Lecture Seven Chapter Six Strategies for Writing Reports REPORT WRITING PROCESS • • • • DEFINE THE PROBLEM OR OBJECTIVE – What does reader want from the report? (Information, Data, Analysis ESTABLISH.
Download ReportTranscript Lecture Seven Chapter Six Strategies for Writing Reports REPORT WRITING PROCESS • • • • DEFINE THE PROBLEM OR OBJECTIVE – What does reader want from the report? (Information, Data, Analysis ESTABLISH.
Lecture Seven Chapter Six Strategies for Writing Reports REPORT WRITING PROCESS • • • • DEFINE THE PROBLEM OR OBJECTIVE – What does reader want from the report? (Information, Data, Analysis ESTABLISH HYPOTHESES – Set up IF - THEN statements SEEK DATA – Primary (Collected through surveys, interviews, experiments. – Secondary ( Historical information) FORMAT – Informal (Short Memo) - Letter or Memo Report - Formal STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS • FORMAT CONSIDERATIONS – Audience – Effort (Phone Calls to several weeks in the library) – Value (End use) – Original Assignment (Expectations of Reader) – Precedent – Order (What appears first in the report) Direct Indirect ORGANIZATION • Time (Is the information chronological) • Place (Is information geographic) • Quantity (Organized by statistical category) • Factors or Other Criteria (What helped you reach your conclusion?) (Optimum characteristics of a job candidate) INTERNAL STRUCTURE • HEADINGS - Establish the degree of significance of material to follow (Can be used in formal and informal) – Reflect the outline of your report – Use as transition devices (When finish one section introduce the next) – Be descriptive but short ( No more than seven words) – First Degree (Some writers center and make bold) Be consistent – Second Degree (Usually at left margin) indicate a sub category of the section) – Third Degree (Indented, underscore, Capitalize the initial letter only. Follow the heading by a period and start the body of the paragraph MEMORANDUM AND LETTER REPORTS • Most Informal (Follow style guide for the organization) – Introduction (Purpose and who authorized) – Body (Direct or Indirect Style) • Use Headings • Use Lists Only After Introducing Subject • Tell the Story Don’t Just Develop a List – Ending (Last paragraph should provide conclusions and recommendations) LETTER REPORTS • ORGANIZATION – DIRECT OR INDIRECT (Mostly Indirect because of uncertainty of reader reaction) • INTRODUCTION – Similar to Memo Report. Use to orient reader • BODY – No set length usually 8 - 10 pages • ENDING – Conclusion and Recommendations FORMAL REPORT • PREFATORY – TITLE FLY – TITLE PAGE • Title,Presented To, Presented By – LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL • 1st paragraph - Transmits report to recipient, states nature of report, mentions authorization • Body - Synopsis, helpful hits in reading and acknowledgments • Close with goodwill statement – TABLE OF CONTENTS – LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES – SYNOPSIS • If not included in Letter of Transmittal. Sometimes called epitome, review, brief, digest or executive summary REPORT PROPER • INTRODUCTION – State Purpose of Report – Authorization – Methodology – Plan used to present information (First, second, finally) – Optional Sections • Statement of limitations • Scope of research • Definitions • Background of the report problem REPORT PROPER CONTINUED • BODY – Well organized with useful of headings – Transitions used to introduce the next section – Smooth flow of information – Appropriate degree of objectivity – Assumptions and inferences are acknowledged – Correct tense (current tense for your data, past tense for historic data) • SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND OR RECOMMENDATIONS – Summary (used to end informational report – Conclusions (List results of writers investigation. Do not introduce new information) – Recommendations can introduce new information resulting from research VISUAL AIDS • GENERAL RULES – Appropriateness • Must add value not create clutter – Reference and Placement • Refer to visuals in text (Usually before it appears) – Size • Keep it as simple as possible – Content • Relates closely to current discussion – Conventions • Distinguish between figures and tables. Place title of table above and figure below COMMON VISUALS • PIE CHARTS – Useful for proportions • BAR CHARTS (simple and complex) – Parts of a whole and comparing over a period of time • LINE GRAPHS – Presents trends in a informational and dramatic way • TABLES – Arranging data in a concise manner (see page 143-144 for rules)