Unbound and Leftbound Report Guidelines



Unbound and Left bound Report Guidelines

Unbound reports are typically short reports (either business or academic) prepared without binders or covers. A multi-page unbound report may be held together by paper clip or staple.

Left bound reports differ only in that they are bound with a binder or cover.

The format guidelines for unbound and left bound reports follow:

• The top margin of the first page on a business report is 2” and 1” on an academic report. Succeeding pages have a 1” top margin.

• Side margins are 1” for an unbound report. For left bound reports, the left margin only is increased to 1.5” to accommodate for the binding or cover. The right margin remains at 1”.

• The bottom margin is 1”, although that may vary as page-break decisions are made. (Example: Avoid widows and orphans and do not split side headings from the paragraph that immediately follows.)

• Center the title of the report in all caps for business reports or initial caps for important words and bold for academic reports. Double-space between the title and the body of the report in an academic report and quadruple-space in a business report.

• Double-space the body of the report.

Handout C505-08 Page 2

• The first page of some academic reports has a heading keyed 1” from the top at the left margin as illustrated (thus a title page is unnecessary).

Anne Kilpatrick

Ms. Jones

English 10

15 April 2004 (Date is keyed in military style.)

• The second and succeeding pages typically have a page number .5” from the top, aligned at the right margin. Double-space after the page number. Check your software for a page numbering feature or the use of a header for page numbers. There are several acceptable page numbering styles. The student’s last name should precede the page number. (Example: Kilpatrick 4)

• Indent the first line of each paragraph .5” (check the automatic special indentation feature of your software).

• Enumerated (numbered) items within a report should be single-spaced with a double-space between items. They should also be formatted with a left indentation of .5”.

Handout C505-08 Page 3

A long quote consists of four or more lines. An example of a long quote in a business report:

In her book, Turabian provides the following definition of the ellipses:

Any omission of words, phrases, or paragraphs in quoted matter is indicated by ellipsis points, which are period dots, not asterisks (stars). There should be a space before each dot, unless the first dot is a period and a space also after the last if a word follows. (156)

An example of a long quote in an academic report:

Jones 3

Omission of words, phrases, or sentences of the original text is permitted on the grounds of brevity and to exclude irrelevant data.

Writers should use their own words most of the time . . . In other words, credit must be given to sources, whether they are quoted directly or paraphrased. (Shepherd, 50)

Handout C505-08 Page 4

• Quotation marks are not used in long quotes. Instead, block indentation is used to set off the text by .5” from the left (and right margins if you choose) in a business report and 1” from the left margin only in an academic report.

• A long quote begins a double space below the line preceding the quote and a double space should follow it.

The spacing within a long quote is SS for a business report and DS for an academic report.

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