Writing An Executive Summary

www.oxfam.org.
uk/policyandpractice
RESEARCH GUIDELINES
WRITING AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
WHY MASTER THIS SKILL?
Many more people will read the executive summary of a report than will read either all or even part
of it. The summary is the bridge between the often-technical arguments and findings of the main
report, and the target audience, whether media, decision makers or aid professionals. A concise
and well-written summary will draw readers into the main report. If it is effective, it will be cited by
others and used as the basis for their own summaries of your findings.
Yet all too often, it is dashed off as an afterthought, badly written and missing some of the best
nuggets in the main report. What a waste! In terms of readership and impact, you should spend
a great deal of time and care on the executive summary, not a begrudging half hour at the end of
months of work.
Here are some ideas on how to get it right, or at least not as wrong.
WHO SHOULD WRITE IT?

It may be better, if you can, to ask someone with a media or communications background to draft the
executive summary (the author should of course also check and revise the draft). A fresh pair of eyes
will be closer to the mindset of the eventual reader: they will spot whats interesting and new, they are
more likely to avoid jargon and specialist vocabulary, and they do not hate the report like the author
probably does by now. If youre a one-person outfit without the luxury of a second pair of eyes, at least
get a good nights sleep and perhaps spend a day working on something else to clear your head
before starting in on the executive summary.
WHAT SHOULD YOU WRITE?

Try and keep the summary to a maximum of two pages one sheet of double-sided paper. Dont
cheat by shrinking the font if anything it should be larger than for the main report. If the summary is
more than two pages long, you will lose readers fast. If you can get it down to a single page, or even a
single paragraph for example, if there is one stand-out finding from the report then so much the
better.
The first paragraph should be a summary of the executive summary crucial to getting and keeping
the readers attention (imagine a tired journalist skimming a dozen incoming reports, or someone in
front of a computer scanning their RSS feed what makes them keep reading, rather than moving on
to the others?). So it should first say what is new or interesting in the report, plus the conclusions
thats what will keep people reading.
Next establish your bona fides: why should people trust your organization/author on this topic?
Then decide: What problem does the report address, and what methodology does it use?
Be sure to identify and import any killer facts or particularly striking graphics from the main report.
Finally, add a few of the main recommendations, but not a long list.
HOW SHOULD YOU WRITE IT?

A handy way to help yourself write is to imagine someone asking, That thing you said you were
writing what was it about? Youve got their attention, so now come up with an answer that inspires
them and leaves them with something memorable.
Writing from scratch is usually better than cut-and-paste.
If you are a new pair of eyes, first interview the author to get their views on what is new or interesting.
They will know both the report and the other literature on the topic far better than anyone else in the
organization.
Then start with the original full report (not the terms of reference (TOR) or the original concept note
they should have been superseded by the report). Read it carefully, particularly the first and last
sentences of each paragraph. Highlight key words or ideas (even if youre the original author, this may
be a worthwhile exercise), as well as killer facts and good graphics.
Using these prompts, construct the strongest narrative possible. If you have trouble doing so, that may
be because the report itself is not clear, either in arguments or structure writing the executive
summary can often lead to tweaking the main report, so you may need to go back to the author on
this.
Ideally, the main report and the executive summary can be even more closely interwoven. If the report
has well-defined sections, it can be a good discipline to draft part of the summary as you complete
each section. This is relatively painless if you have followed advice to conclude each section with a
short and succinctsummary of the main takeaways. You can always come back and amend it later,
taking the context of the whole report into account.
Re-read it, test it and get others to read it and comment on what does and does not make sense. If
youre a fresh pair of eyes, ask the author to fact-check it and point out any key omissions. Take your
time this is the most critical part of the report.
THINGS TO AVOID
Do not introduce the structure of the main report, e.g. In section one, we discuss the context of
X. The executive summary needs to work as a stand-alone document.
Do not introduce new ideas, references or arguments in the summary.
Dont oversell sprinkling hype (terms such as groundbreaking, breathtaking, extraordinary,
outrageous) through the summary will put people off. Substance, not superlatives, is what will
persuade them to keep reading.
Keep jargon and acronyms to an absolute minimum, and explain their meaning the first time you
use them. In particular, minimize the use of development-speak. Keep in mind George Orwells
guide to how to write.
A FINAL THOUGHT
A first step towards cutting out redundant language would be to start calling the summaries of our
reports just that, rather than executive summaries!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Here are some examples of good and bad executive summaries from the business world.
From academia, here is the best abstract ever (and almost certainly the most succinct!)
See also Oxfams research guidelines on Writing for impact: lessons from journalism and Creating
killer facts and graphics.
Oxfam GB November 2015
This guideline has been prepared by Oxfams Research Network for use by staff, partners, and
other development practitioners and researchers. It was written by Duncan Green (with the help
of a number of crowd sourcers) and edited by Martin Walsh.
The text may be used free of charge for the purposes of education and research, provided that
the source is acknowledged in full. The copyright holder requests that all such use be registered
with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for re-use
in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, permission must be secured and a fee may
be charged. Email publish@oxfam.org.uk
Oxfam welcomes comments and feedback on its Research Guidelines. If you would would like to
discuss any aspect of this document, please contact research@oxfam.org.uk. For further
information on Oxfams research and publications, please visit
www.oxfam.org.uk/policyandpractice
The information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press.
Published by Oxfam GB under ISBN 978-1-78077-964-5 in November 2015.
Oxfam GB, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY, UK.
Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC039042).
Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International.

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www.oxfam.org.

WHO SHOULD WRITE IT?

WHAT SHOULD YOU WRITE?

HOW SHOULD YOU WRITE IT?

Writing from scratch is usually better than cut-and-paste.

Oxfam GB November 2015

The information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press.

Published by Oxfam GB under ISBN 978-1-78077-964-5 in November 2015.

Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International.

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