difference between writing a report and an essay

Refer to QuickRef 6, Essay or Report? in Language and Learning Online for an introduction to this issue. At the basic level, an essay is characterised by being one piece of prose (or text) whilst a report is broken up into 'chunks' or sections of writing with specific functions or purposes. An essay can include headings but a report always does. Reports Reports have a formalised structure (i.e. executive summary, scope, discussion, recommendations) and are written with a specific purpose in mind, or with a particular focus. That given structure supports that purpose. See an example that illustrates the elements of a report under When should I use headings?. This structure is often dictated by the discipline you will be writing in. For example, Psychology uses a specific laboratory report structure (see recommended resources for Psychology, including an extract from O'Shea (2002) 'Quick start for reports') that differs from one in Science (see recommended resources for Science; for example, an extract from Drury (1997) 'Results'). BusEco's report preferences are different again and that faculty's Q Manual outlines the requirements. Just how your lecturer would prefer your report to be structured will be given in your subject's Unit Guide. Essays Essays are structured around an introduction, body and conclusion, and the text itself is separated into paragraphs. See examples of the more formalised components of the essay, the introduction and the conclusion, in What does a good introduction look like? and What does a good conclusion look like?. The structure of an essay is not as formalised as that of a report. In some ways, you have more discretion about how you put your essay together, although you need to adhere to disciplinary expectations. Like reports, however, you must still provide an argument or position that is clearly sustained; that is, your reader must be.
Student Learning Resources Writing a reportWhat is a report?Reports are usually commissioned or requested by a person or an organisation in order to get information about something. The writer of the report is asked to take charge of collecting, analysing and interpreting information, and 'reporting back' their findings to the person or organisation who requested the information. Reports often have 3 main aims: To give a straightforward, clearly-structured account of an issue To answer a question To offer solutions to a problem or recommendations for action It is very important, then, that a report is clear, well-presented, and well-evidenced. Skip Table of contentsSkip Administration.
You are here: Learnhigher Home » Writing for University » Report Writing » What’s the different between reports and essays? Author: Unknown Author (Unknown affiliation) Description: A table outlining features of essays and reports in relation to one another. Estimated activity time: Unknown time Type of media: Helpsheet Licence: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0(This resource can be freely repurposed and reused) Category: Report Writing Tags: Study guide Date: This information/resource was last updated in October 2015. This post was originally added to Learnhigher on: January 15th, 2012 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.
In an essay you are expected to present a convincing argument, which is developed in a logical sequence. You have to ‘signal’ the start of each stage of the essay and link the sections together. The person marking it has to read the whole essay to check how well you have answered the question. Reports have a different purpose and a different structure from essays Professional reports are often written for busy people, who should be able to find a piece of specific information quickly without reading the whole document. Information is presented in discrete sections with headings and sub-headings. Each section can be read on its own. The main purpose of a report is to provide information rather than present an argument. Sections can be numbered or lettered. Short statements using bullet points can be used to present facts. Graphs and tables may be used. Recommendations may be included. Appendices may be attached as a source of extra information. Both essays and reports should be written in a formal, academic style and you should aim to show critical thinking and analytical skills.
A report  A report is divided into different parts and sections with headings. There may be numbered parts with headings and subheadings, parts labelled A, B, C and so on.Reports are very common in everyday life. You see them in businesses all the time.There are different types of reports. There are academic reports which are like journal articles. There are laboratory reports that scientists write. There are business reports which don’t have the same parts as an academic report.Reports are often on practical issues. For example: A report into the impact of the tuition fee increase on student applications to university.The aim of a report is often to make recommendations for action or to find out and present facts.Here are a couple of real reports that you can look at to get the feel of reports from the outside world:The impact of universities on the UK economyThe economic impact of London’s international studentsAn essay  Usually there is only the title at the top of the essay and no other headings or subheadings. Just lots of writing with paragraphs breaks.An essay is an academic piece of work and you usually don’t see essays outside college or university.Essays are usually on very academic topics, not practical issues.Essays are more common in Arts and Humanities subjects such as English and History.The aim of an essay is to discuss, explore and show the reader that you can present and evaluate arguments.For more help with report writing you check out the excellent Learn Higher.
Report writing is an important skill to develop as it is a common form of writing at university and in later employment. It is important to read your assignment question carefully to find out the specific requirements of a report in your subject In general though, reports may differ from essays in a number of ways: Reports Essays The purpose of a report is to convey specific information to provide the reader with information. The purpose of an essay is to show how well you have understood the question and are able to answer it. A report usually contains a description of events/results of research. Often you need to do more than just describe the events or results**. You may also need to analyse these events or results, or use them to put forward a proposal for future action or to solve a particular problem University essays usually require some form of argument in response to the essay question. A report may often contain conclusions and recommendations An essay will contain a conclusion, but including recommendations is rare. Despite these differences, in some disciplines, the distinction between an essay and a report can be blurred; for example, an essay can be structured more like a report with headings separating the sections of the essay. **It is recommended that students consult their lecturers regarding the particular style of report required in their specific subject. © Copyright 2000 Comments and questions should be directed to Unilearning@uow.edu.au.