Assignment types

The purpose of a lab or prac report is to:

• explain what you did
• draw conclusions.

Audience

When you're writing a lab or prac report, think of your target audience as:

• your peers
• other researchers wanting to replicate your experiments.

Writing style

Lab or prac reports should:

• be clear and objective
• be written in past tense and passive voice.

Structure and content

Use headings for sections in a lab or prac report.

Describe your actions and results in step-by-step order.

Include the following sections:

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion.

The purpose of a case study is to:

• examine a situation
• identify positives and negatives
• make recommendations.

Audience

When you're writing a case study, think of your target audience as:

• professionals (not just academics)
• politicians
• the general public.

Writing style

Case studies should:

• be written in a factual and authoritative tone
• be concise and easy to follow.

Structure and content

Use numbered headings for sections in a case study.

Make sure you include:

• table of contents
• executive summary.

The purpose of an article review is to:

• evaluate or critique the article's data, research methods and results.

Audience

When you're writing an article review, think of your target audience as:

• your peers
• people interested in your profession.

Writing style

Article reviews should:

• be written in an analytical and evaluative tone
• use present tense and active voice.

Structure and content

Don't use headings for sections in article reviews.

Your review should include:

• a brief summary of the article being reviewed
• your commentary on the quality of the work.

The purpose of a literature review is to:

• identify key areas across literature
• understand current thinking
• find a 'gap' for research.

Audience

When you're writing a literature review, think of your target audience as:

• researchers
• academics
• fellow professionals.

Writing style

Literature reviews should be:

• written in a formal style
• objective, but you can include tentative opinions based on the text.

Structure and content

Use meaningful headings for sections in a literature review (not just 'introduction', 'body' and 'conclusion').

Organise your content into:

• introduction
• body
• conclusion.

See how to write a literature review

The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to:

• identify key literature on a topic
• evaluate the usefulness of the literature in relation to the topic
• inform others.

Audience

When you're writing an annotated bibliography, think of your target audience as:

• researchers
• academics
• fellow professionals.

Writing style

Use a formal and objective tone in an annotated bibliography.

Structure and content

An annotated bibliography should:

• list works alphabetically by author
• include an indented 1-2 paragraph summary and critique for each work.

The purpose of a reflective journal is to:

• identify your understanding
• reflect on your thinking
• understand how and what you've learned.

Audience

When you're writing a reflective journal, think of your target audience as:

• yourself.

Writing style

In a reflective journal you can use:

• a more informal style, but make sure it's still clear
• a conversational tone - write as if you're thinking aloud
• the first person ('I' or 'me').

Structure and content

In a reflective journal you should:

• refer to texts, lectures and practical situations
• make links between formal learning and personal meaning.

The purpose of a project report is to:

• report on work that has been done, or
• plan for work to is to be done.

Audience

When you're writing a project report, think of your target audience as:

• an outside organisation, such as a government department or non-government organisation (NGO)

Writing style

Use a factual tone in a project report.

Vary your tense depending on what you're writing about. Use:

• present tense to outline the current situation
• past tense to describe work that has been completed
• future tense to explain work that is proposed.

Structure

Include the following sections:

• Title page
• Acknowledgements
• Executive summary or abstract
• Table of contents
• Introduction and body (no heading)
• Conclusion and recommendations
• References or bibliography
• Glossary
• Appendices.

For advice on writing, designing and delivering a presentation, see the presentation skills guide.