Getting Started With Your Report

Understanding the Sections of Your Report

Title page

Abstract

Table of contents

Introduction

Body

Recommendations

References

Appendices

General Technical Writing Guidelines

Works Cited

References

It is important to include a References section at the end of a report in which you used other sources. Informal or short reports may not have a references section or only a short one while more formal reports will likely have reference sections, sometimes very lengthy ones. If you included a section on the background of your research topic or discussed other theories and models related to your research, you will need a references section.

Reference sections are important because, like the sections on the procedure you used to gather data, they allow other researchers to build on or to duplicate your research. Without references, readers will not be able to tell whether the information that you present is credible, and they will not be able to find it for themselves. Reference sections also allow you to refer to other researchers’ work without reviewing that work in detail. You can refer readers to your reference page for more information.

You should include references that you cited directly in the report or that greatly informed your research. You do not need to include secondary materials that are only slightly related to your topic. Do not include references simply to make this section longer.

Reference styles vary greatly from one instructor to another, one journal to another. You should always format your references according to the guidelines provided by the journal or teacher to whom you are submitting your report. One of the most common reference styles used for research reports in the social sciences and some other disciplines is that outlined by the American Psychological Association (APA). Do not assume that this will be the style you should use, however. Talk to your instructor, your supervisor, or look up the appropriate style guide for your discipline.

It is best to compile your own reference list containing a variety of information. This will save you from having to track down pieces of information you may have neglected to make note of if they are specifically requested after you have filed a source, returned it to the library, or misplaced it.

Information to include on your reference list:

• Author’s name or authors’ names
• Title of the document
• Identification information:
  
  • Books: city, state, or country of publication, publisher’s name, and year of publication. Editor’s name, chapter title and author, and page numbers of chapter, if applicable.
    
  • Journal articles or technical papers: journal’s name, volume and issue number, date of issue, page numbers of referenced articles.
    
  • Reports: report number, name and location of issuing organization, date of issue.
    
  • Correspondence: name and location of issuing organization; name and location of receiving
    organization, letter’s date.
    
  • Conversation, conference presentation, or Speech: name and location of speaker’s organization; name, identification, and location of listener; date.

The sample reference list below demonstrates the type of information you should include when taking notes on your references.