Eight Standard Parts of a Formal Report

1. Cover or title page

2. Transmittal letter or memo
3. Table of contents
4. List of illustrations
5. Executive Summary
6. Introduction
7. Discussion sections
8. Conclusions and recommendations

Tips for Preparing the Parts of the Formal Report

The Title Page

The title page should include the following info:

1. complete project title

2. name of your client (“Prepared for...”)
3. name of the author and/or organization (“Prepared by...”)
4. date of submission (the place or city of publication is optional)
5. simple graphics to spice up the title page a bit (optional and should not be distracting)
6. descriptive abstract at the bottom-most part of the page (optional but recommended)

The Transmittal Letter or Memo

• Placed right after the title page
• Should be bound together with the other pages (i.e., not merely stapled or attached)
• One or two major points from the report are mentioned
• Follows standard conventions for letters or memos

The Table of Contents

• acts as an outline
• can provide an overview of the content, the depth, relative importance of ideas, and
organization of ideas
• must be readable
• should avoid including more third-level headings
• may list appendices (recommended)
• uses parallel forms in entries

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 • is accurate in showing correct pages and heading titles

The List of Illustrations

• should be used only of the number of illustrations justifies a separate list
• if few illustrations are used, list them at the bottom of the table of contents
• listing should show the figure number (or illustration number), title of the illustration, and page
number

The Executive Summary

• also known as the abstract
• can be informative or descriptive
• should preferably be no longer than one page
• should be written in a manner that can be easily understood by the report’s target reader
• includes only the main ideas, and major conclusions and/or recommendations
• avoids unnecessary references to the body of the report
• should be written in paragraphs
• should be written last

The Introduction
• states the overall purpose of the document
• provides a quick rundown of what the rest of the body will be elaborating on (i.e., major ideas)
• includes a description of the project
• describes the scope of the project

The Discussion Section

• is the longest section in the report
• presents factual information first before stating your opinions (conclusions or
recommendations)
• uses headings and subheadings to guide the reader and to make reading easier
• can use numbered or bulleted lists to break up monotony (general rule: if you can list it, list it;
otherwise, use paragraphs)
• can be complemented with illustrations
• relegates the excessive details to appendices

The Conclusions and Recommendations Section

• should include a complete list of all conclusions and recommendations

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