The internship report is one of the prime elements to train and assess the student, usually in the final stage of a study cycle; it consists of placing the student in a context that is similar to a professional situation. This is a work of description and theoretical reflection, methodologically oriented toward the activities developed in the context of an internship in organizations. An internship is considered an official program provided by organizations or companies to provide real-life work experience, especially for students or fresh graduates. The internship report is important because it informs your educator of the lessons and skills you learned and the opportunities you had to apply those skills. It is an opportunity to reflect on your internship and communicate the skills and knowledge you have gained. 

When is an internship report necessary?

Not all educational programs will require an internship report. However, if your organization needs one, make sure to give yourself adequate time to prepare it. You may find it helpful to take notes throughout your internship experience to remember any important details. Even if your program does not require an internship report, it can still be useful as a personal resource to evaluate this important learning experience.

Steps to Write an Internship Report

An internship report should cover key details of your internship experience. It should also include an overview of the skills you developed. Keep in mind, however, that you should certainly follow any instructions your internship employer gave you about your report. Those instructions might include required content, formatting, due dates, and more. Use the following steps to create your internship report:

1. Draft a title page: The first impression is always important. The function of the title page is to give a good first impression on whoever is reading your report and separate you from other candidates who might be submitting theirs at the same time. This is why you must place the title in the cover letter. Write the name of your school, your name, internship dates, and the company’s contact information. The title should pinpoint the theme of your duties, so there should be a title for each page. 
2. Outline the table of contents: It’ll also be helpful for the employers or hiring manager if you include a table of contents after the title page. Since you’ll be having a lot of information written, having a handy list of all the headers and sub-headers in your report allows readers to navigate to the page they’re most interested in reading. 
3. Learning objectives: Every internship comes with learning objectives. You wouldn’t be going for one unless there’s something you want to gain and acquire from that company. Hence, listing down the knowledge and skills will allow the employers/directors to know if you’ve accomplished your learning objectives upon finishing the internship. 
4. Include background information on the company: It’ll be best if you include a relevant history regarding the company in your report. The information you write can include the date the company was founded, its purpose, vision, and mission statement, the industries they’re in, the type of tasks, products, services they do, and any other relevant details. These will allow your readers to understand better the responsibilities and experience you’ve had while working there.
5. Position and job responsibilities: This is the most important portion of your internship report. In this segment, you will describe the specific things you learned and the skills you cultivated. Relate these skills back to your educational experiences. Detail specific experiences within the organization that contributed to your development.
6. Learnings, challenges, and skills: Anyone who comes across your internship report will be looking at what you’ve learned, the problems and challenges you’ve solved, as well as the skills you’ve acquired along the way. In this section, you need to be descriptive regarding the specific things you’ve done and relate all these experiences to your educational background. Provide a detailed explanation of how these skills are cultivated, and how the theories you’ve learned from your studies have helped overcome the issues you’ve faced while working. Detail any new skills or programs you learned while you were there. Try to relate your experience to your college coursework to show you gained valuable knowledge.
7. Conclusion: Add a brief conclusion about your internship experience. Explain anything you want to learn more about, such as different project management or accounting processes. Your conclusion should be one paragraph. 

Remember that the internship employer, professor, and future hiring managers could read your internship report, so keep it instructive and professional. 

Tips for Writing a Good Internship Report

Before we send you off to a lifetime of adventure ahead, here are a few tips for writing an effective internship report:

1. Number all your pages
2. Do not include copied content
3. Add citations to support your claims
4. Share what you’ve learned during your internship process
5. Describe the challenges you’ve faced and how you overcame them
6. Highlight your accomplishments 
7. Make sure your writing, ideas, and concepts for your report are coherent
8. Your report should be between 9,000-12,000 words long

Here are some PDF examples of internship report

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4 

Sample 5

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Write a Good Internship Report

What makes a good internship report?
The report should be well-written and professional, as it may be used as a reference for future job applications or academic programs. Furthermore, the internship demonstrates your accomplishments as an intern and highlights projects or tasks that you completed and their impact on the organization.

What is the structure of an internship report?
A common structure for an internship report consists of the following sections: introduction, background, learning objectives, activities and tasks, skills and competencies, feedback and evidence, challenges and solutions, outcomes and impact, and conclusion.

What are the aims of the internship report?
The internship report serves multiple purposes: It helps the student develop written communication skills. Serve as an archival record of the internship experience. Give the student an opportunity to reflect on the professional aspects of the internship experience and the skills that were learned.

How many pages should an internship report have?
Consider it the writing showpiece of your internship. It should be about 10 pages in length, not including the appendix. Two-credit internship reports should be at least five pages in length (not including the appendix).

What is the abstract of the internship report?
Abstract. Describe where your internship was conducted (name of company, department, location, type of business). Summarize your internship goals, activities, and accomplishments, highlighting key knowledge or skills gained. How did this internship benefit you, and how did it benefit the company?

Conclusion 

An internship also allows you to establish your professional network connections, as a vast connection even before you graduate is a huge stepping stone. It enables you to have more job opportunities, and in case your contacts aren’t able to provide you with a job, they can write you a good referral letter. So, it's really important to prepare an effective internship report for your own betterment. You should follow the actual format to create a good internship report. Try to write the report in a professional manner, which will eventually bring you benefits in the near future.