Question

Why should research reports contain executive summaries? What should be contained in an executive summary?

Distinguish among findings, conclusions, and recommendations in a research report.

Answer 1

The executive report section of a research report is essential to present a concise summary of the problem at hand, the data analyzed and the findings and conclusions as well the recommendations of the project. This is important as many top executives or reviewers may not have the available time to go through the entire report and under such circumstances, the executive summary provides them a concise overview of the entire exercise along with a set of actionable points.

The findings of a research report are the various data points as well as facts collected as part of the research and the various characteristics of that data.

Conclusions are the inferences drawn by the researchers based on analysis of data which proves a hypothesis, a trend or a significant result based on the data analysis that is either proves or disproves any prior assumptions.

Recommendations are a set of action items that needs to be implemented to ensure that the research is fruitful and meets its stated objectives of improving and propelling the growth of the organization.