Most reports are read the same way: someone reads the summary, skims the headings, checks one table, and decides. A report format exists so that path works. When the summary is buried on page four or the findings have no headings, the reader stops early and asks you to "just send the main points".
Here is the standard order, what each part does, how to lay it out, and a template to start from.
What is the standard report format?
| Section | What goes in it | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Title page | Title, author or team, date, version, who it's for | One page |
| Executive summary | The conclusion, the key numbers and the decision you need | Half a page to a page |
| Contents | Section headings with page numbers | Reports over ten pages |
| Introduction | The question, the scope and why it matters now | A few paragraphs |
| Method | How the information was gathered | Short, or move it to an appendix |
| Findings | What you found, section by section, with evidence | Most of the report |
| Conclusions | What the findings mean | A few paragraphs |
| Recommendations | What should happen, who does it, by when | A numbered list |
| References and appendices | Sources, raw data, extra detail | As needed |
Some organisations rename these (a "results" section, a "discussion"), and academic or lab reports follow their own house style. Check for a required format before you start; if none exists, this order is the safe default.
What goes in each section?
The executive summary is the report for most readers. State the answer first: what you found and what you recommend. Then the two or three numbers that support it. Leave out the background. Write it last, when you know what the report says.
The introduction answers three questions: what was asked, what is in scope (and what isn't), and why now. If the reader could get it from the title, cut it.
The findings carry the evidence. Give each finding its own heading, lead with the point in the first sentence, then the data. "Support response times doubled in August" is a heading a skimmer can use; "August data" is not.
Recommendations should be actions, not observations. "Hire two support agents by December" can be approved or rejected. "Consider staffing levels" can only be discussed.
How should a report be laid out?
The layout rules that make a report easy to scan:
- Number the headings (1, 1.1, 1.2) when people will discuss the report in a meeting. "See 3.2" beats "the bit about churn".
- One typeface for body text, at a size that reads on screen and on paper. A second face for headings is enough contrast. How to choose fonts applies to reports too.
- Tables for numbers, charts for trends. Right-align numeric columns and label units in the header.
- Page numbers on every page after the title page. Adding page numbers shows how.
- A new page for each major section, so the summary never shares a page with the method.
- Comfortable margins. Text that runs edge to edge is tiring to read. Page margins and line length has the numbers.
Tables that cross a page break are the most common layout failure: the header row stays on page 6 and the data continues on page 7 without it. Markdown tables that survive the page break covers the fix.
What does a report template look like?
Copy this skeleton into a new file and replace the brackets. It's written in Markdown, so it works in any text editor and converts to PDF:
# [Report title]
[Prepared by] · [Month year] · [Version]
---
## Executive summary
[What you found, in two sentences.]
[The decision you need, and by when.]
---
## Contents
1. Introduction
2. Method
3. Findings
4. Conclusions
5. Recommendations
---
## 1. Introduction
## 2. Method
## 3. Findings
### 3.1 [First finding, stated as a sentence]
### 3.2 [Second finding]
## 4. Conclusions
## 5. Recommendations
1. [Action, owner, date]
2. [Action, owner, date]
## ReferencesHow to write a report in Markdown walks through filling it in, with tables, charts and sources.
How do you turn the template into a PDF?
A report is usually sent as a PDF, so it looks the same for everyone. In bukpress you paste the Markdown and the preview shows each page as the export will set it. A line with three dashes (---) starts a new page, which is why the template uses them between sections. Tables that run past a page repeat their header row, page numbers are a setting, and fonts are embedded in the file.
Two limits to know: bukpress exports A4 pages only, so a report that must be US Letter needs another tool, and there is no Word export. The Free plan covers reports up to 40 pages, 20 exports a month, no watermark. On Essentials ($9 a month) the design is saved as a Brand Kit, so the next report from your team starts with the same fonts and margins. See pricing.
Common questions
What are the main parts of a report?
Title page, executive summary, introduction, method, findings, conclusions, recommendations and references. Short reports can merge method into the introduction and conclusions into the recommendations.
How long should a report be?
As long as the findings need and no longer. The executive summary stays under one page whatever the total length.
What is the difference between a report and a white paper?
A report presents findings to people who asked for them. A white paper argues for an approach to people who didn't, usually as marketing.
Should a report be written in the first person?
Follow the house style. Without one, "we found" is clearer than passive phrasing like "it was found", and most business readers prefer it.