9  Guidelines for Writing Management Reports

by Erwin Hans, 2021

9.1 Clear Structure

Think about the storyline before you start writing. Additionally, start each chapter with a short introduction explaining the structure of the chapter.

9.2 Product Instead of Process

The reader is interested in the results and the objective underpinning. So avoid writing down a chronological summary of activities. Also, do not use sentences like “we had to do these calculations”. It should be a report on the product, not on the process.

9.3 Correct Writing Style

Avoid addressing the reader as “you” and avoid using “she/he” to speak about other persons.

  • Use the active form of writing. This is more direct, shorter, and therefore clearer.
  • Only use “we” to emphasize that you are selecting a choice, making a recommendation, etc. Never use “I”.
  • In official writing, the University of Twente generally uses British English. However, you can choose to use American English as long as you are consistent.

9.4 Avoid Long Paragraphs

Separate paragraphs by a blank line, not by having an indent at the start of the new paragraph.

  • Number chapters and sections to a maximum of three levels. A further division can be made using headings that are not numbered.

9.5 Proper Numbering

  • Number illustrations as follows: Figure 1.1, Figure 1.2, etc.
  • Number the tables as follows: Table 1.1, Table 1.2, etc.
  • Number the appendices with capital letters starting with A: Appendix A, A.1, A.1.1, A.1.2, etc.
  • Tables and figures must have a caption so that they can be understood as far as possible without having to consult the text. Captions should be below figures and above tables.
  • All figures must be referred to in the main text. Always do this using its name (which typically has a capital letter) and number instead of “below”. Examples are “Figure 3 shows”, “In Table 2”, etc.

9.6 Proper Referencing

Literature references in the appendix must be treated separately from those in the body of the report and included in a separate literature list at the end of each appendix.

9.7 Avoid Common Language Mistakes

  • Plural vs possessive: The plural of an acronym like CT is CTs and not CT’s. The latter is used to indicate ownership, for example: The CT’s operator’s name is John.
  • Different vs various: Use “different” when you want to indicate that some things are not the same and use “various” to indicate that there are several things.
  • “The fact that” can always be left out. It does not add anything as in a scientific text everything is factual.
  • “We can/may conclude” raises the question “but do you?”. So just write “We conclude”.

9.8 Looks and Format

  • Think about the use of colour and check your spelling and grammar.
  • If the person that you send your report to may need to edit the report, send the original (e.g., MS Word) document. Otherwise, send a PDF since PDFs always maintain formatting on other computers.

9.9 Where to Begin?

We will end this document with a golden tip. When you start writing a report, think first about the target group and the storyline of what you want to convey. Based on this, draw up a structure for the report in two levels (so until paragraph X.X). It is far easier to move sections and bullets around at this stage than later on. Moreover, structuring a report properly reduces unnecessary repetitions in the text and sequence problems (e.g., “I can’t tell this until after I have told the next chapter”). The choices made in this stage determine what you will and will not tell. This generally results in a better, more concise/to-the-point report.