Long Reports: An Introduction. Importance Highlight your ability to organize and present ideas clearly Highlight your ability to find information Highlight.

Long Reports:

An Introduction

Importance

• Highlight your ability to organize and present ideas clearly

• Highlight your ability to find information• Highlight your ability to solve problems• Highlight your potential to take on

additional responsibility

Similarities to Short Reports

• Communicate new information

• Guide decisions

• Present complex materials

• Employ principles of effective page design

Differences

• Length

• Complexity of subject material

• Use of source material

• Standard components

Text of Report

• Introduction

• Body

• Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction• Purpose—what report is intended to

accomplish

• Scope—what report covers (and perhaps what it doesn’t cover)

• Procedures—how report was compiled (especially how information was gathered)

• Context—overall issue being addressed, circumstances surrounding report

• Limitations—problems, shortcomings, items not covered in report

Body• Presents findings of report

• Organized roughly into problem (including causes and effects) and solutions (including how and why)

• May include visuals

Conclusion and Recommendations

• Conclusion: Summarizes main points of report

• Recommendations: Summarize actions to be taken, often in list format

Front Matter—prefaces report• Transmittal Document

• Title Page

• Abstract

• Table of Contents

• List of Illustrations

• Glossary

Transmittal Document (1 page)

• Letter or memo that accompanies report

• Brief summary of report context and contents

• Thanks reader for cooperation/interest

• Builds positive relationship with reader

• Uses standard forms and direct or indirect approach

Title Page (1 page)

• Title of report

• Name and title of writer

• Name and title of reader

• Name of company or organization

• Date of submission

• Centered on page

Examples

Not—Preliminary Site Investigation (Which site? What about it?)

Instead—Investigation of Coal Gasification Site #1, First Street, Chalmers, New York

Computer Availability (Where? For whom?)

Compute This: Student Access to Computers at IVCC

(Too cute/clever. May turn off some readers.)

The Need for Extended Student Computer Lab Hours at Illinois Valley Community College

Abstract (1 paragraph)• Summary of report’s contents and

recommendations

• Designed to stand alone

• Formatted as one paragraph

• Abstract as title

Table of Contents (variable length)

• List of headings exactly as they appear in report

• Lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) for front matter, beginning with list of illustrations

• Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) for rest of report

• Table of Contents or Contents as title

Types

• Traditional—numbered, indented, dotted lines to page numbers

• Contemporary—no numbering, indented, no dotted lines

• Decimal—numbered (whole numbers and decimals), indented, dotted lines optional

List of Illustrations (variable length)

• Lists exact titles of illustrations and corresponding page numbers in report

• e.g. Figure 1: Student Support for Renovation of Main Campus Buildings

• Distinguishes between tables and figures• Typically its own page(s)

Glossary (variable length)

• Defines all potentially unfamiliar words, expressions, or symbols

• Need determined by audience

• Alphabetizes terms

• Lists symbols in order of appearance

Back Matter—follows report

• Appendixes

• Bibliography

Appendixes (variable length)

• Supplementary material, such as interview questions, survey questions, additional figures and illustrations, copies of relevant sources, other relevant documents—anything that you want the reader to have access to but that doesn’t fit directly into your report

• Includes title listed on Table of Contents (e.g. Appendix A: Interview Questions for Bill Gates)

• Each appendix a separate page or pages

Bibliography (variable length)

• List of sources

• Title and format depend on specific documentation format

• APA (American Psychological Association)— References

• MLA (Modern Language Association)—Works Cited