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When we talk of formal documentation, reports are the first things that come to our mind. They are written to provide official information to a large group of people. This could be the employees in a company, school, and college students, etc. Some common things to keep in mind while writing all kinds of reports are as follows.
Depending on the situation, there is a classification of reports. You must know all the purposes that reports serve, based on which you can understand which type is the best for the specific case. To make a clear decision and have a better understanding of making proper reports, here is the classification of reports.
Long Reports and Short Reports: Their name justifies it all. A short report is also called a memorandum. It can be one or two pages long. However, a long report can even be a hundred or five hundred pages long, depending on the topic. While writing both these reports, one needs to follow a formal and structured format. The long reports mainly begin from a table of contents and end with an appendix.
Internal Reports: These kinds of reports stay in the organization itself and are mainly used by the employees, and people who have access to it. Not all are allowed to use their data and content.
External Reports: These reports are also called public reports. External reports serve the purpose of providing information to a mass group. This may also include sending out reports in the newspaper, and a company’s annual report, etc.
Lateral and Vertical Reports: These vary depending on the hierarchy. The reports which move upward and downward in an organization are called vertical reports. They help in managing the tasks across various levels in a company. Whereas, lateral reports are the ones that travel at the same organizational level. It helps in the coordination of a unit.
Periodic Reports: These reports are prepared based on pre-scheduled dates and sent out accordingly. They usually help in management control. The periodic reports are prepared using computer-generated data.
Formal and Informal Reports: A formal report is usually made for a bigger group. It has a meticulous structure with proper organization. These reports eliminate any personal data and information, including opinions. They provide deep insight and are written in a specific style. Informal reports are used less in comparison to the formal ones. They are usually short messages with a casual language. Informal reports are mostly used between a team, college peers, etc.
Informational Reports: These reports contain all the data, statistics, analyses, and facts related to a certain topic. They aim at solving actual problems with these reports.
Proposal Reports: These reports are like a pitch, and are solution-oriented. They aim at problem-solving for a company, helping them deal with the issues better.
Functional Reports: These kinds of reports have a specific function. Almost all reports like the financial report, marketing reports, etc. are included in this type of report.