TW Formal Reports the report tell us about the formal language

the presentation is a par of technical communication it refers to how to communicate with other peoples

1. Formal Reports Technical Writing Spring 2024

2. Report Writing: Formal Reports Front Material Body End Material

3. Front Material Front Material Transmittal correspondence (letter or memo) Title page Table of Contents List of Illustrations Executive Summary or Abstract

4. Body Body Introduction Literature Review Methods Analysis Findings and Discussion Conclusion Recommendations (or Rationale) Body Introduction Conclusion Recommendations (or Rationale) Findings and Discussion (sub-sections) Traditional format Administrative format

5. End Material Glossary and List of Symbols References Appendix A, B, C……

6. Front Material The preceding/preliminary pages (see subsequent slides)

7. Transmittal correspondence A letter or memo that directs the report to someone. Functions as a cover letter An internal or in-house report uses a memo. An external or firm-to-firm report requires a letter. Structure of transmittal memos/letters: Identify the report enclosed (title, when it was requested, etc ) Briefly explain the report’s purpose and scope Explain any problems encountered Acknowledge the people who helped

8. Sample Memo of Transmittal Date: May 1, 2020 To: Ms. Elena Solomon, Vice-President, Administrative Affairs From: Rachel A. Jackobson , Human Resources Director Subject: Proposal for the Spousal Employment Assistance Program Attached is my report “Proposal for the implementation of a Spousal Employment Assistance Program,” which you requested after our March 15 meeting. The report presents a solution to the problems identified by our large number of new hires. In brief, those new hires all had spouses who had to leave careers to move to Rochester. This proposal recommends initiating a spousal employment assistance program to deal with relocation problems. Compiled by the Human Resources staff, this report owes significant debt to the employees and their spouses who agreed to be interviewed for data elicitation.

9. Sample Letter of Transmittal (Next slide)

10. Title page Place all elements against the left margin (center the elements if local policy requires) Name the contents of the report in the title Use a 2-inch left margin Use either all caps or initial caps Do not use outlined or cursive fonts Include the writer’s name and title or department, the date, the recipient’s name and title or department, and a report number (if appropriate)

11. PROPOSAL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A SPOUSAL EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM By Rachel A. Johnson Director, Human Resources May 1, 2020 Corporate Proposal HRD 01-05-2020 Prepared for Elena Solomon Vice-President, Administrative Affairs

12. Table of Contents A ToC lists the sections of the report and the pages on which they begin Gives an overview of the report’s organization and depth Enables readers to predict the content Helps readers turn to a particular section for a close reading

13. Guidelines for compiling a ToC Title the page ‘Table of Contents’ Present the name of each section in the same wording as it appears in the text Maintain a uniform format in the text and the ToC E.g. If a section appears in all caps in the text, place it in all caps in the table of contents Do not underline text in the ToC Do not use “p.” or “page” before the page numbers Use only the page number on which the section starts

14. Set margins so that page numbers align on the right Present no more than three levels of headings. Optimally, two. Use ‘leaders’ (a series of dots) to connect words to page numbers. Sample ToC (next slide)

15. List of Illustrations Illustrations = both tables and figures The list of illustrations gives the number, title, and page of each visual aid in the report. If the report contains both tables and figures, use the title ‘List of Illustrations.’ List figures first, then tables. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Schedule for Program Implementation…………………………………………………. 10 Table 1. Special Features of the Program……………………………………………………………. 7 Table 2. Cost/Employee Investment Comparison……………………………………………..... 8

16. Executive Summary / Abstract Is a miniature version of a report Presents the main points and basic details of the entire report Communicates to the reader: The report’s purpose and the problem it addresses The conclusions Major facts/ findings on which the conclusions are based The recommendations Condenses this information into as few words as possible!

17. Executive Summary/Abstract Often prepared for non-technical heads / decision-makers Should avoid technical terminology Abstract: 150 to 250 words long => Write the summary / abstract after writing the rest of the report.

18. Missing text… Second last para: This initiative will take our company’s market share and change the dynamic of the energy industry as a whole since regulators will no longer be giving incentives to utilities for the unlimited power they deliver, but instead for the power they save. Last para: The solution will take an estimated 5 years to complete, with gradual phases being completed within this time.

19. Sample Executive Summary This report recommends that the company implement a spousal assistance program. Swift expansion of the company has brought many new employees to us, most of whom has spouses who left professional careers. Because no assistance program exists, our employees and their spouses have found themselves involved in costly, time-consuming, and stressful situations that in several instances have affected productivity on the job. Recommendations given first Background

20. A spousal assistance program will provide services that include home- and neighborhood-finding assistance, medical practitioner referrals, and employment-seeking assistance. Advantages include increased employee morale, increased job satisfaction, and greater company loyalty. Cost is approximately $54,000/year. The major benefit is productivity of the management staff. The program will take approximately six months to implement and will require hiring one spousal employment assistance counselor. c Basic conclusions Benefits Cost Implementation

21. Executive Summary Basic structure: Problem Method Findings/Results Recommendation Length: between 10 to 25 percent of the entire document

22. Abstract Brief summarizing statement, usually between 75 and 150 words long. Gives synopsis of: the problem, method, results, and conclusions. Problem: note the key topic or problem of your document Method: state your main approach to solving the problem Results: provide one or two important results Conclusion: note your main conclusion

23. Descriptive Abstract Emphasis is placed on the problem and method Conference paper proposals Progress reports

24. Title: Machine-Intelligent Gust Front Detection Doppler weather radar imagery [method] is being used to detect gust fronts [problem] as part of a program at Lincoln Laboratory to anticipate hazardous weather conditions [problem]. The project goal, under contract with the Federal Aviation Administration, is to develop a Machine-Intelligent Gust Front Algorithm (MIGFA) [method] as part of a suite of hazardous-weather detection functions. M. W. Merritt et al., (2009). “Wind-Sheer Detection with Pencil Beam Radars,” Lincoln Laboratory Journal.

25. Informative Abstract Information on the results Conclusions of the project

26. Title: Machine-Intelligent Gust Front Detection Techniques of low-level machine intelligence, originally developed at Lincoln Laboratory to recognize ground vehicles obscured by camouflage and foliage, are being used to detect gust fronts in Doppler weather radar imagery [method and problem]. A Machine-Intelligent Gust Front Algorithm (MIFGA) has been developed [result] as part of a suite of hazardous-weather detection functions being prepared under contract with the Federal Aviation Administration. Initially developed for use with the latest generation Airport Surveillance Radar equipped with a wind shear processor (ASR-9 WSP), MIGFA was deployed for operational testing in Orlando, Florida during the summer of 1992. MIGFA has demonstrated levels of detection performance that have not only markedly exceeded the capabilities of existing gust front algorithms, but are also competing well with human interpreters [result and conclusion]. M. W. Merritt et al., (2009). “Wind-Sheer Detection with Pencil Beam Radars,” Lincoln Laboratory Journal.

27. Introduction Orients the reader to the report’s organization and contents. Lays out the purpose, scope, procedure, and background for the reader. Recent trend : to convey the gist of the report right way, many writers place the conclusion/recommendations in the Introduction section.

28. Introduction Purpose statement Scope Procedure / Methodology Problem Statement (or Background) Conclusions and Recommendations (optional in the Intro) Authorization (5 subsections)

29. A Mnemonic…. The Purpose is item number one Second, the Scope section will run Procedures are next Now the Background text – And finally, the Con- clu - sion !

30. Purpose statement State the purpose of the document in one or two sentences E.g. The purpose of this report is to present the results of …..” “This report presents the results of my investigation on….” Use the present tense

31. Scope statement States what the report covers or includes + its delimitations/boundaries Usually identifies the main sections, or topics, of the report.

32. Scope statement (cont’d) In feasibility and recommendation reports, write statements explaining the rank and source of the criteria you are attempting to satisfy. Feasibility report – whether or not to adopt a course of action ( Is X feasible?) Recommendation report – uses criteria to compare item A to item B in order to decide which is better ( Can you recommend ….. ) E.g. Whether or not to install air-conditioning…. a feasibility issue Which air-con system to purchase…..a recommendation issue

33. Procedure/Methodology statement A statement briefly outlining the processes followed in carrying out the investigation Shows that the investigation was a systematic and organized process (it took all the required steps) Guidelines: Explain all actions you took – the people you interviewed, the research you performed, the sources you consulted Write this statement in the past tense Separate the content into various subsections e.g. Data sources, data collection, Sample size, etc.

34. Problem statement / Background statement Helps the reader understand the issue at hand Guidelines: Give basic facts about the problem Specify the origin or causes of the problem Explain the significance of the problem State who initiated action on the problem State why the writer was involved in the investigation

35. Example Introduction Purpose This proposal presents the results of the Human Resources Department’s investigation of spousal employment assistance programs and recommends that XYZ Corp. implement such a program. Scope This report details the problems caused by the lack of a spousal employment assistance program . It then considers the concerns of establishing such a program here at XYZ. These concerns include a detailed description of the services offered by such an office , the resources necessary to accomplish the task, and an analysis of advantages, costs, and benefits . An implementation schedule is included.

36. Procedure The Human Resources Department collected the information for this report. We interviewed all 10 people (8 women and 2 men) hired within the past 12 months and 6 spouses (4 men and 2 women). We obtained information from professional articles on the subject. The personnel office provided all the salary and benefits figures . We also interviewed the director of a similar program operating in Arizona and a management training consulate from McCrumble University .

37. Background Management expansion has brought many new persons into the XYZ team in the past year. This increase in personnel, while reflecting an excellent trend in a difficult market, has had a marked downside. The new personnel have all experienced significant levels of stress and some slide in productivity as a result of the move. All 10 of the recent hires had spouses who left professional career positions to relocate to Rochester. These people have experienced considerable difficulty finding career opportunities in our smaller urban region, and the families have reported stress related to everything from finding a home to finding dentists.

38. Four of these managers subsequently left our employ, citing stress as the major reason to leave. These departures causes us to undertake costly, time-consuming personnel searches. After interviews revealed the existence of such stress, the Executive Committee of Administrative Affairs discussed the issue at length and authorized Human Resources to carry out this study. The Director of Human Resources chaired a committee composed of herself, one manager who did not leave, and a specialist on budget. HR staff conducted the data gathering.

39. Conclusion and Recommendations Managers will sometimes not read the entire document; instead, they will focus on the conclusion Should summarize all essential information necessary for your audience’s purpose Relate your findings to the general problem and any specific objectives stated in your introduction Include specific recommendations for action or for further research. Sometimes these recommendations will constitute a separate section of a document

40. Recommendations Appropriate and specific as part of the conclusion Organize recommendations either in the order of importance or in the logical order of development Research reports recommend further studies to confirm tentative explanations or to answer questions presented in the discussion section Feasibility and recommendation reports always have one or more recommendations as the principal aim of the document Separate each specific recommendations in bulleted or numbered lists

41. Authorization Officially commissioned by individuals or groups within an organization, or by foundations awarding grants for scientific research Part of the grant contract On March 20, 2003, The Research Development leadership team charged the Small Systems discovery group to assess the feasibility of developing one or more internal cache-servers for the World Wide Web and report back to the Team by August 2003.

42. Front Material Body End Material Title page Introduction References Abstract Background Appendixes Table of Contents Theory Index List of Figures Design Criteria List of Tables Materials and Apparatus List of Terms Procedure Acknowledgments Work Plan Results Discussion Conclusion Recommendations

43. Body Body Introduction Literature Review Methods Results and Findings Discussion Conclusion Recommendations (or Rationale) Body Introduction Conclusion Recommendations (or Rationale) Findings and Discussion (sub-sections) Traditional format Administrative format