Report Writing

Difference between an essay and a report

Essays are often used to show a tutor what you think about a topic. In an essay you can be
discursive, express your ideas and thoughts, and make judgements. Whilst essays do need to
have a good structure, that structure can be left to the discretion of the writer.

Reports are more concise and have a more formal structure. Because reports are often used to
communicate the results or findings of a project you need to be clear:

1. who you are writing for

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Structure and organisation

A standard report usually includes the following sections: Title, Author's details, Date, Contents
page, Abstract (Executive summary), Introduction or Terms of reference, Methodology, Results,
Discussion, Conclusion (Recommendations) and Appendices.

Using headings and sub headings is important in report writing and you must make sure your
contents page correctly represents the headings system you used in the structure of the report.
Readers need to be able to use content pages to identify quickly and easily which sections are
most relevant to them and where to find them.

See this example of a contents page (PDF) from a report about report writing! –

(skills-report-contents)

Abstract

It is a good idea to write your abstract (and Executive summary, if required) last, once you have
completed your report. This section should provide a brief summary of the context, methodology
and findings of your report, and is intended to give readers an overview of your project
(research) before they continue reading.
Introduction

In your introduction you should include information about the background to your research, and
its objectives. Some tutors may expect to see a section called Terms of reference, where you
identify:

1. who asked for the report

Methodology

If your report involved research activity, you should state what that was; for example you may
have interviewed clients, organised focus groups, or done a literature review. If you did a
literature review, what were the parameters of your search? It may be relevant to refer to your
methodology when identifying the scope of your report - who you talked to, and who you didn't.

For example, "this report consulted on the impact within a three mile radius of the factory
spillage" or "samples were taken from children evacuated from Kigali".

In a scientific report, the methodology section should provide an accurate description of the
materials and procedures used so that others could replicate the experiments you conducted.

Results

The results section should provide an objective summary of your findings, which could be
presented descriptively, or by using tables, graphs, or figures.

Discussion

In the discussion section, you are expected to critically evaluate your findings. You may need to
restate the aims of your research and whether you were successful. You may also assess the
accuracy, representativeness and significance of your findings in the context of previous research
on the subject.
Conclusion/Recommendations

Your conclusion should summarise the outcomes, whereas in the recommendations sections you
might make suggestions for further research or action to be taken.

Appendices

Reports often use an appendix (singular) or appendices (plural) to expand on points referred to in
the main body of the report. You can use appendices to provide backup information, usually data
or statistics, but it is important that the information contained is directly relevant to the content of
the report. Appendices can be given alphabetical or numerical headings, for example Appendix
A, or Appendix 1. Their order at the back of your report is determined by the order in which
they are mentioned in the body of your report.

You should refer to your appendices within the text of your report, for example "see Appendix
A for a breakdown of the questionnaire results".

Don't forget to list the appendices in your contents page.

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Assessment criteria

Each report will have different assessment critieria. Your module handbook will explain what
your tutors are looking for and how they will mark it.

 This is an example (PDF) of how Accounting and Finance students are expected to
produce a report when writing under timed exam conditions.
(skills-report-assessment-criteria)
 This example shows an assignment marking sheet (PDF) for an International Business
Studies report.
(skills-international-business-report)
 This is an example of the marking criteria (PDF) used for a Literature Report in the
School of Chemistry.
(skills-report-chemistry)