Writing your assignment
Write your report
The purpose of a report is to investigate an issue and 'report back' findings which allow people to make decisions or take action and depending on your course. The report may require you to record, to inform, to instruct, to analyse, to persuade, or to make specific recommendations, so it is important to check your task instructions and identify the approach you are required to take. Your completed report should consist of clear sections which are labelled with headings and sub-headings, and are logically sequenced, well developed and supported with reliable evidence. In this section you will learn more about writing a report, including process, structure and language use. The report writing checklist at the end of this section can help you finalise your report.
Watch the video
Video length: 2 minutes, 53 seconds
Key points from the video
- The main purpose of a report is usually to investigate an issue and report back with suggestions or recommendations to allow people to make decisions or take action.
- You will need to find information on the issue by reading through course materials and doing further research via the UniSA Library and relevant databases.
- Report writing requires you to plan and think, so give yourself enough time to draft and redraft, and search for more information before you complete the final version.
- The report is typically structured with an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion and a reference list.
- It usually has headings and subheadings to organise the information and help the reader understand the issue being investigated, the analysis of the findings and the recommendations or implications that relate directly to those findings.
- A report can also include dot points or visuals such as graphs, tables or images to effectively present information.
- Always check the task instructions and feedback form as there might very specific requirements for the report structure.
Plan your report
Locate the task instructions in your course outline and/or on your course site, and use this activity to plan your approach.
Useful resources
- Reports overview (pdf)
- Using headings in your writing (pdf)
- Abstracts and introductions (pdf)
- Writing introductions (pdf)
- Writing paragraphs (pdf)
- Literature reviews (pdf)
- Writing conclusions (pdf)
- Constructing graphs, tables and diagrams (pdf)
- Psychology example report (pdf)
- More example reports (link)
Use academic language
Click through the slides below to learn about the key characteristics of academic writing.
Useful resources
- Academic vocabulary and phrases (pdf)
- Expressing yourself clearly and concisely (pdf)
- Tentative language (pdf)
- Writing objectively (pdf)
- Academic phrasebank - Courtesy: Uni of Manchester (link)