Know the difference between executive summary and abstract, and make the most of this critical part of your report
Having established the place of an executive summary or abstract on the cover page here, it is now time to dive into what they differentiate them, which one is best suited for you, and the information it should contain.
The Executive Summary - Spoiler Alert!
The executive summary is really there to spoil all of your work: and this is what you want! Remember your target audiences, the executive summary is aimed at your boss, too busy to read the whole document, but that needs a succinct summary. Therefore, emphasize what you did, the reasons and motivations behind it, and more importantly what you found and what your conclusions are. At the end of the summary, the reader should know all about your work: the boss will stop there, the technical person will carry on. Executive summary are perfectly suited for the professional environment, as well as academic report in engineering and scientific fields.
The Abstract - Please Read Me!
Conversely to the executive summary, the abstract is not there to spoil anything, but to invite the reader in: it is a teaser that should invite the reader in. The abstract should therefore present the topic you will tackle, the approach you will be taking and what you aim to achieve, but do not reveal your findings just yet. In an academic context, especially when publishing research paper, the abstract is there to convince the reader to purchase the paper based on the abstract, this is why the findings cannot be revealed.
Whether you are writing and executive summary or abstract, it is worth spending extra time on this short section, as it is the key stone of your report. This only paragraph you can be certain every single reader will actually go through.
The Executive Summary - Spoiler Alert!
The executive summary is really there to spoil all of your work: and this is what you want! Remember your target audiences, the executive summary is aimed at your boss, too busy to read the whole document, but that needs a succinct summary. Therefore, emphasize what you did, the reasons and motivations behind it, and more importantly what you found and what your conclusions are. At the end of the summary, the reader should know all about your work: the boss will stop there, the technical person will carry on. Executive summary are perfectly suited for the professional environment, as well as academic report in engineering and scientific fields.
The Abstract - Please Read Me!
Conversely to the executive summary, the abstract is not there to spoil anything, but to invite the reader in: it is a teaser that should invite the reader in. The abstract should therefore present the topic you will tackle, the approach you will be taking and what you aim to achieve, but do not reveal your findings just yet. In an academic context, especially when publishing research paper, the abstract is there to convince the reader to purchase the paper based on the abstract, this is why the findings cannot be revealed.
Whether you are writing and executive summary or abstract, it is worth spending extra time on this short section, as it is the key stone of your report. This only paragraph you can be certain every single reader will actually go through.
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