Writing Industrial or Business Reports

Adapted from Cain, The Basics of Technical Communicating,American Chemical Society:Washington, 1988

Introduction

Chemists often need to prepare long formal reports for distribution to colleagues, superiors and clients. The first thing you need to determine before preparing a report is the level of sophistocation of your audience. In reports that are read by peers, you do not need to avoid the use of specialized jargon and you will not need to provide detailed background material (references are sufficient). In the industrial world often the supervisor and other officers of the company may not be scientists and may not be well versed in the technical aspects of the work described in the report. Clients are usually not scientists and will need a clear explanation or interpretation of the results. Therefore, it is the chemist's responsibility to provide the necessary information in a technically correct manner while using explanations that an intelligent nonscientist can understand.

Components of the Formal Report

A formal report will usually have the following components:

• Letter of Transmittal or Memo
• Cover and Title Page
• Abstract
• Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables, Illustrations and Figures
• Body of Text
• Bibliography or Endnotes
• Appendix
• Index
• Distribution List

Cover and Title Page

All reports need to have a cover page which can also double as the title page which is usually on either colored or stiff paper. In the industrial setting, the cover will usually have the logo of the organization. The cover needs to provide the following information

• title
• date
• to whom the report is being submitted
• author
• business address
• project number or identification code if appropriate

Abstract

The abstract should be an informative abstract. Remember that some recipients of the report will read only the abstract and may be a non scientist. The major points, findings, conclusions and recommendations should be included in the abstract. Read more about abstracts here.

Executive Summary

Many administrators do not take the time to read an entire report particularly if it is long and technical and they do not have a scientific background. The executive summary is longer than an abstract and is a complete summary of the project including:

• rationale for the project
• scope and nature of the project
• techniques used
• difficulties or problems encountered
• results obtained
• conclusions and interpretation of results
• recommendations

This component gives a quick overview of the report. An executive summary may be as long as two or three pages but the shorter it is the better.

Table of Contents (TOC)

This is a separate page guiding the reader to all the information in the report. All report pages preceding the TOC are numbered using lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc). All pages following the TOC are numbered consecutively using Arabic numbers.

List of Tables, Illustrations and Figures

This list follows the TOC if it is an appropriate component. Sometimes all tables, illustrations and figures are placed in an appendix (usually when they are extensive). In this case, a separate list is not necessary as these materials would be included in the TOC as appendixes.

Body of Text

The report itself should contain an introduction to the problem, review of any previously published studies related to the problem an explanation of the methodology used, presentation of results, interpretation of the results, conclusions and recommendations. Headings and subheadings are an effective way to highlight specific pieces of information. If you use headings and subheadings, they should be documented in the TOC. The interpretation of results, conclusions and recommendations are usually set apart from the main body of the text labeled summary or conclusions even if other headings are not used in the report. Data may be incorporated in the form of tables, figures, graphs or charts and the text should refer to their contents.

Bibliography or Endnotes

References cited and any additional reading materials that might be of interest to the reader are included in this section.

Appendix

Reports often have one or more appendixes. One useful appendix might contain a glossary that defines unfamiliar terms for the reader who does not have a background in the area covered by the report. For a non scientist reader, such terms should probably be explained in the text. Information that might be included in appendixes:

• sample calculations
• extended details of experimental procedures
• photographs or diagrams that support the text but are not required for understanding the discussion
• long lists of tabulated data
• resumes of the contributors to the report
• long quotations such as citations of court decisions, EPA guidelines, OSHA requirements, etc

Index

Long reports should contain an index enabling the reader to quickly find specific information. An index is arranged alphabetically. For reports less than 20 pages in length, an index is usually no needed.

Distribution

Clear indication of to whom the report was given should be included with a report. This is often part of the letter of referral or the memo that accompanies the report. If the report is distributed to a large number of people, a separate distribution list should be inserted listing each recipient and his/her organization or unit. This page may follow the title page or be included as the last page of the report.