Report Writing

Reports are closely related to Essay writing, although there are some clear distinctions.
While both rely on facts, essays add the personal opinions and arguments of the authors.
Reports typically stick only to the facts, although they may include some of the author’s
interpretation of these facts, most likely in the conclusion. 

Moreover, reports are heavily organized, commonly with tables of contents and copious
headings and subheadings. This makes it easier for readers to scan reports for the information
they’re looking for. Essays, on the other hand, are meant to be read start to finish, not
browsed for specific insights. 

Types of reports
There are a few different types of reports, depending on the purpose and to whom you present
your report. There are as many types of reports as there are writing styles, but in this guide,
we focus on academic reports.

What is the structure of a report?

The structure of a report depends on the type of report and the requirements of the
assignment. While reports can use their own unique structure, most follow this basic
template:

 Executive summary: Just like an abstract in an academic paper, an executive

summary is a standalone section that summarizes the findings in your report so
readers know what to expect. These are mostly for official reports and less so for
school reports. 

 Introduction: Setting up the body of the report, your introduction explains the

overall topic that you’re about to discuss, with your background information before
you get into your own findings. 

 Body: The body of the report explains all your major discoveries, broken up into
headings and subheadings. The body makes up the majority of the entire report;
whereas the introduction and conclusion are just a few paragraphs each, the body can
go on for pages. 

 Conclusion: The conclusion is where you bring together all the information in your

report and come to a definitive interpretation or judgment. This is usually where the
author inputs their own personal opinions or inferences.  

If you’re familiar with how to write a research paper, you’ll notice that report writing
follows the same introduction-body-conclusion structure, sometimes adding an executive
summary. Reports usually have their own additional requirements as well, such as title pages
and tables of content, which we explain in the next section. 
What should be included in a report?

There are no firm requirements for what’s included in a report. Every school, company,

laboratory, task manager, and teacher can make their own format, depending on their unique

needs. In general, though, be on the lookout for these particular requirements - they tend to

crop up a lot: 

 Title page: Official reports often use a title page to keep things organized; if a person

has to read multiple reports, title pages make them easier to keep track of. 

 Table of contents: Just like in books, the table of contents helps readers go directly to

the section they’re interested in, allowing for faster browsing. 

 Page numbering: A common courtesy if you’re writing a longer report, page

numbering makes sure the pages are in order in the case of mix-ups or misprints.

 Headings and subheadings: Reports are typically broken up into sections, divided

by headings and subheadings, to facilitate browsing and scanning. 

 Citations: If you’re citing information from another source, the citations guidelines

tell you the recommended format.

 Works cited page: A bibliography at the end of the report lists credits and the legal

information for the other sources you got information from. 

As always, refer to the assignment for the specific guidelines on each of these.

How to write a report

Now let’s get into the specifics of how to write a report. Follow the steps on report writing
below to take you from an idea to a completed paper. 

Choose a topic based on the assignment

Before you start writing, you need to pick the topic of your report. Often, the topic is assigned
for you, as with most business reports, or predetermined by the nature of your work, as with
scientific reports. If that’s the case, you can ignore this step and move on. 

Of course, don’t forget the instructions of the assignment, including length, so keep those in
the back of your head when deciding. 

Prepare an outline
Writing an outline is recommended for all kinds of writing, but it’s especially useful for
reports given their emphasis on organization. Because reports are often separated by headings
and subheadings, a solid outline makes sure you stay on track while writing without missing
anything. 

Really, you should start thinking about your outline during the research phase, when you start
to notice patterns and trends. If you’re stuck, try making a list of all the key points, details,
and evidence you want to mention. See if you can fit them into general and specific
categories, which you can turn into headings and subheadings respectively. 

Write a rough draft

Actually, writing the rough draft, or first draft, is usually the most time-consuming step.
Here’s where you take all the information from your research and put it into words. To avoid
getting overwhelmed, simply follow your outline step by step to make sure you don’t
accidentally leave out anything. 

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; that’s the number one rule for writing a rough draft.
Expecting your first draft to be perfect adds a lot of pressure. Instead, write in a natural and
relaxed way, and worry about the specific details like word choice and correcting mistakes
later. That’s what the last two steps are for, anyway. 

Revise and edit your report

Once your rough draft is finished, it’s time to go back and start fixing the mistakes you
ignored the first time around. (Before you dive right back in, though, it helps to sleep on it to
start editing fresh, or at least take a small break to unwind from writing the rough draft.) 

We recommend first rereading your report for any major issues, such as cutting or moving
around entire sentences and paragraphs. Sometimes you’ll find your data doesn’t line up, or
that you misinterpreted a key piece of evidence. This is the right time to fix the “big picture”
mistakes and rewrite any longer sections as needed. 

Proofread and check for mistakes

Last, it pays to go over your report one final time, just to optimize your wording and check
for grammatical or spelling mistakes. In the previous step you checked for “big picture”
mistakes, but here you’re looking for specific, even nit-picky problems. 

A writing assistant like Grammarly flags those issues for you. Grammarly’s free version
points out any spelling and grammatical mistakes while you write, with suggestions to
improve your writing that you can apply with just one click.