The most common problem with poor reports is the citations. You must think of your report as something you would submit to a journal for publication. Please observe how scientific journal articles cite many previous works. It demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of the topic and the fact that the important other previous works have considered in the preparation of the article. The report can not rely on secondary sources, it must refer to primary sources.
Primary sources delve into greater detail and are typically more current.
Secondary sources are a summary of the subject from the author's perspective, you must synthesize the material your self from the primary sources. Be forewarned, obtaining articles from interlibrary loan can be slow, so start early. Occasionally, a paper will be submitted that is just poorly written. Please have someone else, particularly someone in class, read your manuscript over prior to submission. They should catch the major flaws.