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Lecture Seven Chapter Six

Learn how to define objectives, establish hypotheses, gather data, format reports, and tailor content to audiences in this comprehensive guide to mastering the report writing process.

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Lecture Seven Chapter Six

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  1. Lecture SevenChapter Six Strategies for Writing Reports

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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)

  5. 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

  6. 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)

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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)

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