How-to · Step-by-step
How to write an executive summary
An executive summary is a short, self-contained overview at the start of a report that states its purpose, main findings and recommendations for a reader who may go no further.
The step most authors miss
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Step by step
How to do it
1.Write it last
Draft the executive summary after the full report is finished. Because it distils conclusions and recommendations that may shift as you write, summarising a completed document is far easier and more accurate than trying to summarise one you are still drafting.
2.State the purpose and problem
Open by stating what the document is about and the problem or question it addresses, so the reader immediately understands the context. Keep this brief — a sentence or two — and avoid a slow build-up; the summary should get to the point at once.
3.Give the key findings
Present the most important findings or main points, selecting only what a decision-maker needs. Omit supporting detail, methodology and minor results; the summary conveys the headline conclusions, with the full evidence left to the body of the report.
4.State the recommendations
Set out the recommendations or proposed actions clearly, since these are often what a reader most wants. Make them specific and actionable, and ensure they follow logically from the findings you have just summarised.
5.Make it stand alone
Write so the summary makes complete sense on its own, without requiring the reader to consult the full document. Avoid undefined jargon, unexplained references to sections, and anything that only makes sense in context — assume some readers will read nothing else.
6.Keep it short and revise
Aim for roughly five to ten per cent of the document’s length, usually no more than a page or two. Then revise hard: cut detail, tighten sentences, and confirm the summary contains no information that is not also in the full report.
Executive summary versus abstract
An executive summary and an abstract both condense a longer document, but they serve different worlds. An abstract is an academic device — a very short (often 150–250 word) overview of a research paper, written for a scholarly audience and focused on purpose, method, results and conclusion. An executive summary is a business and policy device, typically longer and more detailed, written for decision-makers and weighted toward findings and, crucially, recommendations and actions. Both are self-contained and read before the rest, but the executive summary exists to support a decision, so it foregrounds what the reader should do, whereas an abstract simply reports what a study found.
Common questions
FAQ
How long should an executive summary be?+
As a rule of thumb, an executive summary is about five to ten per cent of the length of the document it introduces, and rarely more than a page or two. The guiding principle is brevity with completeness: it must be short enough to read quickly yet complete enough to convey the purpose, key findings and recommendations on its own.
What is the difference between an executive summary and an abstract?+
An abstract is a short academic summary of a research paper — usually 150–250 words — focused on purpose, method, results and conclusion for a scholarly audience. An executive summary is a business or policy overview, typically longer and weighted toward findings and recommendations, written to help a decision-maker act. The executive summary emphasises what to do; the abstract reports what was found.
Should an executive summary include new information?+
No. An executive summary must not introduce anything that is not in the full document. It distils and highlights the existing content — purpose, key findings and recommendations — so a reader can grasp the essentials without reading on. Any new point would undermine its role as a faithful, standalone overview of the report it accompanies.
Going deeper
