74 WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE
or methodology
used to conduct research, definitions of key terminology, authorization for writing the report, and the report’s purpose or significance. An introduction should
not be confused with a summary, which is read in lieu of or separately from a report body.
The
findings include the information and supporting facts of the report. Reports are broken into sections or chapters defined by
headings. Whichever system is used—alphanumeric or decimal outline or graphics for reader cues—headings are organized by hierarchy (seethe sample below.
First level headings name major topics.
Second level headings subdivide information under a first level heading.
Third level headings further subdivide information. It is not necessary to give each body paragraph its own heading doing so can bog down the reading of along report. However,
for readability, include at least one heading per page.
The following is a sample of headings using graphic markers.
Headings maybe informative or descriptive. Informative headings can be written as questions or as summaries, but they are most effective when they are limited to four to eight words.
3
Descriptive headings name topics.
In the various sections of a report, information
is often cited using a formal citation system. Academic reports use discipline specific citation systems such as MLA for the humanities, APA for the social sciences, or
CSE for the sciences.
Many organizations use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) as their guide for citing, which employs footnotes or endnotes accompanied by a list of references in the report’s back matter.
It is important to consider the ethical use of information at this point. It is dishonest (and illegal) to use
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