Report Help

Structuring the report

The following is intended as a guidance only to structuring your report. The nature of what is appropriate will vary depending upon the individual research study and the subject area you are working in.

All research reports or dissertations have to be organised into separate sections or chapters and these will usually be as follows:

Cover sheet Observations/findings

Table of contents Statement of results

Executive Summary Analysis and discussion

Introduction Summary/Conclusion

Sources of information Bibliography

Cover sheet

This should include:

• title of the report,

• your names and Group number

• the words of your degree title e.g. MSc. Finance

• and any other information requested by the Faculty or School you are enrolled in.

Table of contents

The layout for this may vary according to the School/ Faculty you are working in. However in general your table of contents should include the following headings:

• Page Number

• Executive Summary

• Introduction

• Context

• Observations/Findings

• Analysis and Discussion

• Conclusion

• Bibliography

An Executive Summary

An Executive Summary is a summary of the main points of your report that enables the reader to quickly scan the report for relevance. It should include:

• a concise statement of the subject of your report,

• discussion of the objective of the report

• observations of the report

• the conclusions reached.

It should be about 100 words.

Introduction

The introduction to your report should be fairly concise and should include:

• an explanation of what your report is about

• aims, objectives, research questions or hypotheses clearly defined and discussed briefly,

• an outline of the contents of the report,

• you may also want to discuss briefly your motivation for choosing the company and sector selected to evaluate business performance

Literature Review

Most reports include a review of previous research or relevant theoretical perspectives. The...