The term “report” refers to a nonfiction work that presents and/or paraphrases the facts on a specific

occasion, subject, or problem. The notion is that a good report will contain all the information that someone
who is not familiar with the subject needs to know. Reports make it simple to bring someone up to speed on
a subject, but actually writing a report is far from simple. This blog will walk you through the fundamentals
of report writing, including the structure and practice themes.

1. What is a Report?
2. Reporting formats
3. Major Types of Reports
1. Newspaper or Magazine Reports
2. Business Reports
3. Technical Reports
4. What is Report Writing?
5. Report Writing: Things to Keep in Mind
6. Structure of Report Writing
7. Report Writing Formats
1. Magazine vs Newspaper Report Writing Format
8. Report Writing Format for Class 10th to 12th
9. Report Writing Example
10. Report Writing for School Students: Practice Questions
11. Report Writing Slideshare
12. Report Writing in 7 steps
13. FAQs

Also Read: Message Writing

What is a Report?
A report is a short document written for a particular purpose or audience. It usually sets out and analyses a
problem often recommended for future purposes. Requirements for the precise form of the report depend on
the department and organization. Technically, a report is defined as “any account, verbal or written, of the
matters pertaining to a given topic.” This could be used to describe anything, from a witness’s evidence in
court to a student’s book report.

Actually, when people use the word “report,” they usually mean official documents that lay out the details of
a subject. These documents are typically written by an authority on the subject or someone who has been
tasked with conducting research on it. Although there are other forms of reports, which are discussed in the
following section, they primarily fulfil this definition.

What information does reporting contain? All facts are appreciated, but reports, in particular, frequently
contain the following kinds of information:

 Information about a circumstance or event

 The aftereffects or ongoing impact of an incident or occurrence
 Analytical or statistical data evaluation
 Interpretations based on the report’s data
 Based on the report’s information, make predictions or suggestions
 Relationships between the information and other reports or events

Although there are some fundamental differences, producing reports and essays share many similarities.
Both rely on facts, but essays also include the authors’ personal viewpoints and justifications. Reports
normally stick to the facts only, however they could include some of the author’s interpretation in the
conclusion.
Reports are also quite well ordered, frequently with tables of contents of headers and subheadings. This
makes it simpler for readers to quickly scan reports for the data they need. Essays, on the other hand, should
be read from beginning to end rather than being perused for particular information.

Reporting formats
Depending on the objective and audience for your report, there are a few distinct types of reports. The most
typical report types are listed briefly below:

 Academic report: Examines a student’s knowledge of the subject; examples include book reports,
historical event reports, and biographies.
 Identifies data from company reports, such as marketing reports, internal memoranda, SWOT
analyses, and feasibility reports, that is useful in corporate planning.
 Shares research findings in the form of case studies and research articles, usually in scientific
publications.

Depending on how they are written, reports can be further categorised. A report, for instance, could be
professional or casual, brief or lengthy, and internal or external. A lateral report is for persons on the
author’s level but in separate departments, whereas a vertical report is for those on the author’s level but
with different levels of the hierarchy (i.e., people who work above you and below you).

Report formats can be as varied as writing styles, but in this manual, we’ll concentrate on academic reports,
which are often formal and informational.

Major Types of Reports

While the most common type of reports corresponds to the ones we read in newspapers and magazines, there
are other kinds of reports that are curated for business or research purposes. Here are the major forms of
report writing which you must know about:

Newspaper or Magazine Reports

The main purpose of newspaper or magazine reports is to cover a particular event or happening. They
generally elaborate upon the 4Ws and 1H, i.e. What, Where, When, Why, and How. The key elements of
newspaper or magazine report writing are as follows:

 Headline (Title)
 Report’s Name, Place, and Date
 Body
 Conclusion (Citation of sources)

Here is an example of a news report:

Credit: Pinterest

Business Reports
Business reports aim to analyze a situation or case study by implementing business theories and
suggest improvements accordingly. In business report writing, you must adhere to a formal style of
writing and these reports are usually lengthier than news reports since they aim to assess a particular
issue in detail and provide solutions. The basic structure of business reports include:
  Table of Contents
 Executive summary
 Body
 Findings/Recommendations
 Conclusion

Technical Reports
The main purpose of the technical report is to provide an empirical explanation of research-based
material. Technical report writing is generally carried out by a researcher for scientific journals or
product development and presentation, etc. A technical report mainly contains

 Title Page
 Introduction
 Summary
 Experimental details
 Results and discussions
 Body (elaborating upon the findings)
 Conclusion

Must Read: IELTS Writing Tips

What is Report Writing?

A report is a written record of what you’ve seen, heard, done, or looked into. It is a well-organized
and methodical presentation of facts and results from an event that has already occurred. Reports are
a sort of written assessment that is used to determine what you have learned through your reading,
study, or experience, as well as to provide you hands-on experience with a crucial skill that is often
used in the business.

Report Writing: Things to Keep in Mind

Before writing a report, there are certain things you must know to ensure that you draft a precise and
structured report, and these points to remember are listed below:

 Write a concise and clear title of the report.

 Always use the past tense.
 Don’t explain the issue in the first person, i.e. ‘I’ or ‘Me’. Always write in the third person.
 Put the date, name of the place as well as the reporter’s name after the heading.
 Structure the report by dividing it into paragraphs.
 Stick to the facts and keep it descriptive.

Must Read: IELTS Sample Letters

Structure of Report Writing

The format of a report is determined by the kind of report it is and the assignment’s requirements.
While reports can have their own particular format, the majority use the following general
framework:

 Executive summary: A stand-alone section that highlights the findings in your report so that
readers will know what to expect, much like an abstract in an academic paper. These are more
frequently used for official reports than for academic ones.
  Introduction: Your introduction introduces the main subject you’re going to explore in the
report, along with your thesis statement and any previous knowledge that is necessary before
you get into your own results.
 Body: Using headings and subheadings, the report’s body discusses all of your significant
findings. The majority of the report is made up of the body; in contrast to the introduction and
conclusion, which are each only a few paragraphs long, the body can span many pages.
 In the conclusion, you should summarize all the data in your report and offer a clear
interpretation or conclusion. Usually, the author inserts their own personal judgments or
inferences here.

Report Writing Formats

It is quintessential to follow a proper format in report writing to provide it with a compact structure.
Business reports and technical reports don’t have a uniform structure and are generally based on the
topic or content they are elaborating on. Let’s have a look at the proper format of report writing
generally for news and magazines and the key elements you must add in a news report:

Title/Heading (Use a proper and creative and catchy heading related to the story)
Reported by (in newspaper terminology, this is known as a byline)PlaceDate
Introduction(Must be factual, crisp, and concise; It should generally cover the 4W and 1H of the topic, i.e. what,
when, where, who, why & how)
Body of Content Explain, WHY the particular event or incident took place. Conduct meticulous research and
gather all factual information related to the story. Here, the readers would want to know more about the event in
detail.
ConclusionIn the conclusion part, the background information of the story is mentioned. If you are covering any
event, you have the liberty to add the list of participants or attendees who thronged the event.

Magazine vs Newspaper Report Writing Format

Magazine Report Newspaper Report

Heading Headline
Byline By Line (Along With The Designation)
Opening Paragraph Date And Place
Account Of The
Opening Paragraph
Event
Conclusion Account Of The Event And Witness Remarks
Conclusion

To Read: How to Learn Spoken English?

Report Writing Format for Class 10th to 12th

The report writing structure for students in grades 10 and 12 is as follows.

 Heading: A title that expresses the contents of the report in a descriptive manner.
 Byline: The name of the person who is responsible for drafting the report. It’s usually included
in the query. Remember that you are not allowed to include any personal information in your
response.
 (introduction): It The ‘5 Ws,’ or WHAT, WHY, WHEN, and WHERE, as well as WHO was
invited as the main guest, might be included.
  The account of the event in detail: The order in which events occurred, as well as their
descriptions. It is the primary paragraph, and if necessary, it can be divided into two smaller
paragraphs.
 Conclusion: This will give a summary of the event’s conclusion. It might include quotes from
the Chief Guest’s address or a summary of the event’s outcome.

Report Writing Example

Credit: sampletemplates.com

Credit: SlideShare

Report Writing for School Students: Practice Questions

Now that you are familiar with all the formats of report writing, here are some questions that you can
practice to understand the structure and style of writing a report.

 You are a student of Delhi Public School Srinagar handling a campus magazine in an editorial
role. On the increasing level of global warming, write a report on the event for your school
magazine.
 On the Jammu-Srinagar highway, a mishap took place, where a driver lost his control and
skidded off in a deep gorge. Write a report on it and include all the necessary details and
eyewitness accounts.
 As a reporter of Delhi times, you are assigned to report on the influx of migrants coming from
other states of the country. Take an official statement to justify your report.
 There is a cultural program in Central park Rajiv Chowk New Delhi. The home minister of
India is supposed to attend the event apart from other delegates. Report the event within the
150-200 word limit.
 Write today’s trend of Covid 19 cases in India. As per the official statement. include all the
necessary details and factual information. Mention the state with a higher number of cases so
far.
 In Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium New Delhi, a table tennis tournament was held between Delhi
public school New Delhi and DPS Punjab. Report the event in 250-300 words.

Also Read: Formal Letter Format, Types & Samples

Report Writing Slideshare

How to write a theater report from andy motilal

Credits: Slideshare

Report Writing in 7 steps

1. Choose a topic based on the assignment
2. Conduct research
3. Write a thesis statement
4. Prepare an outline
5. Write a rough draft
 6. Revise and edit your report
7. Proofread and check for mistakes

Make sure that every piece of information you have supplied is pertinent. Remember to double-check
your grammar, spelling, tenses, and the person you are writing in. A final inspection against any
structural criteria is also important. You have appropriately and completely referenced for an
academic work. Check to make sure you haven’t unintentionally, purposefully, or both duplicated
something without giving credit.

FAQs
How should a business report be written?

Any business professional’s toolkit must include business reports. Therefore, how can you create a
thorough business report? You must first confirm that you are familiar with the responses to the
following three questions.

Guidelines for writing a report’s introduction

Every company report starts with an issue that needs to be fixed. This could be something
straightforward, like figuring out a better way to organise procuring office supplies, or it could be a
more challenging issue, like putting in place a brand-new, multimillion-dollar computer system.

How to conduct research for a report

You must therefore compile the data you intend to include in your report. How do you do this? If
you’ve never conducted in-depth research before, it can be quite a daunting task, so discovering the
most efficient techniques is a real plus.

Hopefully, this blog has helped you with a comprehensive understanding of report writing and its
essential components. Aiming to pursue a degree in Writing? Sign up for an e-meeting with our
experts at Leverage Edu and we will help you in selecting the best course and university as well as
sorting the admission process to ensure that you get successfully shortlisted.