Elements of a Typical Report

Table 13.1 in Markel (on p. 320) outlines the different components of a report. Because Project 4 is a short report, you will not need all the components in your written report. At a minimum, however, your group's report should include the items in orange boldface.

Section of the report Purposes of the section Typical elements in the section
Front matter
  • to orient the reader to the subject
  • to provide summaries for technical and managerial readers
  • to help readers navigate the report
  • to help readers decide whether to read the document 
  • letter of transmittal (p. 323)
  • cover (p. 323)
  • title page (p. 323)
  • abstract (p. 323)
  • table of contents (p. 324)
  • list of illustrations (p. 325)
  • executive summary (p. 326) 
Body
  • to provide the most comprehensive account of the project, from the problem or opportunity that motivated it, to the methods and the most important findings
  • introduction (p. 320)
  • methods (p. 321)
  • results (p. 321)
  • conclusions (p. 322)
  • recommendations (p. 322)
Back matter
  • to present supplementary information, such as more-detailed explanations than are provided in the body
  • to enable readers to consult the secondary sources the writers used
  • glossary (p. 328)
  • list of symbols (p. 328)
  • references (p. 330)
  • appendixes (p. 330)