Imagine what the world would be like if each person had to learn everything from scratch, by trial and

error, with no recipes, no encyclopedias, no textbooks, no newspapersnothing that records what others have learned. Fortunately, we have many sources of information to draw on, including informative reports. Informative papers are commonly used in the social sciences to report on researcheither the writers own research or the research of other scholars.

What is a report
A report or account is any informational work (usually of writing, speech, television, or film) made with the specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely Written reports are documents which present focused, salient content to a specific audience. Reports are often used to display the result of an experiment, investigation, or inquiry. he audience may !e pu!lic or private, an individual or the pu!lic in general. Reports are used in government, !usiness, education, science, and other fields. Reports use features such as graphics, images, voice, or speciali"ed voca!ulary in order to persuade that specific audience to undertake an action. #ne of the most common formats for presenting reports is $%RA&' $ntroduction, %ethods, Results and &iscussion. his structure is standard for the genre !ecause it mirrors the traditional pu!lication of scientific research and summons the ethos and credi!ility of that discipline. Reports are not required to follow this pattern, and may use alternative patterns like the pro!lem(solution format. Additional elements often used to persuade readers include' headings to indicate topics, to more complex formats including charts, ta!les, figures, pictures, ta!les of contents, a!stracts,and nouns summaries, appendices, footnotes, hyperlinks, and references. )ome examples of reports are' scientific reports, recommendation reports, white papers, annual reports, auditor*s reports, workplace reports, census reports, trip reports, progress reports, investigative reports, !udget reports, policy reports, demographic reports, credit reports, appraisal reports, inspection reports, military reports, !ound reports, etc. Reports are very important in all their various forms along with the usual evidences like in a crimes scene people usually leave !ehind evidences. hey fill a vast array of critical needs for many of society*s important organi"ations. +olice reports are extremely important to society for a num!er of reasons. hey help to prosecute criminals while also helping the innocent !ecome free. Reports are a very useful method for keeping track of important information. he information contained in reports can !e used to make very important decisions that affect our lives daily.

What is an informative report

An informative report is a factual text, which means it provides information a!out something. An informative report is used as a way to gain a !etter understanding a!out a living or non(living su!,ect. An informative report'

uses facts to explain something gives details a!out a topic does not contain personal views is usually written, !ut can also !e presented orally (spoken).

!tructure of an information report

-ormal written information reports usually follow a very specific structure. he first part of an information report is the title, or heading, of the report. his will tell the reader what topic is covered in the report. "# Introductory paragraph he first introductory paragraph, known as the classification, explains the aspects of the topic that will !e covered in the report. .our intro is where you introduce your topic and state your thesis. .our intro should !e engaging !ut not corny((the goal should !e to hook the reader so that they want to read the rest of your report. .ou should provide some !ackground information on your topic and then state your thesis so that the reader knows what the report is going to !e a!out. /) Body paragraphs he following information is contained in the body paragraphs. his is where the topic of the report is covered in more detail. hese paragraphs use factual information to give the reader a !etter understanding of the topic. #ften, these paragraphs are !roken up !y sub-headings to help organise the information. he !ody paragraphs are where you state your evidence that supports your thesis. 0ach !ody paragraph consists of a topic sentence and evidence supporting the topic sentence. he topic sentence introduces the main idea of the !ody paragraph and links the paragraph !ack to the thesis. After you write your topic sentence in the !ody paragraph, provide evidence found in your research that supports your topic sentence. his evidence can !e descriptions of things mentioned in your topic sentence, quotes from experts on the su!,ects, or more information a!out the topic listed. 1) Conclusion he conclusion of an information report gives any final details or facts a!out the topic. $t may also !e used to review what the report was a!out. his paragraph !oth summari"es your thesis again, and provides your final thoughts on your topic. $t should reiterate to the reader what the reader should !e taking away from your report. 4)Visual elements Visual elements are important !ecause they help the reader to understand the topic !etter. 2isual elements can include drawings, photographs, graphs, maps or diagrams. #utlines help you to visuali"e how your essay will look. #utlines can !e straightforward lists, idea we!s or concept maps. 3egin with your thesis statement and then pick the three ma,or ideas related to your thesis statement that you will want to cover in your essay. Write down details a!out each main idea. 5) Glossary A glossary is often put at the end of an information report. A glossary is a list of technical words used in the report and their definitions. he structure of your paper depends on your topic. $f you are writing a report on a person, it would make the most sense to structure your report in chronological order. the report would !e structured as a spatial guide to the fair((the report would discuss the main exhi!its in each of the ma,or !uildings at the fair

6)Bibliography he bibliography is a list of resources like !ooks, maga"ines and we!sites, which were used to help write the information report.

$reating an informative report

4.

he first step in preparing an informative report is to choose the topic of the report. 5eep in mind that if your purpose is only to inform your audience, you should not put your own opinion into your report or add any persuasive elements.

/. Research the topic. .%ake sure you have the correct num!er of sources for your paper (your
guidelines should cover how many sources your teacher expects you to have). ext!ooks, we!sites, an encyclopedia and other information reports are good places to gather information. .ou might also want to look for pictures and diagrams to use in your report. $f you are writing a report on an event, find out what other events led to your event, what actually happened during the event, and what the aftermath of the event was. Write each source you use down on a flashcard. Write down all of the information you can find on the source (such as the author, pu!lication date, pu!lisher6we!site, city in which it was pu!lished, page num!er for where you found the information, and so on) so that you can easily create your !i!liography later.

1. Come up

ith a thesis statement. hesis statements are the main idea of your report. A thesis statement summari"es what you want to prove in your report for your reader. All of your su!sequent topic sentences of !ody paragraphs should tie !ack into this thesis, so make sure that it is general enough to stand throughout your essay. $f you are simply reporting on a topic, create a thesis statement that does not contain any opinion(!ased information. $f you are creating a thesis that is meant to persuade someone a!out a topic, or that is meant to deeply analy"e a topic, the thesis should contain an argument that you intend to prove in your essay.

7. !ormat your report. #nce you have the information, you will need to organi"e it into the
structure of an information report. $t is also important to make a list of any important words to use in the glossary. $nformation reports are generally written in the present tense. . ry to follow your teacher*s formatting instructions to the letter. $f he or she made no formatting instructions, go with something clean and classic. )tandard format for academic reports in the 8nited )tates is 4/(point imes 9ew Roman or Arial font, dou!le(spaced lines, and 4(inch margins all around.

:. !inali"ing #our Report. When you have finished writing the report, read it again to make sure
that it uses facts$ gives details$ and does not contain personal views. Always check your text for correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Read through your report from an outsider;s perspective. &oes the point you are trying to make come across clearly< &oes all of your evidence support your thesis< $f you were someone reading your report for the first time, would you feel like you understood the topic after reading the report< =heck for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. >et someone else to read your report. ?aving a second pair of eyes can !e helpful to make sure your point is clear and your writing doesn;t sound awkward. Ask your helper, do you understand what $ am saying in my report< $s there anything you think $ should take out or add< $s there anything you would change<

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A common pro!lem is that students transfer what they have learned a!out essay writing to report writing. 3oth essays and reports need'

formal style careful proof(reading and neat presentation introduction, !ody and conclusion analytical thinking. 3ut there are some essential differences !etween the two.

* %eport
+resents information $s meant to !e scanned quickly !y the reader 8ses num!ered headings and su!(headings %ay not need references and !i!liography6reference list 8ses short, concise paragraphs and dot(points where applica!le 8ses graphics wherever possi!le (ta!les, graphs, illustrations)

*n &ssay
+resents an argument $s meant to !e read carefully 8ses minimal su!(headings, if any. Always needs references and !i!liography6reference list @inks ideas into cohesive paragraphs, rather than !reaking them down into a list of dot(points Rarely uses graphics

%ay need an a!stract (sometimes Will only need an a!stract if it is very long, or if called an executive summary) your lecturer asks for one specifically %ay !e followed !y recommendations and6or appendices )eldom has recommendations or appendices

'resentation and style

he content and structure of your report is importantA so is the presentation and style. -irst impressions count, so consider these simple tips to ensure your report is reader(friendly'

use plenty of white space ensure the separate parts of your report stand out clearly use su!headings allow generous spacing !etween the elements of your report use dot points6 num!ers6 letters to articulate these elements

use ta!les and figures (graphs, illustrations, maps etc) for clarification. @a!el them clearly and cite the source. num!er each page (a neat header and6or footer makes your work look more professional) use consistent and appropriate formatting (you may like to follow the report format supplied with your word processing package) use formal language. $t would !e worth having a look at the language which is used in other, similar reports to check out useful expressions and terms.

)ips

&on*t copy anyone*s work, its called plagiari"ing, which is illegal. &on*t delay your research until the last minute. Report creation takes longer than you might think, especially when you start fiddling with color, photos, !orders, headings etc and that*s only after the information has !een written up properly. While writing, assume that your reader knows little to nothing a!out the su!,ect. Add details and definitions to topics in the paper. 3e sure to rely on more than one source for your information, if is necessary.

&xample of informative report

/ibliography http'66www.docstoc.com https://performancemanager5.successfactors.eu/doc/roboHelp/20How_Do_You_Wor _W!th_the_"eports/ http'66www.writeexpress.com6letter(recipes6report(required(information(to(a( government(agency.html

http'66www.howto!ooks.co.uk6!usiness6reports6