THE MOST RELEVANT REPORT TYPES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

There are different types of report. These can be classified according to the elements that characterize it: presentation, language, structure, purpose, among others.

By way of presenting it, the report can be a written or oral description of a situation, event or occurrence.

If the type of language is taken into account, one can speak of an academic, scientific, dissemination and mixed report. The language used will depend on the communicative situation.

Classification according to structure refers to the textual typology in which the report is framed. These can be expository, descriptive, argumentative, and interpretive.

Often times the structure used is related to the purpose of the report. For example, if you want to inform, the expository or descriptive typology is usually used.

Finally, according to the purpose, there is a wide variety of reports. These include memos, formal reports, scientific and social research reports, economic reports, among others.

Top 4 Report Classifications

1- According to your presentation

The presentation of a report can be of two types: oral or written.

- Oral

Much of the oral reports are written prior to submission or prepared in advance. Statements by members of the police to journalists are an example of an oral report.

- Writings

Most of the reports are written. These have the advantage that they can be disseminated more easily, since copies of written reports can be sent.

2- According to the language used

Taking into account the language used, the reports can be academic, scientific, popular and mixed.

- Academics

Academic reports are those that are written within the framework of an educational communicative situation.

Academic reports are non-narrative texts that are produced for educational purposes: exams, essays, reports on the situation in the classroom, informational books with which students are going to study, theses, published research, among others.

- Scientists

Scientific reports are those that use the specialized terminology of an area of ​​knowledge: biology, physics, chemistry, history, among others.

Like academic texts, they can be produced in an educational context. However, the audience is more restricted: in this case it is the scientific community.

- Of disclosure

More general language is used in disclosure reports. They are not aimed at a specific audience, rather they aim to reach a large part of the public.

The television newscasts are an example of this type of report.

- Mixed

Mixed are those in which the report types mentioned above are combined.

For example, a scientific investigation carried out as a university research paper is a scientific and academic report at the same time. If this research is published, it becomes a disclosure report.

3- According to the structure

The structure of a report is related to textual typologies. There are expository, descriptive and argumentative reports.

- Exhibition

The expository reports are those in which the facts are presented without them being interpreted or analyzed.

The structure of this type of report does not include conclusions or recommendations, since the presence of these two elements would mean that an analysis of the information presented is being carried out. Similarly, the author's opinion is absent.

- Descriptive

Descriptive reports explain how an action is carried out or what are the defining characteristics of an object or situation.

As in expository reports, descriptive reports do not analyze the information but are limited to presenting it. They also resemble this by not presenting the author's opinion.

Some examples of descriptive reports are user manuals and investigations that seek to describe phenomena.

- Argumentative

Argumentative reports are those that seek to persuade readers to take into account the point of view of the writer. This means that the opinion of the author is present in the argumentative reports.

Good argumentative reports also embed opposing views. This gives strength to the argument, since it shows that after having studied the existing alternatives, the most suitable one has been chosen.

This type of report does include conclusions, in which the most important points in favor of the author's thesis are summarized.

- Interpretative

Interpretive reports are expository or descriptive texts in which the information presented is analyzed and interpreted.

For this reason, they include conclusions, implications and recommendations that show that the consequences that the studied phenomenon could bring about are being taken into account. The author can include his point of view.

4- According to the purpose

The purpose of a report will vary it in form, structure, and language. Here are some sample reports by purpose.

- Memorandum

Memorandums, also called memos, are routine reports issued within an organization.

The purpose of this type of report is to guarantee internal communication between the different departments that make up the company.

The language used is impersonal and objective, while the structure is usually expository. It includes information about the issuer, the recipient, the date of issue and the subject to be discussed.

- Formal reports

Formal reports follow a more rigid and methodical structure than memos. The purpose of the formal report is to inform and support the information that is being presented.

For this reason it includes references, which are works on which the research carried out is based.

- Letters

Like memos, letters have the function of communicating. However, they differ from these since the purpose of the letters is focused on ensuring external communication.

- Economic reports

Economic reports are reports whose function is to make known the economic situation of a country, organization or department of a company.

- Literary report

The literary report is intended to analyze an author's work. In this the texts of a writer are compared and contrasted or the elements of a specific text are studied.

References

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