Organizing and Outlining The Report

1. Organizing and OutliningThe Report Mini-Lecture Presented By: Thiam Seng Hongyi Hui Teng

2. Agenda • Various ways of organizing the data • Different sections of the report • Preparing an outline for the report

3. Organizing the Data • Compare and Contrast • Cause – Effect • Problem Solving • Functional • Geographical • Chronological

4. Compare and Contrast Purpose To identify a suitable restaurant for a Valentine’s Day dinner • Location • Fullerton’s Town Restaurant • Raffles Courtyard • Quality of Food • Fullerton’s Town Restaurant • Raffles Courtyard • Atmosphere • Fullerton’s Town Restaurant • Raffles Courtyard Fullerton’s Town Restaurant is suitable in terms of location, quality of food and atmosphere Conclusion

5. Cause - Effect Purpose To evaluate the impact of not buying a present for the girlfriend on Valentine’s Day Dead Man Diagram Too busy No ideas Rush Work Dissatisfied Girlfriend Consult Friends Can’t be bothered Not enough money Possible Solutions Causes Effect Not buying a present for the girlfriend on Valentine’s Day would make her dissatisfied Conclusion

6. Problem-Solving Purpose To evaluate some ways of pacifying the girlfriend effectively • Extent of her dissatisfaction (problem) • Causes of her dissatisfaction • Suggestions to pacify her Effects Causes Possible Solutions Surprising the girlfriend with a present the next day will most likely pacify her Conclusion

7. Functional Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of sending the girlfriend to and fro The girlfriend demands to be sent to and from work The boss is busy but would like to meet her demands The morning traffic jams might cause the boss to report late for work Conclusion The boss should only fetch her home from work

8. Geographical Purpose To study the time consumption by ferrying the girlfriend to various locations Legend • Boss • Girlfriend • Head Office • Factory • Boss’ Office • Home • Home • Retail Shop The boss should only send his girlfriend to work if she has to report to her head office Conclusion

9. Chronological Purpose To examine when would be the greatest time to propose to the girlfriend • 0 – 1 Month • Courting process takes place • 1 Month to 1 Year • Puppy love • Smooth relationship • 1 to 3 Years • Tend to quarrel more • Know each other better • More than 3 Years • Learn to give and take • Stabilized relationship The boss should only propose if the relationship with the girlfriend stabilized after more than 3 years Conclusion

10. Title page Table of Contents Introduction Findings Conclusions Recommendations References Sections of a Report

11. Title Page • Report title • The name (of a person or company) for whom the report has been prepared • Author’s name and the company or university which originated the report • Date completed

12. Table of contents • Shows report organization • Should list each major section • Use additional descriptive headings for a long section

13. Introduction • Background • History of the problem • Factors causing the need for the report • Report authorization • Helps readers to understand the report

14. Introduction • Purpose • What the report should accomplish • e.g. The purpose of this report is to identify a suitable restaurant for a Valentine’s Day dinner. • Scope • States the ground covered by the report • e.g. The two different restaurants to be compared and contrasted are Fullerton’s Town Restaurant and Raffles Courtyard.

15. Introduction • Limitations • Research methods and sources • Data collection through primary or secondary sources • Report organization • What topics are covered and in what order

16. Findings The objective presentation of your data through texts, charts, and tables

17. Findings • Present the data objectively • e.g.√The number of visits to the cinema has fallen by 60% in 2004 as compared to 2003. X The number of visits to the cinema has fallen drastically. • Must reflect your purpose • Able to lead readers toward the conclusion

18. Findings • Compare a part to the whole

19. Findings • Compare items over time/ shows distribution/ shows correlation • Show frequency

20. Conclusions • Evaluation of data • Summarize your findings and generalize their importance concisely • No new ideas should be included • May raise unanswered questions and ambiguous data

21. Recommendations • Recommend actions to be taken • Itemize in bullet points for simple situations • Make alternatives clear • Give your rationale after each difficult recommendation

22. References • What sources did you refer to? • Is your data credible? • Allows other researchers to build on your research • e.g. Anders M. Dale, Bruce Fischl, and Martin I. Sereno. "Cortical Surface-Based Analysis." pages 179-194 NeuroImage Ed. Arthur W. TogaVolume 9 Number 2 February 1999. • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/reportW/introduction.html

23. Outlines

24. Preparation of an Outline • What is an outline • Importance of an Outline • Structure of an Outline • Follow the Principles of Outlining • Use Appropriate Heading

25. An outline is a schematic diagram that helps to guide your investigation What is an outline?

26. Importance of an Outline • To visualize the relationships among the various parts • To prevent omitting critical ideas due to production blocking • To communicate in a more systematic way • To insert transitions so that the message is coherent • To serve as the basic structure of the report

27. Structure of an outline Using a numbering system: Alpha-numeric Decimal I FIRST LEVEL A Second level 1 Third level a) Fourth level 1 FIRST LEVEL 1.1 Second level 1.1.1 Third level 1.1.1.1 Fourth level

28. Main Idea I. Major point II. Major point III. Major point A. Evidence B. Evidence A. Evidence B. Evidence C. Evidence A. Evidence B. Evidence Structure of an outline Using a schematic approach: A message organization chart

29. Outline 1.0 XXXXXXXX 1.1 XXXXXX 2.0 XXXXXXXX 2.1 XXXX 2.2 XXXX 3.0 XXXXXXXX 3.1 XXXX 3.2 XXXX 3.3 XXXX 3.4 XXXX 3.5 XXXX 3.6 XXXX 3.7 XXXX Negative Example Follow the Principles of Outlining • Avoid single sub-divisions • Balance the divisions • Avoid too many sub-divisions • Use mechanics to distinguish levels

30. Use Appropriate Headings Topic Heading Talking Heading VS I. Industry Characteristics A. Annual sales B. Profitability C. Growth rate 1. Sales 2. Profit I. Flour milling is a mature industry. A. Market is large. B. Profit margins are narrow C. Growth is modest. 1. Sales growth averages less than 3 percent a year. 2. Growth in profits is flat.

31. Use Appropriate Headings • Broad yet specific • Concise and clear • Parallel in structure Example • Ways to Increase Plant Productivity • Improving Training and Supervision • Improving the Flexibility of Workers’ Hours • Improving Workers’ Benefits

32. A Brief Summary • 6 Basic Ways of Organizing Data • 7 Main Sections of a Report • Preparation of an Outline • Compare and Contrast • Cause-Effect • Problem-Solving • Functional • Geographical • Chronological 1. Title Page 2. Table of Contents 3. Introduction 4. Findings 5. Conclusions 6. Recommendations 7. References

33. Q & A