Executive Summary, Introductions & Conclusions - what's the difference?
An executive summary is a brief statement which outlines the report in full; what was done, achieved, decided and concluded.
The introduction is a section which states your aims and some required background knowledge. An introduction will also outline the body of the report (where you state what you will do).
The conclusion usually restates the aim of the report and summarises what the report has achieved.
Don't confuse the introduction with the executive summary; they are very different. Writers often confuse the main purpose behind writing an introduction and an executive summary. The common misconception is that one is simply a smaller version of the other (that the introduction is a rewritten, chopped-up version of the executive summary). However, this is not the case.
How should I present my report?
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READ assignment guidelines in your course outlines. Reading these instructions will inevitably save you hours in that final effort to finish the report.
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Impress your marker by making it look like a professional report. You can do this easily because many word processing programs have a report template you can use or adapt.
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Type your report; it makes your work easier to read.
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Double space your work. Don't squash visuals and text together.
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Everything must be geared towards making it easy for your readers. Remember, keep it simple!
1. What was the original request? Does your work fulfil the requirements?
2. What does the audience need/want from your report? Have you included it?
3. When editing your report, retain what is important/ relevant, delete what is not.
4. Is there much repetition? Can you merge or delete sections?
5. Do your conclusions come from your findings and not from generalisations? (See example below).
Example Conclusions. . .
3 academics are traveling on a train through Britain. As the train crosses into Scotland they see a black sheep in a field.
The 1st academic remarks "Oh look, the sheep in Scotland are black". (overgeneralising)
The second academic replies "No, some sheep in Scotland are black". (a reasonable conclusion)
The third academic declares "There is at least one sheep in Scotland that is black on at least one side". (a precise and cautious conclusion)
Need to know more?
IF ALL ELSE FAILS, revisit your original task analysis and TALK TO YOUR ´CLIENT` (lecturer, tutor, marker etc.) and clarify what they want in the report.
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