Report

What is it?

Reports are organised documents that provide precise detail on a subject area. They are organised into different sections which are usually separated by headings and subheadings to provide clarity to the reader. Students often find that having these headings helps them to stay focused on the topic.

Why do I need to learn it?

Reports are widely used within workplaces to present information. Therefore, understanding how to write a report may be beneficial for your future career.

How do I do it?

The layout of a report is completely dependent on the subject you are focusing on. If you were writing a scientific report where your collected primary data it may be structured as:

Title page
Abstract
Table of contents
Introduction
Review of literature
Method
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Reference list
Appendices

If you were writing a report for business, whereby you were analysing and making recommendations for a company, it may be structured as:

Title page
Executive summary
Table of contents
Introduction
Marketing audit
Marketing strategy
Budget
Conclusion
Recommendations
Reference List
Appendices

Use these as examples of how you might approach your own structure, but the structures within reports are not fixed. Some modules might even provide you with a template they want you to use, so check your module handbooks and other assessment information for this.