ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on distinguishing reports from proposals, which can look similar to reports. Like any piece of good writing, an effective formal report requires that one first needs to spend time planning it. Planning this type of report involves three steps: defining the topic, conducting research on that topic, and creating an outline from that research. Defining a topic can be something of an art form: it involves making the topic narrow enough so that the report is focused but broad enough so that it covers the subject matter adequately. The people need to conduct more in-depth research to find out what concerns are most relevant to the defined topic. They can research issues related to the topic by looking at both primary and secondary sources. The primary goal of the reports is to inform, whereas the primary goal of the proposals is to persuade.
