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Basic Report Writing: A Handy Introduction for Beginners
One of the ultimate objectives of any technical writing course is basic report writing. You spend a long time preparing for this challenging final assignment which would allow you to implement all your previously gained basic report writing knowledge.
The success of your basic report writing is mostly defined by how skillfully you manage the paper layout and apply graphics to create a well-organized paper.
Basic Report Writing: Where to Start
In order to succeed in basic report writing, you should initially consider the following:
- report topic: make it as narrow as possible;
- report audience: decide on the addressee and the context of the report;
- report purpose: define what needs of the audience the report should fulfill;
- report type.
Basic Report Writing: Report Types
Depending on the peculiarities of your course, you may prefer to engage in basic report writing of the following types:
- technical background report: provides specific background on a chosen topic;
- instructions: manuals or backup procedures;
- feasibility, recommendation, and evaluation reports: researches a problem and provides recommendations;
- primary research report: reports experiments and surveys additionally explaining the background of the problem and research methodology;
- technical specifications: discusses a new product widely applying graphics, lists, and tables;
- report-length proposal: an elaborate report including, inter alia, feasibility discussion, review of literature, and qualifications;
- business plan: a proposal to start a new business or to extend an existing one.
Depending on the type of basic report writing you choose to engage in, proceed further with your research, writing, and formatting, which should comply with the specific requirements of your school.