Cover Page Executive Summary Table of Contents Background Problem/ Opportunity Research Objectives
Action Standard Research Method Research Results Managerial Implications Appendices Acknowledge Sources
An Executive Summary covers the highlights of the report. It is a “mini-report” of exactly what the report covers and its findings.
The Executive Summary is not meant only for high-level executives, but for anyone interested in the report’s contents.
For the reader, the Executive Summary:
- Quickly tells what the report covers and the key findings of the project;
- Gives an incentive to see the evidence behind the key findings; and
- Provides a quick reference after the reader has reviewed and judged the quality of the evidence.
Write the Executive Summary after the report is finished. You can copy the key points from the report itself to mirror the structure of the report. Consider using the same sections headings within the report. As a guideline, the summary should be at least one page but no more than about 10% of the total pages in the report. If the report is 20 pages, the summary should be about two pages.
Write in a concise—but thorough—fashion. Cover the main questions of “who did what, when, where, and how” and the key findings of any analysis. Avoid technical language. Stick to what is covered in the report. The results and insights should compel the reader to read the rest of the report.