Report on microsoft word

Microsoft Word is one of the most popular word processing tools for creating reports and other documents. Whether you are a student, professional or anyone who does documentation works, proficiency in Microsoft Word is a skill that is necessary for today’s digital age. Microsoft Word software comes with a vast number of features to improve the productivity of your works and to produce accurate outputs. In this post, I will show you how to use some of these features to create professional reports with Microsoft Word.

When you write a Thesis, Dissertation, Project Report, and Technical Report, etc… Microsoft Word helps you to keep your content more organized, clear and structured. Microsoft Word comes with inbuilt options such as Source Manager for managing your citations, Track Changes, Document Outlines, etc… to make it easier to handle your documents and related resources.

If you closely observed any professional report created with Microsoft Word, you can identify there are several common features in every document. Those common features include Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, different levels of Heading Styles, Sections, Image and Table Captions, Index, Headers & Footers, Page Numbering, etc… Microsoft Word has specific ways of creating and generating those features. If you follow those methods correctly, you can create your report more easily and correctly.

In this series of tutorials, I will show you how to create Microsoft Word reports and make use of the inbuilt features correctly to make your report looks professional.

For better understanding, I have created a separate post for each key options that you will need to create reports and documents with Microsoft Word. I have listed out all the posts below, and it is not necessary to follow the same order. How ever, to use some options there are some prerequisites. I have added links to those prerequisites within the post itself.

First of all, let’s identify the main sections of a report.

Identify the main sections of a report

In a professional report, the appearance or look of the report as well as it’s flow is significant. So, you should first identify the main sections of the report. The sections given below are the most common in a professional report. (in this post I assume that you know the meaning of bellow terms)

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Acknowledgement
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Acronyms
• Main Content/ Chapters
• References
• Appendixes
• Index

Creating these sections manually is not an easy task. However, if you practice the following Microsoft Word features, you can easily create the above sections.

The list of must-know features in Microsoft Word to create Professional Reports

Each feature below described in separate pages. You may click the post image or “read more” link to access these pages.

Insert Section Breaks

Create Numbered Multilevel Heading Styles

Add Captions

Add Citations and Bibliography

Add Headers and Footers

Add Page Numbers

Create a Table of Contents

Create List of Tables and Figures

Create an Index

Wrapping Up

The listed above are the essential features required to create professional reports with Microsoft Word. Here I have explained the basics of those features only. Once you get used to them, you can find more design and customization options inside those features. These features not only adding rich & professional looks to your documents, but they also help you to create and manage your report more easily and productively.

If Microsoft Office had been a country, it would have been the third most populous country in the world. 1.2 billion people using a single suite of apps is mind-boggling. And, they «speak» 107 languages!

But right now, you and I are speaking in English and we are going to talk about the most popular tool in the Microsoft Office arsenal — Microsoft Word 2016.

This document editor is used for writing a variety of documents. From a simple application to the necessary resume. From a plain bucket list to an office memo. We think we can work with Word. But it is when we sit down to write a serious professional report, we discover an important fact.

Professional report writing needs a different set of skills.

So, ask yourself this — can you make the leap from a single document to a lengthy report? Do you know all the Microsoft Word features that will help manage this large scale document project? Can you collaborate on the work with other team members?

You may be a student, a small business owner, or an office worker…you will need to create a report or a professionally formatted document of some kind. This MakeUseOf guide will help you update your techniques and sharpen your design approach.

In this guide:

Writing a Report — Introduction | The Report Checklist

Useful Microsoft Word Tools — Paste Special | Researcher | Freeze Parts of Your Document

Work on the Layout & Design — Intro | Cover Page | Table of Contents | Header and Footer | Page Numbers | Font Styling | Paragraph Styling | Page Breaks | Styles and Themes | Captions | Quick Parts | Page Borders

References and Collaboration — Index | Bibliographies | Cross-Referencing | Comments

Finalize Your report — Signatures | Watermarks | Read Only | Print to PDF

The Next Step — Conclusion

Writing a Report

Report writing involves research and then publishing the outcome of that analysis. In the professional world, the «look» or appearance of what you publish is paramount. The eye-pleasing final result could burnish your reputation and enhance your personal brand.

The steps below will handhold you through the expert features in Microsoft Word 2016. Spend a lot of time on a plan. Start with these guidelines…

Step 1: Decide the Purpose

Before you begin the report, you must first know why you are writing it in the first place. Reports are of many kinds but they are either meant to inform or persuade. It can be meant for describing a technical process, sharing background information, or demonstrate progress on a project.

Ask yourself – What and Why. This will help you distill the purpose to the one main point and stick to it instead of rambling on with unnecessary details.

Step 2: Identify Your Audience

The second important consideration is to evaluate your audience. Will they be able to understand what you are talking about? Are there different levels of readers who will read the report? The reader’s knowledge of the subject will greatly influence the information that you need to include.

Decide on the primary audience and then script the report at the adequate technical level. The secondary audience can be supported with supplemental information at the end of the report.

Step 3: Know Your Topic

You must know what you are talking about. So, research the topic, and include all the relevant information to prove your point. Make sure that you come to a conclusion based on facts and not personal opinion. The information must be correct, current, and well-referenced.

Also use a variety of resources such as journals, newspaper articles, books, websites, brochures, raw data, annual reports, and speeches to help support your point. Just don’t stick to Wikipedia.

Step 4: Outline the Report

You have done the research. There’s a ton of information that is waiting to be typed and printed. But wait! Don’t drown before you enter the water. Prepare the final outline of the report which will be the chart of waypoints to help you navigate from start to finish. The outline is the blueprint. It will give you a bird’s eye view of the land and also show you where you need to fill in the details.

The structure of an idea report can include the following elements:

• Title Page
• Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• The Body of the Report
• Conclusion
• Recommendations
• Appendix
• Bibliography and References

Microsoft Word’s Document Outline is a powerful feature that can help you organize a document even before you start filling it with research. Take advantage of brainstorming and mind-mapping templates too.

Step 5: Write, Edit, Proofread, and Finish

Once you have structured your report, it is time to fill out the headers with content. I personally find it best to tackle a little bit of each section, and then bulk it up with information. You can do that if you want, or finish each section as you go down the report structure. Make sure you focus on presenting your ideas and using supportive evidence rather than spelling and grammar first. Outline your argument and write a few sentences that cast your main ideas. If you find something worth quoting, quote it.

Once the majority of your text is written, it is now time to read through it and make sure it flows well. Make sure you guide the reader’s understanding with transition words such as «This information shows…», «In other words…», «Similarly…» and do highlight relevant and key points.

Finally, spend time to proofread, check for grammar and spelling, and double-check all relevant information and its logical flow. It is best to leave at least one day to check and proofread your work. Don’t try to edit it straight after you think you have finished, as you will tend to miss read what you have written. Get some sleep, and proofread it the next day.

The Report Checklist

Before you go and submit or hand in your report that you have worked so hard on, make sure you have done the following:

• Completed the title page with the Title, Your Name, Date, Who the report is for, and a possible description of what the report is about.
• The contents page has appropriate headings and pages numbers are correct.
• Make sure the introduction covers key points, the scope of the report, and the objective it wants to meet.
• You have added captions above tables and below images/graphs.
• Does the content of the report present the information in a clear way, logical, factual, stay on topic, is to the point?
• Does the conclusion state the results, restate main idea’s, and does not include any new information?
• Are the headings and sub headings clearly labeled?
• Are quotes relevant, up-to-date, and correctly referenced?
• Have you used page breaks where appropriate?

Now, let’s launch Microsoft Word and take you through the features that will help piece together the draft of your report and present it as a professional document.

Useful Microsoft Word Features for Report Writing

Take these as bite-sized tips and master them one by one.

Microsoft Word is a big howitzer with many nuts and bolts. Let’s focus on the key skill sets and the tools you will need to plan, prepare, and present the professional report. The Microsoft Word features we will cover below are also productivity shortcuts that will make your job easier.

Tip: Use Microsoft Word 2016’s «Tell Me» assistant to learn more about new features in the Office suite.

Let’s start with three preliminary tools…

Use Paste Special

For most of us, when we need to copy text or an image into Word, the CTRL+V shortcut does just fine. But sometimes we might want to paste the copied data into another format, such as Excel data as an image. With the Paste Special command you can discard or specify the format when you paste a picture, presentation data, table, or object from any other program into Word.

You will work a lot with Excel tables and charts in a professional document.

If you just copy what you want and click paste, you will notice that it will insert the data as tables. But, if it is a large area of cells you want to paste, and you do not want to edit it, you may want to paste it as an image, with the extra option to edit it.

In Microsoft Excel: Select and highlight the cells that you want to copy > Press CTRL+C.

In Microsoft Word: Go to Home > Paste > Paste Special. Select Paste Special and from the dialog select Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet Object.

You can resize the data as it was an image, and if you double click, you will be able to edit the values. You can change the table or chart and redesign it. And, if you update the data in the chart or table in Excel, you can automatically refresh the chart in Word.

Try the right-click context menu too. The Paste Special menu pops up:

There are more options to import data from Excel into Word. The Microsoft Office Support page also describes them in detail.

Use the Researcher

Yes, there is Google and Wikipedia. But constantly switching from Word to your browser can hamper your productivity. Office 2016 brings in powerful research integration to this grunt work. The Researcher can not only help you find content from within Microsoft Word but also help you quickly add citations. It uses the Bing Knowledge Graph to find the right content to support your document.

Go to Ribbon > References tab and c Choose Researcher. A pane will open on the right with the search options.

Type a keyword for the topic want to search for and press Enter.

The Results pane shows a list of sources you can use in your document. Choose a topic to explore in detail.

Add the topic to your Microsoft Word document with a click on the plus sign on the top-right. You can also click the plus sign on any result to cite the source in your research document. The cite source helps you support your research with web sources and books.

As we will see later, an annotated bibliography is one of the toughest parts of a document. The Researcher is an intelligent assistant who steps in.

Freeze Part of Your Word Document

Let’s take for granted that your professional report will be a long and complex work. You can split the Word window into two panes so that you can view two different parts of a document at the same time. It is a valuable time saver when you want to copy and paste parts from one place to another or refer to one part of the document while working in another.

Go to Ribbon > View tab > Split.

To remove the split, click on Remove Split in the same tab.

The Windows group gives you several options to change the way you work with two or more documents. The features are self-explanatory.

To scroll both documents at the same time, click Synchronous Scrolling in the Window group on the View tab. You can also click on View Side by Side to put two parts of the document next to each other.

Tip: Use Split View to display two different layouts – for instance, Print and Outline. Set the split. Then, click in the pane that you want to change, and then select a different layout on the View tab.

Work on the Layout & Design

The presentation of a report is what gets someone to read a report in the first place, and that is why it is crucial that your report is well presented. If you had the choice of four reports to read, what will you choose?

1. A hand written report.
2. A document printed in black and white.
3. A report printed on normal A4 paper in color.
4. A report printed in color, with a catchy title page, neatly bounded, and slick?

You will pick up the fourth report because it will pull you towards it by the visual appearance alone.

The front cover is not the only reason. A well-designed report is easier to read. It is also easier to scan when you don’t have time to read. That is why you need to spend some time on your headers and footers, and the different styles and themes. In short – the formatting of every element in the report.

Formatting may seem like a difficult chore, but it is a fun exercise that will exercise all your creative muscles. The key takeaways will be the skills you can apply to anything in Microsoft Office going forward. And the time you will save with all the productivity tips learned here.

Microsoft Word 2016 has a wealthy set of features. These are only some of the ways that your report design can stand out from the rest and be professional. So, let’s break down the layout and design skills.

This section will cover these features step-by-step:

• Start with a Cover Page
• Make a Table of Contents
• Create Your Header and Footer
• Add Page Numbers

(Format the Content)

• Pick the Right Fonts
• Style the Paragraphs
• Control Page Breaks
• Use Styles and Themes
• Captions
• Use Quick Parts
• Decorate with Page Borders

1. Start With a Cover Page

The first page is the first point of contact with your reader. It is also your opportunity to make a favorable impression. Don’t let your lack of artistic skills be an excuse because Word takes up the job with its in-built gallery of title pages. All you have to do is marry one to the theme of the report.

Microsoft Word 2016 offers you 16 pre-formatted templates and three more on Office.com.

Go to Insert > Pages Group > Cover Page.

The cover page appears at the beginning of the document by default.

As there are only 16 «official» templates on offer, you may find that all your other peers have the same cover page. So, why not customize it, and make it a bit more unique.

You can design a title page (or cover page) in Microsoft Word that can be an original in the stack. Save it as a template or easily change the design on the fly.

2. Make a Table of Contents

Casual readers scan. Good readers scan first and then dive deep. A table of contents provides the waypoints that help both. When it is a long and complicated document, wouldn’t you rather check the lay of the land before you head to the section that interests you?

Consider a Table of Contents (TOC) if your document is more than 10 pages long. You should first make sure you don’t need to rearrange any pages in your document before creating the TOC.

In Microsoft Word, you don’t have to write the entire TOC by hand. There’s a Table of Contents automatic tool under the References tab which takes your outline and designs it for you. Also, you can easily keep it updated when you want to change something.

There are also templates you can download and fit it around the nature of the content. For instance, a TOC for a thesis will look different from that of a company’s annual report.

We have a complete tutorial on how to create a table of contents page in Word.

The gist of it is this:

Create the outline and use heading styles to organize the hierarchy. Apply the automatic TOC tool to the heading styles. Word 2016 searches for those headings and then inserts the table of contents into your document. Then you can automatically update your TOC if you make changes in your document.

For more hands-on control, you can also use the Manual Table of Contents style. Word inserts placeholder text and you have to insert and format each content in the list.

3. Create Your Header and Footer

Headers and Footers are important in reports as the main purpose is to provide information about the report on every page. They are the common display areas for page numbers. The header of the document should contain the title of the report, and possibly the name of who created it. The title of the current section is helpful.

The footer, on the other hand, should include the page numbers, date of publication, and other administrative information that is required. Do note that some style guides have special guidelines for headers and footers.

Let’s start with the header in your document and give it a unique look.

Select Insert, then select either Header or Footer from the group. The built-in gallery shows you several options you can choose from.

The header and footer space is inserted in your document with placeholder text or table. The Header & Footer Tools opens on the Ribbon for other formatting work like the date, time, or picture.

Enter your text and then select Close Header and Footer.

You can start with a blank header and footer. If you have the design skills, use the Header & Footer Tools to design your own. Master the header and footer space if you want to create custom letterheads for your organization. You can use brand elements like company or organization logos at the top and neatly formatted footnotes at the bottom

Let’s try with and modify one of the inbuilt headers. I selected Facet from the gallery.

The final look took two minutes to put together with simple text effects and an icon sourced from the Microsoft Office icon gallery.

The header and footer are in place. But, how do you know where you are in the document? Insert page numbers as the next important signpost.

4. Add Page Numbers

Page numbers look best in the footer (unlike in the header as in the image above). You can add a basic page number from the Insert > Page Number button on the Ribbon. You can also add it from the Design tab that appears when you add the header and the footer.

You have a lot of control over page numbers. Choose from a wide range of number formats and customize them to your needs. In this case, we are adding the number to the footer, but you can put them at the top or even at the margins. In this example, I have placed the page number at the bottom left. But, I would like to change the default look and the format.

For example: Using a «Page X of XXX» makes for a better indicator on a long document.

Select the page number. Go to Insert > Quick Parts. From the drop-down menu, select Field. You can also reach the Field dialog from the Header and Footer Design tab.

Choose NumPages from the long list of field names. From the box on the right, you can pick a specific format. I selected the usual 1, 2, 3. Click OK, and the number of the number of pages will appear. Now all you have to do is add your text such as Page X of XXX, and change the look of the numbers with the usual text formatting tools available from the Home tab.

It now looks like this:

Design the look on any page number in your document and Word updates all the remaining automatically. Page numbers are the most common elements in a footer, but it can also hold any other information like the header. From the options in the Insert group, you can add the date and time, document info, pictures, and more to your header or footer.

Next, we’re heading into formatting the content.

The visual draw of your professional report comes together with the «beautification» you apply to the content. Formatting is also an essential step for a document that flows well. So, you must focus a lot of energy on picking the right font, paragraph space, and the colors.

Don’t worry. Even, the artistically challenged will find this part easy because Microsoft Word comes packaged with default themes and visual styles. Let’s start with the most basic element of a document.

5. Pick and Style the Right Font

Your choice of font in a professional Word report not only determines how the text stands out but also how it is printed. You want both for maximum impact.

You can apply a typeface (i.e. the visual look of the font) to either an entire document or to specific parts of a document. All font choices are available from the Home tab. Go to Home > Font.

The default font in Microsoft Word 2016 is Calibri. Look beyond that as you have lots of others to choose from. If you choose Times New Roman, you may be considered lazy, if you choose Windings, well… I don’t think I need to explain that. So make sure you choose a font that is easy to read and suits the report. To play it safe, pick from one of these professional-looking Google fonts; they’re available for free.

Tip: Baskerville and Georgia are good alternatives to the over-used Times New Roman

Try different font pairing for the body text and Headings (and Subheadings). Several websites like FontJoy and TypeWolf will help you experiment with font pairings. You can download and use custom fonts too. But remember the thumb-rule — never use more than three different typefaces in a document.

For that extra bit of pizazz, try a drop cap to enhance your text.

6. Style the Paragraphs

If you want to have your lines double spaced, or single spaced, you need to change the format of the paragraphs. By changing the spacing, you can make a document easier to read or give the impression that it is longer and that you have put more work into it.

To change the paragraph for the whole document, it is best that you select each block of text; otherwise, if you are using headers in your report, they will change too. Another better option is if you customize the particular style you are using to format the paragraph.

To do this, go to Home > Styles. Right click on the style you want to change and select Modify. Click on Format > Paragraph which is at the bottom of the dialog box. Now, change the spacing, indentation, and alignment for the paragraph. Click OK to close the dialogs.

When you want to change a smaller portion of the document, select what you want to change. Right click on the highlighted text and select Paragraph. The same dialog box as above will appear.

7. Control Page Breaks

A page break — by its very name — splits a continuous block of text across two pages. Page breaks are important structural elements for long documents. Word automatically inserts a page break at the end of the page. But in a long document, you can place page breaks where you want them.

To insert a manual page break, click Insert > Page Break. (Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + Enter)

A page break looks like this when you click on the Show/Hide command in the Paragraph group.

But what if you want to keep a bunch of lines together on a page or column and not have them separate because of a page break? The layout is in your control. Click the tiny arrow you see in the bottom right of the Paragraph group.

In the Paragraph box, click Line and Page Breaks. Select from these four pagination options:

• Widow/Orphan control places at least two lines of a paragraph at the top or bottom of a page.
• Keep with next prevents breaks between paragraphs you want to stay together.
• Keep lines together prevents page breaks in the middle of paragraphs.
• Page break before adds a page break before a specific paragraph.

We’ve also shown how to remove page breaks when necessary.

8. Use Styles and Themes

Styles and themes are perhaps two of the more underused features in Microsoft Word. But I think you should use them at every opportunity to save a lot of time.

But what is the difference between a theme and a style? Microsoft says:

Themes provide a quick way to change the overall color and fonts. If you want to change text formatting quickly, Word Styles are the most effective tools.

So, as themes control the general look with color, effects, and fonts – start with a good theme for your document first. Then, use Styles to dig into the specific portions you want to change the appearance for.

For Themes: Go to the Design tab. Pick a theme from the gallery. You can see previews of what the color combination is like.

For Styles: Select the part of the text you want to change. Go to the Styles group on the Home tab. You can see previews of what they look like. Choose the Style that is suitable for your content. For instance, choose a heading style for the headings in your document. Or, a particular style for any quotes. You can also modify an existing style and create new styles from scratch.

9. Captions

Every picture, chart, or illustration needs a caption to clearly describe it. It is a single line of text, usually located below a graphic. Captions are also an important reference when you need to mention them in another place. Many documents omit this small detail.

It is easy to add a caption. Right-click the illustration you want to add a caption to. Select Add Caption.

In the dialog box, add your caption text and configure the remaining options. Captions can be automatically referenced in Word.

10. Use Quick Parts

Professional documents can get repetitive. This is why you should start using Quick Parts for boilerplate content you reuse all the time. For instance, let’s say there is a contract clause you include with every document. Or, some introductory information. Instead of repeated copy-paste, save them as Quick Parts and re-use them again and again.

Quick Parts is also a type of building block. You can see the gallery of all reusable blocks of content in the Building Block Organizer.

Save and reuse your own Quick Parts in two steps:

1. Select the phrase, sentence, or other portion of your document that you want to save to the gallery.
2. Go to Insert > Text group > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. Change the name and add a description if you like. Click OK.

Just as easily, you can re-use the saved snippet of content.

Place your cursor where you want to insert a selection from the Quick Parts Gallery. Go to Insert > Text group > Quick Parts. Then click the sentence, phrase, or other saved selection you want to reuse.

You will notice three other categories in the Quick Parts menu.

AutoText: Word 2016 has retained the old AutoText feature. It works like Quick Parts for any block of text that you use a great deal. Example: A note you want to use with every document.

Document Property: A set of constant properties that you can include with every document. Example: Company name or author.

Fields: These are predefined elements that update automatically. Example: Date, time, page numbers etc.

Remember, entries for document property can sometimes include information you wouldn’t want to share with everyone. So, keep a close eye on these fields and remove the hidden personal data whenever required.

11. Decorate With Page Borders

Page borders look good not only on flyers and invitations. If done right, they can add a touch of class to a document. A variety of line styles and widths and art borders are available from the Design menu on the Ribbon.

Go to Design > Page Borders.

In the Borders and Shading box, use the Page Border tab to design your border.

The settings are self-explanatory. Try Shadow or 3-D with the right colors to add a subtle but elegant border. The Art styles with their clip-art borders might be too garish for professional documents.

Use the four corner buttons in the Preview window to select the sides of the page to draw borders. Click these buttons to remove or add borders, as you wish.

Place the cursor on the first page of a document if you want to put a border around only the first page. You can also put borders around certain pages in a section. Place the cursor in the section — either in the first page of that section or in a subsequent page.

References and Collaboration

A Word report can seem like an unmanageable chore. It’s like organizing a million piles of hay into neat little stacks. The idea is to know precisely which stack has the pin you are looking for. These features are meant to make it easier.

1. Create an Index

When writing large documents such as a report that contains a lot of information, a contents page may not be enough. An Index should appear at the end of the document, with page numbers to keywords and information in the report. Create an index to help the reader reference the right information with just the page number.

Make an index if your document has more than 20 pages. Microsoft Word 2016 doesn’t let the process overwhelm you. It basically has two parts:

• Select the words or information you want to include in the index.
• Place the index at the right place in your document.

You can scroll through the finished document and mark the words or phrases you want to include in the index or mark them as you go along. Either way, select the text you’d like to use as an index entry or click where you want to insert the entry.

1. Click References > Mark Entry.

2. Edit the text in the Mark Index Entry dialog box. You can also add a sub-entry which further defines the main word you used in the index. You can add multiple levels and each appears indented under the main entry.

3. Under Options, you can also create a cross-reference to another main entry. A reader can use this to refer related information elsewhere in the same document.

4. Use the Page number format to decide on the appearance of the page numbers in the index.

5. Click Mark to mark the index entry. To mark this text everywhere it shows up in the document, click Mark All.

6. Repeat the process for all the words and phrases you want to include in the index.

You have now built your index. Insert it at the right place towards the end of the document.

1. Click on the page where you want to insert the index.

2. Click References > Insert Index.

3. The Index dialog box is displayed. Here you can choose to format the text entries, page numbers, tabs, and leader characters.

4. Choose the appearance from the different formats in the list and check the Preview window on the right. Remember, the Preview window doesn’t show you actual index. It is just a «simulation» of how it will look like.

5. Click OK. Your Index is now ready.

Sometimes, you may need to add more entries to the index after you have inserted it on the page. Mark the entry and go to References > Update index to include the new mentions.

Also, add a heading for the index because Word doesn’t do it automatically.

2. Creating Bibliographies

Your document is almost done. Now, you need to credit all the other research work and ideas which you have referenced in your document. It’s time for a bibliography.

A company report might not need a bibliography but an academic paper isn’t finished without one. The bibliography is one of the most painstaking jobs in an academic report. You need to have all your citations in order before you sit down to frame the bibliography. Also, decide on the citation style (typically MLA, APA, or Chicago-style) as per the guidelines of your subject.

Don’t hesitate to take advantage of third-party citation and bibliography generators for constructing this section.

But, Microsoft Word 2016 has a complete toolset to make this process as painless as possible. So, go to the point in the document where you would like to place the bibliography. It’s good if you have at least one citation to include, but even if you don’t, Word 2016 lets you use a placeholder citation and fill in the sources later.

Click References > Bibliography.

Word offers a few bibliography styles that differ only in their heading names. Choose the appropriate style and then insert citations from the button in the Citations & Bibliography group.

The bibliography tool has a few steps to it. For the sake of brevity, I will direct you to the excellent Microsoft Office help page which is a step-by-step guide.

Some academic papers will ask you to create an annotated bibliography. It is a more fleshed out version of a bibliography with a list of citations to journals, books, articles, and other documents followed by a brief paragraph. The paragraph is a description of the source and how it supports your paper.

3. Cross-Referencing

You can use a cross-reference to help the reader navigate through a long document. At any point in a document, you can tell the reader to refer back to a heading, page number, image, chart, footnote, endnote, and paragraph. A cross-reference link is a neat way to connect related information together. The reader just has to click on the link to go that snippet of information.

Here’s how you begin:

1. Select the place for the cross-reference and type the text that tells the reader about it. For instance: «Refer to Chart 3 for future trends.»

2. Go to Insert > Cross-reference.

3. In the Reference type box, click the drop-down list to select what you want to link to.

4. The options in the Insert Reference to drop-down will change according to your choice above.

5. In the For Which field, go through the choices and tell Word the exact information to link to.

6. Check the Insert as hyperlink box to create the hyperlink for the referenced information.

7. Click on Insert to include the cross-reference in the document.

Remember, our mention of captions? You can make cross-references to equations, figures, graphs, and tables if you used captions below them.

Word cannot create a cross-reference for something that does not exist. Word will let you know about these errors and also update the cross-references automatically when you change the page number or text of the referenced item.

A professional report can be a solitary job or you can take the help of a team to prepare the first draft. The humble Comment is one of the most underused tools of a Word document. It is displayed as a rectangular colored balloon in the margin or in the Reviewing Pane.

You can use comments as small «stickies» or self-notes. Leave little notes to yourself in the margins as you write, edit, and revise your way through a report or a manuscript. Be creative – add extra links to other resources, use them for tips and pointers, link to different parts of a document, or set up a feedback link for your readers. And when you finalize, you can easily remove all comments in Word.

Microsoft Word 2016 is also an enhanced collaborative writing tool. Comments play a huge role in communicating feedback across a team. Here’s how the comment system works…

1. Highlight the text you want to add a comment to or click at the end of a text block.

2. Go to Insert > Comment. Type your comment in the box. The comments appear in the markup area on the right. The Print Layout view is usually the best way to see the comments alongside the text.

3. Go to the Review tab and see more options for comments. This tab also shows all the controls for tracking changes and comments in a collaborative document. Use the Markup options to display or hide the comments. For instance: No Markup will hide the comments and the markup area on the right.

Finalize Your Report

Once the bulk of your report is completed and saved, it is time to finalize your report. When I say finalize, I don’t mean proofread it. That should be done too. Now, you have to take the security measures to protect the report from unauthorized changes and plagiarism.

These security measures will give an extra level of authenticity to your electronic file before you share it.

This section will cover:

• Signatures
• Insert watermarks
• Make the document ‘read only’
• Password protect your document
• Print your document to PDF

1. Signatures

You can add text signature for a personal touch to the report. But a simple text signature does not need any authentication. A digital signature is the better way to protect your document from unauthorized access. A digital signature confirms that the document came from the signer and hasn’t been tampered in any way.

Let’s create a signature line in Microsoft Word 2016.

In the document, place your cursor where you want to create a signature line.

1. Go to Insert > Text group > Signature Line and click Microsoft Office Signature Line.

2. The Signature Setup dialog box is displayed. Fill the fields as indicated. If you are sending the document to someone else for signing, add instructions for the signer in the field reserved for it (Instructions to the signer). The signer can also add give the purpose for the signing if the Allow the signer to add comments in the Sign dialog box is checked.

3. Click on OK and the document will now display a placeholder for the signature.

Enter a signature:

When you need to sign a document with a digital signature, go to the signature line and right-click on it.

You will be prompted to sign with a digital ID. If you don’t have one, Microsoft will tell you to get one from a signature service partner.

If you don’t have a digital ID, you can just insert a textual representation of a signature line. You can use a written signature or an image that doesn’t require authentication.

2. Insert Watermarks

A Microsoft Word watermark is a «fake» but still useful visual indicator for the status of the document. For instance, you can use a watermark that says «Drafts» to differentiate it from the final version of the document. Or, use the watermark to suggest the document is «Copyrighted» or «Confidential».

The «Draft» mark is the most common. But, Microsoft Word gives you several other watermarks to choose from.

1. Go to Design > Page Background and choose Watermark. The Watermark button will be enabled in the Print view only.

2. You can choose a picture or a text watermark from the gallery. Both horizontal and diagonal versions are available. The dialog box gives you all the customization options for the final look of the watermark. Try different fonts, layouts, sizes, and colors.

3. You can type your own text in the Text field to create your custom watermark.

4. Choose OK to apply the watermark to your document. Word automatically applies the watermark to every page except the title page.

3. Make Documents «Read Only»

A professional report by its nature should not need to be edited by its readers. Converting the document to a PDF is one way. But, you can also apply a few more restrictions in Microsoft Word and prevent accidental modification or omission of any kind.

There are three ways to protect a document.

First — Make your document «read only».

This ensures that your document can only be read or copied. It won’t prevent anyone from copying the file and making changes to the copy.

1. Go to the File tab > Info > Protect Document > Mark as Final.

2. When readers open a document, a bar on top will prompt readers to treat this document as read only. But, they can click on «Edit Anyway» to open the document in Edit mode.

Second — Password Protect Your Document.

Protect your document from unwanted edits with a password barrier.

1. Under Protect Document, choose Encrypt with Password. Type a password and click OK.

2. In the Confirm Password box, type the password again, and then click OK. The document will open with the reader prompted for a password.

Microsoft uses the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), 128-bit key length, SHA1 (a cryptographic hashing algorithm which generates an almost unique 160-bit key to replace the plaintext), and CBC (cipher block chaining) to give a hacker a well-deserved headache.

Third — Restrict Editing.

This control feature helps you as the author decide which parts of the document others can edit and which will be locked out. Think of it as the bouncer who lets the VIPs in but otherwise bars the door for the common folk.

1. Go to Review > Restrict Editing.

2. Under Editing restrictions, check Allow only this type of editing in the document, and make sure the list says No changes (Read only).

No changes (Read only) is the default restriction type. For a different restriction level for the document, click the menu and select from Tracked changes, Comments, or Filling in forms.

3. To free some sections from the editing blockade, select the sections for editing without restrictions. To select more than one area, click CTRL while selecting the area using the mouse.

4. You can check Everyone under Exceptions (optional) in the Restrict Editing panel. Or, click More users… and allow only specific users to modify the sections. The allowable areas will be marked with square brackets.

5. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.

Now, type a unique password in the box that opens. You have to type it again to confirm it.

The password is optional. But it ensures that no one can just click Stop Protection and edit the document. If you are still paranoid, go ahead and encrypt your Microsoft Word document as we did in the second process above.

4. Print Your Report to PDF

The Portable Document Format comes with many advantages. Not least is its cross-platform compatibility across all computers. Your document is ready and now you need to share it or send it across to be printed. Many professional reports — for instance, a legal document — need to retain the format as intended.

Save or convert a copy to PDF. Microsoft Word 2016 does not need any third-party add-ins.

Go to File > Export > Create PDF/XPS.

Remember, your Word document may contain sensitive information that you do not want to be included in the PDF. Remove it before you publish to PDF. In the Publish as PDF or XPS window, choose Options. Then select Document and clear Document properties. Set any other options you want and choose OK.

Browse to where you want to save the file and click on Publish.

The Next Step…

You are close to the finishing line. The report is ready to be handed over to your readers. But there’s one last job left.

Turn the pages and make sure (again) that your report is reader-friendly. Approach it with the eye of the reader. Have you organized your thoughts and written persuasively? Does the information flow well with the charts and illustrations? Can they skim through and find the information quickly? Is the text readable? Use the readability score to gauge the readability level of your documents as a final step.

You also might have noticed we didn’t cover some aspects of Microsoft Word. For instance, Microsoft Word Tables are an important tool for data display. Or, the power of lists in information management.

Microsoft Word is more than a quarter of a century old, and packed with little features. At MakeUseOf, we have covered every nook and cranny of this beast. So, do use our resources to learn more about this software for free. Each new feature of Microsoft Word learned will make your life easier.

Make Your Report Shine

As author Nathaniel Hawthorne said,

Easy reading is damn hard writing

Isn’t this true for professional report writing too? After all, if given a choice, no one may want to read it. Writing a business report and using it to communicate are two different things. Microsoft Word is just a tool — it’s your job to engage.

For some alternatives, check out the best online word processors. And for more help with professional writing, take a look at how to apologize in an email and mean it.

What are the best practices for writing professional business reports? Tell us in the comments.

Perfect your papers and reports with customizable templates

Your papers and reports will look as professional and well put together as they sound when you compose them using customizable Word templates. Whether you’re writing a research paper for your university course or putting together a high priority presentation, designer-created templates are here to help you get started. First impressions are important, even for papers, and layout can make or break someone’s interest in your content. Don’t risk it by freestyling, start with a tried-and-true template.

Remember, though: Papers and reports don’t have to be boring. Professional can still pop. Tweak your favorite layout template to match your unique aesthetic for a grade A package.

The business report itself, and its contents, needs a lot of work and organization. But what about the report’s design? It’s important to present professional content in a professional manner. If your report looks lackluster or even messy, it’s not going to make a strong impression. 

Check out this list of free and premium Word report templates you can download now. We’ll also look at some tips and tracks for professional report templates and designs. The premium templates are great for design inspiration. 

Best Premium Professional Report Templates on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)

Love the idea of working with premium, high-quality content, but you’re wary about the price tag? Well, thankfully, there are some amazing options out there for cost-conscious projects. Envato Elements is a great example: one, low price gets you access to a giant library of content. 

Choose from thousands of professional report templates and download. With unlimited downloads, you don’t have to worry about the tab. Not sure which template is best for your project? Download them both! 

Browse Microsoft Word Templates Now

There are no limitations and no extra fees with Envato Elements. A monthly fee gets you unlimited access to a huge library of content. This includes thousands of Microsoft Word report templates. 

Top 5 Premium Word Report Templates on Envato Elements

Curious about some of the premium options out there? Check out these awesome designs. Consider downloading one today or enjoy the design inspiration.

1. Annual Business Report Template Word & Adobe InDesign

This beautifully designed business report template includes files for both Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign. You get twenty different layouts to choose from. Mix, match, and customize them any way you like. This download also includes a help file, to help you customize the template.

2. Professional Report Templates for Microsoft Word

Here’s another collection of beautiful layouts you can use in Microsoft Word. This one also includes InDesign files, for your convenience. There are 28 custom pages to choose from, so there’s plenty of content to work with. 

3. Business Microsoft Word Report Templates

Choose from 24 included pages in this awesome business report template. It includes files for Microsoft Word, as well as PDF and InDesign files too. It also uses free fonts that you can easily download and use within the template (and elsewhere!).

4. Annual Report

If you need to impress your clients, this is the perfect template for you. This template features modern-looking graphics and a dark background. Showcase your business report in style with this complete business report template. 

5. Annual Report

This premium business report template for is divided into two parts. The first part has a narrative and photos, and the second part has all the financial details. Detailed graphs and charts are included so you visual represent your businesses financial situation. 

Here are the main features for this premium Word report template:

• A4 & US letter size
• organized layers
• CMYK 300 DPI 
• easy to edit

Let’s now go over some free Word report templates that you can download today.

20 Top Free Professional Microsoft Word Business Report Templates to Download (2023)

Premium Word report templates are best. But if you can’t afford even a small fee for a professionally designed template, you may need something to hold you over until you can get a good template.

Let’s talk about report templates for Word free downloads now. Did you know you can also grab some awesome free downloads, right here at Envato?

If you’re a bargain hunter, you may want to check it out. They change up every month, so it’s worth taking a look regularly. They’re completely free too, no cost and no obligation. 

• Download 12 Free Files on Envato Elements every month. All you need is to sign up for a free account to download the monthly selection of free content.

Now, let’s look at some other free Word report templates that you can download today:

1. Clean Report Template Word Free Download 

This free report template Word document is a great place to start your project. It includes six pages to work with. Expand on them in any way you need.

2. Simple Free Report Template Word

If you’re looking for a simple and free starting point, check out this professional report template Word free download. It’s a good start if you’re looking for pre-laid out structure.

3. Annual Report MS Word Report Templates Free Download

This resource is not great. It offers some valuable insights to consider as you put together your report. Check it out. 

4. Clean Free Word Report Templates with Photo Placeholders

Here’s a template with space for your photos, as well as your content. It also has three different variant headers that you can mix and match as you create new pages in your document. 

5. Starter Business Report (Free Report Template Word)

The report template Word is a simple and basic solution. It’s got many placeholders. These include a table of contents, graphs, and more to get you started.

6. Bold Color Free Report Template Word Document

This free report template uses large, bold text. Customize the colors to suit your project or professional branding. It includes many interior pages you can mix and match too.

7. MS Word Report Templates Free Download (Annual Reports, Business Reports, and More)

This free report template word is a great choice. It also includes some instructional text to help lead you through the process. Give this one a download and start customizing it today.

8. Budget Planning Report Template Word Free Download

Is your business report’s focus on budget planning? Then this professional report template Word free download could be a great fit for you. Check out the extra guidance at this resource too.

9. Simple Free General Business Report Template

Looking for structure but not necessarily bells and whistles? This free template is simple and clean. It’s structured to help you lay out your content in a clear and organized way.

10. Free Graphic Design Business Report Template for Word

This free template has a graphic design in mind. There’s space for your logo, imagery, and much more. Check out the interiors in this free template too.

11. Annual Sales Report Template Word Free Download

This free resource comes with some bonus insights to help guide you. These insights could be really helpful if you’re a first timer to business reports.

12. Project Scope Free Business Report Template for Word

Focusing on a new project within your business? If your report is discussing plans for a future project, then this free template could be a great starting point.

13. Business Abstract Free Word Report Templates

Prefer an abstract or geometric style? Give this free report template Word document a try. The interior has some interesting design options too.

14. Free Business Report Template for Word

Looking for a simple template to get you started? This one has a cover page and a simple interior page. If you’re looking for initial structure, get started with this one. 

15. Simple Business Report Plan or Proposal for Communications

Keep things simple with this basic business report template for Word. Or use it as a starting point and add even more content to make the design fuller and more detailed.

16. Proposal Collection MS Word Report Templates Free Download

Is your report proposal focused? Then check out this collection of free proposal templates. This resource also includes step-by-step questions and considerations to help you create the perfect proposal.

17. Free Photo Business Report MS Word Template

Here’s a free template that’s got a blocky aesthetic. It’s a good choice if you’re looking for a simple starting point. This template is also great if you aren’t looking for a complicated design.

18. Free Business Report MS Word Template

Choose from nine different pages in this free report template Word download. It’s got a cover with plenty of space for custom imagery, and then interior pages with a consistent header.

19. Business Proposal Free Word Report Templates Collection

This resource has fifteen different MS Word report templates, free download files, and insights. Check out this link for free downloads and some extra guidance for your project.

20. Free Business Report Outline MS Word Template

Prefer to work in an outline format? It can still have a professional look and feel, like we see in this free template. Download it today and customize it for your project’s needs.

How to Make a Great Looking Business Report Template

Now that you’ve got a premium business report template for Word, it’s time to customize it. In this next section, we’ll go over how you can customize the report to fit your business report. 

For this tutorial, we’ll be using the premium template, Company Report.

Company Report consists of twenty-four pages of unique and modern designs. The template is fully editable and is print-ready. Let’s get started on the customization:

1. Delete Unwanted Pages

Before you can begin filling out the template, you need to decide what pages you’ll want to use. Not every page in the report will be used for your report. 

To delete pages in MS Word, remove a section or page break.

To do this, display all page breaks by going to the hide/show button under the Home tab. Then select the section or page break you want to remove by highlighting it. Click on either Delete or Backspace.

2. Add Your Company’s Information

Most templates have multiple spots for your to add your company’s information. This can be your company’s website, logo, name, etc. In our template, every page has a placeholder to add a business website. 

To edit this, double-click the text placeholder and add in your company’s web address.

3. Add in Your Content

Now it’s time to add in the report content. There are placeholders all over the template where we can add in text. Simply double-click the placeholder where you want to add text and paste in your text. 

4. Add In Images

Now it’s time to add in images. Like the text, there are many image placeholders on the template pages. To add in images, choose the Insert main menu tab. Then select the Pictures > Picture from File… option. From there you can select the images you want to add.

5. Change the Color Scheme

Chances are the color scheme doesn’t fit your company’s brand. To change the color scheme, go to the Design tab. Next select the Colors drop-down menu. From there  select the colors that work for your company’s color scheme. 

Let’s now go over some free MS Word Business Report tips that you can use right now. 

5 Quick Tips To Make Better Business Reports in Word for 2023

Not sure how to make the best report for your business? Take a look at these five quick tips and tricks. You can use theme to make a better business report for your professional ventures this year. 

1. Don’t Overwhelm Your Audience

It might be tempting to share as much information as you can on the page, but it’s good to practice some restraint. Just like any presentation, we don’t want to overwhelm the audience.

This also applies from a design perspective. Be careful about putting way too much content on one page. Instead, keep some of your pages «empty», without any content at all. Consider it breathing room. 

It’s also a good idea to think about each page’s objective. This can be a great way to sort through and organize your content. Keep things to the point, and if there’s too much content there, create another page. Or consider a two-page spread for continuous content that’s longer in length.

2. Stay Visually Consistent and True to Your Branding

Visual consistency is really important. It helps link your pages to one another.

You’ll want to include your brands colors on your design so it looks more cohesive. If the colors changed from page to page, things might start to look independent or even chaotic.

Uniformed elements can push this even further. Think of things like repeating footer elements. We would want to see the page numbers in the same place so you can find them easily. 

3. Consistency Doesn’t Mean Repetitive or Boring

Keep in mind that consistency doesn’t mean your report should look boring. Imagine a report, for example, where every page was exactly the same, visually. It would get pretty boring, pretty quickly. 

Repetition is a great way to create continuity. But variety is a great way to create interest. Find a balance between the two.

The design below, for example, is a great example of layouts that vary but still look related. Note that the color scheme remains consistent. We also see similar use of shapes, like the circles here. The font choices are also consistent, while the layouts themselves mix things up.

4. Efficiently Organize and Refine Your Content

Organization is very important, both in terms of content and design. Take some time to look at the flow of your business report. Does the progression of your content make sense? Or does the content jump in a way that feels jarring or illogical?

Refinement is often a big part of the design process (even seasoned designers have plenty of revisions in their projects!). But it’s an important part of working with content. Remember to spell and grammar check. Also, refine the way your content itself is arranged and presented.

5. Use Visuals to Reinforce Your Content and Data

Visual content can be very communicative, and you can use this to your advantage. If you’re sharing data with your audience, try representing it visually. This will make more of an impact.

For example, let’s say you’re sharing sales data, where there’s been significant growth. Saying this with text is a great idea. Showing it with imagery can really help reinforce the amount of growth.

Top 5 Design Trends for Business Reports 2023

Why Use a Premium Business Report Template for Word?

We’re not all professional designers, and there’s nothing wrong with needing some help. That’s why a business report template Word document can be such a handy solution. Microsoft Word can be a user friendly option.

If you’re considering working with free Word report templates:

• «Free» doesn’t necessarily mean free of copyright or free for all commercial use. Note any attribution requirements or limitations when working with a free file.
• A free template will likely have limited options or design elements. Make sure you allot extra time for editing and customization, as the file will likely need it. 
• It’s unlikely to find exactly what you need, so prepare to compromise and edit. Free options are limited, so you may have to work with a template that’s outside of your exact scope. This is fine. But make sure to set time aside for customizing and editing this content to meet your needs.

Free is everyone’s favorite price tag. But remember, your time is valuable too. If you’re looking for a complete solution with high-end design qualities, you may want to consider a premium template. A beautifully designed report can really make your content shine. 

Discover More Top Microsoft Word Template Designs

Looking for even more professional Microsoft Word templates? Check out these collections for even more inspiration, free downloads, and other resources to help you with your next project. 

Common Word Business Report Questions Answered (FAQ)

Let’s go over a few common Word Business Report questions and answers to them: 

1. How Should I Structure My Business Report?

Your reports may vary from two pages to one hundred. But the structure will be similar. A business report structure should include the following:

• front information
• background of the topic
• key findings
• conclusion
• references

2. Should I Get Feedback on My Report?

Absolutely. You should try and get feedback on your report from as many people as possible. This will help you to see if there are any errors that you made. 

3. Do I Need to Plan the Report Before I Write It? 

This can really help. And it’s necessary to write down your goal for the report before you start. This will help you write the best report possible. 

4. Do You Need a Table of Contents?

If your report is longer than three pages, then it’s best to include a table of contents at the beginning of the report.

5. Should I Include an Introduction?

Yes, you should. This section details the purpose of the report. It cues in the reader to what the rest of the report is about and shouldn’t be skipped.

Looking to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out the next section for even more information about using business report templates in Word and other Word templates!

Learn More About Making Great Word Documents in 2023

There’s plenty to learn about Microsoft Word on Envato Tuts+. Check out these free tutorials today. Learn more about how you can make your own templates, reports, and more in Microsoft Word.

Which Microsoft Word Report Templates Work for Your Business?

What kind of professional report templates are perfect for your business? If you’re looking for high-quality downloads at a bargain price, check out Envato Elements. It’s an awesome choice for Microsoft Word report templates.

Download several with unlimited downloads. Test them out, combine them, and edit them. With unlimited downloads, you can experiment with any template.

So, why not start your business report in Microsoft Word today? Good luck with your project, and happy designing!

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Daniel Strongin. Daniel is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.