Differences between reports and essays
A report is a piece of
informative writing that
describes a set of actions and analyses any results in response to a
specific brief. A quick definition might be:
“This is what I did
and this is what it means.”
You may also have assignments which are not called reports but which
are still pieces of informative writing; for instance, some
dissertations and project write-ups fall into this category.
A good way to understand the key features of reports is to see how
they differ from essays as a type of academic writing.
Reports are… |
Essays are… |
- Formally structured
- Informative and fact-based
- Written with a specific purpose and reader in mind
- Written in a style appropriate to each section
- Always include section headings
- Sometimes use bullet points
- Often include tables or graphs
- Offer recommendations for action
|
- Semi-structured
- Argumentative and idea-based
- Not written with a specific reader in mind
- Written in single narrative style throughout
- Usually do not include sub-headings
- Usually do not include bullet points
- Rarely include tables or graphs
- Offer conclusions about a question
|