Structure and Format:
Report (Reports): Clearly structured and well standardised. Includes clearly defined sections such as title page, abstract, introduction, methodology, main body, results, discussion, conclusion and references. This type of essay allows for a large number of charts, tables, and data to support the research or findings.
Essay: Flexible in structure and suited to the writer’s individual style and argument development. It usually consists of an introduction, body paragraphs (which may be divided into multiple paragraphs), a conclusion, and a bibliography. No mandatory section requirements compared to a report, favours a tightly organised thought process, often organises information in an organic way, and rarely uses hierarchical headings.
Purpose and content:
Report (Reports): dedicated to a complete exposition of the results of a study or investigation, emphasising the revelation of facts and data and an in-depth discussion of the results. It may include a detailed description of the experimental process, details of the investigation, and an explanation of the variables.
Essay: Focuses on exploring, analysing and interpreting a particular topic, and presents the author’s independently considered viewpoints. Emphasis is placed on the logical presentation of ideas and the derivation of the author’s personal insights and reflections. The essay may have strong literary qualities, i.e. a distinctive written style.
Language style and tone:
Reports: Use a serious, critical and academic tone. The main idea is not to express the author’s subjective emotions, but to focus on objective interpretation of facts and figures.
Essay: More open and free speech, with more expression of personal feelings and a lively and varied tone. In this type of literature, the writer is often able to express his or her own feelings in a straightforward manner.
Citation and References:
Reports: Strictly adhere to the exact citation style and refer to authoritative and standard academic citation paradigms such as APA and MLA.
Essay: also requires citation and referencing, but the rules are less stringent, depending on the subject area being studied and its guidelines. However, whether it is a report or an essay, the boundaries between the two may not be obvious, and sometimes their characteristics may even be intertwined in academic expression. Therefore, the key to writing a competent essay lies in arranging the lines in accordance with academic requirements.
