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Reports vs essays
Students are sometimes unclear about different genres of assessment tasks.
Students often ask the question "What is the difference between a report and an essay?" This short video explains what a report is in academic writing, how it is used in different situations, and the structure of a report including executive summary, introduction, findings and conclusion.
The table below shows the main differences between reports and essays.
Report
- Provides objective information: Can be constructed collaboratively.
- Highly structured into sections identified using headings.
- Sections can be read in isolation of the most of the text: the reader can dip in and out.
- Objective report and analysis of facts.
- Grounded in practice but often links to theory.
- For a specific audience.
- Includes tables, graphs and diagrams.
- Dot points used for conciseness.
Essay
- Presents a particular writer's claim or argument.
- Structured by paragraphing with key points identified in topic sentences.
- Paragraphs are read in the context of the whole: the reader starts at the beginning and reads the entire text.
- Subjective argument or interpretation.
- Grounded in theory but sometimes linked to practice.
- For a generalised audience.
- Meaning is conveyed through text.
- Meaning constructed through sentences.
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