Example of a Business or Social Science Report

Title Page

Executive Summary

•        This is a short round up of the whole report

•        It states what is included and the overall conclusion

•        This may not be necessary in a short report

Contents Page

•        This is a list of numbered sections in the report, shown with page numbers

Introduction

•        This gives the key background information on the subject or given field of research

•        This is a good place to include any key definitions

Literature Review

•        Relate to work that has already been done on the topic of your report (E.g. surveys, publications, books, journal articles and online resources)

•        This may be included in the introduction in a short report

Findings and Analysis

•        This is the main body of the report

•        Give detailed information of any research conducted

•        States the results of the research and gives some comment and opinion on the findings

Recommendations and Conclusions

•        This may be written separately or combined into one section

•        Suggest some form of improvement or a course of action

•        You should have logical arguments recommending these actions

•        You should link the recommendations and conclusions to the factual research conducted in the previous section

Reference List

•        You should list all the books, articles, websites and other sources that are cited in the text. These should be listed in alphabetical order by author. Ensure your references are accurate and comprehensive.

Appendices

•        You should present additional information such as large datasets, graphs and other research which you refer to but are not included in the text