REPORTS: TITLE PAGE, CONTENTS, BIBLIOGRAPHY

Title Page

A title page is the first page of a report. It gives the title of a report, the name of the writer, the name of the person for whom the report was prepared, and the date. For academic reports, it also contains the name of the course.

To format a title page:

1. Use single spacing, and center the page vertically.
2. Center all lines of text horizontally.
3. Type the report title in all caps and bold. If there is a subtitle, double-space and type the subtitle in initial caps.
4. Press ENTER 12 times and type By followed by your name as the writer. If there is more than one writer, single-space the names of the writers.
5. Press ENTER 12 times. Then, using single spacing, type the name of the person for whom the report was written, the name of the course (if appropriate), and the current date.

Table of Contents

A table of contents may follow the title page. It is an outline of the headings in a report and the pages on which they are found.

To format a table of contents:

1. Use the same margins as those used in the report.
2. Center and type the word CONTENTS approximately 2 inches from the top of the page (press ENTER 6 times) in all caps and bold, followed by a double space.
3. Type major headings in all caps; leave a blank line before and after them.
4. Indent subheadings and type them with initial caps and single spacing.
5. Align page numbers at the right and precede them with dot leaders – a series of periods that help guide the reader’s eye from the headings to the page numbers.

Bibliography

A bibliography is an alphabetical listing of sources used in a report. It is very similar to a works cited page. It follows the text of the report.

To format a bibliography:

1. Use the same side margins as those used in the report and use single spacing.
2. Center and type the title, BIBLIOGRAPHY, in all caps and bold, approximately 2 inches from the top of the page (press ENTER 6 times). Press ENTER 2 times after the title.
3. Use a hanging indent for each entry and leave a blank line between entries (press ENTER 2 times).
4. List entries in alphabetical order by author’s last names. If there is no author, alphabetize by the title of the article or book.
5. Arrange book entries as follows: author’s name, title (in italics), publisher, place of publication, and year.
6. Arrange journal articles as follows: author’s name, article title (in quotation marks), journal title (in italics), followed by information on the journal issue (series, volume, issue numbers; date and page numbers).