The length of a Research Brief Report should not exceed 2500 words (approximately 10 pages), omitting references, tables, and illustrations. They should also include no more than four tables or figures and no more than fifteen references. If your research short report is more than 500 words, you must submit it as a feature piece. For a complete list of recommended lengths for various types of reports, see the Writing Center website at http://www.writingcenter.uoregon.edu/tips-tools-resources/report-length. Brief reports are written for one purpose: to get a message across in a timely manner. As such, they should be concise but still cover their topic thoroughly. A good brief report makes a strong argument and gets to the point. Brief reports are different from other academic forms of writing in that they are written under strict time constraints. Even though you have freedom within these limits, it's best to give yourself some leeway by writing longer briefs if necessary. Remember, your reader wants to know what's in it for them! Writing brief reports can be difficult if you don't know how long you want your paper to be. To avoid this problem, write down what you want to say and then figure out where to put information so it doesn't take up too much space. Also, try to keep sentences short and simple; longer paragraphs may not be read easily.