Faced with the prospect of writing a report, people of all ages may feel intimidated. However, you can make this common task significantly easier and less stressful when you break it down into a series of questions and steps.
What is A Report?
A report is a relatively formal written document that serves a particular purpose. Unlike an essay, a report is not a continuous piece of writing, but is broken into sections. Reports may not be read from beginning to end, but often by whichever sections are relevant to different readers.
Types of reports include book reports (literature review), progress reports, research papers, physical description reports, analytical reports, examination reports, laboratory reports, and design portfolios.
Why Are You Writing A Report?
You or your student may have been asked to write a report on a particular subject, such as a book, or on the findings of research or the progress of a project. To begin, ask yourself these questions:
- What is the purpose of my report?
- Who am I writing the report for?
- Why will my intended audience want to read this report?
- What do my readers need to know? What do they already know?
- How detailed do I need to be?
- How long does my report need to be?
Steps for Writing A Report
- Outline what you plan to cover in a logical order.
- Research your topic and note sources. Take advantage of library services.
- Write and assemble each section, as described below.
Basic Format for A Research Paper
Reports are divided into sections with each section beginning on a new page, as follows.
- Title Page: Select an informative title. Include your name and the date.
- Abstract: A short summary of 200 words or less.
- Introduction: Introduce the topic and purpose of the report in two pages or less.
- Materials and Methods: Describe your procedure for acquiring the knowledge presented in your report.
- Results: Report your findings. Use figures and tables if appropriate.
- Discussion: Interpret your results. Make final conclusions.
- Literature Cited: Properly document your sources.
A Simpler Format: You may also see report sections listed as: Aim, Scope, Background, Materials and Methods, Conclusions, Recommendations, and References.
Reports are formal documents organized in a specific way, so approaching your report writing in a step-by-step way makes sense. Take it one section at a time and before you know it, you'll have it done.
Sources:
Caprette, David. "How to Write a Research Paper." Rice University. 10 Aug 2010.
CQUniversity. "Parts of the Report." Communications Learning Centre. 2010.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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