FORMAL AND INFORMAL REPORTS

Reports, issued or received, by an organisation can either

be informal or very formal but both types of report will
contain certain common elements although not
necessarily in the same format
An organisation might commission a report to, eg,
Identify any problems associated with equipment
Obtain up-to-date information (sales)
Receive progress reports on a project
Investigate particular processes
Market research data
Forecast potential sales
Identify needs to change policy
A report may contain research which has been carried
out for a specific purpose
It may be the findings and recommendations of work that
has been carried out for a specific purpose
It may be an account of something which has taken place
and been reported on

FORMAL REPORT
A formal report will contain the following headings:
Title page
Report on
Terms of reference this will state what you have been asked to do, eg,
research on a particular topic
To report on (subject) as requested by (name and title) on
(date)
Procedure this will say how you have gone about gathering the
information you are giving, eg, interviews, visits, observations
Findings in this section you would state what you have found out. You
would not give recommendation at this stage, but would simply state facts
Conclusions this would be a general statement of your findings you
would not make any recommendations but would conclude and sum up your
findings. No new facts should be introduced in this section
Recommendations on the basis of your findings and conclusions you
would make recommendations for future research and projects. Again, no
new facts must be introduced here. Remember the writer of the report
cannot make any decisions he or she can only suggest what action should
be taken
Appendices to include more extensive information that could be included
in a footnote
It is also usual to sign and date a report
Sometimes to make each section easier to read, you can breakdown the
information by using a series of numbers, eg
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

Terms of reference
Procedures
Findings
3.1 Establishment of company catering facilities
3.2 Lunch period arrangements
3.3 Arrangements of seating
Conclusions
Recommendations

SHORT INFORMAL REPORT

A short informal report tends to be used for less complex
data. It would probably be commissioned by a line
manager and then researched by a member of staff. The
format would include these headings:
Introduction
Information
Findings
Conclusions
Action required
The structure of any type of report should always ensure
that the reader can clearly identify a beginning, a middle
and an end.
The background or reason for the research should be
identified first.
Secondly, the research should be analysed so that the
recipient of the report can see what has been found
Lastly, the conclusions and recommendations should be
identified
An informal report can be written in the form of a
memorandum

BEFORE STARTING YOUR REPORT CONSIDER

THE FOLLOWING
What is the main aim of the report?
Who will read the report?
Does the format need to be formal or informal?
How should the report be presented?
Is there a need to make recommendations for the
findings and conclusions?
Report writing usually requires a formal, impersonal style
which means that the word I is not often used. The person
writing the report would not say I had a meeting with X
but would say a meeting was held with X

A REPORT SHOULD BE
UNDERSTANDABLE, WITHOUT THE NEED
TO ASK FURTHER QUESTIONS, BY
SOMEONE WITH NO SPECIALISED
KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT