1. Title Page Contains:

• A clear layout
• A brief title which describes the report clearly
• The author's name
• The date
• The course title or company name

For example:

Why do people go on holiday and where do they go?

Tamanna Galib November 2002 West College of Further Education

2. Contents Page Contains:

• A heading
• Report headings and page numbers - in columns
• Any subheadings

For example:

3. Introduction or Terms of Reference Contains:

• Who requested the report and why
• The purpose of the report
• Who compiled the information and how - methods of research
• Links to other work or reports
• Acknowledgement of help given
• Any limitations

4. Main body of the report or Findings Contains

• Numbered sections or headings
• Clear paragraphs of factual information - each with one key point - that are discussed or explained
• Costs
• Analysis of data
• Graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, pictures and flow diagrams at the appropriate point in the text or referral to the Appendices

Think about the order of information. What has to come first? What has to follow it?
Use sufficient words to explain the detail, but no waffle. This is the opportunity to show evidence of reading and research

For example:

2.4 Short Breaks Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular as more holidaymakers take a short break abroad in addition to their summer holiday.
The most popular destinations are the European cities of Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges and Rome. Unfortunately, Prague has lost popularity since the floods of August 2002.
(See Appendix 3)

2.5 Winter Sport Holidays

5. Conclusions Contains:

• The summing up of the main findings of the report

The conclusion should not contain any new material and should not be too long. Remember, there must be enough evidence to justify any conclusions.

6. Recommendations Contains:

• What should be done as a result of the findings
• Why it should be done and who by

There may not be any recommendations in a report which has been compiled to give information only.

7. Appendices Contains:

• Tables of information, questionnaires, examples, large diagrams, samples of letters or leaflets which have been referred to in the Findings section

8. Bibliography or References Contains:

• The author, title, publisher and date of any books, articles or reports used, in alphabetical order
• Page numbers of any references used
• Underlined titles of books or journals
• Web site URLs - e.g.
  
  Bibliography:
  
  Best, R. Holidays Today.
  Bristol Book Company, Bristol, 2002.
  
  Smith, L. Top Ten Holiday Resorts.
  Holiday Review, October 2002, p. 9 -11