Formal Report
Parts of a Formal Report
A formal report’s manuscript format
and impersonal tone convey an impression of professionalism. A formal report
can be either short (fewer than 10 pages) or long (10 pages or more). It is
informational or analytical, direct or indirect. It may be targeted to readers
inside or outside the organization.
There are three basic divisions of
a formal report:
1. Prefatory Parts
2. Text Parts
3. Supplementary Parts
1. Prefatory Parts are:
a) Cover
b) Title fly
c) Letter of authorization
d) Letter of acceptance
e) Letter of transmittal
f) Table of contents
g) List of illustrations
h) Synopsis or executive summery
a) Introduction
b) Body
c) Summary
d) Conclusions
e) Recommendations
f) Notes
3. Supplementary Parts
a) Appendixes
b) Bibliography
c) Index
Prefatory Parts
Cover: Use a cover only for
long reports. Use a sturdy, plain, light cardboard with good page fasteners. With
the cover on, the open pages should remain flat. Center the report title and
your name four or five inches from the upper edge.
Title Fly: It is a plain
sheet of paper with the title of the report on it.
Title Page: 1. The title of
the report
2. The name, title and address of
the person group etc that authorized the report prepared for submitted
to
3. The name, title and address of
the person, group etc that prepared the report, prepared by, submitted
by
4. The date on which the report
was submitted.
The title page signals the
readers by giving the report title, author’s name, name of person or
organization to whom the report is addressed, and date of submission.
Choose title information but not long, A Report of, A Study of, or A
Survey of etc.
Your title promises what your
report will deliver by stating the report’s purpose and content. A title in
order to be effective must be clear, accurate, comprehensive, specific,
concise and appropriately phrases.
Place of Title Page Items: Do
not number your title page, but count it as page (I) of your prefatory pages.
Centre the title horizontally on the page, three to four inches below
the upper edge, using all capital letters. If the title is longer than six or
eight words, centre it on two or more lines.
Letter of Authorization and
Letter of Acceptance: If you received written authorization (a litter or
memo) you may want to include. It usually has direct request plan.
Letter of Acceptance (or memo of acceptance) acknowledges the assignment. It
follows goodnews plan confirming time and money restriction and other
pertinent detail. This letter is rarely included in report.
Letter of Transmittal (or memo
of transmittal): It conveys your report to the audience. It says what you’d
say if you were handing the report to the person who authorized you. It
has less formal tone. Depending on the situation, your letter might:
• Acknowledge those who helped with
the report
• Refer readers to sections of
special interest
• Discuss the need and approaches
for follow-up investigations
• Suggest some special uses of the
information
• Urge the reader to take immediate
action
• Use good news plan
Table of Contents: This
table outlines the text and list Prefatory Parts
1. List preliminary items
(transmittal letter, abstract) in your table of contents, numbering the pages
with small roman numerals. (List items that appear at the end of the
report, such as glossary, appendix, notes and bibliography section;
number these pages with Arabic numerals, continuing the page sequence of the
report). List the first page of your report text.
2. Include no heading in the table
of contents not listed as headings or subheadings in the report; your report
text may, however, contain certain sub-headings.
3. Use different types of styles
and indentations to show the various levels of heads.
List of Illustrations: For
simplicity sake, some reports prefer to include all visual aid as illustration
or exhibits. Put the list of figures and table on separate page if they
won’t fit on one page with the table of content.
Synopsis or Executive Summary: A
synopsis is a brief overview (one page or less) of report’s most important
point. It is also called abstract. Executive summary is a fully
developed mini version of the report and is comprehensive.
1. Make your summary able to stand
alone in meaning – a mini-report
2. Make it intelligible to the
general reader. Readers of summaries will vary widely in expertise, perhaps much
more than those who read the report itself. So translate all technical data
into plain English.
3. Add no new information. Simply
summarize the report
4. Stick to the order of your
report
5. Emphasize only major points.
Text of the Report
Introduction: It has a
number of functions and covers a wide variety of topics and helps the reader
follow and understands information.
Body: The section contains
information that supports conclusion and recommendation as well as analysis,
logic, interpretation of the information.
Closing: You summarize the
main idea of your report highlighting your conclusion or recommendation and
list any course of action. In long report this section may be labeled
Summary, Conclusion & Recommendation.
Supplementary Parts
Appendix/Appendixes: They
contain materials related to the report but not included in the text because
they were lengthy or not directly relevant. They include:
1. Statistics or measurements
2. Maps
3. Complex formulas
4. Long quotations
5. Photographs
6. Related correspondence (letters
of inquiry etc.)
7. Texts of law, regulations etc.
Bibliography: A bibliography
is a list of source materials on a particular subject. In a formal report it
shows what books and other library materials were consulted and it
includes all the works mentioned in the footnotes. As part of the
reference matter, it follows the appendix or appendices.
Index: An index is an
alphabetical list of names, places and subjects mentioned in the report, along
with the page on which they occur. They are rarely included in
unpublished reports.
DRAFT
A FORMAL REPORT ON RESTLESSNESS AMONG WORKERS
Prepared for
Mr. X
General Manager
ABC TEXTILE Mills
Prepared by
Mr. Y
Manager Cost Accounting Services
ABC Textile Mills Ltd
May 3, 2016
Contents
1. Letter of Transmittal
2. Introduction
3. Present Situation
4. Effect on Business
a)
b)
5. Causes of Restlessness
a)
b)
6. Recommendation
a)
b)
7. Conclusion