing

A report is different from writing an essay. It has a different purpose and so it is set out differently.

A report generally communicates results. It should be clear who the report is for, what methods were chosen to collect the information and what was found out.

“A report is the formal method of communicating the results of a project or research assignment.” (Cottrell, 2019, p.363)

Reports may cover:

  • What you did
  • How you did it
  • What you found out
  • Why your findings are important
  • Who it is for
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the main differences between reports and essays

A report is written for a specific audience where as essays are not (apart from your lecturer).

A report focuses on a specific brief. Essays may have a broad scope so you will need to interpret and define the question.

A report makes recommendations supported by appropriate (referenced) evidence. Essays make a coherent argument supported by appropriate (referenced) evidence

Reports can contain diagrams, tables and figures. Essays don't usually contain diagrams etc.

Reports are formally structured with headings and sub-headings. Essays shouldn’t use headings and sub-headings.

Reports are written in an appropriate style for each section (e.g. may use a different style for methods than for discussion). Essays are written in a single style throughout.

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Questions to ask yourself

What am I being asked to do?

  • What does project brief and module guide tell me about what I need to do?
  • Are there specific things that I need to include in the report?

Who am I writing for?

  • Who is the audience (client / company) – what do they want to know?
  • What do they want to find out?
  • What do they know already? E.g. Professional body

What am I being asked to do with it?

  • Is the purpose of the report to inform, test, persuade, advise, recommend?
  • Do I need to make recommendations based on my findings?

How does my audience want the information presented?

  • What guidance have I been given on structure, format and layout?
  • What is the word count?

When does my audience want the report?

  • When is the deadline?
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Generic Structure of Reports

A report may include:

  • Abstract/Executive summary
  • Table of contents
  • Introduction
  • Methods/Procedures
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion/Recommendations
  • References
  • Appendices

The structure of a report can vary according to the subject matter.

You might need to decide on your own sub-headings, or you might be given a very specific structure to follow.

Make sure to check the guidance/assessment criteria you have been given.

You may want to consider some or all of these sections when writing a report:

Abstract / Executive summary

Provides a very brief overview of the entire research and findings.

Table of contents

Even if this is not mentioned in your criteria, it is useful to have to signpost to your lecturer what the report contains.

Introduction

Gives the purpose of the report, aims and objectives, background.

Methods / Procedures

Describes what was done to collect evidence.

Results

Presents factual data, stating what has been achieved.

Discussion

Considers what could be done with the research findings.

Conclusion / Recommendations

Makes recommendations for action and summarises the important points.

References

Good quality, academic references are needed, as with every piece of academic work.

Appendices

This could include transcripts of interviews, raw data etc. This can be useful to save your word count.

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Writing style for reports

What to avoid when writing a report

Academics have said that the following make a report bad:

  • Doesn’t answer the brief
  • Badly structured
  • Inappropriate writing style
  • Poor grammar and punctuation
  • Incorrect or inadequate referencing
  • Too much/too little/irrelevant material
  • Expression not clear
  • Doesn’t relate results to purpose
  • Unnecessary use of jargon

Taken from Learnhigher (2022) and the School of Computing. ​

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what makes a good report?

Here is what they have said makes a good report:

  • Answers the brief
  • Well structured
  • Appropriate writing style
  • Good grammar and punctuation
  • Well referenced
  • Only includes relevant material
  • Clear
  • Relates results to purpose
  • No jargon

Taken from Learnhigher (2022) and the School of Computing. ​

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Top tips for Writing reports

1. Have one main point per paragraph. For more details on writing paragraphs see the Academic Writing guide.

Academic Writing guide

2. Write to express, not to impress (use short, clear sentences).

3. Write in the third person - avoid using 'I. For example, ‘The test was carried out’ not ‘I did the test’. For more details on writing in the third person, see the 'How to write in the third person' guide.

'How to' guides

4. Write words out in full, for instance use ‘could not' instead of ‘couldn’t‘.

5. Be specific - avoid vague terms like “for some time”.

6. Be objective - report what you actually found, not what you wanted to find.

7. Be critical - what evidence is there to support your interpretations?

8. Be concise - edit unnecessary detail. A report will have a word count like all other assignments, so use words wisely.

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Specific styles for reports

When writing a report you can:

  • use headings and sub-headings
  • use diagrams and tables to illustrate points, but you will need to discuss these as they won’t explain themselves and they need to be clearly labelled
  • use bullet points

Remember to ALWAYS check your criteria for specific guidance.

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Activity: Inappropriate language in a report

Read this paragraph and consider what language is inappropriate for a report and how you could improve it:

After I added the solution to the beaker, the liquid went a really lurid green, which was unexpected, as this was not the same as the washed-out green colour it was supposed to go according to what the book said. I then stirred the beaker and left it for a little while. After several days, the mixture had settled to the bottom and dried out, which was not supposed to have happened; this was a bit of a problem.

This is what we thought...

After I (1) added the solution to the beaker, the liquid went a really lurid green (2), which was unexpected, as this was not the same as the washed-out green (2) colour it was supposed to go according to what the book said (3). I then stirred the beaker and left it for a little while (4). After several (4) days, the mixture had settled to the bottom and dried out, which was not supposed to have happened; this was a bit of a problem (5).

1. Don’t use I

2. Avoid overly elaborate descriptions of colours – really lurid/washed out.

3. What book? Don’t include book details. Only cite the author and what they say should have happened. This is also a very long sentence.

4. Vague terms – how long is a little while? Several days? Need to be specific

5. What exactly was the problem and why?

And here is our suggested improved paragraph:

After the solution was added to the beaker, the liquid went bright green, which was unexpected. Smith (2019) states that it should have turned pale green in colour. The solution in the beaker was stirred and left for four days. After two days, the mixture had settled to the bottom and dried out, which was not supposed to have happened. The solution should have remained in liquid form. This could have been as a result of the temperature in the room (Jones, 2018).

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References

See the online reading list of additional resources for further reading on report writing.

Online Reading List: Report Writing
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