Difference between Reports and Essays

Nov 30 -0001

Distinguish, differentiate, compare and explain what is the difference between Reports and Essays. Comparison and Differences.

A report is a piece of informative writing that describes a set of actions and analyses any results in response to a specific brief. Considering, a quick definition might be: “This is what I did and this is what it means.” You may also have assignments which are not called reports but which are still pieces of informative writing. For example, some dissertations and project write-ups fall into this category. A good way to understand the key features of reports is to see how they differ from essays as a type of academic writing.

The main difference between a report and an essay is the overall structure. Essays flow as continuous text whereas reports are separated into clear sections. Subsequently, Essays discuss, evaluate and compare ideas or concepts about a specific topic. Reports outline information available, define a problem or situation and often give recommendations for future action. Essays present an argument, ideas or discussion conversely reports are a presentation of the current information and data available on a subject.

Difference between Reports and Essays

S.No.	Reports	Essays
1	Reports are Formally structured.	In contrast, Essays are Semi-structured.
2	Reports are informative and moreover fact-based.	Argumentative and moreover idea-based.
3	Written with a specific purpose keeping reader in mind.	Not written with a specific reader in mind.
4	Written in a style appropriate to each section.	Written in single narrative style throughout.
5	Always include section headings.	Normally, do not include sub-headings.
6	Sometimes particularly use bullet points.	Usually, do not include bullet points.
7	Often include tables or graphs.	Conversely, essays rarely include tables or graphs.
8	Reports offer recommendations for action.	On the other hand, essays offer conclusions about a question.