Business Writing Fall 2017
Persuasive Report Format Guidelines
The entire report should be in Times New Roman 12-point font. Use single-spaced text and 1-inch margins. All paragraphs should be left aligned (no indent) with a space between paragraphs.
Visual Elements: You may choose to use visual elements in your report (charts, graphs, tables);
these must be incorporated in the document and cited. Lists can be an effective way to highlight
key ideas, but the majority of your document should be in paragraph format.
Note: Reports do not include a signature (for example: “sincerely”) at the end; you have already
indicated the sender’s name at the beginning of the report. You may choose to have a conclusion
or summary to bring closure to the report.
Length
Your report should be at least 2 pages. You will not earn points just for reaching this page
length; please refer to the rubric for grading criteria. However, most students require 2 pages to
create a persuasive argument for donating to the organization.
Citing Your Sources
In-Text Citation: In your report cite your 8 sources following the format provided on the
Citation Guidelines document. Include information in the text of your report to demonstrate the
credibility of your information.
Reference List: Include a reference list of your 8 sources. All sources included on the reference
list must be cited in the text of the report. Include the reference list in the same word document
as the report; begin the reference list on a new page. Refer to the Citation Guidelines document
on Blackboard for information on formatting your reference list.
Report Title
Prepared by (Your Name)
Date
Your first paragraph should not have a heading. Include key information in this paragraph and
persuade your reader to continue reading.
Heading 1 (write your own headings, do not use “Heading 1”)
Headings should be in bold. Headings should be descriptive and cover all material until the next
heading.
Subheading 1
You may choose to use subheadings to organize your report. Subheadings should use bold and
italics. Use as many headings and subheadings as necessary to fulfill the goals of your document.
(Write a descriptive title)
