Dubal Report Writer Guideline

8/13/2019 Dubal Report Writer Guideline

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Dubal

Report Guideline

Prepared by: Al Ghanem Net


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Report Layout: General Guidelines

The following elements should appear on every report, regardless of the report type.Each Report must contain the following:



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1. Dubal Logo2. Report Main Title

3. Report Information4. Report Sub Title

5. Report Information6. Header Divider

7. Footer Divider8. Footer 1

9. Footer 2

10. Bottom Margin11. Left Margin

12. Top Margin13. Right Margin



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1. Dubal Logo

Logo Height = 16 pointAlignment = Left

2. Report Main Title

Font = VerdanaType = Bold

Font Size = 14Alignment = Centre

3. Report InformationFont = Verdana

Type = BoldFont Size = 10

Alignment = Left

4. Report Sub Title


Font Size = 12Alignment = Centre

5. Report Information

Font = Verdana

Type = BoldFont Size = 10

Alignment = Left (set tab as per requirement)

6. Header DividerSize = 1 point

7. Footer DividerSize = 1 point

8. Footer 1


Font Size = 8

Alignment = Left

9. Footer 2Font = Verdana

Type = Bold

Font Size = 8Alignment = Left (set tab as per requirement)

10. Bottom Margin

Point from Edge = 24

11. Left MarginPoint from Edge = 24



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12. Top Margin


13. Right Margin


Note:If the report is required to be filed or bound, for portrait keep additional 24

point margin from the edge, on the side, which will be used for binding or filing. For

report to be printed on both sides of the paper adjust the margin on odd and evenpages respectively.

Additional Guidelines:

The Dubal reports may be printed in Portrait and Landscape.

Permanent Header must include the following:

1.

Dubal Logo2. Report title and Sub title3. Report No.4. Report Date:

Permanent Footer may include the Following:1. Page No. (Use format */*, or * of *)2. Author(s) ID

Note:Other than the Title, Subtitle, Report No, and Report Date all other captions

can be included either on the header or footer. Such as: Type of Report Period Covered Department or Organization Name or Code

End Note & Footnote:

1. Use bold font for the caption2. Use 8 or 9 points text

Shading:

1. For shading use between 10% and 20%, never use greater than 25% shade.2. Shaded cells should use bold fonts

Tables & Lines

1. Use 1 point line for headers2. use or point line for rows and columns

Do Nots:1. Do not use text effects.2. Do not use Italics.3. Do not use more than 3 fonts in a single report



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General Information:

There are no standard guidelines for creating reports, what has been mentioned in

the pages above are at best recommendations. Design choices often come down toindividual tastes, so there is rarely one right answer. Your job is to stay focused on

the choices that maximize clarity and make the report as accessible and attractive aspossible. Before creating a report get answers to the questions below.

Who will use the form or report? What is the purpose of the form or report? When is the form or report needed and used? Where does the form or report need to be delivered and used? How many people need to use or view the form or report?

The Fundamentals

To create a report in-house, be mindful of the fundamental rules of good design.

They will help to ensure that your audience can find its way through the material andthat your message comes across loud and clear. These basic rules apply to both print

and electronic formats, although the specific application may vary.

Font Size and Type

Use a font size and type that are easy to read. Use Common fonts such as Verdana, Tahoma, etc as users are easy to

read and users are familiar to these fonts.

Try to limit the numberof font types in a single document to two orthree, although it's okay to use a few different styles within the same font

family (e.g., versions of the same font type that are bolder, thinner, ormore or less compressed). Choose font types that contrast but still look

good together.

Use bold typefor highlighting important words and phrases, butremember that too much bold can be distracting.

The size of the font can have a major impact on readability. Since the"ideal" size for a font is a function of the font type, the line length, the

space between lines and the visual acuity of readers, the best strategy isto choose a size that seems readable and test it with your audience.

White Space

White space is space on the page that is empty of both text and graphics. It helps

the reader get oriented on the page and focus on the information that is important.

Use white space to break up the pageand make certain items (such astables) stand out. It is better to have a longer document than a documentthat has very little unoccupied space.

White space between paragraphs makes it easier for the reader to skim andfocus on manageable chunks of information. The space between lines also



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affects readability: if the space is too narrow, the eye sees only a block of

text; if it is too wide, the eye has to work too hard to jump from line to line.

Page-to-Page Consistency

Although each page in your report may have different content, the basicdesign should be consistent. Page numbers and section titles, for instance,should always be in the same place on every page. Each style of text you use

(e.g., titles, headings, bulleted lists, footnotes) should look the samein

terms of font type, size, and colorthroughout the document.

This kind of consistency orients the readers, facilitates skimming, and enablesthem to navigate easily through the document.

Line Justification

In general, it is easier to read text that is raggedrather than justified on theright. (In justified text, the right margin is a straight edge; ragged means

that the right margin is uneven.) Justification can throw off the spacing

between words, interfering with the way people read.

Basic Guidelines for Using Color

Because colors are so powerful, you need to be sensitive to their impact anduse them sparingly. You will be better able to draw the reader's attention if

you use colors purposefully.

You cannot rely on color alone to convey differences in text or graphics. Forexample, you would not want to use circles with three different colors unlessyou are absolutely sure that your audience will perceive the contrast in the

colors: yellow, for instance, would appear very light compared to a dark blue.

Some readers may be colorblind. Readers may also photocopy your report, so

the black and white version has to be as informative as the color version.

Highlighting Information

Use sparingly to draw user to or away from certain information Methods should be consistently selected and used based upon level of

importance of emphasized information

Displaying Text

Display text in mixed upper and lower case and use conventional punctuation Use double spacing if space permits. If not, place a blank line between

paragraphs Left-justify text and leave a ragged right margin Do not hyphenate words between lines Use abbreviations and acronyms only when they are widely understood by

users and are significantly shorter than the full text

Displaying tables and lists

Labels



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All columns and rows should have meaningful labels Labels should be separated from other information by using highlighting Redisplay labels when the data extend beyond a single screen or page

Formatting columns, rows and text

Sort in a meaningful order Similar information displayed in multiple columns should be sorted vertically Columns should have at least two spaces between them Allow white space on printed reports for user to write notes Use a single typeface, except for emphasis Use same family of typefaces within and across displays and reports Avoid fancy fonts

Formatting numeric, textual and alphanumeric data

Right-justify numeric data and align columns by decimal points or otherdelimiter

Left-justify textual data. Use short line length, usually 30 to 40 charactersper line Break long sequences of alphanumeric data into small groups of three to four

characters each

Basic Guidelines for Chart Design

Here are some basic guidelines for designing clean, readable charts:

Avoid unnecessary lines and boxes. They clutter up the page and distract thereader's eye.

Be cautious with shading; it is useful for highlighting differences, but canmake text hard to read (especially for older readers and those who arevisually impaired).

Be careful about using alternating colors in bars or tables. Readers often thinkthat the colors mean something, e.g., that rows with a background that is

colored rather than white are more important. Also, colored backgrounds canmake the same symbol look different.

Line up titles, headings, and the left edges of graphics to create a clean look. Look for opportunities to create "white space" on the page and around graphic

elements and text (White space is empty space that contains no graphics or

text).

To make text easier to skim, align the tops of column headings and the leftsides of row headings.

To make groups of symbols easier to read, keep the symbols close togetherso they create a visual "block". Also, rather than centering the symbols, left-justify them so that it is easy to see which groups are larger than the others(i.e., so that reading the symbol blocks is like reading a bar chart).

To make the text in the graphic easy to skim, vary font sizes, use bold type,and insert line breaks that separate the main text from subpoints.

liminate distracting details in the text and in the graphics. Don't vary the width of related columns (e.g., the columns for each health

plan) even if some have more text than others.



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Use Tables for

reading individual data valuesUse Graphs for

providing a quick summary of data trends over time comparing points and patterns of data forecasting reporting vast amounts of data when only impressions are to be drawn

Note:Reports that contain large number of pages or may include written text,graphics, mathematical, and statistical materials, at a minimum should contain the

following:

1. Title page (see attached)2. Table of Contents and a separate list of Tables and Figures3. Abstract

4. Executive Summary5. Introduction/Statement of Purpose

6. Main body of report, [nature of issue(s); alternatives to address theissue(s); and issue resolution]

7. Conclusions/Significance to Planning/Recommendations

8. Footnotes/Endnotes9. Bibliography, references, interviews, etc.

10. Appendices as needed

Conclusion:

Meaningful titles clear and specific titles revision date or code to distinguish from prior versions current date to show when form or report was generated

Meaningful information only needed information should be displayed information should be provided in a manner that is usable without

modification

Balanced layout balanced on screen or on page adequate spacing and margins all data and entry fields should be clearly labeled



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Some Corrections:


Do not use dashes to createlines in a report

Do not use lines unlessneeded

If possible use a groupheader for each group

Do not put legends,captions, between labels

and contents. Always align group

headers, with the group,

either left or centre. Numeric column should be

right aligned Use column lines where

necessary Use standard format for

header and footer

Always use line to divide afooter, to avoid confusion

between content and footer

Documents

Dubal Report Writer Guideline