Generally, a report will include some of thefollowing sections: Title Page, Terms of Reference, Summary, Table of Contents, Introduction,Methods, Results, Main body, Conclusion, Recommendations, Appendices, and Bibliography. This structure may vary according to the type of report you are writing, which will be based on yourdepartment or subject field requirements. Therefore, it is always best to check your departmental guidelines or module/assignment instructions first.
Title Page
You should follow any guidelines specified by your module handbook or assignment brief in case these differ, however usually the title page will include the title of the report, your number, student ID and module details.
Terms of Reference
You may be asked to include this section to give clear, but brief, explanations for the reasons and purpose of the report, which may also include who the intended audience is and how the methods for thereport were undertaken.
(Executive) Summary
It is often best to write this last as it is harder to summarise a piece of work that you have notwritten yet. An executive summary is a shorter replica of the entire report. Its length should be about 10% of the length of the report,
Contents (Table of Contents)
Please follow any specific style or formatting requirements specified by the module handbook or assignment brief. The contents page contains a list of the different chapters or headings and sub-headings along with the page number so that each section can be easily located within the report. Keep in mind that whatever numbering system you decide to use for your headings, they needto remain clear and consistent throughout.
Introduction
This is where you set the scene for your report. The introduction should clearly articulate the purpose and aim (and, possibly, objectives) of the report, along with providing the background context for the report's topic and area of research. A scientific report may have an hypothesis in addition or in stead of aims and objectives.It may also provide any definitions or explanations for the terms used in the report or theoretical underpinnings of the research so that the reader has a clear understanding of what the research is based upon. It may be useful to also indicate any limitations to the scope of the report andidentify the parameters of the research.
Methods
The methodssection includes any information on the methods, tools and equipment used to get the data and evidence for your report. You should justify your method (that is, explain why your method was chosen), acknowledge possible problems encountered during the research,and present the limitations of your methodology.
Results
If you are required to have a separate results and discussion section, then the results section should only include a summary of the findings, rather than an analysis of them - leave the critical analysis of the results for the discussion section. Presenting your resultsmay take the form of graphs, tables, or any necessary diagrams of the gathered data. It is best to present your results in a logical order, making them as clear and understandable as possiblethrough concise titles,brief summaries of the findings, and what the diagrams/charts/graphs or tables are showing to the reader.
Discussion
This section is where the data gathered and your results are truly put to work. It is the main body of your report in which you should critically analyse what the results mean in relation to theaims and objectives (and/or, in scientificwriting, hypotheses) put forth at the beginning of the report. You should follow a logical order, and can structure this section in sub-headings.
Conclusion
The conclusion should not include any new material but instead show a summary of your main arguments and findings. It is a chance to remind the reader of the key points within your report, the significance of the findings and the most central issues or arguments raised from the research. The conclusion may also include recommendations for further research, or how the present research may be carried out more effectively in future.
Recommendations
You can have a separatesection on recommendations,presenting the action you recommend be taken, drawing from the conclusion. These actions should be concrete and specific.
Appendices
The appendices may include all the supporting evidenceand material used for your research, such as interview transcripts, surveys, questionnaires, tables, graphs, or other charts and images that you may not wish to include in the main body of the report,but may be referred to throughout your discussion or results sections.
Bibliography
Similar to your essays, a report still requires a bibliography of all the published resources you have referenced within your report. Check your module handbook for the referencing style you should use as there are different styles depending on your degree. If it is the standard Westminster Harvard Referencing style, then follow these guidelines and remember to be consistent.
