General Considerations

When writing a report on a subject that is new to the author, there is often a tendency to use the report as a study tool and to write about much of what was learned in class or from reading. Such writing is more appropriate for a review or a term paper than a report.

Before starting to write a report, make sure to define the goal and scope.

It is common to find a report that inadequately addresses the main point(s) of the problem or topic. The report should be as short as possible while still retain all the relevant matter. How well one provides the relevant matter depends on the scope of the project and on one’s ability to extract only those items that need to be reported.

The value of the report depends not on its length but on its accuracy and utility for its readers.