Should you cut or add? A report is too long if it tells the readers more than they want to know. It is too short if it misses important evidence or fails to draw obvious conclusions. Make sure you've given your readers the details and examples they need to see your point and accept it. Remember that we are inundated with too much to read, so don't make the frequent mistake of assuming that readers are interested in a blow-by-blow account; you can smother the important points in too much detail. Not every bit of information uncovered in your research needs to be included.