A report can be described as a formal or informal statement or account of events, findings, observations, or recommendations prepared by a person or a community. A report may be delivered orally or in writing.
It may be written by a single person (such as a secretary, department manager, or investigator), a group of people, a committee, or a sub-committee. A report may be prepared on a regular basis (e.g., an annual report for an organization or a monthly report from a division to the head office) or only once (e.g., an annual report for an organization) (like a report by an enquiry committee).
How to write a formal Report?
- Plan before you write;
- Check for an in-house format;
- Add an appealing and clear title;
- Write a concept table of contents;
- Add a summary or abstract;
- Write an introduction;
- Outline your methodology;
- Present your content and findings;
- Finish with a conclusion and recommendations;
- Add a bibliography and appendices;
- Proofread or ask a second reader;
- Update the table of contents;
- Save as editable format or PDF and share to those involved.