Module 2b —
Report Writing
| Course Guide | Module 1 | Module 2a | Module 2b |
Summaries and executive summaries
Summaries and executive summaries serve the same purpose: they provide a brief version of a longer report. An executive summary, as the name suggests, targets a reader who makes funding, personnel or policy decisions and needs information quickly and efficiently. The main point about a summary is that it should be informative and not just descriptive; that is, it should not just describe the coverage of the report but also present what is in it. For example, an executive summary should include the recommendations, not just say 'Six recommendations were made'.
These guidelines should help you create effective summaries regardless of the size of the task. Summaries must:
- be written in well-constructed paragraphs that flow logically from one to the next;
- follow an introduction-body-conclusion structure and be self-contained;
- discuss purpose, findings, conclusions and especially recommendations;
- include only essential or the most significant information;
- add no new material;
- not assume complete background knowledge in the reader;
- use simple and concise language;
- be less than five per cent of the original document and preferably less than one page for short reports;
- be placed at the beginning of the report, after the table of contents but before the introduction;
- be given a Roman numeral, rather than an Arabic number, as a page number.