2. The Anatomy Of The Report

A detailed presentation of the different sections of a report.

The skeleton of a report is based on three main and distinct sections, namely:

• The front matter
• The main body
• The back matter

The front matter is serves as a guide to potential reader, it therefore need to be attractive to ensure the reader will pursue to the main body. But the front matter also help the reader locate a particular area of the report. The front matter typically comprises:

• The cover/title page
• The abstract of executive summary (sometimes replaces by a preface of foreword)
• The acknowledgment
• The table of contents
• The table of tables/figures/equations
• The nomenclature

This then leads onto the main body, which is the core of the report. In this section, the work undertaken, its purpose and the results should be presented in a thorough yet clear and concise manner. The main headings of the main body can vary widely depending on the subject of the report; for instance, a philosophical essay should present the thesis, antithesis and synthesis, while a technical report will focus on the method, results and discussion. There are nevertheless some key sections common to all report, such as:

• Introduction
• Main headings
• Conclusions
• References

Finally, the back matter should not be neglected, as it can provide to some reader some much needed information in order to complete the main body of the report. In addition, the back matter offers another opportunity to guide the reader towards specific content. Generally, the following sections are found:

• Appendix
• Glossary
• Index

To better understand the role of the three main sections, namely the front matter, main body and back matter, it is vital to consider the target audience, as each section is aimed at a very specific type reader.