Formal Report writing

A formal report is a document that is written following a fixed procedure and is used to describe
an analysis and give results and recommendations based on the analysis.,It will be of utmost use
when Your subject matter is important to your organization, findings are extensive the analysis is
complex, the report is to be used over a long period of time. A report reflects the image of the
organization. It has three major sections:
1. Prefatory parts such as the title page, table of contents ,abstract etc
2. The body includes an introduction, background information, discussion of findings,
summary, conclusions, and recommendations
3. Supplementary parts such as the works cited a bibliography, and the appendix.

Prefatory: First impressions are important; the letter or memo authorizing the report
should therefore be given serious consideration. The letter should deliver the report,
Present an overview of the report and offer to meet to discuss the contents.An Abstract is
usually 100 to 200 words and should include the reasons for the report writing, method of
analysis and analysis outcome. This should be able to give the gist of the whole report.
The abstract should be on a separate page with the centred heading ABSTRACT in
capitals. The Table of Contents should be on a separate page. It helps the reader to find
specific information and indicates how the information has been organized and what
topics are covered. The table of contents should also include a list of figures and a list of
tables if any are used in the report.
The Body includes an introduction, background information, discussion of findings,
summary, conclusions, and recommendations The job of the introduction is to prepare the
reader for what is to come;. The background placing the research in a historical context to
show familiarity with relevant developments, showing how your research builds on prior
knowledge by presenting and evaluating what is already known about your research
topic, offering a point of reference for interpreting your own findings. Discussion of
finding is a narrative, providing all the details, evidence and data needed by the reader to
understand what you are trying to do, what you have actually done, what you have found
out and what you think should be done next. The Conclusion should be as brief as
possible. They should be presented in descending order of importance and should not
suggest action. Conclusions should be free from speculation .The Recommendations
should follow naturally from the conclusions. They should be offered in descending order
of importance and may be in point form when several recommendations are being made.
Supplementary parts: The list of References is an accurate listing, in strict alphabetical
order, of all the sources referred to. The Appendix/Appendices contain important data,
explanatory and illustrative material not included in the text
There are some rules to be followed for writing formal documents such as Use a 12-point
font throughout the report Times New Roman is a good choice. he page should be 8.5
inches by 11 inches and have bottom and right margins of one inch. The left margin for
unbound documents is one inch; it is 1.5 inches for bound documents. The top margin is
1.5 inches for all pages . Formal documents should be double-spaced. The main body of
the document begins three lines below the main division heading. throughout the
document, each section should have a heading. All section titles should be in the same
size font, and this font should be larger than the 12-point font used for the text. All
subheadings should have the same font size (this font size should be smaller than the one
used in the section titles and topic headings), but it should follow the same format for
capitalization, punctuation, and spacing. All pages in the document must be accounted for
in the numbering scheme
Formal writing is essential in B schools and in industries to make a recommendation or
propose any kind of change.