executive summary

If you include a summary in a report, place it before the table of contents page. If your report is brief, a summary is not usually necessary. If your report is long, or if you think some readers will want one, you can include an executive summary.

An executive summary can be up to 5% to 10% of the length of your paper. It should be written so that it can be read independently of the full report, as executive summaries are frequently published as a separate document. Its content should include a brief statement of the problem or proposal covered in the report, background information, concise analysis, and the main conclusions. Furthermore, it should be written in plain language, where technical language is defined or examples/further context are provided, making it easy for nontechnical readers to understand.

Figures or tables in the executive summary should be labeled using the format Figure ES-1, Table ES-1.