Standard Report Structure

1. Title Page
a) This should be
- The Title
- Your name (unless it is an assignment to be marked)
- Your personal identification (SID) NB: this should be at the top of
every sheet
- An explanation of who the report is for, e.g. A Report for (tutors
name / name of manager)
- The date
2. Contents Page
a) This should show
- The full list of sections within the report (including any appendices,
reference or bibliography lists, etc.)
- The page number on which each section begins
3. A Summary
a) A one page summary which outlines in no more than three short
paragraphs (and preferably just one), what the report says
b) You should write this last
c) It should be in third person and present tense e.g. The report
considers the
arguments in favour of Quality Circles and makes
recommendations about their adoption.
4. An Introduction
a) This should give a brief explanation of the aims/context of the report
and should include details of any information necessary for the reader
to understand it, e.g. company size; structure; main activities; your
role/position etc.
5. The Main Body of the Report
a) This is where you present your main account of the problem or issue
you are writing about.
- It should be based on analysis, not intuitions e.g. avoid writing I
feel.
- You must back up what you write with evidence and/or argument.
This means
(1) You must substantiate each ascertain you make with evidence,
e.g. extracts from the company annual report, staff survey,
recent appraisal interviews, etc.
(2) You must support opinions with specific examples / evidence
(e.g. from a consultants report) or by building a logical argument
based on previously cited examples / evidence
(3) You should make a clear distinction between objective facts
and personal opinions
b) Ideally, this section should be divided into numbered paragraphs that,
like this briefing sheet, show which section the paragraph belongs to.
c) Headings for sub-section, underlined or in bold.

d) Consider presenting material in the form of diagrams, charts, etc.,

wherever appropriate. These are not only easier to grasp, but reduce
the word count.
6. Conclusions
a) This is where you sum up the general conclusion/s you have reached,
such as The very low staff morale is a result of an autocratic
management style.
b) Dont confuse conclusions (where you draw together the threads of the
preceding discussion to make some overall points) with
recommendations (where you say what should be done about the
conclusions you have reached)
c) It is sometimes a good idea to present your conclusions in the form of a
bullet list, like this:
Conclusion 1
Conclusion 2
Etc.

7. Recommendations
a)
This is where you list the actions which your
conclusions lead you to believe are necessary, e.g. The team leader
should attend a course in modern approaches to management.
b)
The recommendations must be based on the analysis
and conclusions
c)
Wherever possible, you should include a clear
indication of:
The priorities
The timescale/deadlines for completion
Who is to be responsible for taking and/or monitoring the
recommendation action
TO whom any action should be reported
From who authorisation must be sought
The financial budget or source of funds
Other costs/resource implications
Etc.
8. List of References
a) This is the list of sources referred to directly in your report. If you have
mentioned a writer or a book (even a course book) you must give full
details here of:
The writer(s) or editors
The date of publication
The title
The publisher
9. The Bibliography (if any)

a) The bibliography is where you list details of any books or other sources
you have consulted in preparing your report which you think it should
be useful for your reader to know about or be able to consult. You
should give the details outlined in the section on references above.
10. The Appendices (if any)