The 4 differences between certificate, report and opinion

Let's take a look at what each of these documents is so that we don't confuse them into meaning the same thing.

Bureaucracy is something that for a relatively large proportion of the population is more than a headache. But although it is little appreciated, the truth is that it is often necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the system and the monitoring of a process with the maximum possible guarantees.

Within this area we often find various types of documents, which can sometimes be confused with each other. Among them can be found some that are not only applied at the administrative level, but also in areas such as academia.

For example, many people have at some time had to have a report drawn up, or have had to wait for an opinion to be confirmed or to receive a certificate in order to be able to practice or obtain a certain service or good. But what is the difference between these types of documents? What are they and what are the differences between certificate, report and opinion? Let's see it throughout this article.

Certificate, report and opinion: what are they?

Before starting to talk about the differences between certificate, report and opinion, it may be coherent and necessary to make a brief description or explanation of what each of them is.

The name certificate is given to a type of document which is issued for the purpose of is issued for the purpose of attesting or recording a specific fact, in a merely descriptive manner.. In order to be valid, it must have been made and signed by a technician or a competent authority in the aspect of which it is a record.

A typical example of this type of document can be found in the certificates of studies or in the certificate of habitability of the houses.

The report is probably the type of document that is most frequently produced, as it is often the basis on which some course of action can be taken.The report is probably the type of document most frequently produced, as it is often the basis on which a course of action can be taken.

It is a type of document that is characterized by exposing in a more or less detailed way the event or elements that are observed and the circumstances surrounding them in an objective and empirically focused way, without admitting any kind of interpretation. An example can be found in the reports that are made when there is some kind of traffic accident, regarding both the accident and the state of the vehicles and people.

As far as the report is concerned, this is a type of document in which, based on the data surrounding a situation (generally from a report), the situation is evaluated and analyzed, the situation itself is evaluated and analyzed in order to make some kind of determination on the matterIn this case, it is necessary to make an intervention or action guideline or simply reach a conclusion about what has happened. In this case, the opinion or assessment of the professional who carries it out comes into play, who should be an expert in the subject to be assessed.

As an example we can find cases of opinions in any judicial process in which a sentence is reached, or in the selection of a certain treatment for a patient in the hospital or psychological/psychiatric context.

As can be seen, the three concepts explained so far coincide in the fact that they are very useful documents and are often used in conjunction with each other. are often used together.

Moreover, all of them can be applied to a large number of fields, from education or academia (is a person fit/unfit?), construction (is this house habitable?), medicine or psychology (what is wrong with him/her, do the symptoms correspond to X disorder, what type of intervention should be applied?) to the strictly administrative (permits, regulations, applications...). But, as can already be seen from the definitions themselves, they are not identical.

Differences between these types of document

Opinion, report and certificate are documents that basically have certain similarities and are often closely related. However, they are far from being the same type of document and each has its own each of them has characteristics that distinguish it from the others.. In this regard, the following are the four main differences between certificate, report and opinion.

1. Objective pursued

Perhaps the main and most important difference between opinion, certificate and report lies in the fact that these three types of documents are made for different purposes and objectives are made with different purposes and objectives.

In this sense, a report is made with the purpose of exposing and explaining a given situation or aspect of reality, without pretending to include in it indications or assessments (although the objective of its realization may actually be to end up doing this).

The opinion is prepared when the existing information on a given issue or situation must be assessed, in order to provide some guideline for action, recommendation or solution regarding the situation itself or how to proceed.

Finally, the certificate is a document that is issued solely as a statement of the result of an assessment. carried out previously, reporting and communicating the conclusion or decision that is determined in this regard.

2. Explaining vs. assessing

Another major difference between certificate, report and opinion can be found in the type of text and the work and treatment given to the information they provide.

While a report is an expository text in which the information provided is objective and does not contain any interpretation or subjectivity, the opinion includes, in addition to an explanation of the situation, a component of assessment and decision as to what to do with the information. what to do with this information.

Thus, the opinion incorporates a certain subjectivity to the content, since the data are interpreted to generate a conclusion.

Finally, with regard to the certificate, although its content refers to the final conclusion that has been obtained through a process of analysis with the possibility that there may or may not be biases and subjectivities, we are dealing with a document whose content is limited to describing the conclusion or result itself. Thus, the certificate does not imply an act of appraisal but is a reflection of the appraisal previously made.

3. Order

In addition to the above differences, it should also be noted that these documents are usually interrelated with each other. are usually interrelated, and the previous one is usually necessary to be able to prepare the next one..

In this sense, the first document that will be necessary will be the report in order to explore what has happened or what is being worked on, obtaining data in an objective and detailed manner. Only then will it be possible to make the assessment that allows the creation of the opinion, which will use these data to analyze and interpret the information and finally make a decision on the matter.

And it will be on the basis of this opinion that a certificate will be drawn up to attest or record the decision taken with respect to what is being analyzed.

4. Attention to detail and conciseness

A last but not least important differentiating element between the three types of documents mentioned above is, beyond their objectivity/subjectivity or the purpose of each one of them, is the level of detail and precision of the data included in them..

While the certificate is generally a concise and precise document but pays little attention to detail and offers little information as to what situation it assesses and the circumstances surrounding it, the report is generally a more detailed and precise document. is much more explicit and detailed, but is nevertheless less concise and closed than the previous one, since it gives an account of the assessment made with respect to the data obtained from the report.The report, however, is less concise and closed than the previous one, since it gives an account of the assessment made with respect to the data obtained from the report.

Finally, the report is, together with the opinion, the one that provides the greatest level of detail regarding the situation it exposes and narrates, but since it focuses on the mere explanation, it does not lead to a conclusion, being more open.

Bibliographical references:

• Lannon, J. (2007). Technical Communication. Longman.
• Royal Spanish Academy. (2018). Dictionary of the Spanish language.