Common mistakes in a report Hints on doing it correctly

Table Centre column headings Make columns just wide enough, with different width for criteria column

Table Never make headings from table columns into Heading2 or Heading2

Table Format all tables in a document the same, i.e. line spacing, paragraph spacing, font style and size

Table Align text in narrow columns left, never fully justified

Table Align table with body text, not like this

Table Keep table inside page text boundaries, not like this in the margin

What is wrong with the table?

Indentation Indent so that all text begins at the same place

Footnote Do not set a footnote on a heading Body text under headings must be on the topic of the headings, not this gumph

Headings Body text under headings must be on the topic of the headings, not this waffle

Footnote End sentence with a point or full stop

Font Use same font for Table of contents and Table of figures, not this mish mash of font styles

Font Format whole document with same font Modify headings so they are same font as body font Format text as colour only if printing in colour

Bullets Bullet lists

Information Explain or discuss the table and the chart, do not expect the reader to decipher the tables and charts

Introduction Discuss what is coming, all the topics which are in the headings

What should be in the Conclusion?

Text Start paragraph with most important sentence, i.e. do not bury it in the body

What is wrong with the font?

Text Start paragraph with important meaningful word, not ‘It’

Captions Give meaningful captions to figures and tables, not these meaningless captions

Headings Present text in the order of the heading, not like this example

Cross referencing Cross reference tables and figures in the body of the text