The word ‘introduction‘ needs no introduction, as we all are quite familiar with it, due to its recurrent usage in our day to day life. In general sense, it implies the official presentation of one person to another. However, when it comes to submission of reports, assignments or other documents, it refers to the preliminary piece of information provided at the beginning, to have an idea of what the document contains and why it is prepared.
Many of us think that executive summary is similar to an introduction, but this is not true, because Executive Summary as the name suggests, is the thumbnail of the information provided in the document. It is prepared for the readers to have a quick overview of the document, who does not have enough time to read the document in full.
So, in this excerpt we are going to throw light on the differences between these two sections of a document or assignment, take a read.
Content: Introduction Vs Executive Summary
Comparison Chart
| Basis for Comparison | Introduction | Executive Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | An introduction refers to a piece of information found at the beginning, which gives an overview of the document. | An executive summary implies a compact form of the information presented in the document, comprising all the important points of the main text. |
| Tells you | What the document is about? And why it is written? | What is covered in the document? And what it signifies? |
| Essence | It does not contain the essence of the report. | It contains the essence of the report. |
| Standalone document | No | Yes |
| Objective | To provide background information to the reader to let him/her understand the report's information. | To highlight the important points in the document, to help the reader in decision making. |
| Length | Short | Comparatively long |
| Written | It is written first. | It is written in the end. |
Definition of Introduction
The introduction refers to the primary section of the book, essay, article or report, which expresses the purpose, context, scope, significance and logic of the following work. It gives a small description of the content, which tells the reader, what the work is all about. It informs the reader, what they can expect to be disclosed in the book, if they further read it.
The introduction is the soul of a document, as it is the highly read section, which decides the interest and attitude of the reader towards the research work. It introduces the subject of the book or document and part of the main body.
You can find a short review of the content, in this section which provides background information to your report, so as to seek the reader’s attention. Many times, it also covers the definition of the terms which are used in the main body of the report.
Further, an introduction attempts to explain the reason for writing the report. It describes the problem which is to be discussed in the project and indicate the objective or central idea of writing the report. It provides:
- Background information
- Purpose
- Contents
- Limitations
- Significance
Definition of Executive Summary
The executive summary is often used in business reports, which is nothing but a specific section of the document encapsulating (summarizing) the entire business plan or proposal, in a few points or paragraphs. It enables the readers to quickly scan the document, and understand the whole body of content, without reading it completely.
In other words, the executive summary is an independent document, which contains such points that help the reader to get knowledge about what is contained in the document, without compromising its clarity for brevity.
Hence, an executive summary gives a brief, comprehensive and optimistic overview of the business, to grab the attention of the reader in such a way that they want to know more about it. It contains only 10% of the total word count of the entire report.
It is the third page of the report, after the title and table of contents, which contains the title at the top of the page and paragraphs that sum up the report. An executive summary not just analyzes the problem, but also communicates the findings, results and recommends the course of action. It includes:
- Purpose
- Method and Procedures
- Findings and discussion
- Conclusion
- Recommendations and Implications
Key Differences Between Introduction and Executive Summary
The points given below are substantial so far as the difference between introduction and executive summary:
- Introduction implies the piece of information which tells you what the report or document is about. On the other hand, the executive summary can be understood as that part of the report, article or proposal, which contains a succinct and cohesive representation of the main document, in an abridged form.
- An introduction is the sneak peek of the report or essay, with which the document begins and tells you the reason and objective of writing it. As opposed, an executive summary contains the highlights of the main document and communicates the findings, conclusion and future course of action.
- An introduction is like a trailer or promo of the movie, which only provides a sketch of the document. In contrast, an executive summary is like a plot, or storyline of the movie, which provides the essence of the document.
- An executive summary is a standalone document, in the sense that it contains all the important points mentioned in the document. On the contrary, the introduction only presents you what the document is all about, and the background information and so it is not a standalone document.
- The objective of the introduction is to provide background information to the reader to let him understand the report’s contents. However, the objective of the executive summary is to highlight the important points in the document, to help the reader in decision making.
- An introduction contains several paragraphs, which continues for 1 to 2 pages. As against, an executive summary is 2-3 pages long, which contains several paragraphs or bullet points.
- Whenever we start writing a report or proposal, we start by giving the introduction, so it is the first thing that we write. Conversely, as an executive summary contains all the main points of the document, it is written in the end, so as to cover all the highlights.
Conclusion
Therefore, an introduction is just a preview of the document, which introduces you to the concept. However, an executive summary is a snapshot of what is given in the document. So, it must provide sufficient information, concerning the report so that the readers get enough knowledge to make a rational decision.
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