The report is a document that allows us to disclose specific results of work, studies, research, or analysis. As a general rule, the text is written with a formal and informative language in which a specific and concrete vocabulary is included.
With the aim of informing, as its name indicates, this written exhibition aims to describe the qualities, characteristics, and context of any event. This translates into an ordered text based on observation and analysis. Do you want to know more? In aHOWTO, we explain what the parts of a report are. Find out everything about this type of academic text below.
Report Types
Now that we know what a report is, we can differentiate various types of reports, which will depend on the purpose of the researcher, the length, the content, and the characteristics of the text. For this reason, the categorization of a report can be classified according to its structure, its content, and its extension.
Reports according to their extension
Although we tend to think that reports are usually very long texts, there are two types of reports according to their length that generally depends on the subject on which the report is made:
- Executive reports (short): these documents do not exceed 8 or 10 pages.
- Long reports: exceed 10 pages in length.
Reports based on your content
The reports are classified according to the subject or content to which they are directed, of which we can distinguish:
- Scientific reports: they are focused on scientific research and use technical terms and their own rigorous and very formal language. These reports are aimed at exclusive readers, such as doctors, researchers, engineers, and physicists, among others.
- Technical reports: Technical reports are usually directed to public or private organizations that have commissioned an investigation or study on a specific topic. For the writing, technicalities and language similar to scientific texts are used, but always taking into account the intended reader (psychologists, statisticians, businessmen, etc.) to ensure that their reading is accessible. An example of technical reports is management reports, practice reports, and reading reports.
- Disclosure Reports: These documents are intended for the general public, so they are often written in language that is accessible and understandable to all readers. These types of reports often appear in newspapers, magazines, or other publications.
- Mixed reports: these are texts addressed to a company or organization, but which can also be made known to the general public. This may be the case for clinical reports, although these may also be exclusively scientific.
Although this is the general classification of the reports according to their content, we can find many other types of reports depending on the sector or the area to which the analyzes are directed. They stand out among them:
- Financial report
- Academic report
- Report of internships or practices
- Work report
- Job Performance Report
- Psycho-technical report
- Investigation report
Reports according to their structure
Depending on the way a report is organized, the structure of the text, and the presentation of its ideas, these documents can be divided into the following categories:
- Expository reports: these are documents that collect all the information on a topic and expose it, without making evaluations or including conclusions with subjective connotations. They can also be called a dossier.
- Analytical reports: analytical reports are those that have the objective of justifying a decision or an action, generally raised previously. Also often referred to as a “project” or “proposal”.
- Persuasive reports: these types of reports are intended to convince the recipient so that they make a concrete and specific decision following the line of the study presented.
parts of a report
As a general rule, the reports tend to follow the same structure, although the content is different. However, this structure could vary depending on the purpose of the document. Broadly speaking, the parts of a report are summarized in three large sections :
- The introduction, in which the main idea on which the analysis and justification of the report are carried out is presented.
- The development, or part in which the procedures followed and the methodology used in compiling the information is explained
- The conclusion, in which the results obtained and the evaluations are presented.
This structure may vary, adding elements and sections or parts, always depending on the type of report we are preparing.
Below we will explain the parts of the report in more detail and if you want to discover more about reports and how to write them, do not hesitate to consult our article How to write a report correctly.
Cover page
The report cover is the first thing the recipient will notice. It is generally sober and formal but must include basic information such as:
- Report Title
- Name of report author
- Date of preparation of the document
- Place of preparation or presentation of the document
Selecting a good title is important so that the reader, at a glance, knows what is being discussed in the document. The title should summarize a clear idea, related to the topic of the document, in a short sentence.
Index
Every report must include an index, a fundamental part to structure the document. The index indicates all the sections of the report, as well as the total number of pages. Likewise, this part acts as a guide for the reader, who can refer to it when they want to search for a specific section within the document.
Introduction
The introduction to the report is a brief overview of the main topic of the report. This introduction is one of the most important parts of the document since it is a letter of presentation of the work and will help the report to be correctly understood in its entirety.
To do this, the introduction must precisely and concretely highlight both the idea and the objective of this report, bearing in mind that this part should never exceed 2 pages.
Learn more about writing the introduction in our How to write a report introduction article.
Report Body
The development of body is the part in which the main information of the investigation is exposed. In addition to text, the body can be supplemented with graphs, extracts, diagrams, footnotes, and other resources to explain the procedure through which the investigation was carried out.
All essential information of the study or analysis must be included since it is the part with the greatest content and the central axis of the work.
Conclusions
In the conclusions the results of the report are presented, the most important or with more weight. This part must answer the questions raised in the introduction, those that gave entrance to the development of the investigation and raised all those questions that arose on the subject in question.
In some reports, these conclusions are usually objective, as is the case with expository reports, which can dispense with them on occasions. However, the conclusions can also have subjectivity, since they can try to convince the reader with the analysis presented, as is the case with persuasive reports.
Here you will find everything you need to write the conclusion correctly: How to write the conclusion of a report.
Bibliography
In any report, it is essential to present the references consulted in a bibliography section. In it, any consulted document must appear in alphabetical order and by the date of consultation, such as books, encyclopedias, articles, other studies, and audiovisual media.
Any support used to answer the questions of the report and specify its ideas must be referenced in this section.
Annexes
Some reports, such as scientific or financial reports, may include annexes after the bibliography. In them, information will be added that stands on its own and that offers us additional information to that contained in the main document.
The annexes usually include images, graphs, and specific content that has not been fully explained in the text so as not to extend it too much, such as calculations, plans, and manuals, among others. Any information that can help expand the main text should appear in this section.
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