Accounting Writing Guide

about analyzing the different accounting processes, and determining which one was most efficient. She utilized sources like academic writing, news articles, textbooks, journals and other hard sources in order to bring it together.

Understanding the audience that one is writing for is crucial as different reports and documents are produced from accounting students. This shift in audience and purpose of writing must be grasped in order for the student or professional to produce an effective and correct piece. As students, individuals write to the professor, in the style that would please them for the grade. With the transition to the real world, individuals will write financial documents for managers, clients, coworkers, or anyone else in the business realm. Some of these potential situations are given in class, and mimic who should be written towards.

Accountants are expected to be able to produce a variety of texts, financial documents, and reports. Their flexibility and ability to adapt determines their effectiveness as an accountant, with their writing determining how they convey the financial situation to the audience. A variation in writing skillset is necessary as accountants write to be clear, concise and courteous. Rachel was “shocked” when they started writing in the accounting core because of the assortment of writing pieces she was generating. These various documents need to be mastered as students prepare for different areas within accounting—whether that be tax work, audit work, or client specific.

Accountants produce writing that is influential and essential for the managerial decisions and overall functioning of a business. The quality of the writing completed can alter the impact it has for a firm or for a client. Students like Rachel Meek offer insight as to how this caliber and style of writing can be produced in the classroom and how these expectations prepare students for the professional world.

Executive decisions are based upon the effectiveness of the writing and the accountant’s ability to effectively summarize, analyze and report the given financial situation. Individuals—like Rachel Meek— 25 | P a g e