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Business Communication: Building Critical Skills
Kitty O. Locker, Ohio State University
Steven Kyo Kaczmarek, Columbus State Community College
Kathryn Braun, Sheridan College
Long Reports

E-Learning Session

  1. I've never written a long document. How should I organize my time? Write parts as soon as you can. Spend most of your time on sections that are important to your proof.
    1. To use your time efficiently, think about the parts of the report before you begin writing. TRANSPARENCY MASTER
    2. Much of the Introduction comes from your proposal with only minor revisions:
      • Purpose.
      • Scope.
      • Assumptions.
      • Methods.
    3. When you write a long report, list all the sections (headings) that your report will have.
      • Mark those that are most important to your reader and your proof, and spend most of your time on them.
  2. How do I create each of the parts of a formal report? Follow the example here.
    1. Review the example on pages 494-508 of the textbook to see how one writer applied the information presented here.
    2. Title Page
      • The title page contains four items:
        1. The title of the report.
        2. Whom the report is prepared for.
        3. Whom it is prepared by.
        4. The release date of the report.
      • The title of the report should be as informative as possible.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: A Report on Profits is a good title for a report because it is brief and to-the-point. CONCEPT CHECK
    3. Letter or Memo of Transmittal
      • Organize the transmittal this way:
        1. Tell when and by whom the report was authorized and the purpose it was to fulfill.
        2. Summarize your conclusions and recommendations.
        3. Indicate minor problems you encountered in your investigation and show how you surmounted them. Thank people who helped them.
        4. Point out additional research that is necessary, if any.
        5. Thank the reader for the opportunity to do the work and offer to answer questions.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: Put the letter of transmittal at the end of the report because it is less important than the report itself. CONCEPT CHECK
    4. Table of Contents
      • List the headings exactly as they appear in the body of the report.
      • If the report is shorter than 25 pages, list all the headings.
      • In a very long report, list the two or three highest levels of headings.
    5. List of Illustrations
      • Report visuals comprise both tables and figures.
        1. Tables are words or numbers arranged in rows and columns.
        2. Figures are everything else.
    6. Executive Summary
      • Tell the reader essentially what the document is about.
        1. Include a summary of the recommendation of the report and the reasons for the recommendation.
    7. Introduction
      • The Introduction contains a statement of purpose and scope and may include all of the parts in the following:
        1. Purpose.
        2. Scope.
        3. Limitations.
        4. Assumptions.
        5. Methods
          1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: Much of the content of the Introduction can come from the proposal. CONCEPT CHECK
    8. Background or History
      • Include information useful now and for audiences later.
      • In some cases, the History may cover many years.
    9. Conclusions and Recommendations
      • Conclusions summarize points made in the body of the report.
      • Recommendations are action items that would solve or partially solve the problem.
  3. Go to the Self-Quizzes section if you would like to test your understanding of this module.




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