Market Report Formatting Guide

Use formatting to expose evidence quality and uncertainty, not to make estimates look more certain. The bundled LaTeX files are optional; Markdown, HTML, DOCX, or another user-requested format is equally acceptable.

Information hierarchy

Use the following order within each analytical section:

1. finding or question;
2. evidence and exact claim IDs;
3. calculation or interpretation;
4. assumptions and uncertainty;
5. implication or decision threshold.

Keep these statement types visually and verbally distinct:

• Observed fact — directly represented by cited evidence.
• Estimate — a source's or analyst's uncertain estimate.
• Calculation — deterministic result from listed inputs and formula.
• Scenario — conditional result, not a prediction or confidence interval.
• Recommendation — judgment based on findings and stated objectives.

Required labels for quantitative content

Every quantitative table, figure, callout, or headline metric should show:

• geography and coverage;
• period or as-of date;
• currency and base year when monetary;
• nominal, real, current-price, constant-price, or chained basis;
• stock, flow, count, share, rate, price, or index;
• unit and denominator;
• taxonomy and version when classifications define scope;
• historical versus forecast status;
• source IDs and calculation ID;
• revision status and material limitations.

Do not combine differently defined values in one visual scale. Normalize them first and retain the conversion record.

Color and accessibility

The style uses a restrained, colorblind-aware palette:

• navy: structure and observed evidence;
• teal: calculated values;
• amber: assumptions or uncertainty;
• red: limitations or unresolved conflicts;
• gray: context and unavailable evidence.

Never rely on color alone. Add labels, symbols, line styles, or direct annotations. Check grayscale legibility and reading order.

LaTeX usage

Place market_research.sty next to the report and use:

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage{market_research}

The package provides:

\begin{evidencebox}[Observed evidence]
Claim C-014 maps to sources S-003 and S-011.
\end{evidencebox}

\begin{calculationbox}[Calculation CALC-007]
Top-down and bottom-up estimates differ by 12.4\% of their midpoint.
\end{calculationbox}

\begin{assumptionbox}[Scenario assumptions]
The upside case assumes faster adoption; it is not assigned a probability.
\end{assumptionbox}

\begin{limitationbox}[Material limitation]
The source series was revised after the original retrieval date.
\end{limitationbox}

The compatibility aliases keyinsightbox, marketdatabox, riskbox, recommendationbox, and calloutbox remain available for existing reports, but prefer the evidence-specific environments above.

Tables

Put units in column headers and scope in the caption. Do not mix percentages and currency on a single unlabelled axis.

\begin{table}[htbp]
\centering
\caption{Conditional market-size scenarios, Exampleland, nominal 2025 USD/year}
\begin{tabular}{@{}lrrrl@{}}
\toprule
Scenario & TAM & SAM & SOM & Evidence \\
\midrule
Downside & [value] & [value] & [value] & S-001; S-004 \\
Base     & [value] & [value] & [value] & S-001; S-004 \\
Upside   & [value] & [value] & [value] & S-001; S-004 \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

Use unknown rather than a zero when evidence is missing. Explain suppression, rounding, residual categories, and totals that do not add because of chain weighting or independent seasonal adjustment.

Optional figures

Figures are optional and should be created only when they improve understanding. A figure caption must identify:

\caption{Scenario range by year. Nominal 2025 USD/year; Exampleland;
historical through 2025 and conditional scenarios thereafter.
Sources: S-001, S-004. Calculation: CALC-FCST-002.}

Never use decorative imagery as evidence. Never infer market share from logo size, search rank, or an unlabelled generated graphic.

Citations

Use stable source IDs in the report body and a complete evidence ledger in the appendix. A suggested compact notation is:

The published count increased after the latest revision [C-014; S-003].

The bibliography entry alone is not enough: the claims ledger must map each claim to the exact source record, retrieval date, and applicable calculation or assumption IDs.

Final checks

• No placeholder numbers or unsupported precision remain.
• Forecasts and TAM/SAM/SOM are visibly labeled as scenarios.
• Observed and forecast periods are visually separated.
• All monetary content states currency, base year, and price basis.
• Every table and optional figure has source and calculation IDs.
• Unknowns, conflicts, revisions, and limitations are visible.
• Layout does not imply endorsement, legal advice, or investment advice.