A report is a written record of something seen, listened to, done, or examined. It is an organised and well-presented presentation of data and facts from an event that had happened previously. Reports are often used as a writing task to determine what you have understood from your reading, study, or experiences and provide you with hands-on experience with essential skills broadly used in the workplace. People who are entirely new to the subject should learn all they need to understand from a detailed report. Reports make it simple to bring anyone up to pace on a topic, and writing a report is very simple. Whenever a person writes a report, the report writing format should be kept in mind.
Report Writing and Essay Writing
Report writing is similar to essay writing, but some key differences are there. Though both rely on facts, essays include the authors’ personal opinions and arguments. Furthermore, reports are highly organised, often with a table of contents and well-described headings and subheadings. This allows the readers to search reports for the details they seek more easily. In contrast, essays are intended to be read from beginning to end, rather than skimmed for specific insights. The format of report writing and essay also differs a lot. Plus, the essential elements of report writing are different from that of essay writing.
Essential Elements Of Report Writing and Format Of Report Writing
The essential elements should always be present to outline the report’s purpose, audience, and issue. In addition, there are essential elements of report writing that can make sure the report written is perfect and appropriately convey information. So, to maintain the format of report writing, these elements need to be there.
One can prefer to look at an example of report writing to understand better. These elements in report writing make sure that it follows the ideal format of report writing.
Title page
A good title is informative without being cumbersome. It answers the questions like the report’s subject matter and the type of report written. A title page is frequently used in official reports to keep things organised; if the reader has to interpret numerous reports, title pages make it easier to keep track.
Table of contents
The table of contents, like in books, allows the readers to go immediately to the section they’re interested in, helping them in faster browsing.
Executive summary
It is a one-page summary of the entire report. The target audience consists of people who depend on executive summaries to keep up with the massive amount of paper that daily crosses their desks.
Introduction
The introduction defines the objectives and purpose of the report. Also, you have to present the solution to the problem and emphasise the report’s scope.
Discussion
The discussions are the report’s main body. When working on the discussion section, keep in mind how to show the analysis logically and systematically. Over here, explain the results and back up your claims with solid evidence, and connect theories to practical applications.
The ending
After thoroughly discussing the problem and presenting the findings in the main body, it is time to bring everything together in conclusion. First, identify the major issues and explain your perspective on them. Then, refer to the objectives stated in the introduction, rephrase the key points and bring all of the elements together clearly and concisely.
Recommendations
Your report should include recommendations for the future. The recommendations in your report should address how you believe the problem can be solved or improved.
Tips for report writing
- The objective of the report must always be focused.
- It is recommended to write the table of content and executive summary towards the end.
- Keep short sentences.
- Linking words should be used.
- Try to avoid active voice. Instead, use passive voice wherever possible.
- Use the correct punctuation.
- Proofread the report before submitting it.
Conclusion
Report writing is a widely used form of writing to convey information. In report writing, all these elements play a significant role, as every element represents important information for the audience. The format and elements comprises of the title page, table of content, summary, the main body, conclusion, and recommendations. These factors together forms an ideal format of report writing. Also, it is important to follow some rules while writing a report, that will make the report more precise and accurate.
