Are you currently in this state: You open a Word document, stare at the title for half an hour, write "1.0 Introduction," and then silently delete it. You go to the kitchen to get a bottle of water, then come back and continue staring blankly at the screen. Just thinking about the complex format of a report—table of contents, subheadings, charts, appendices—your brain automatically activates its defense mechanism. Don't worry, this isn't just your predicament. For international students accustomed to writing in Chinese or who have only ever written essays,Structured thinking in reportsOften, this is the biggest obstacle. Today, we won't discuss profound theories, but only solve one problem:How to build a good structure and write the first paragraph.
Key misconception: A report is not an essay with a title.
Many students get stuck because they try to write a report using the logic of writing an essay. Understanding the core differences between the two will instantly open up your thinking:
- An essay is "a river": It is a coherent argument that emphasizes the fluidity of viewpoints, and usually has only one main theme running throughout.
- The report is "the cabinet in a traditional Chinese medicine shop": It is functional and emphasizes information.Classification and DisplayYou need to put different information (background, methods, data, suggestions) into drawers labeled with different numbers (1.0, 2.0...). The good news is: Reports are actually easier to write than essays. You don't need to write the whole thing in one go; you just need to fill in each "drawer."
General Report Writing Framework: Adapting to All Changes
Whether you're analyzing a case study in business or writing a lab report in STEM fields, the core logic boils down to this three-part structure. When you're unsure how to begin, start by typing the following headings into your document:
1. The “What” (Introduction & Background)
- What problem do we need to solve?
- What is the current background situation?
- (Common in business studies: Current Situation / Problem Identification)
2. The “How & Why” (Analysis / Methodology / Findings)
- This is the main body of the report (occupying 60%-70%).
- How do you conduct your research? (Methodology)
- What data or evidence did you find? (Findings)
- What do these data tell us? (Discussion/Analysis)
- (Common in business studies: SWOT / PESTLE Analysis; Common in STEM fields: Results & Discussion)
3. The “So What” (Conclusion & Recommendations)
- Based on the above analysis, what is the conclusion?
- What should be done next? What specific suggestions are there?
Note: Although the Executive Summary is placed at the very beginning, please be sure to...Write it last。
Breaking the deadlock: How to use it DiffMind Generate customized structures
Sometimes the questions are quite niche, and a general framework seems too thin. In this case, you need more detailed navigation.DiffMind These types of AI search and question-answering tools are very suitable for "structural engineering".
1. First, generate a complete structure (first-level and second-level headings). Don't let AI write articles directly; instead, let it help you create the "blueprints."
- operate: Copy your Assignment Brief into DiffMind and enter the command: "Based on this assignment requirement, please generate a detailed report structure outline for me, including first-level headings and second-level subheadings, and briefly explain what should be included under each subheading."“
- Advantages of DiffMind: It can call multiple models (such as GPT-4, Claude, etc.) for logical reasoning. You can compare the suggested structures of different models and choose the one that is the most logically rigorous and best suits your course requirements.
2. Fill in the blanks section by section (fill-in-the-blank question format) Once you have an outline detailed down to the second-level headings, your task changes from "writing a 2,000-word report" to "writing 10 short paragraphs of 200 words each."
- operate: For a specific subheading (e.g., "Opportunities in SWOT Analysis"), search for relevant data or theoretical definitions in DiffMind and then fill in the blanks in your own words.
Hands-on experience: How to get started from scratch
You have the structure, but you still don't dare to start writing? Please remember this golden rule: never start writing with the introduction. The introduction is a summary of the entire text. You haven't even written the main body, so how do you know what to introduce? That's exactly why you're stuck. The correct starting order is:
- First, pick the easy target: Choose the section you are most familiar with and have the most complete information on to begin with.
- Science and Engineering: Write first Methodology(What experimental steps you performed is a given fact; you don't need to think about it.)
- Business Studies: Write first Findings/Current Situation(Describe the current situation in the case).
- Using the "fill-in-the-blank method": Looking at the outline generated by DiffMind, I told myself, "I'll only write section 2.1 now, and then I'll take a break."“
- Finally, let's go back to the beginning: Once you've finished writing the main body, you'll find that the introduction and executive summary come naturally, because you already have a thorough understanding of the content.
Summarize
The hardest part of report writing is often facing a blank document. Next time you get stuck on structure, try this process:Put aside perfectionism -> Type in a general framework -> Refine the second-level headings with DiffMind -> Start filling in the blanks from the easiest paragraph. Once you get started, that blank Word document will quickly transform into a well-structured report. Now, go ahead and write your first subheading!
