The tablets called "Reports" can be recognized already by their outward appearance. They are comparatively small, about the same size as letters, and most of them easily fit into the hand. In contrast to letters they are inscribed so that the lines run parallel to the longest side of the tablet. The size of writing can vary considerably; while some contain only a few lines of rather large-sized signs, others are written in a small condensed script in order to accommodate a large amount of text.
There are other kinds of texts on tablets of the same appearance as the Reports. Certain legal documents belong to this type. Tablets of this shape were therefore called uʾiltu "binding", (i.e. legal document, cf. Parpola, LAS II p. 65), and this term was also applied to Reports.
Hermann Hunger
Hermann Hunger, 'Outward Appearance of Reports', Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings, SAA 8. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1992; online contents: SAAo/SAA08 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa08/reportsonomens/outwardappearance/]