c．List of tables and illustrations表格和插图

This enables the reader to see what kind of supporting information is used and to find datamore quickly．

d．Acknowledgments鸣谢

Here the writer thanks those who helped create the report．

e．Executive summary报告摘要

When writing reports and when doing most writing for organizations，we state our findings or conclusions(or main points)at the beginning of our communication．This enables the reader to see immediately the point of our communication and to follow our argument better．This summary is the moral equivalent of a thesis statement or an abstract．It should be relatively short．

f．Body of the report报告正文

Here we cover the basic elements found in all reports:who，what，where，when，why，and how．

Who is involved in the matter being reported on?

What happened?

Where did it happen?

When did it take place?

Why is the matter of concern?

How did it happen?

In dealing with these matters，we often need to go into considerable detail，and different sections of the report will have different lengths，depending on the situation on which we are reporting．Depending on the complexity of the topic being investigated，reports can vary from just a few pages in length to very substantial，reaching 50 or 100 pages．

The longer the report，the less likely that people will read it all the way through or carefully—unless it has implications for individuals or departments，in which case it will be scrutinized in great detail and probably engender2 numerous memos from not only those who like what it says，but also，and in particular，those who do not．

g．Recommendations建议

The report ultimately leads to some recommendations—about a course of action to be pursued，a policy to be implemented，and so on．

h．Appendixes附录

Here we supply any data or other factual material used in the report．This also includes a bibliography and references when relevant．