Reports Main Elements of Reports Prefatory Elements (Elements that show what the document discusses and tells how it approaches the topic. All long reports require these elements) Letter of Transmittal
Title Page
Submission Page
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Glossary and List of Symbols
Main Elements of Reports Abstracts and Summaries Informative Abstract Descriptive Abstract Summary Discussion or body of the report, including conclusions and recommendations Appendixes Letter of Transmittal Addressed to the individual who will initially receive the report Should include the following: Statement of transmittal Reason for the report Statement of subject and purpose of the report Letter of Transmittal May include the following: Background material Mention of earlier reports Information that may be of special significance to the reader Specific conclusions/recommendations that might be of special interest Financial implications Acknowledgments Title Page Provide critical identifying matter about the report, shows what makes it different from other reports in similar field) The following often appear: Name of the company or individual(s) preparing the report Name of the company for which the report is prepared Title and subtitle of the report Date of submission Code number of the report Title Page The following often appear: Contract numbers under which the work was performed Company or agency logo Propriety and security notices Names of contact/responsible individuals Descriptive abstract Table of Contents The table of contents should Indicate the page on which each major topic begins, but not the page on which it ends Contain all of the report’s major headings Be designed with the appropriate level of detail for the way your audience will use it Include appendixes listed by title and designation (e.g. Appendix A: Survey Questions) Table of Contents The table of contents should Be carefully proofread. This is the prefatory element on which the most pointless errors occur, and errors on a TOC are serious because they compromise the usefulness of the TOC and make it nearly impossible for a reader to use. Table of Contents The table of contents should Exactly match the headings and subheadings in the body of the report Contain only headings that actually appear in the body of the text Abstracts and summaries. Abstracts and summaries most important prefatory elements in a report. Title page, table of contents, abstract and summary may be the only parts of reports an individual may read. All prefatory elements must be carefully planned. Abstracts and summaries provide: Topic, purpose, results, conclusions recommendations. Often abstracts follows the title page. Summaries may also follow title page. Both contain similar information but summary provides more extensive information than abstract. Summary may be written for a decision maker whose needs may differ from someone who just wants to know what the report is about. The Informative Abstract The informative abstract should Identify the topics of the report and briefly summarize what the report says about them (a miniature version of the full report) Include the following as necessary: Research objectives Research methods Findings of the report Principle results and conclusions Recommendations (if made) The Informative Abstract The informative abstract should Serve as a substitute for the report Use/list keywords if appropriate Range from 50-500 words, depending on the length of the report and/or the requirements of the organization disseminating the report
Note: Today, the differences between the types of abstracts
are tending to disappear with many abstracts having characteristics of both types. The Descriptive Abstract The descriptive abstract should Identify the topics of the report, but not discuss what the report says about them (the table of contents version of the report) Include the purpose and the major topics Not include results, conclusions, or recommendations Not serve as a substitute for the report The Descriptive Abstract The descriptive abstract should Use/list keywords if appropriate Typically be fewer than 100 words
Note: Today, the differences between the types of
abstracts are tending to disappear with many abstracts having characteristics of both types. Summary (Executive Summary) The summary should Target decision makers or readers who do not have time to read the full report Target a non-technical audience, if necessary Provide a more in-depth discussion of the report than an abstract Summary (Executive Summary) The summary should Be longer than an abstract, sometimes several pages in length Focus on conclusions, recommendations and financial implications of the report Summary (Executive Summary) When planning the summary, consider the following: Subject and purpose of the project Research approach used Topics covered Essential background Summary (Executive Summary) When planning the summary, consider the following: Results Conclusions Cost Anticipated implementation problems The Introduction Anticipate your readers as you plan Include the report’s subject, purpose, and plan of development If readers expect the report, you may use a short introduction If the report will be archived, provide a longer, more informative introduction The Introduction If your introduction is long, consider the following sections: Subject Purpose Scope* Background Plan of development
*Some reports place the background and scope in separate