A Clear Guide For Beginners On How To Write A Report

Just like assignments, reports are also a mandatory task for most students in New Zealand. However, many students in New Zealand work part-time or full-time jobs to cover their expenses. Therefore, they are unable to complete their reports on time; as a result, they lose grades, which leads to an overall poor academic performance.

To avoid this, students must plan such tasks before starting to work on them. This allows them to stick to a proper schedule and complete their reports within the due date. In addition to this, many students struggle to write their reports due to a lack of understanding. They are often unaware of the structure, format, and content of these reports, which results in poor grades.

Are you also a student struggling to write a report? If yes, then you don’t have to worry! We will help you.

In this blog, we will give you a brief on what reports are and how they are structured. We will also provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to write a report.

So, what are we waiting for? Let’s dive into it!

What Is A Report?

Firstly, let’s begin our blog by understanding what reports actually are.

A report is a non-fiction document used for

Structure Of A Report:

Now, let’s discuss the structure of a report.

One of the most common issues among students is that they are unaware of the structure of reports. As a result, they are unable to craft high-quality reports. If you are also unfamiliar with its structure, then you don’t have to worry! We have provided you with a proper guide on how to structure your report:

1. Title page
2. Table of contents
3. Page numbering
4. Executive summary
5. Introduction
6. Body
7. Conclusion
8. Bibliography
9. Appendices (optional)

Title Page:

The first page of your report should always be the title page. It allows the reader to know what your report is about and also helps them to keep track of different reports. You must give it a catchy title. However, make sure that your title page is informative and specific.

The title pages also vary according to the guidelines of different universities. In some universities, the title page includes the report’s title, the student’s name, the department name, the university name, and the submission date. You must also check the guidelines of your university.

Table Of Contents & Page Numbering:

Besides that, add the table of contents that lists all the headings, subheadings, and page numbers of your report. It also includes other sections like bibliography and appendices. Moreover, it helps the reader get an overview of your writing. However, it is also vital to number the pages of your report to avoid confusion.

Executive Summary:

Just like you add an abstract in your assignments and dissertations, an executive summary is added in the reports. It is a summary of the findings of your report to give a hint to readers on what to expect in this piece of writing. However, an executive summary is generally used in official reports.

Introduction:

The introduction helps the reader understand the topic of your report and gives an overview of the things you will discuss in your writing. Additionally, it includes your thesis statement and any relevant background information relevant to your topic. Always remember that everything in your introduction must be clear, interesting, and to the point.

Body:

Apart from this, the body is the main part of your writing. It includes methodology, results, and discussion. Remember to keep your body paragraphs well-organized by adding headings and subheadings in them. Also, ensure to discuss one main point in each body paragraph.

Conclusion:

Finally, this is where you end things by giving a summary of everything you have discussed in your writing. This is where you can give your own opinions and judgments.

Always remember not to add any new data, evidence, or information in the conclusion; rather, review what you have discussed earlier.

Bibliography:

It is vital to provide a list of all the references that were used in your report. The bibliography lists all the sources that were used for the references, along with their publishing information. It allows you to avoid plagiarism in your writing. In addition, ensure that you follow a specific referencing style and that all the references are valid and up-to-date.

Appendices:

It is an optional section and is only added in reports when relevant information is too lengthy or complex for the body paragraphs. These materials include maps, surveys, interview transcripts, etc.

How To Write A Report: Steps

Are you still with us? Great job!

Now, let’s understand how to write one.

The following are some steps that you need to follow to write an exceptional report:

1. Choose A Topic:

The very first step is to choose a topic that is related to your studies and that you have a deep understanding of. Make sure that you have a keen interest in the topic you choose. In addition to this, ensure that you have selected a topic that is neither too common nor too exceptional. However, if you have already assigned the topic, you can move to the next step.

2. Conduct Research:

Besides that, you need to create research questions that are relevant to the topic of your report. Then, conduct in-depth research and use all the resources that you have, such as notes, textbooks, research papers, case studies, articles, and any related sources. You can also get much more information from the libraries.

3. Write A Clear & Focused Thesis Statement:

In addition to this, write a thesis statement for your report. You can formulate thesis statements by identifying the patterns and information you have collected from your research. After crafting a focused thesis statement, make sure that your report includes a detailed supporting argument with proper evidence.

4. Outline Your Report:

Apart from that, outline your report to keep it well-organized. As reports are primarily based upon headings and subheadings, it is vital to outline them to avoid confusion. Additionally, outlining allows you to track your progress throughout the writing.

5. Start Writing:

Finally, start your writing. This is one of the most difficult tasks for most students because they often lack exceptional writing skills and fail to meet the high demands of their programs. In addition to this, some students don’t understand how to give their reports a starting point. But once you have outlined your sections, just start writing. No matter if your writing is perfect or not, it is, anyway, your first draft. Once you get the idea to start the writing, it will be easier to go with the flow.

6. Proofread & Edit:

Once you have write your first draft, review it and edit all the major to minor errors in your writing.

These are some errors that you need to identify in your writing:

Spelling Mistakes:

Check for spelling mistakes in your writing. Additionally, many students get confused by the usage of some similar words, such as their/there/they’re and affect/effect.

Inconsistent Writing Style:

Moreover, many students possess inconsistent writing styles in their reports, reducing the credibility of their writing. Students keep switching between US English and UK English. This makes their writing lose credibility. You must ensure that your writing is entirely written in either US English or UK English.

Grammatical Errors:

In addition to this, another common mistake that students often repeat is making grammatical errors in their write. These errors include using the wrong tense, confusion between the correct article, misuse of prepositions, and other mistakes.

Invalid Information:

Apart from this, many students often add invalid and inaccurate references to their reports, which reduces the credibility of their writing. Thus, it is vital to verify all the facts, references, and citations before submitting your writing.

However, you can also ask your friends and seniors to review your report and seek their feedback. Make changes to your draft according to their suggestions. Once your draft is free from all errors, rewrite it as the final report.

Some Extra Tips:

When you write your report, keep the following tips in mind:

1. Once you are assigned the task, plan it and start working on it.
2. Don’t procrastinate.
3. Work with your friend or a classmate, as it will help you stay motivated.
4. Seek assistance from a senior or a professor.
5. Don’t leave anything for the submission date. Make sure everything is completed the day before the due date.

However, if you still struggle with your report writing, you can consider seeking Report Writing Help in NZ. Several trusted and reliable report writing services in New Zealand provide you with top-notch and error-free reports.

In A Nutshell!

All in all, write reports can be challenging, especially if you are unaware of their structure and criteria. However, following the tips mentioned in the blog might be really helpful to write top-quality reports, resulting in improved grades.

This brings us to the end of our blog!

We hope that this blog will help you write an exceptional report. Best of luck with your writing!