If you make the switch from academic to professional report writing, you’ll find it both rewarding and demanding. For sure, the aim of both types of writing is to convey information clearly and effectively. But there are big differences in their audiences, and the styles and structures of writing you need.
Here, we look at some tactics you’ll find useful.
A Simple Solution
Before we begin, it’s worth mentioning that you can get practical help when starting off. And getting competent writers to complete your report is certainly an option worth considering … at least to begin with.
There’s a huge number of sources of help online, providing different forms of assistance. If you’re stumped for choice, you could try
https://www.customwritings.com/courseworks.html, whose website clearly explains the options available, and the cost of getting the work done.
And if you make the right choice, you’ll get high-quality writing that meets your expectations on quality and effectiveness.
Understanding The Differences
Academic writing operates in a controlled setting, centered in theoretical frameworks. Institutional requirements regularly constrain this type of writing.
Professional report writing runs in dynamic environments where responsiveness and flexibility are more important. This means they work in different ways and are used by different demographics.
Audience awareness
The audience is one of
the main differences between professional and academic writing. Needless to say, it’s essential to understand the way they are different.
Academic writing is meant for academics and teachers. It’s often associated with technical terms and ideas. And there’s usually an assumption of existing knowledge in the way it’s written.
On the other hand,
professional writing is meant for stakeholders, clients, and often coworkers. And within these groups there are often people from different backgrounds. Because of this, accessibility and clarity are vital.
The purpose of your writing
There are differences between the purpose – the objectives – of your writing, too. Understanding this distinction can help with how you present and prioritize your information.
Academic reports often seek to add to the body of current research. They aim to investigate theories, communicate results, and wherever possible, advance a field of study.
Professional reports concentrate on helping with decision-making or problem-solving. The goal is often to provide project updates, suggestions, or solutions to problems.
Adapting Your Writing Style to Become More Professional
Professional reports use several ingredients to deliver the readability and impact needed. If you get your style right, your message will be well received and fully understood.
Tone and language
Focus hard on the tone and language, and prioritize approachability, clarity and directness. If you do this, your writing will be interesting and simple to read.
Academic writing is usually formal, often sophisticated and sometimes laden with jargon. That doesn’t work for professional writing! Here, you need to communicate your ideas clearly and succinctly … and whatever you do, avoid repetition and unnecessary words. One adjective (if any at all…) is enough!
And of course, if you need to use jargon, explain what it means.
Structure and formatting
Your writing should be easy to navigate. To accomplish this, you need to apply some basic formatting rules. These may not coincide with academic norms.
For example, you may structure it using standard sections. This could include an executive summary, followed by an introduction, methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The choice is yours! But make sure you choose a format that suits you, your subject and your audience.
Alongside this, you could use visual aids as a focal point. Here, you’d summarize information using graphs, charts and bullet points. This makes important material easier for the reader to understand … and remember.
Mastering The Rules Of Professional Reports
Becoming proficient in professional writing will
yield enormous benefits – in both career advancement and personal satisfaction. Your writing will be better at communicating your message, and boosting your credibility.
Data presentation
How you present data should be a primary concern, so the material is understandable and compelling. You should aim to make the reader feel better informed and more able to make well-informed judgments on the subject area.
With
evidence application, you’d use charts and tables. These help us to understand difficult information. For instance, a line graph will give a much clearer picture of a trend than a written description.
With
data interpretation, you describe the practical meaning of the data. In other words, don’t just show the numbers: that’s just plain lazy. Talk about the effect they’ll have on the project or business.
Recommendations and action items
Professional reports often conclude with clear recommendations or action items. After all, it’s not an essay or a story, is it?
So make sure that your recommendations are specific and actionable.
And provide justification, or at least reasoning, for each recommendation Explain how it addresses the issues and affects any outcome.
Summarizing Thoughts
Progressing from academic reports to professional ones poses real challenges. If you’re used to writing reports, essays or research papers in an academic environment, you’re now in a different world altogether. So you need to get on top of this new environment by modifying language, structure, and following a few rules.
And putting these techniques into practice will help your shift into the working world a whole lot easier.
