Tips to Set Out a Good Report

Most reports will be easier to absorb and to construct - if they follow this plan.

1. Title :
Which should be informative rather than brief. If it needs three lines, use three lines! But try to arrange them so that each line conveys a complete idea and so that the reader is led from the general to the particular.

2. Identification:
This tells the reader about the origin of the report, so will include author's name, department, reference number and date. It may also include the name of the person approving the report.

3. Abstract:
A very brief description of the contents and purpose of the report. Sometimes this will be used to help retrieve information in a library - if not, then the Abstract may be unnecessary in the shorter report. In larger reports, when the summary may be quite long, it serves as a summary of the summary. About 60 words should be the maximum.

4. Distribution List (or lists):
It is a great help to readers if they know who else has had copies of a report. They can also see who hasn't had a copy (and perhaps ensure that they get one). The author should ensure that his master copy of the report has a distribution list that is fully up to date.
Some times there will be two such lists - List A showing who has had copies of the complete report and List B showing those who have only the first sheet (which will contain items 1-6 of this layout plan)

5. Contents List:
Showing the main sections and sub sections and the sub sections of the report and the pages on which the reader can find them. This also gives the reader some idea of what the report has to say. In short reports (one or two pages) the Contents List may be an unnecessary frill.

6. Summary:
A vital part of all but the shortest reports. By having such an outline of the complete report, detailed readers will be able to understand it more readily. It also helps the busy reader who has not the time to read the complete report. It tells the non-specialist, in the language as non technical as possible, all that he probably need. To do these jobs it must include the summary of the conclusions and recommendations.

7. Introduction:
This is not another name for summary. The introduction gives the reader the background to the work that the report discusses. It is often the historical part of the report - why the work was done; what the problem was; who authorized the work; what the terms of the reference were; what similar work other people have done in the past.

8. Work, Done and Discussion:
This is not a heading for this part of the report. In this section is the meat of the whole report. It will almost certainly the longest part and so will need dividing up.. This is where classification comes in and where the author will devise his own headings, sub-headings and so on.

9. Conclusions:
Here the report sets out clearly what the conclusions are. Almost certainly this will mean repeating statements appeared in the previous section. But the reader will not have to delve for those statements- he wants them clearly set out all in one place. Conclusions, however should not be confused with Recommendations.

10. Recommendations:
Again this section will tend to repeat what has already been said in the body of the report. recommendations relate to the future whilst Conclusions relate to the present. Eg Conclusion-Production is running at only 70% of capacity because of defective raw materials. Recommendation-We should buy the higher quality material even though this costs 12% more.

11. Reference List: This helps by clearing such references out of the main text and so making it easier to read.

12. Glossary of Terms:
The non-specialist who nevertheless has to read the report may need an explanation of some of the technical terms. Here is the place for him to find it. It would annoy the specialist to have to read these explanations, so a separate section is the best way of dealing with this problem. Of course, if only one or two such terms, to explain, the job could be done by a note early on in the report- say just after the introduction.

13. Appendices:
A much misused part of many reports! The acid test is to ask oneself 'what information majority of my readers need first time through the report?'. If they need something at the time then it should be in the main body of the report. If they don't, then put it in Appendices. The visual aids are usually more useful if close to the text they support rather than buried in the appendices.