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Types and Formats of Reports Explained

There are different types of reports that vary based on length and level of formality. Informal reports are typically shorter than 10 pages and have simple paragraph structures and headings. Formal reports can be longer, over 100 pages, and require specific sections, labels, and organization to effectively communicate complex topics. Informational reports provide summaries of data on a topic, like an expense report. Analytical reports collect and analyze information to make recommendations, such as choosing a location for a new store. Reports also have different formats depending on length and audience, including pre-printed forms, letters, memos, and manuscripts.

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Kartikay Gupta
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22 views3 pages

Types and Formats of Reports Explained

There are different types of reports that vary based on length and level of formality. Informal reports are typically shorter than 10 pages and have simple paragraph structures and headings. Formal reports can be longer, over 100 pages, and require specific sections, labels, and organization to effectively communicate complex topics. Informational reports provide summaries of data on a topic, like an expense report. Analytical reports collect and analyze information to make recommendations, such as choosing a location for a new store. Reports also have different formats depending on length and audience, including pre-printed forms, letters, memos, and manuscripts.

Uploaded by

Kartikay Gupta
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© Public Domain
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Q) Explain the different types of reports and discuss the different

formats of the reports?

Types of reports

Informal Reports

Informal reports tend to be shorter, although the quantity of pages or


words is not defined. Think of informal reports as documents of under
ten pages. An informal report usually has specific topics grouped in
paragraphs, and these topics tend to have simple headings. Note that
while informal reports often don’t have required headings, you can
take inspiration from the headings required in formal reports.

Formal Reports

A formal report tends to be longer; although, again, the quantity of


pages or words is not defined. It may start at ten pages and in some
cases exceed one hundred pages. With a formal report, the topic of the
report or the policy of the company it’s being written for determines
which sections, labels, content, and purpose should be used as the
basis for the report. These reports address complex topics that require
substantial description of background, research on the topic, and
evidence to support any proposed solutions. Both the data gathering
and the summary of the topic generate length. To keep this abundance
of information organized, the report requires formal headings and
tight organization in order to help the reader stay on track.

Informational Reports
An informational report provides a summary of information and
data found on a particular topic. One such report is the expense report:
this report is a set of information that is used to request allocation of
funds. The format is strictly pre-determined and it is often completed
at the end of a business trip.
Analytical Reports
The other category of report is an analytical report. In this report
type, information is researched and collected, then the report provides
an analysis that leads to one or more recommendations. For example,
consider a report that helps a company determine where to open a
new store. The report might look at three properties with respect to
road traffic, cost of the land, and adjoining stores, and then
recommend the best site from the alternatives.
Format of report
Pre-printed Form:
Basically for “fill in the blank” reports. Most are relatively short
(five or fewer pages) and deal with routine information, mainly
numerical information. Use this format when it is requested by the
person authorizing the report.
Letter:
Common for reports of five or fewer pages that are directed to
outsiders. These reports include all the normal parts of a letter, but
they may also have headings, footnotes, tables, and figures. Personal
pronouns are used in this type of report.

Memo:
Common for short (fewer than ten pages) informal reports distributed
within an organization. The memo format of “Date,” “To,” “From,”
and “Subject” is used. Like longer reports, they often have internal
headings and sometimes have visual aids. Memos exceeding ten
pages are sometimes referred to as memo reports to distinguish them
from shorter ones.

Manuscript:
Common for reports that run from a few pages to several hundred
pages and require a formal approach. As their length increases, reports
in manuscript format require more elements before and after the text
of the report. Now that we have surveyed the different types of reports
and become familiar with the nomenclature, let us move on to the
actual process of writing the report.

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