In higher education and work, formal reports communicate information to others without the need for meetings. If you are required to explain your work to others in this way, effective reports are vital. Effective reports will give you a professional image and get others to take your work seriously.

Report writing in Higher Education You may be required to produce written reports as part of your course, so you will have opportunities to enhance your report writing skills. Reports can form a regular part of assessed work and can be needed if you're involved in extra-curricular activities with societies or external groups.

Report writing at work Reports are a way of informing and persuading people as well as initiating change. You might prepare or contribute to annual, project or progress reports. A well-structured report that has clear objectives will get more attention and is more likely to produce the intended results.

Reports have their own structure and this is distinct from the form of an essay.

Essays are mainly used to allow you to demonstrate your ideas and arguments to tutors. Written reports provide specific research-based information which results in a course of action being decided and acted on. Reports are designed to give information concisely and accurately. A formal report has an impersonal and objective "tone of voice". The main argument is clear and uses a minimum of words. Accurately presented facts are in the main body of the report - your evaluation of these is in the "conclusions" and "recommendations" sections.

Reports tend to follow a standard structure but much depends on the circumstances in which they are being written. It helps to ask your lecturers, employers or mentors what they expect - there may be an accepted way of writing a report appropriate to either your course, employment or professional body.

What makes a good report?

The following comments have been made by senior managers in a large engineering company about what they look for in a good report. You might like to ask your tutor if they would agree with these observations.