1. Professional Report Writing
Arthur C. Nelson, Ph.D, FAICP
Presidential Professor & Director
Metropolitan Research Center
University of Utah

2. Cover
Title Attractive images Firm name Date

3. Letter of Transmittal
C11C
Chapter 11 Consultants
1400 E S Suite 6200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84908
Andrew and Joyce Plunkett
9 East Walnut Street
Alexdandria,VA 22301
Firm name, address, etc. Thank you for the work. What the report does. Available for more work. Signed by you.
Harley Davidson
President & CEO
We make our money when you lose yours.

4. Table of Contents
Contents References Appendices Tables Figures

5. Executive Summary
Overall issue. Purpose of report. Summary of findings. Implications.

6. Introduction
Context. Challenge, need. How the report is organized. Central findings. Conclusions.

7. Section
Purpose and general organization. Consistent table format. Table data sourced. Key findings from tables discussed but not the details.

8. Section
Key findings from tables discussed but not the details. Tables and text have “breathing” room. Some footnotes needed to qualify assumptions.

9. Section
Section is summarized and key findings or implications discussed. Transition to next section.

10. Conclusion
Remind reader why study is important. Highlight key findings. Can “bullet”. Implications of study. End on a high note or challenge.

11. References
Consistent format. Use any style. Recommend “Brookings” style.

12. Figures Figure number and title at bottom. Sourced.
Figure 5. Analysis of Ripeness for Conversion of Developed Nonresidential Parcels
Source: City of Fort Collins