How to Write a Report: A Complete Guide | Report Writing

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You might be submitting for a school assignment. 

Or, you might be submitting a business report at school. 

Or, you could be an intelligence officer submitting a report that could stop a terror attack. 

And, not to be dramatic, the right report can change the course of the world (drama level = too much) . 

There is a lot to cover in this article. So, let’s get started. 

Types of Report 

Academic Report Writing

An academic report is, as the name suggests, for academics. They explore subjects, present findings with the expectation to educate the reader. They often include studies, secondary research, and lab reports. 

The writing style is quite formal and avoids personal opinions, presents information in a logical structure, and communicates findings in a concise, professional tone.

Business Report Writing

Business reports are usually by corporations to obtain information to make critical business decisions. It can range from market reports to feasibility studies. 

The writing style is usually formal and professional and includes relevant data to back up its points. 

Technical Report Writing

Technical report writing communicates technical information like manuals and guides used in the engineering or IT field. These documents are instructive and must be very precise in their explanation. 

What are the steps to writing a report? 

Pick a Topic 

If the topic is not given to you, you need to pick it with your senior. The topic you pick would be according to the class or industry subject at hand. 

Using tools like Google and ChatGPT can be very helpful to narrowing down on a topic. 

Start the Research 

Now that your topic is selected, you can start the research. Google and ChatGPT will be very helpful tools to get your research started. However, Google and ChatGPT are just starting points. A truly well-researched report draws on information from reliable sources. And, if this is an academic report, then peer-reviewed journals and reports are a must. 

Craft the Outline 

Now that you have all your research together, you need to start outlining your report. 

This is what it would generally have: 

• Introduction
  • Purpose of the report
  • Background/context
  • Scope
• Main Body 
• Findings 
• Conclusion
• References/Bibliography

Bonus: Ensure you have an outline for each section that you can follow when you start writing. 

Start Writing 

With your outline put together, you can start writing. 

• Introduction
  In your introduction, it is vital that you capture all the reasons for the report, your hypothesis or thesis, and the central theme of the report. 
• Main Body
  The main body is where you bring in your research and data to tell the story around your central theme. 
• Findings
  Here is where you bring all the data points to finally reveal your findings. 
• Conclusion
  This is where you can bring all the threads of your data, thoughts and central theme together. You now make your final statement for the reader. 

Formatting 

Ensuring that your report is formatted well is vital. Does your organization or academic institute have any style upon which you have to submit the report? Ensure you follow that. 

Here are some general guidelines to follow:

• Font: Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri 
• Font Size: 11 or 12 
• Line Spacing: 1.15 or 1.5 
• Paragraph Spacing: 10 

Report Checklist 

And finally, before you submit your report, here is a final checklist for you. 

1. Title page with report title, author, and date
2. Executive summary (clear and concise)
3. Logical structure with headings and subheadings
4. Page numbers included
5. Consistent font, size, and spacing
6. Tables/charts are labeled and referenced in text
7. No spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors
8. Data, numbers, and references are accurate
9. Conclusion and recommendations are clear and actionable
10. Report saved in the required format (Word/PDF)
11. Select a topic to write a report. The topic will be decided 

The thing about writing a report is it is used to communicate a powerful message over many pages – backed by data and research. So, use this guide to make sure you can write the best damn report. 

Before I sign off, here are some of the best reports that I’ve come across. 

• AYM Syntex Annual Report 
• India: The promise and possibilities for global companies
• LEAP to Win: A Playbook for Consumer Products Multinational Corporations in India