In journalism, a special report is an in-depth and thorough piece of reporting that may involve exposing wrongdoing or corruption or can be more technical subject matter that requires a high level of understanding and expertise to tackle. Specialized reporting can help increase a journalist’s credibility and provide valuable insight into complex issues for their audience.
In research, a special report is a summary of findings and results based on systematic investigations. It presents first-hand verifiable information in a formal language and often includes illustrations or other visual representations. Special reports must be written with the target audience in mind as this determines the tone and style of the writing. For a general audience, the researchers must present the information in a straightforward and relatable manner and for a specialized audience they must use more technical and field-specific terminology.
In addition to the main text, a special report should include an introduction section that provides a survey of existing research knowledge in the area. This highlights areas of gaps that the systematic investigation will seek to fill. The authors should also cite key research work relevant to the systematic investigation and ensure that all references are included in the reference list of the paper. The authors should also be prepared to provide a speculative viewpoint on how the research field will evolve five years from when the special report is published. This can be done through the Expert Opinion section of the article.
About the Author
