Appendix E

A Guide to Writing an Effective

Executive Summary

Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Environmental Programs

M ISSION
Ensure Navy and Marine Corps readiness
through leadership in prevention of disease
and promotion of health.
Introduction
Communicating health and
environmental information can
be challenging for any number
of reasons. Occasionally, our
audiences may lack a scientific
understanding and have a general
distrust of the government. Risk
Communication theory provides
guidance for developing and
presenting scientific information
in a way that non-technical
audiences will better understand
and are more likely to accept.

The Navy and Marine Corps

Public Health Centers (NMCPHC)
Environmental Programs
Department has been the Navys
subject matter expert for Risk
Communication since its inception
in 1991. This booklet is one of
several products developed by
NMCPHC to help Navy scientists
and engineers communicate
effectively with non-technical
audiences.

WHAT is an executive summary?

A technical report is often the
result of extensive research,
testing, analysis and writing. The
results are important and the
conclusions or recommendations
may affect an entire community,
change the way we do things,
or lead to further studies or
investigations. It is up to you, the
expert, to help others understand
your technical report.

Public right-to-know legislation

means that part of your job
is to communicate important
information to all of your
stakeholders. For your report
to be useful, it has to be
accessible to many audiences.
The Navy, Federal, State, and
local Government-regulators, or
the public may make important
A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

decisions based on your report.

Before that can happen, they need
to be able to fully understand your
methodology, conclusions and
recommendations.
A simple and clear executive
summary can help non-technical
and technical audiences better
understand your report. An
effective executive summary
should consider the audience and
give readers a quick summary of
the reports content.
Your goal is to write an executive
summary that is logical, clear
and interesting, and helps build
your trust and credibility with your
audiences. The next few pages of
this booklet will help you meet that
goal.

WH EN do I need an executive summary?

Executive summaries are an
important part of many documents.
Ideally, an executive summary
should be a part of any report
or document that is lengthy,
complicated or highly technical.
Executive summaries are usually
the first section of many different
documents including:

Technical reports
Research papers
Academic articles
Scientific reports
Environmental studies
Health risk assessments

Executive summaries are also

great tools when complex reports
need to be presented to a number
of different audiences including:

General public
Governing agencies
Regulators
Media
Managers
Other audiences who may
not have the expertise to
understand all of the content
of a highly technical report

In fact, some organizations send

an executive summary instead
of a complete report when there
is a large audience interested
in the report. The audience can
read the executive summary
and then request a copy of the
complete report if they want more
information.
This approach can save resources
on photocopying and distribution,
while providing important
information to audiences that
might not read a complex or
lengthy report.

WHY do I need an executive summary?

The purpose of an executive
summary is to consolidate the
principal points of a document in
one place.
An executive summary should
be written so that any reader,
regardless of their technical
knowledge, can understand the
contents of the report and the
relevance of the findings and
recommendations.
Typically, the executive summary is
a tool to give readers an overview
of the document, its purpose and
main conclusion.

Since important decisions are

often made from these reports,
the executive summary is a tool
to provide relevant information for
decision making to an audience
that may not have the time or
technical expertise to read and
understand the entire report.
An executive summary can
provide a quick read and enough
information to understand the
contents and relevance of the
report.

HOW does an executive summary look?

There is a sample executive
summary on the next page with
a breakdown of some of the
elements and an explanation of
their purpose.

In the following sections, there are

guidelines for writing an effective
executive summary and some tips
to keep in mind.

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

Sample of an Executive Summary

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

How Do I Write an Executive Summary?

1 Content
An effective executive summary
should be written using language
that the intended audience
can understand and read
independently from the report.
It should briefly summarize every
main section of the report and
include references to the main
document (i.e., appendices or
page numbers) that direct readers
if they require more detailed
information.

explains the methodology and

results. References to the main
document can be used to direct
readers to data charts should they
wish more information.

The executive summary should

begin with a concise summary of
the conclusion reached within the
report.

After summarizing the entire

report, end the executive summary
with a short paragraph that
explains any recommendations
for action. This paragraph
should provide a short analysis

The executive summary does not

report any of the data, but briefly

Summarize the purpose of the

report, the problem addressed and
the findings and recommendations
in concise and plain language.
Where technical language is
necessary, be sure to include
definitions and explanations.

Four major points to include

in your executive summary:
of the reports main conclusions
1 Aandsummary
justification for recommendations
2An explanation of the problem studied
A summary of the process used to
3 study the problem
outline of the recommendations
4 An
or decisions

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

or justification for the proposed

action in terms the audience will
consider important (i.e., health,
monetary, or ethical).
An executive summary should
be less technical in terminology
than the complete report and
include all of the relevant findings
and information from the report.
While it can be a daunting task
to reduce a lengthy report to a
compact form, there are tips to
help determine the best approach:
Use the reports title and
subheadings as a useful tool
for organizing the summary
and deciding what is most
important.
Look at the beginning and
ending of paragraphs for key
points. Scan for words that
alert the reader to important
elements, such as first, finally,
therefore, and principal.
Highlight key points within the
body of the report that outline
the purpose/central theme of
the report.
Prepare a bullet form outline
of the summary. Then, edit
the outline to eliminate
secondary or minor points.
Use your judgment as to what
is important, but keep the
summary concise.
Write the executive summary
in your own words, using a
professional but plainspoken
style.

Questions to ask yourself as you

write an executive summary:
What is the report about?
Why is it important?
What is the main idea in each section?
What research was done to address the problem?
How does the research support the conclusion and
recommendations?

2 Style
An effective executive summary
should be written in plain
language that the intended
audience can understand.

Avoid industry/
technical jargon:
Technical words and phrases that
you use everyday can confuse and
frustrate a non-technical audience.
Avoid technical terms wherever
possible. When they cannot
be avoided, include a clear and
simple definition in the executive
summary. Or better yet, substitute
the definition for the word.

Keep sentences short

and to the point:
Read over long and complicated
sentences in the summary and
determine the main idea. Rewrite
the sentences by separating
different ideas into shorter
sentences. Your goal is to ensure

the main point is simple to

understand and immediately
apparent.

Replace complex words

with simple, everyday
words:
Write your executive summary as
if you were explaining your report
to a student in 8th grade. You can
replace words like accomplish,
optimum and strategize with
words like do, best and plan
without oversimplifying the
content. Most of the common
word processing software, such as
Microsoft Word and WordPerfect
contain features that will evaluate
the reading grade level of your
document.

Use acronyms carefully and

always define them:
Although acronyms are common
in the military and technical fields,

the public is usually unfamiliar

with them and the concepts they
define. Avoid using acronyms
when possible, especially in the
executive summary because they
can confuse and intimidate your
audience. When they are used, be
sure to define acronyms the first
time they are used in a document.
Keep in mind that someone
unfamiliar with the acronym is
likely to forget it quickly, so only
use it if it is found repeatedly
throughout the document. Also,
remember to be consistent with
the style you use for acronyms
throughout the entire document
(i.e., D.O.D., DoD, DOD).

Use an appropriate tone:

Avoid using vague or emotional
language. Instead, stick to the facts
and avoid confusing statements.
See the examples of page 7.

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

How Do I Write an Executive Summary?

Real life examples

Avoid industry jargon and keep sentences short and simple:
Instead ofBaseline psychometric testing will be conducted prior to
the administration of the medication, followed by a repeat assessment
after drug administration, in order to determine whether there are any
objectively measurable neuropsychiatric efforts associated with this drug.
Consider...The drug will be tested for side effects.
Replace complex words with simple, everyday words:
Instead ofFollowing revegetation, any disturbed areas will be
reoccupied by a like assemblage of alien avian and mammalian species.
ConsiderAfter the plants grow back, the birds and animals will return.
Use an appropriate tone:
Instead ofYou cannot claim your expenses for outside accommodation
or meals, unless you can prove you did not have access to quarters and
rations on the base.
ConsiderYou can claim expenses if accommodations and meals
are not available on base. Please keep your receipts.

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

3 Format
Since an executive summary is
usually the first section of a report,
it should be formatted consistently
with the document it summarizes.
Here are some guidelines to help
format an executive summary:
Length
Ideally, an executive summary
should be one or two pages long
with a maximum of three pages.
However, in some instances, a
longer technical summary may be
necessary. When necessary, the
technical summary should be a
maximum of 10% of the report it
summarizes (a 100-page report
may be summarized in 10 pages).
The shorter, three page maximum,
executive summary should still
be included.
Titles
Title your document EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY and center the title two
inches from the top of the page.
Include the exact name of the
report immediately below it.
Subheadings for each section in
the executive summary will help
enhance its readability. Use the
same subheadings as the report
and provide a brief explanation of
the most important information
from each section.

The following is a list of elements

that may be included in an
executive summary.

Contact Information

Paragraphs
Keep paragraphs short and
summarize multiple ideas within
a paragraph as bullet points or a
numbered list. This will enhance
the readability of the summary
and allow readers to digest
complex information.

Phone number
Mailing address
E-mail address
Website address where the full
report may be available
The contact name can be the point
of contact from the organization
that commissioned the report or
the authors of the report. This
name should be included so that
readers can follow up if they have
any questions or want copies of
the entire report. If the purpose
of the report is to fulfill a legal
requirement, include the names
of the appropriate regulatory
agencies (i.e., this report has been
submitted to the Environmental
Protection Agency).

In addition to the full name of the

report at the top of the executive
1. Purpose and scope of report summary, be sure to include the
Objective
date, name of the authors and
their organization as well as the
2. Conclusion or Summary of
name of the organization that
Findings
commissioned the report.
3. Background
At the bottom of the executive
4. Process
summary, provide the following
5. Recommendations
information:
6. Other supporting information
Contact name

Fonts and Spacing

Because it is the first section, the
executive summary should have
the same general look as the rest
of the report. Use the same font
type for the body of the executive
summary as in the report.
Make sure the font size is at least
12 pitch and that paragraphs are
double-spaced between each
section so that the document is
easy to read.

The elements included in an

executive summary, and the
amount of space dedicated to
each element, will depend on
the purpose and nature of the
document.

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

How Do I Know When I am Finished?

4 Review and Edit
Proof Read and Simplify
Once the draft executive
summary is finished, be sure to
proof read and spell check the
document. Read the summary
over again carefully, keeping in
mind the 8th grade reading level
recommendation. Look for any
complex terms or sentences that
should be edited and unnecessary
information that can be removed.

Double-check the
Accuracy
The authors of the report should
always review the executive
summary to ensure you have
accurately captured the main
points and correctly interpreted the
conclusions and recommendations
in the executive summary.

Test your Summary

Keeping confidentiality and
security issues in mind, ask
someone who is not familiar with
the report, and does not have a
technical background, to review
the executive summary. They can
tell you if the executive summary
is clear and understandable to
an unfamiliar audience. This
extra step will help ensure that
the executive summary can
communicate independently of the
report.

Top Ten Tips

1Keep it simple
2Keep it short

3Avoid technical language,

jargon, and acronyms

4Use subheadings and

bullet points

5Highlight main points

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

conclusions
6Provide
and recommendations

7 Consider your audience

8Avoid confusing or

emotional language

9 Proof read and spell check

10Be logical, clear and interesting

Where Can I Get More Information?

Please contact the Navy and Marine

Corps Public Health Center for
additional information or assistance.

Other risk
communication
publications and
services available
from N MC PHC
Risk Communication
Primer
Guide to Hosting a Public
Meeting
Fact Sheet & Press
release Preparation
Development of Posters
and Visual Media for
Scientific Technical
Information
Correspondence
Development/Review
Health and Environmental
Risk Communication
Training Workshops

Visit our website at:

http://www-nmcphc.med.navy.mil/Environmental_Health/

Community Outreach
Services (Technical
Posters)
Technical Posters Review
and Development
Verbal Communication
Development and
Facilitation Services

A Guide to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

10

Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center

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Phone: (757) 953-0932
Fax: (757) 953-0675
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