Your document must be created using a formal report format that optimizes readability and that meets the requirements of specific standardized conventions. Use document design features such as headings, lists, figures, tables, margins, fonts, and passive space to create a logically organized, visually appealing document.

4.1 Page Numbering

Except for the title page and letter of transmittal, all pages are numbered. Sections of the document, however, have different numbering systems:

• Front Matter: Sections preceding the introduction (called front matter, and including the Table of Contents, List of Tables and Figures, Summary, and the Glossary) are numbered using lower case roman numerals; i.e., i, ii, iii, etc.
• The Main Body: The body of the report, starting with the Introduction should be numbered using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.), with the Introduction starting on page 1. Page numbers may be placed at the top middle, top right-hand corner, bottom middle or bottom right-hand corner of the page. The location of the page numbers should be the same throughout the report to avoid confusion.
• Back Matter: Appendices are numbered in continuation from the body of the report.

In order to create different page numbering options, you must create separate sections in your document, using the Insert  Section Break function. To do this easily, wait until your document is almost completed then paginate.

4.2 Headings

Every section in the report has a heading. Usually, one of two types of headings are used in reports:

• Functional headings, which indicate the function of the section (such as Introduction, Background, Discussion, Conclusion)
• Descriptive headings, which announce the subject of the section (e.g., History of Toques in Canada)

The trend in contemporary report writing is to use descriptive headings. Such headings should briefly and concretely describe the section that follows and should be followed by a paragraph rather than another heading (avoid stacked headings). Section and sub-section headings are used in the table of contents to assist the reader in locating specific material in the report; therefore, the more specifically and concretely the headings are worded, the more helpful they are to the reader.

First-level headings must be left-justified; sub-headings can be either left-justified or indented for each layer. Using Styles in the MS Word program allows you to auto-generate a table of contents from the headings, and list of figures and tables from your captions. Headings and subheadings should be easily distinguishable (using font size, bold, italics or indentation) to indicate the level and sub-level of each section.

Headings may be numbered using Arabic numerals (do not use an alpha-numeric system). See the sample table of contents (Figure 4) or the table of contents of this document for an overview of heading numbering systems. An illustration of possible heading numbering and formatting systems is outlined below. If you have a few headings, you may choose to not number them. Whichever way you format the headings, the key is consistency to avoid confusing the reader.

MS Word heading styles will automatically indent the headings for various levels. However, you can keep all headings left justified with the margin, and use a variety of font and size options to clearly distinguish one level from another (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Sample Headings; left-justified example

You can also use indentation to indicate sub-levels of headings. If you choose this, make sure your text does not end up squished to one side of the page (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Sample Headings; indented example

4.3 Capitalization

When writing reports, cover letters and resumes, follow the accepted rules of capitalization. The three most relevant rules are:

• Capitalize official names and titles of government agencies, companies, departments, divisions and organizations, such as
  • o Air Pollution Control Division
  • o Crown Publications
  • o Keen Engineering
  • o Province of British Columbia
• Do not capitalize words such as government, federal agency, department, division, administration, group, company, research and development, engineering, and manufacturing when they stand alone. They are only capitalized when they are part of an official name (Table 1).

Table 1: Capitalization Groups Examples

• Do not capitalize words for emphasis. Avoid capitalizing words to make them stand out – use italics or bold instead. Random capitalization at best detracts from the appearance of your work, and at worst creates the impression that you don’t understand basic writing rules (Table 2).

Table 2. Capitalization Emphasis Examples

This information was adapted from The Elements of Technical Writing, Gary Blake and Robert W.  Bly, MacMillan, pages 59-60. Also see the APA guidelines: Use of Italics.

4.4 Tables and Figures

Tables and figures illustrate information in an easily understood format. Figures refer to any visual element – graphs, charts, diagrams, photos, etc. – that are not tables. They may be included in the main sections of the report, or if they contain supplemental material, they may be contained in an appendix.  Try to ensure that figures and tables are not broken over two pages. Tables that require a full page should be placed in an appendix.

Tables and figures are integrated into reports in a specific way:

1. Mention the visual aid in the paragraph preceding the table or figure by referring to its number: Table 1, Figure 1.
2. Include a numbered title above the table or a numbered caption below the figure.
3. Include the source for the visual aid in the caption (as below).
4. Discuss the relevant elements of the visual aid in the text.

If the table or figure that you present in your report was not created by you but comes from another source, you must include a reference for the original source in your caption as in this example:

Figure 1. Network Design (Grant, 2019)

You must ensure that all figures and tables represent data accurately and ethically, and that they do not distort data to create bias.

4.4.1 Labelling Tables and Figures

Use the following conventions to assist the reader in understanding your graphics:

• Tables and figures are numbered separately: e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, Figure 2. . .
• Label figures with numbers and descriptive captions that clearly indicate what the figure illustrates without the reader having to read anything else on the page (see examples throughout this guide).
• Include a numbered title above the table (see examples throughout this guide).

In technical writing, figure labels are generally placed below the figures (see the examples posted by OACETT, n.d.). Whichever location you choose to place them (below, or above the figures following the APA style), do so consistently throughout your document.

There are two systems for numbering figures and tables within your document:

Simple Consecutive Numbering: All figures and tables are numbered consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, etc.) throughout the document regardless of which section they are in.

Section-based Numbering: Within each section, figures and tables may be numbered sequentially through each section (e.g., Table 1.1 refers to the first table in section 1, Table 2.4 refers to the fourth table in section 2).

If a large number of illustrations are presented, the latter option is the better choice. This can become confusing, however, when using sub-sections.

4.4.2 Referring to Tables and Figures in Your Text

Any figures or tables you use in your document must be discussed in your text. Use the following guidelines when discussing and referring to tables and figures:

• Place the table/figure close to where it is first referred to in the text (preferably just below the paragraph in which it is mentioned).
• Refer to tables and figures in your text by their numbers, not their placement in the text. E.g., “See Figure 9 for a detailed schematic” (not “see the figure below”); “The test results are summarized in Table 1.”
• Wherever possible, try to orient illustrations in the same direction as the main text.

Below is a sample text from the discussion section of a report that refers to a table (Potter, 2020): 

Subgenres, however, address specific purposes, as in proposal, recommendations, progress, and investigation reports (see Table A). The purpose of the progress report subgenre, for example, would be to inform the reader about the progress of assigned work, task completion and project workflow; this information is then used by the decision-maker to adjust workflow and (re)allocate personnel, funds, equipment, and the like. Thus, its purpose is distinct from that of other types within the report subgenre, such as the proposal, completion report, or recommendation. These purposes are signaled by the various conventions and components of the subgenres, which enact characteristics of genres (Orlikowski & Yates, 1994; Yates, Orlikowski, & Okamura, 1999; Yates & Orlikowski, 2007).

Table A: Sample Report Subgenres
(Listing in one category does not exclude use in the other.)

5. Conclusion

Your professors will provide you with more specific information regarding how they would like their documents completed for their courses. Always follow their recommendations and consult the assigned textbooks for more detailed explanations regarding report writing overall.