Types of Report Writing

A report is a specific form of writing that is organised around concisely identifying and examining issues, events, or findings that have happened in a physical sense, such as events that have occurred within an organisation, or findings from a research investigation.

Reports are well researched, planned and organized documents that are written for a purpose. Types of reports include memos, meeting minutes, expense reports, audit reports, closure reports, progress reports, justification reports, compliance reports, annual reports, and feasibility reports.

Essentially, a report is a short, sharp, concise document which is written for a particular purpose and audience. It generally sets outs and analyses a situation or problem, often making recommendations for future action. It is a factual paper, and needs to be clear and well-structured.

Report writing is a formal style of writing elaborately on a topic. The tone of a report is always formal….Introduction to Report Writing.

• Long Report and Short Reports. These kinds of reports are fairly clear, as the name suggests.
• Internal and External Reports.
• Vertical and Lateral Reports.
• Periodic Reports.
• Formal and Informal Reports.
• Informational and Analytical Reports.
• Proposal Reports.
• Functional Reports.

When writing a report, always keep the reader in mind. Be clear, concise and accurate, and use a recognisable structure….All reports have a similar structure and can include:

• a title page.
• an executive summary.
• a contents page.
• an introduction.
• terms of reference.
• procedure.
• findings.
• conclusions.

The introduction of any business report or essay should:

1. focus the reader’s attention on the exact subject of the report;
2. provide background information on the topic of the report;
3. engage the reader’s interest in the topic;
4. give definitions if required [not usually done if it’s a short piece of writing];

Top 11 Characteristics of a Good Report

• Characteristic # 1. Simplicity:
• Characteristic # 2. Clarity:
• Characteristic # 3. Brevity:
• Characteristic # 4. Positivity:
• Characteristic # 5. Punctuation:
• Characteristic # 6. Approach:
• Characteristic # 7. Readability:
• Characteristic # 8. Accuracy:

By the way, A good report must have the following qualities:

• Precision. In a good report, the report writer is very clear about the exact and definite purpose of writing the report.
• Accuracy of Facts.
• Relevancy.
• Reader-Orientation.
• Simple Language.
• Conciseness.
• Grammatical Accuracy.
• Unbiased Recommendation.

9 Things To Avoid When You Write A Report

• Play the lone ranger.
• Start with your credentials.
• Omit the executive summary.
• Focus on your tools.
• Write an encyclopaedia.
• Adopt a ‘one size fits all’ policy.
• Overload your report with jargon and buzz words.
• Gloss over detail.

Without loss of generality, a report should be divided in three main parts; an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The introduction is at least strongly recommended, if not mandatory. It is in this section that you remind the context and the purpose of the document you are writing.

3. I must confess that a bunch of the do’s and don’ts don’t create much wisdom to me either. 4. It pays to know the dos and don’ts of political conference in advance.

Which ONE of these is best avoided in a report? Conclusions.

A poor report stresses difficulties but doesn’t offer much information about solutions. It talks about weaknesses rather than strengths, as the Upwrite Press website says. It seeks to make threats rather than suggest changes to right the wrongs.

The Purpose of Reports. Reports communicate information which has been compiled as a result of research and analysis of data and of issues. Reports can cover a wide range of topics, but usually focus on transmitting information with a clear purpose, to a specific audience.