What is Needed in order to Write Formal Reports by Jeanna Hepp

There are three major parts to a formal report:

1. Front Matter
2. Body
3. Back Matter

Front Matter includes:

• Title Page: Full title of the report, names of the writers, principal investigators, or compilers, date or dates of the report, name of the organization for which the writer works or being submitted to
• Abstracts: summarizes and highlights the major points
• Table of Contents: lists all the headings of the report in their order of appearance, along with their page numbers

• List of Figures: lists of figures by title, along with page numbers



• List of Tables: list of tables by title, along with page numbers
• Foreword: introductory statement written by someone other than the author
• Preface: introductory statement used to announce the purpose, background, or scope of report
• List of Abbreviations and symbols: A list of all abbreviations and symbols from a report

Body includes:

• Executive Summary: Provides a more complete overview of the report (better than abstract)
• Introduction: Provides audience with any general information; Introduce the Subject, Stating Purpose, Stating the Scope, and Previewing How the Topic Will be Developed
• Explanatory Notes
• Graphic and Tabular Matter
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Works Cited/References

Back Matter includes:

• Bibliography: Alphabetical listing of all of the sources
• Appendixes: Clarifies the body with information
• Glossary: Alphabetical list of definitions of terms used in the report
• Index: Alphabetical list of all the major topics and subtopics found in the report

Hope you find this information helpful!

References:

Oliu, Walter, Brusaw, Charles, and Alred, Gerald. Writing That Works: Communicating Effectively on the Job. Boston, MA: Bedform/St. Martins. 2007.