Writing a report

Fiona Firth

What is a report?
The formal writing up of a piece of
research or project work.
Concise style
Precise detail
Structured to enable the reader to
find information quickly
Typically writing required for the
world of work

Differences from essays

Reports:
Present research or
data collected by the
author
Structure sections
with headings,
includes tables,
appendices etc.
Description of
methods used, how
research could have
been improved.
Include
recommendations
for action

Essays:
Focus on analysis or
evaluation of
theory/past research
Structure flow as a
continuous piece of
writing.
No description of
methods used, not
reflective of process.
Do not include
recommendations

Goal of the Report

Before you start you must determine the
goal of the report:
If writing for a Client, the report should
be tailored to the Clients requirements
you may be working to a brief.
If you make recommendations for
action, evaluate the different options
For business reports include details of
costs, losses and potential profits for
each option.
For a report based on research;
describe the research and the
conditions under which it took place.

Standard Report Structure

Title Cover page, include the reports

author (if University work the course title)

and the date.

Client (if there is one), or

Acknowledgements
Executive Summary / Abstract a

brief summary or overview of the report

including the conclusions one paragraph
long.
List of Contents with page numbers

List of tables and illustrations (could

Standard Report Structure

Introduction Brief discussion of what
report is about what are you going to show
or prove, If a Client brief state details of
this (i.e. who commissioned report, why,
the scope etc.).
Review of the literature what is your
source material?
Method How did you conduct your
research? Describe the methods used,
what were the conditions?
Measurement - Discuss the kinds of data
gathered. How did you analyse them?

Standard Report Structure

Present the results Present your main
findings briefly in order of importance. Be
honest about your results.
Discuss the results Analyse and explain
your findings. How are they significant?
How could the research have been
improved? What follow up research would
be useful?
Conclusions Where relevant summarise
your key points.
Recommendations Can be a numbered
list of suggested actions.

Standard Report Structure

References List your source
material
Bibliography if required, list further
relevant reading.
Appendices Present together any
essential extra material e.g. copies of
materials used, tables and graphs of
data. Number each item, and
include only items mentioned in the
report.

Layout, Presentation and

Style

Numbering headings:
Give each section a heading, to indicate
what the section covers.
Use brief subheadings to introduce
different kinds of subject matter.
Number each section and subsection in a
logical way, so that the reader can easily
tell when the report is moving on to a new
section.
Ensure that your headings and numbering
system is consistent throughout the

Levels of Heading
A Main headings: in large print and
bold type
B Slightly larger font than the text, and in
bold type
C Subheadings: may be in Italics or bold
D Other lesser headings: should stand out clearly

Numbering sections and

subsections:
9 Results
9.1 Results of experiment A

Presenting the text

Number the pages in order. On the
contents page, give the page number
for each section.
Use fonts that are easy to read.
Leave clear margins
Avoid fancy graphics unless the brief
requires these.
Use a clear layout, keep tables and
diagrams to those that are essential,
most of which should be in the

Writing style
Formal avoid slang and
abbreviations
Focused address only the project
brief
Concise avoid tangents and
unnecessary examples
Subject specific follow the style
appropriate to your subject.

Reference
Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills
Handbook (3rd Ed), Palgrave
Macmillan: Basingstoke.