Reports: An introduction
Regardless of the topic or required length, the purpose of any report is to provide information. Frequently, that information is used as an aid in decision-making about future action. In most cases you are required to not only reports facts, but also to draw conclusions, and sometimes, make recommendations about future actions.
Producing a report as an assignment for a University course also demands that your writing conforms to specific academic standards of form, style and tone. The format of your report may depend on the subject you are studying, or the type of report you are required to produce.
While there are many different types of reports designed to meet different academic, professional and business needs, they all have at least two distinctive qualities that separate them from all other types of writing:
| 1. | The content of the report must be entirely objective, based on relevant facts without regard to the author's opinion or personal feelings about the facts. | |
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| 2. | The format of the report incorporates clearly defined sections with explicit headings and sub-headings that makes it visually and structurally different from most other types of writing. | |
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