Report cover

A report cover (hereinafter, the Cover) is the front and back of a report. The Cover is an optional part of report's front matter; when the Cover is included, it functions as a part of report's descriptive metadata.

Description

The ANSI/NISO Scientific and Technical Reports standard details,

Although considered an optional component, a cover provides physical protection for a print report and displays major metadata elements for resource discovery. Electronic versions of reports, especially in PDF, often include a cover to replicate the look of the print version. A cover identifies the report number, title, author(s), and any distribution limitations. If classified or proprietary information appears in a report, a notice on the cover indicates that such material is included.

Best practices

The ANSI/NISO Scientific and Technical Reports standard indicates,

The best practices for including data elements of a report cover are as follows:

• Report number (can also be on the back cover, or on both)
• Report title and subtitle, if used (should be the same on the cover, title page, and report documentation page)
• Title and numbering of series, if the report is issued in a series (can also be on the back cover, or both)
• Author, principal investigator, editor, and/or compiler
• Publisher (the organization that assumes responsibility for publication, which may or may not be the same as the sponsoring organization)
• Date of publication (optional; can defer to the title page or to the copyright page)
• Distribution limitations
• Sponsoring organization of published research
• A bar code or other indication of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) and the price (optional). This information is usually included on the back cover of the report as well and may facilitate managing inventory.
• Technical requirements (for example, video, audio, digital)
• Subject

Legal or policy considerations of the sponsoring organization may require using additional data elements.