Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke Report Organization Engl 2311

Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke

Report Organization

Engl 2311


Report OrganizationLook at EXAMPLES !!!!

USE the textbook “Writing Formal Reports” advice contains GREAT ADVICE REMEMBER that the example report in this chapter is

generic – it isn’t a template for your report, but it gives a starting point

DO NOT simply mindlessly mimic the exact formatting, organization, wording, etc, of a generic report example!

you will need to think about the advice and explanations in this chapter to make clear decisions about how to format, organize, and word YOUR report

the example report in the textbook is simply meant to illustrate a generic report – it’s NOT A TEMPLATE!


Report OrganizationSections to CONSIDER including

Letter of transmittal Title page Abstract or Executive Summary Table of Contents List of Illustrations Introduction Methods Results Analysis Conclusion or Recommendation Qualifications or Experience Glossary References Appendix


Letter of Transmittal

Fancy name for a cover letter

Often included with “external reports”, especially “unsolicited reports” (reports that the audience isn’t expecting)

Describes who YOU are, what the report CAN DO for the audience, and what the NEXT STEP is

Helps the audience to decide whether they should read it

Think of it as a job letter for the reportAppeal to the audience

Answer their questions (who is this, what is this, why should I read it?)


Title Page

Use a format that makes sense FOR THE AUDIENCE

Answer basic questions like: Who are you (give more than just a list of names) What is the report about (use a descriptive title) When was it written Who was it written for


Abstract / Executive Summary

A very short (100-300 word) summary of the entire report

Don’t try to cram in everything

Just use a few sentences to describe: The problem or issue the report is about The solution or recommendation the report presents The audience (why they should read the rest of the report)


Table of Contents, Illustrations, etc

DO NOT make formatting typos in these sections

DO use these sections to show the report organization

Think about: Subsection levels (complicated or simple?) Descriptive headings (what makes sense for audience?) Clear and attractive fonts and layouts Is a TOC really necessary for a 12-14 page report,

especially if you start each major section on a new page?


Introduction

This MIGHT include lots of different things: Background on the problem or issue Summaries of your research or recommendations Descriptions of what the report contains Explanations of who you are or how the report is organized

Maybe ALL or JUST SOME of the above Maybe one short or long section, or maybe lots of subsections

The bottom line? Provide only the information that your audience wants or needs, and give them this

information in a format they can understand and use.


Methods

Sometimes it’s useful to describe how your group did things like:

Research Investigation Thinking and Planning Organizing and Writing

Sometimes it’s useful to describe how your group or THE AUDIENCE could do things like:

Research or Investigate a solution or course of action Plan or Organize a solution or course of action


Results and Analysis

These types of sections are useful for a chronologically-organized report (Markel pp.163-178)

What you did How you did it What you found (RESULTS) What this means (ANALYSIS)


Conclusion or Recommendation

What should the audience DO?

Often the MOST IMPORTANT section of a proposal People are most likely to act on CLEAR, SPECIFIC, and

PRACTICALLY DOABLE things Whether a recommendation is REALISTIC depends on how you

define it Even wild ideas might be “realistic” if your clear and specific

recommendation is “you should THINK ABOUT this option”

Successful proposals emphasize BENEFITS FOR THE AUDIENCE !


Qualifications or Experience

A section like this is typically for a goods and services proposal

Keep in mind that you can’t invent an identity for your group – you have to be who you are

A “qualifications” or “experience” section is meant to get legitimacy with the audience to convince them to take you seriously

There are OTHER ways you can do this, like with a “How We Researched This Solution” section


Glossary

A section like this can be very useful if your report contains a lot of specialized terminology that isn’t familiar to your audience

Think of this as a mini-dictionary for your report


References

If you use “in-text” citations, then this is a necessary section (contains complete reference information)

If you use “citation-sequence” citations (numbered footnotes or endnotes), then this is an optional section

Your audience might still appreciate one page that summarizes all the sources you used, but it’s not necessary if your footnotes have complete citations


Appendix

This section can contain anything “extra”

This might include: Information that is useful for the audience, but would

interrupt the flow of the report Information that helps to establish your credibility (like

show how much work you did) Examples or other things for the audience to use (sample

letters, emails, presentation slides, survey examples, etc)


other possible report elements

Schedules

Procedures

Budgets

Graphics, Tables, or other Visuals


Report OrganizationDocument-Level

Elements of document-level organization

Section Headings Grouping related paragraphs together Giving those related paragraphs a descriptive name

Visual Hierarchy within sections Using a layout (margins, white space, etc) that matches audience Providing clear paragraph (¶) breaks Using bold, italic, or underlined sentences or sections to highlight

important information

Document-level organization helps readers to locate specific information quickly and easily.


Organization¶-Level

Elements of paragraph organization

Using clear topic sentences Summarize the main point in the first sentence

Using relevant detail sentences All the sentences in an organized paragraph must connect

directly to the topic sentence

¶-Level Organization helps readers to locate specific information easily, scan documents more quickly, and read documents without missing information.


Example (poor organization)

Section headings can help to make complicated memos and reports more organized. They contribute to overall document organization. In addition to section headings, clear topic sentences and well organized detail sentences also help memo and report organization. There are two types of sentences in a memo or a report. Topic sentences are the first sentence of a paragraph. They summarize the main point of the paragraph. Section headings help to show what main points go together. Detail sentences (the sentences in a paragraph that come after the topic sentence) contain additional information that relates to the main point of the paragraph. In conclusion, good paragraph-level organization is important. Good overall organization is also important. Paragraph-level organization helps readers to scan memos and reports more quickly. Overall organization helps readers to use memos and reports more effectively.


Example (better organization)

Overall OrganizationSection headings can help to make complicated memos and reports more organized. Section headings help to show what main points go together. They contribute to good overall organization. This is important. Overall organization helps readers to use memos and reports more effectively.

Paragraph-Level Organization

Clear topic sentences and well organized detail sentences also help memo and report organization. There are two types of sentences in a memo or a report. Topic sentences are the first sentence of a paragraph. They summarize the main point of the paragraph. Detail sentences are the sentences in a paragraph that come after the topic sentence. They contain additional information that relates to the main point of the paragraph. Good paragraph-level organization is important. Paragraph-level organization helps readers to scan memos and reports more quickly.

Documents

Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke Report Organization Engl 2311