In business and academic settings, you may face the situation of writing a formal short report. This article will help you understand what a formal short report is, its benefits, and its basic elements. Moreover, some free formal short report templates and samples are also available here on this page for you.
What is a Formal Short Report?
A formal short report is a type of official report that contains important information presented in a clear and concise manner. The tone and structure of such a report are formal in nature. Such a report is written to present research findings or to conclude something in a detailed yet concise way. Normally, such reports are not longer than 2 or 3 pages.
A formal short report usually contains the title of the subject, topic, or research, an executive summary, a brief introduction, methods, findings or results, and recommendations or suggestions. As it is shorter than a full-form long report, a formal short report only focuses on the details or information that is of utmost importance to the specific audience.
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Benefits of a Formal Short Report
Using a formal short report can have several benefits, some of which are listed below:
- A formal short report is easy to understand. As the information in such a report is presented in a clear way, it becomes easy for the readers to understand the contents and message of such a report.
- As it is concise and short, such a report is easy to draft for the writers and is efficient for the readers too. Instead of reading a full-form report, the readers can easily understand the concept or topic with quite an ease.
- It is a useful tool that helps in making certain decisions based on the key information and conclusions provided in it.
- As the short report is written only for a specific audience, it is quite relatable for that audience, thus making it more useful for them.
- A formal short report is less time-consuming and it is cost-effective too.
- As compared to a long report, a short report is easily shareable too thus making it easy to distribute within an organization or a group
Elements of a Formal Short Report
The structure or layout of a short report may vary depending on its type or nature. However, it must consist of some following basic elements:
Title:
Just like a proper full-length report, a short report should also be titled. The title page should include the name or names (in the case of more than one writer) of the writer of the report, the submission date, the name of the organization for which any such report is prepared, and any other important relevant detail.
Summary:
The writer should include the summary section of the report which should briefly state the purpose of the report, methods, results, recommendations, etc.
Introduction:
The introduction section of the report typically includes a brief background or history of the topic of the report or of the research question being addressed.
Methods:
This section should state the methods, procedures, or techniques that were applied for the research or to gather the necessary information for the report’s topic. This section should also include the details of the sources from where the data or information was collected.
Results:
This section highlights the results or findings of the research including any data or information found as a result of conducting the research.
Conclusions:
The main findings of the report should be concluded and explained separately in the ‘conclusions’ section. The writer should also highlight the significance and impacts of such findings.
Recommendations:
In this section, the writer of the report should clearly state his/her recommendations or suggestions with respect to the topic of the report or the research question.