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About Reports
Reports contain facts and give information. They describe the way things are with reference to a whole range of technological, natural, cultural, social and environmental phenomena and issues.
They can:
- describe a technical project has been carried out
- describe the progress that has been made in completing a product or service or the details of materials in stock
- compare different items of equipment
- suggest solutions to a staffing problem
- report on estimated damages resulting from an accident
- report on the results of a consumer survey
- make recommendations about the actions that should be taken to address the issues in the report.
Reports come in all shapes and sizes:
- descriptive reports
- contain factual information or expert opinion to give information to make informed decisions for those without the time or expertise to collect the information themselves
- organised logically
- written in an objective and unbiased style
- analytical reports
- facts and opinions
- professional expertise used to examine and evaluate data and make recommendations
- to give professional advice
- formal reports
- business world
- structured format to guide readers
- various purposes
- financial data
- environmental issues
- specialist readers or wider audience
- technical or scientific reports
- structured format
- methodical documentation of experiment or investigation so that others can replicate or verify
- must be carefully written
- tables, graphs, detailed drawings often included
- documentary reports
- eyewitness reports describe an event or situation in detail
- provide basis for evidence in court
- inform police or insurance company of details of an accident
- accuracy and clarity important
- diagrams, graphics and photographs often used
- informal reports
- no prescribed layout
- provide information to aid decision making
- standardised reports
- used when large numbers of reports need to be similar, e.g. school reports, sales reports
- maintenance reports
- allows streamlining and easy checking
- can use simplified boxes and spaces to write
- short reports
- often restricted to one typed page (250 words) to streamline information flow
- only essential data
- headings focus reader on key sections.
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