Chapter Objectives

Upon completion of this chapter, readers will be able to:

  1. summarize strategies for writing effective document titles
  2. define abstract and explain the different types of abstracts
  3. explain the purposes of different types of introductions and summarize the common elements of them
  4. explain the components and purposes of conclusions

Title It, Summarize It, Introduce It, Conclude It

Formal technical reports over eight to ten pages contain several components that deserve their own focus because they are important in technical reports and because people are unfamiliar with them:

  • Titles explores strategies for making document titles specific but not paragraphs long.
  • Abstracts provide several kinds of summaries of the report contents and conclusions.
  • Introductions get readers ready to read reports by indicating the topic, purpose, intended audience, contents, and orther such matters.
  • Conclusions shape how readers view and understand the report upon leaving it.