6.2: Formal Report—Cover Letter, Title Page, and Statement of Authorship
Learning Objectives
- Identify the purpose of the report cover letter and title page
What Is a Formal Report Cover Letter?
The formal report cover letter—often referred to as the letter of transmittal— is either attached to the outside of the report with a paper clip or is bound within the report. It is a communication from you, the report writer, to the recipient, the person who requested the report and who may even be paying you for your expert consultation. Essentially, it says “Here is the report that we agreed I’d complete by such-and-such a date. Briefly, it contains this and that, but does not cover this or that. Let me know if it meets your needs.” The cover letter explains the context for the report.
The cover letter should use standard business-letter format (See 3.4: Writing Letters). If you write an internal report, use the memorandum format instead. In either case, the contents and organization are the same:
Opening/Beginning: Cites the name of the report and the date of the agreement to write the report.
Middle: Focuses on the purpose of the report and gives a brief overview of the report’s contents.
Close: Encourages the reader to get in touch if there are questions, comments, or concerns. It closes with a gesture of good will, expressing hope that the reader finds the report satisfactory.
As with any other element in a report, you may have to modify the contents of this letter (or memo) for specific situations. For example, you might want to add another paragraph, listing questions you’d like readers to consider as they review the report.
What Is a Formal Report Title Page?
The title page may be formatted in different ways depending on company-specific requirements, but it generally provides the audience with the following information:
- Title of the report
- Name, title, and organization of the individual receiving the report
- Name of the author and any necessary identifying information
- Date of submission
What Is a Statement of Authorship?
A statement of authorship is included in a report to demonstrate that the report’s contents were written by its author. OACETT (2021) suggests the following wording for this statement:
References & Attributions
References
OACETT. (2021). Technology report guidelines. https://www.oacett.org/getmedia/9f9623ac-73ab-4f99-acca-0d78dee161ab/TR_GUIDELINES_Final.pdf.aspx
Attributions
Content is adapted from Technical Writing by Allison Gross, Annemarie Hamlin, Billy Merck, Chris Rubio, Jodi Naas, Megan Savage, and Michele DeSilva, which is is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Content is adapted from Writing Formal Reports by Melissa Ashman; Arley Cruthers; eCampusOntario; Ontario Business Faculty; and University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
