Chapter 20: Reports
Reports record and convey information to the reader in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner. The textbook Communication for Business Success explains that reports play a role in both academic and business settings. Both businesses and organizations commonly use reports–from credit reports to police reports–to provide document-specific information for specific audiences, goals, or functions. In both settings, the type of report is often identified by its primary purpose or function, as in an accident report, a laboratory report, a sales report, or even a book report.
Different types of reports share similar traits. For example, unlike other genres, a report will often include visual elements to engage your reader and help them quickly visualize data. Reports are often analytical, meaning they analyze and interpret information. Sometimes they simply report the facts with no analysis at all, but still need to communicate the information in a clear and concise format. Other reports summarize past events, present current data, and forecast future trends. While a report may have conclusions, propositions, or even a call to action, the demonstration of the analysis is the primary function. A sales report, for example, is not designed to make an individual sale. It is, however, supposed to report sales to date, and may forecast future sales based on previous trends. This chapter is designed to introduce you to the basics of report writing.
In an academic setting, reports are often used to encourage students to review or research information. For example, in CNM’s English 1110 course, students often complete a career report. This report requires students to evaluate their current progress in their selected program, report on the coursework they have yet to complete, consider the requirements involved in transferring to a four year program, and research the current market for their ideal job. While this is only one type of report, it follows pre-described formatting for the report genre. Below you will read about many different types of reports you may create both in an academic and professional setting.
Types of Reports
Reports come in all sizes, but they are typically longer than a page and shorter than a book. The type of report depends on its function or purpose. The purpose or function of the report is often indicated in the thesis or purpose statement.
The types of evidence you use in a report will vary depending on your purpose and audience. For example, you will need to consider the types of visual content or visual aids, representing words, numbers, and how they relate to the central purpose in a report. Lengths of reports will vary, depending on your purpose, so it’s important to consider your rhetorical situation: “Focusing on the content of your longer business documents is not only natural but necessary because doing so helps ensure complete, correct information.” Bovee, C., & Thill, J. (2010). Business Communication Essentials: A skills-based approach to vital business English (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
While reports vary by purpose or function, they also vary by style and tradition. If you are writing a report for work, there may be employer-specific expectations that need to be addressed to meet audience expectations. If you are writing a report for a class, you will have similar concerns, so consult your teacher and the assignment prompt to determine what sections and sub-sections you will need to include. This chapter discusses reports generally, and you will need to consider the needs of your specific audience and rhetorical situation to figure out if you need to include an abstract, a summary, or a recommendation section.
Informational or Analytical Report?
There are two main categories for reports, regardless of their specific function or type. An informational report informs or instructs and presents details of events, activities, individuals, or conditions without analysis. An example of this type of “just the facts” report is a police accident report. The report will note the time, date, place, contributing factors like weather, identification information for the drivers involved in an automobile accident, and it does not establish fault or include judgmental statements. You should not read, “Driver was falling down drunk” in a police accident report. Instead, you can expect to read, “Driver failed sobriety tests and breathalyzer test and was transported to the station for a blood sample.” The police officer is not a trained medical doctor and is not licensed to make definitive diagnoses, but can collect and present relevant information that may contribute to that diagnosis.
As mentioned earlier, you may be asked to write a career report in English 1110 or a similar report in English 1210. Your ultimate goal will be to inform the audience, using data and research, about your findings. An informative report might also include analysis.
The second type of report is called an analytical report. An analytical report presents information with a comprehensive analysis to solve problems, demonstrate relationships, or make recommendations. An example of this report may be a field report by a Center for Disease Control (CDC) physician from the site of an outbreak of the H1N1 virus, noting symptoms, disease progression, steps taken to arrest the spread of the disease, and to make recommendations on the treatment and quarantine of subjects.
| Type | Function |
|---|---|
| 1. Laboratory Report | Communicate the procedures and results of laboratory activities |
| 2. Research Report | Study problems scientifically by developing hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing data, and indicating findings or conclusions |
| 3. Field Study Report | Describe one-time events, such as trips, conferences, seminars, as well as reports from branch offices, industrial and manufacturing plants |
| 4. Progress Report | Monitor and control production, sales, shipping, service, or related business process |
| 5. Technical Report | Communicate a process and product from a technical perspective |
| 6. Financial Report | Communicate a status and trends from a finance perspective |
| 7. Case Study | Represent, analyze, and present lessons learned from a specific case or example |
| 8. Needs Assessment Report | Assess the need for a service or product |
| 9. Comparative Advantage Report | Discuss competing products or services with an analysis of relative advantages and disadvantages |
| 10. Feasibility Study | Analyze problems and predict whether current solutions or alternatives will be practical, advisable, or produce the desired outcome(s) |
| 11. Instruction Manuals | Communicate step-by-step instructions on the use of a product or service |
| 12. Compliance Report | Document and indicate the extent to which a product or service is within established compliance parameters or standards |
| 13. Cost-Benefit Analysis Report | Communicate costs and benefits of products or services. |
| 14. Decision Report | Make recommendations to management and introduce tools to solve problems and make decisions |
| 15. Benchmark Report | Establish criteria and evaluate alternatives by measuring against the accepted benchmark criteria |
| 16. Examination Report | Report or record data obtained from an examination of an item or conditions, including accidents and natural disasters |
| 17. Physical Description report | Describe the physical characteristics of a machine, device, or object |
| 18. Literature Review | Present summaries of the information available on a given subject |
Features of a Report
Reports vary by size, format, and function, so you will need to be flexible and adjust to the needs of the audience while respecting customs and guidelines. Reports are typically organized around six key elements:
- Whom the report is about and/or prepared for
- What was done, what problems were addressed, and the results, including conclusions and/or recommendations
- Where the subject studied occurred
- When the subject studied occurred
- Why the report was written, including under what authority, for what reason, or by whose request
- How the subject operated, functioned, or was used
Pay attention to these essential elements when you consider your stakeholders, or those who have an interest in the report. That may include the person(s) the report is about, whom it is for, and the larger audience of the business, organization, or industry. While there is no universal format for a report, there is a common order to the information. Each element supports the main purpose or function in its own way, playing an important role in the representation and transmission of information. In a way, this is similar to writing any other genre for this course–all the information and evidence you include in a report needs to be appropriate for the audience and it needs to speak to your main purpose or thesis. If you cannot connect the evidence or a visual back to being useful for your audience or purpose, consider cutting out that information.
Here is a checklist you can use to ensure that a report fulfills its goals:
- Report considers the audience’s needs
- Format follows function of report
- Format reflects institutional norms and expectations
- Information is accurate, complete, and documented
- Information is easy to read
- Terms are clearly defined
- Figures, tables, and art support written content
- Figures, tables, and art are clear and correctly labeled
- Figures, tables, and art are easily understood without test support
- Words are easy to read ( font, arrangement, organization)
- Results are clear and concise
- Recommendations are reasonable and well-supported
- Report represents your best effort
- Report speaks for itself without your clarification or explanation
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This material was adapted from Chapter 13 of English for Business Success 2012 and used under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.