Complete guidance on official document writing

(1) Clarify the purpose of the document

Any official document is based on the actual situation at work Need to be written. Therefore, before writing, you must first clarify the purpose of the article, that is, the theme and purpose of the article.

1. What is the central content of the document? For example, to improve related work, what is the current situation? What problems exist, how to solve them, and what needs assistance; for other requests, please ask the superior authority to reply or solve the problem, etc.

2. Based on the content of the document, what language will be used? For example, when reporting on work conditions, whether to write a special report or a briefing; for issues reflected in communications from subordinates, whether to write an instruction or reply letter, or a prescribed notice, etc.

3. Clarify the scope of document sending and reading objects. For example, whether to report work to superiors, or to promote and introduce experience to relevant units; whether to read to leaders and relevant department personnel, or to convey it to all personnel.

4. Clarify the specific requirements for issuing documents. For example, should it require the other party to understand or reply, should it be implemented by the receiving agency, or should it be implemented as a reference, studied for reference, and solicited for opinions, etc.

In short, the method of publishing a document must be clearly defined, what issues it mainly elaborates on, and what specific purpose it wants to achieve. Only when you have a clear understanding of these issues can you start drafting.

(2) Collect relevant information and conduct investigation and research

After the purpose and theme of the article are clear, you can collect materials and conduct certain investigation and research around this topic. Of course, this also depends on the specific situation, and this step of work is not required for every official document drafted. For example, when writing a short notice or announcement, generally speaking, there is no need to collect materials and conduct research. After clarifying the purpose of the article, you can start writing with a little thought. However, for more complex issues, specific analysis and induction are required; such as formulating long documents, formulating work plans, conducting work summaries, drafting rules, regulations, and writing work instructions, etc., which often require the collection of relevant materials and preparation of work instructions. Further investigation and research work.

How to collect materials and conduct research for writing official documents? The first is to collect and read relevant written materials; the second is to collect practical materials. For example, to draft the annual work plan of the department, you first need to review last year's work plan and work summary, as well as refer to similar work plans of advanced enterprises, etc. You must also study the situation faced by the department this year and the central tasks and requirements of superiors this year. wait.

In short, collecting materials and investigating and researching are a process of preparation, in order to master a comprehensive and large amount of materials to understand all aspects of the problem, and then make a leap in understanding through analysis and thinking.

(3) Draw up an outline and arrange the structure

Based on the collection of materials, draft a writing outline. The outline is the main content of the document to be written. It outlines its main framework so that before officially starting to write, the entire article can be fully arranged and well-thought-out, so that the writing progresses smoothly and rework is avoided as much as possible.

The details of the outline can be determined according to the specific circumstances of the document, personal habits, and writing proficiency. For a document that is not long, you can roughly arrange the structure of the document. What questions should be written first, and what questions should be written in sequence. It can be divided into several levels of meaning, etc. Longer and more important documents often require a more detailed outline, including how the document is divided into several parts, each part is divided into several questions, the titles and key points of each large and small question, and what specific materials to use. Description etc. The outline does not need to have a lot of text, and there is no need to elaborate on the text. Of course, except for outlines that need to be discussed collectively or sent to leaders for review.

Writing an outline is a very important conception process. The basic points of the document can be gathered together with relevant personnel for collective discussion, research and revision, so that the outline can be increasingly improved. Documents written by two or more people who work separately need to study the writing outline together to avoid duplication, disconnection or conflict.

(4) Put pen to paper and draft and write the main text

After the structure is arranged, you must follow the order listed in the requirements, start clearly, stick to the theme, and write the main text. Pay attention to two points when writing:

1. Have a clear point of view and use appropriate materials. That is to say, viewpoints should be used to command the materials and the materials should serve the viewpoints. The materials used must be able to illustrate the problem, and the materials and viewpoints must be unified. When writing, you must pay attention to clarifying your point of view, and the language should not be vague, ambiguous, unclear, or specious. If the point of view is unclear, it will be unclear. Some documents only talk about opinions without actual materials, which will make people feel abstract and empty, lack of basis, and difficult to convince. Just listing the materials without a clear point of view will make people confused about the problem to be explained and the purpose of the document, especially the situation report and work report introduction.

2. The sentences should be concise and the explanation should be clear. When writing a document, you must try to save words, shorten the length, be concise and smooth, and pay attention to the clear issues explained.

(5) Check repeatedly and revise carefully

After writing the first draft, revise it carefully.

Writing articles requires effort. Since ancient times, good articles have been revised repeatedly, and the same goes for writing documents, especially important documents, which often require several drafts before they are approved. What needs to be paid attention to during this process is the modification of the theme. Check whether the topic is clear, whether the topic discussion is focused, and whether the topic exploration is profound. The second is about the modification of viewpoints. When revising official documents, you must consider whether the views are correct and whether there are any problems with the expression. The third is about the modification of materials. Materials are the basis of documents. If you have a correct point of view, it must be expressed through appropriate materials. The fourth is about structural modifications. Modify the structure of the document, including revisions to the overall structure of the document, to make the full text more rigorous. The fifth is about language refinement. The main purpose is to correct illogical sentences, irregular words and punctuation marks.

Revision work must be done seriously and carefully, and you must have enough patience and the spirit of excellence.

The following is an introduction to the writing of several commonly used official documents

(1) Request for instructions

A request for instructions is a form of approval used by subordinates to request decisions, instructions or approvals from superiors. sex documents.

Requests for instructions have several characteristics:

First, they are targeted. Only major matters that cannot be decided within the scope of the unit's authority, such as important decisions, important decisions, personnel arrangements and other issues, as well as new problems, new situations or insurmountable difficulties encountered at work, can be used in the form of "request for instructions". Ask superiors for instructions, decisions, replies, and approvals. Therefore, "asking for instructions" is highly targeted. The second is batch nature. Requests for instructions are targeted upward documents, and superior leaders must give a clear "approval" reply to the submitted requests for instructions, regardless of whether they agree or disagree. The third is singleness. Requests for instructions should be made in one letter. Generally, only one recipient organization should be written. Even if it needs to be submitted to other leaders at the same time, it can only be sent in the form of carbon copy. The fourth is timeliness. A request for instructions is an official document seeking instructions and approval from a superior unit regarding the situations and problems that arise in the current work of the unit. If it can be issued in time, the problem will be solved in a timely manner.

Classification of requests for instructions

According to different content and nature, requests for instructions are divided into the following three types: First, requests for indicative instructions. The second is to request approval. The third is to request forwarding instructions.

The structure, content and writing method of the request for instructions

The request for instructions consists of three parts: the header, the body and the tail. The format, content and writing method of each part are as follows:

1. The first part. It mainly includes two items: title and main delivery mechanism.

(1) Title. There are generally two ways of writing the title of a request for instructions: one is composed of the name of the issuing agency, the subject matter, and the language type. For example, "The *** Group's Request for Instructions on *********"; the other is composed of things and genres, such as "The *** Group's Request for Instructions on *********".

2. The structure of the text generally consists of a beginning, a main body, and a conclusion.

(1) Beginning. Mainly explain the reasons for requesting instructions.

(2) Theme. It mainly describes the matters requested. It is a specific request to the higher authority. The content of this part should be simple and it is appropriate to request only one thing.

(3) Conclusion. Start a new paragraph, with idiomatic expressions such as "Yes or no, please approve", "Yes or no, please approve", "The above request for instructions, please approve", "The above request for instructions, please approve" or "The above request for instructions is correct, please approve." All departments will implement it.”

3. The tail, its main structure is the signature and writing time.

Issues that should be paid attention to when requesting instructions: First, the principle of one article, one matter. Third, the materials must be true and do not make up the situation to get approval from the leadership. Third, the reasons are sufficient and the matters requested are clear. Fourth, the tone is plain and sincere to attract the attention of superiors.

(2) Reply

1. Reply is applicable to replies to requests for instructions from lower-level agencies. When lower-level agencies need to request instructions from higher-level agencies for matters that the unit has no authority, power, or difficulty in solving, the higher-level agencies will use the language "approval" to reply to the requests for instructions. The content of the reply is mainly to express a clear position on the matters requested for instructions, either agreeing, disagreeing, or partially agreeing, and sometimes also making amendments or supplements to the matters requested.

2. There is a difference between an approval and a reply letter. First, the writing direction is different; second, the importance is different.

3. The structure of the reply usually includes the title, the main sending agency, the main text, and the signature.

(1) Title. The title of the reply has many forms: one is composed of the name of the issuing agency, the matter of the reply, the object of the reply, and the language type; for example: the Ministry of Civil Affairs' reply on the cancellation of Dunhuang County in Gansu Province and the establishment of Dunhuang City. One is composed of the name of the issuing authority, the subject matter and the language type; for example: the State Council’s approval of the decision to join the Patent Cooperation Treaty. The third type consists of the subject matter and the type of text; for example: the approval of Jiuquan City’s human resources market construction plan. The fourth type consists of the name of the issuing agency plus the original title and text type.

(2) The main delivery organ. The main sending agency for approval refers to the agency that issues the request for instructions corresponding to the approval. For authorizing replies, the main sending agency shall be the lower-level agency authorized to issue and implement administrative regulations and rules.

(3) Text. The text is the main body of the reply, its content is relatively specific and single, and its hierarchical structure is relatively fixed.

Except for the writing method of authorization approval and general approval, the structure of other approvals generally consists of three parts: the beginning, the main body, and the conclusion. beginning. Explain the reasons for the approval by citing the source. First, identify the lower-level agency that approved the reply and write down the date, title and document number of the communication to explain the basis for the reply. main body. Mainly explain the approval matters. A clear affirmative (or negative) answer or specific instructions should be given to the content of the "request for instructions" in accordance with national guidelines, policies, laws, regulations and actual conditions, and generally no discussion will be conducted. There are also some replies that summarize hopes and requirements after the approved matters to further emphasize the purpose of the reply.

(3) Conclusion. Generally, idiomatic expressions such as "this reply" and "this reply" are used.

(4) Signature. Generally, it includes two items: signature and writing time. The signature should be written with the name of the approving agency and the official seal should be stamped; the time of writing should be written with the year, month and day.

4. Precautions for approval: First, you must have a clear attitude; second, you must be comprehensive and thorough; third, you must be prompt and timely.

(3) Report

A report is a descriptive upward document in which subordinates report their work, reflect situations, put forward opinions or suggestions, and answer inquiries to superiors.

"Report" is a descriptive style. When writing, you should use real materials as the main content and summary narrative as the main way of expression. "Report" is a type of upward language in administrative documents. The purpose of writing a "report" is to let the superiors understand the situation of the unit and understand the unit. Work status and requirements, so that superior leaders can provide timely support and provide a basis for superior agencies to handle problems, arrange work or make certain decisions. "What's below and what's above" is the purpose of preparing and issuing reports. Therefore, the content of the report is required to be mainly about presenting facts, objectively reflecting the specific situation, and not using too much discussion and explanation. The expression should be mainly general, and the tone should be tactful and modest, and it is not suitable to use commanding language.

Characteristics of the report:

First, the purpose of the report is to report work, situations, suggestions, replies, etc. to the superior. It does not directly request the superior authority to answer the questions in the report directly, so There is no request for instructions, which is one of the important differences between it and the request for instructions.

Second, reports generally do not include suggestions or opinions. If it is really necessary to implement the suggestions or opinions put forward in the report in a certain field or in certain departments, it can be recommended that the superior authority transfer it to the relevant departments for implementation. Once the report is approved, it will be issued as an attachment to the transfer document, and its authority depends on Or attached to the forwarding agency.

Third, the content of the report does not have the requirement of "one document, one thing" like "request for instructions". It can comprehensively report several things in one official document, and the hierarchical structure is relatively complex.

Fourth, reports are widely used for feedback information from subordinates to superiors, and are an important form of vertical communication between superior and subordinate agencies. Reporting work, reflecting problems, and making suggestions to superiors in a timely manner is also a work system that lower-level agencies must implement.

Types of reports

In terms of type and content, reports mainly include: reporting reports, reply reports, presentation reports, and routine work reports.

Writing method:

The structure of a report generally consists of title, receiving organization, body, signature, and writing time. Here are several ways of writing reports

1 , Reporting reports

Reporting reports are mainly reports from subordinates to superiors reporting work and reflecting the situation. They are generally divided into two categories:

(1) Comprehensive report. This kind of report is a reporting report written to superiors on the overall situation of the work of the unit when it reaches a certain stage. The content generally includes work progress, achievements or problems, experiences or lessons learned, and opinions or suggestions for future work. The characteristics of this kind of report are comprehensive, summarized and concise.

(2) Special report. This kind of report is a reporting report written to superiors on a certain problem in a certain work.

2. Reply report

This type of report is a report written in response to questions or certain requirements raised by superiors or management. This kind of report requires the answers to the questions asked and does not involve questions or situations other than the inquiry.

3. Reporting reports

Reporting reports are mainly used by subordinates to submit documents and objects to superiors. Generally, it is one or two sentences describing the basis or purpose of submitting documents or objects and matters related to the documents or objects.

4. Routine work report

Routine work report is a report written by subordinates to superiors regularly due to work needs. For example, financial reports, expense reports, etc.

(4) Writing of notices

Notices are the most frequently used type of text in official documents, and are usually descendants. It is applicable to forwarding official documents of lower-level agencies, forwarding official documents of higher-level agencies and agencies not affiliated with them; issuing regulations; communicating matters that lower-level agencies are required to handle and relevant units need to be informed or jointly implemented; appointing, removing, and hiring cadres.

(1) Categories of notifications

According to functions, notifications can be divided into the following categories:

1. Posting notifications

①Forward The higher-level agency uses the notice to approve and forward the communication to the lower-level agencies, such as transfer reports, opinions, etc. to the relevant lower-level departments for implementation. Examples: "Notice of the XX Municipal People's Government on the Approval of the Municipal Housing Leading Group's Opinions on Solving the Housing Problems of Extremely Poor Households", "Notice of the State Council on the Approval of the State Land Administration's Report on the Land Grants of Certain Local Governments Beyond Their Authority".

② Forwarding notices: For communications from superior agencies and agencies not affiliated with them, this agency will forward the notices to relevant lower-level units for implementation. For example: "The General Office of the XX Provincial People's Government forwarded the notice of the General Office of the State Council on the issue of not displaying tobacco and alcohol in receptions"; "The Ministry of Construction forwarded the National Price Bureau and the Ministry of Finance on the release of centrally managed construction system administrative fee items and Standard Notice.

③Public notices publish various regulations and other materials formulated by this agency to produce direct administrative effects. Example: "Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Issuing "Measures for Handling Official Documents of State Administrative Agencies".

The meeting minutes comprehensively reflect the spirit of the meeting by recording the basic situation of the meeting, meeting results, and matters agreed at the meeting, so that the participants can have a unified understanding and comprehensively and truthfully convey the basis for the organization's work after the meeting. At the same time, "meeting minutes" can be written in multiple directions, and have the function of reporting, issuing, and communicating with units at the same level.

How to write meeting minutes

Meeting minutes generally consist of three parts: the header, the main body, and the tail. The writing requirements for each part are as follows:

The first part. The main item in this section is the title. The first part of some meeting minutes also includes the writing time and other items. The title of the meeting minutes usually consists of the name of the meeting and the language. Such as "**** unit **** meeting minutes".

Text. The structure of the main body of the meeting minutes consists of a preface and a main body.

1. Foreword. First, summarize the name, time, location, host, main agenda, participants, meeting format and main results of the meeting.

2. Subject. It is the core content of the meeting secrets. It mainly records the meeting situation and meeting results. When writing, you should pay attention to focusing on the central topic and accurately express the basic spirit of the meeting, especially the decisions and resolutions formed by the meeting. Controversial issues and different opinions at the meeting must be truthfully reflected.

Tail. Including signature and writing time.

(7) How to write the letter

1. Title

The title of the letter generally consists of the issuing agency, the subject matter and the language. The issuing authority may generally omit it depending on the specific circumstances. Whether it is a contact letter or a letter requesting approval, the letter can be written as "letter", but some may also be written as "official letter". Letters of a reply nature must be marked "reply letter" in the language.

2. Main delivery agency

Write the full name or standardized abbreviation of the agency in the top box, followed by a colon. The main sending agency for the reply letter is the sending unit.

3. Text

The beginning of the letter should briefly describe the reason or purpose of the letter; the beginning of the reply should quote the date, document number or title of the letter, etc.

The subject should clearly state the main matters of negotiation, inquiry, notification and approval when sending a letter; the reply letter should give a specific and clear reply based on the content of the letter. The content of both the outgoing letter and the reply letter must be clear, concentrated, and single, so that one letter does one thing.

When sending a letter, it is generally concluded with "This is your special letter to inform you", "I would like to send you my reply", etc.; Reply letters are often concluded with "This is your reply", "This is your reply", etc. The tail sentence should be drafted according to the content and requirements.

Sign your name at the bottom right of the signature text and stamp it with your official seal. In addition to being one letter and one thing, the main body of the letter also requires appropriate language. The wording must be appropriate and consistent with the identity depending on the content and direction of writing. It must use elegant language, be enthusiastic, sincere, pragmatic and straightforward, and facilitate work.

Official document margins: The white margin of official document paper is: 37 mm ± 1 mm, the lower white margin is 35 mm ± 1 mm; the left white margin of official document paper is 28 mm ± 1 mm, and the right white margin is 28 mm ± 1 mm. Side is 26mm±1mm.