A strong structure is vital. Structure is not a boring chore; it is a feature that gives shape to the report. A clear structure helps the writer to set out the work behind the report. It gives the reader confidence in what has been done and said, because a logically structured report cannot hide an investigation that itself lacks order. Finally, a strong structure leads the reader easily through the significant stages of the report.
The number of elements in the structure will depend on the length of the report, but structure should be based on the following: ‘State what you are going to say; say it; say you have said it; stop.%rsquo;
Below the title there should generally be a subheading showing where the report comes from, rather like the writer%rsquo;s address at the top of a letter. The report should also be dated and give the author’s name, normally under the title, but they can come at the end in a short report. For assignment purposes, this subheading should give your name, email address, and seminar group.
Opinions and practice vary about where to give the summary. In academic papers the summary is often provided as an abstract immediately after the title. In management reports it is often provided as a separate executive summary. In dissertations the report often starts with a very brief introduction, followed by the purpose (see 4.3 below), and then the summary. Wherever it is placed, a busy reader will read this first and may read no further so the summary should state the contents and the conclusions of the report briefly and firmly. The summary has to attract, hold and inform the busy reader; it prepares the ground for a more detailed study of the report by those who have the need and the time to read further. It is one of the opportunities you have to make your points; it must be concise, but complete in the right particulars. Imagine you are trying to capture the attention of the Managing Director/Chief Executive (or your tutor!) on his or her way out of the building.
After the summary, or as the opening section if you present your summary separately, there should be an explanation of the purpose of the report and the background to it. These sections set out your understanding of the points in the first three questions in Section 3 above.
Reports vary in content and purpose. Because of this, general titles for sections in the main body cannot be given; they will be specific to the report. Section titles should lead the reader through the report, and point their attention to sections they are particularly interested in, or should pay close attention to.
Besides words, your report may well need tables, graphs, pictures, plans, printouts etc. Always provide titles for these, and number them. In a long report, relegating them to the end of the document in an appendix usually helps the reader to follow the main lines of argument. It stops them being turned off by clutter. However, if you put them at the end they are easily ignored or taken out of context; so it may be a bad move if it discourages the reader from consulting them and seeing them as part of the argument. The accepted wisdom is that where they are directly pertinent to the subject under discussion they should be included in the main text; supplementary or supporting material should be put into an appendix.
If you have a lot of statistical data, a computer program or similar material, you can put it on a floppy disk or even a compact disk and attach it to the back of the report with plastic wallet designed for the purpose
Make sure if you include appendix material that it is referred to in the main body. If no reference is made to it your reader is likely to assume it has no importance, to question why it is there at all, and may well not read it at all.
Reports do not always require recommendations and so the last section of many reports will be the conclusions. These will already have been outlined in the summary, and should have emerged clearly in the main body of the report, because the analysis given there is what led to them. The repetition is useful because it emphasises the final result of the work, pulls all the parts of the main body together and presents it as whole.
Where appropriate, any recommendations should be pulled together and restated at the end. Note that this is a restatement. No recommendations should be given at the end unless a case for them has been made in the main body of the report.
If you have referred to texts or other material, a full list should be provided after the references. Note that this should contain only those texts and other documents which have been consulted and used in some way in the preparation of the report. Enough detail should be given to enable interested readers to obtain the source material for themselves. There are several ways of giving references; the author should use the one preferred by the person who asked for the report. References are normally more extensive in academic reports than in those typically required by organisations. Within Canterbury Business School, the normally preferred way of giving academic references is the Harvard method. In brief, in the main text where you refer to other material you should give the author name(s) followed by the date of publication in brackets, together with the page number if you are using a direct quotation, e.g. Smith (1998 p.7). Then provide full details of the references in an alphabetically ordered list at the end. Do not use footnotes or give the full reference details in the main text of the report. Do note the University’s rules on plagiarism, and never present material drawn from published texts (or other students!) as your own. Always acknowledge your source(s) of information, concepts and arguments.
At the end of the report put any appendices. These should only contain matters of detail which are side issues, or other matters which fit badly into the mainstream text. Typical appendix material would be a questionnaire which has been used to collect data. Relevant information drawn from the responses would, of course, appear in the main body of the report.