But first things first... I had an amazing news today! As you all know there was Assembly Bye-Elections in Wales... And I have an unbelievable pleasure to announce that I have been elected to the Assembly!!!! You al can just imagine how excited I am, so many good things is happening to me right now! I feel truly blessed :)
Let's talk about the report now. So what is the difference between an essay and a report?
As you all know in an essay we have to present convincing argument, not only that but also all of that must be done in a logical sequence. So we have our introduction, main body and conclusion. All of that has to be linked together. So each paragraph must be finishing in the way , that you can carry on in the next. I am sure that you all know this by now, but I like to write everything from A to B ;) There are four types of report : information or description reports, reports of investigations or studies, maths reports and science reports.
Now report is ( in my opinion) a little bit easier. Report has a completely different purpose and structure.
If you would look at it and try to simplify, I would say : Report is written for busy people, to help them find specific information quickly and without a hassle. Report is providing informations instead of presenting argument like it was done in the essay.
Report:
- Is using headings and subheadings
- Sections are numbered or lettered (2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 or A: a, b, c,)
- You can use short statements and bullet points ( do you see what I have done here :D ? )
- You can use graphs and tables
Structure of the report
( Now please keep in mind that this is only a guideline and OU might want different things, so before using anything from here, please talk to your tutor, check your assignment booklet and LC for advice :) )
Title page
Describes the purpose of the report. It should have your Name, Date, For who the report is written.
Terms of references
Explaining who will read the report, purpose and how the report was written ( method)
Abstract
Short paragraph describing content of the report, its aims, what was found and ( if any) what is called for. Make sure that you are avoiding writing a conclusion and you are just outlining the main points.
Introduction
Detailed description of aims and objectives. If there are problems that report is looking at , they should be identified. You are adding here any historical background.
Methods ( make sure that you will use separate headings here!)
You are going to explain here followed procedures, you are going to use relevant information and materials ( sources). And you will refer here to any problems
Results ( Again, separate headings)
You can use here diagrams and graphs to present data. Remember to use logical order , but avoid commenting!
Discussion
That's your main body. Here you will discuss your material. You will analyse and discussed your facts & evidence with specific references to the problem. You might want to consider dividing your discussion into sections ( if it's lengthy). Points should be grouped and arranged in logical and easy to follow order. Headings and subheadings should be considered. Same with bullet points. Everything used in your report should be acknowledged and referenced.
Conclusion
Remind most important points, highlight, most central issues and findings of the report. Like with an essay avoid adding new points!
Appendices
You are going to include all of the supporting information here.
Bibliography
Like with an essay, alphabetical order.
Before you start your report, you must decide what kind of report you have to write. Remember to use ACADEMIC LANGUAGE ! You can find some help with that in LC3, Appendix 2 p. 51.
Also you might want go to to OU website : http://www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/reports.php
Another useful one is : http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/writingguides/1.02%20Reports.htm
and : http://www.port.ac.uk/media/contacts-and-departments/student-support-services/ask/downloads/Reports-and-essays---key-differences.pdf
