Formal Report Preliminary Outline Template
ENGL216
Directions: In order to begin organizing your Final Project
(formal report), you need to fill in the following information that is used in
a formal report. When filling in the
bullets below, please refer to the page numbers in your text (the blue numbers
to the right of the bullets). You can
then make sure that you have all of the needed information.
The information you submit below does not
have to be in-depth at this point; however, it must be specific.
SUMMARY
·
purpose (tells what the
report is all about: topic) Pg. 125
INTRODUCTION
·
Purpose (why
project/research was carried out) Pg. 127
·
Scope (points
covered) Pg. 127, 128
DISCUSSION
·
Type of Development that
best fits the topic of the report
o Chronological Pg. 130, 131
o Subject Pg. 131
o Concept Pg. 132, 133
·
Points to be developed
o Pt.
1
o Pt.
2
o Pt.
3
o Add
more as needed
Below
is the pages from the book
Chapter 6Formal Reports
Formal reports require more careful preparation than the informal
and semiformal reports described in previous chapters. Because they will be
distributed outside the originating company, their writers must consider the
impression the reports will convey of the entire company. Harvey Winman
recognized long ago that a well-written, esthetically pleasing report can do
much to convince prospective clients that H. L. Winman and Associates should
handle their business, whereas a poorly written, badly presented report can
cause clients to question the company’s capability. Harvey also knows that the
initial impression conveyed by a report can influence a reader’s readiness to
plow through its technical details.
Technical Reports
www.io.com/~hcexres/tcm1603/acchtml/techreps.html
This
document is one chapter from the online textbook used in Austin Community
College’s online course, Online Technical Writing (www.io.com/~hcexres/tcm1603/acchtml/acctoc.html). It
describes types of technical reports and their general characteristics and
audience, and provides a checklist that can be used when writing technical
reports.
The presentation aspect must convey the originating company’s
“image,” suit the purpose of the report, and fit the subject it describes. For
instance, a report by a chemical engineer evaluating the effects of diesel
fumes on the interior paint of bus garages would most likely be printed on
standard bond paper, and its cover, if it had one, would be simple and
functional. At the other end of the scale, a report by a firm of consulting
engineers selecting a college site for a major city might be printed
professionally and bound in an artistically designed book-type folder. But
regardless of the appearance of a report, its internal arrangement will be
basically the same.
Formal reports are made up
of several standard parts, not all of which appear in every report. Each writer
uses the parts that best suit the particular subject and the intended method of
presentation. There are six major and several subsidiary parts on which to
draw, as shown inTable
6-1. Opinions differ throughout industry as to which is the best
arrangement of these parts. The two arrangements suggested in The Complete
Formal Report later in this chapter, and illustrated in the mini-reports
inFigures
6-3and6-8, are
those most frequently encountered. Your knowledge of these parts and their two
basic arrangements will help you adapt quickly to any variation in format
preferred by a future employer.
Table 6-1Traditional arrangement of formal report parts.
|
Cover |
|
Title |
|
Summary |
|
Table |
|
Introduction |
|
Discussion |
|
Conclusions |
|
Recommendations |
|
References |
|
Appendixes |
|
Notes: · · |
The acronym SIDCRA is formed from the first
letter of each major report part
Major Parts
Six major parts form the central structure of every formal
report. In the traditional arrangement they are known by the acronym SIDCRA.
Summary
The summary is a brief synopsis that tells readers quickly
what the report is all about. Normally it appears immediately after the title
page, where it can be found easily. It identifies the purpose and most
important features of the report, states the main conclusion, and sometimes
makes a recommendation. It does this in as few words as possible, condensing
the narrative of the report to a handful of succinct sentences. It also has to
be written so interestingly—so enthusiastically—that it encourages readers to
read further.
The criteria for a Summary are difficult to
meet
The summary is considered by many to be the most important
part of a report and the most difficult to write. It has to be informative, yet
brief. It has to attract the reader’s attention, but must be written in simple,
nontechnical terms. It has to be directed to the executive reader, yet be
readily understood by almost any reader.
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Because they are less
results-oriented, topical summaries are not recommended
for most formal reports.
In a formal report, the
summary should have a page to itself, be centered on the page, and be prefaced
by the word “Summary.” If it is very short, it may be indented equally on both
sides to form a roughly square block of information. For examples, seepages
156 and172.
Introduction
The introduction begins the major narrative of the report by
preparing readers for the discussion that follows. It orients them to the
purpose and scope of the report and provides sufficient background information
to place them mentally in the picture before they tangle with technical data. A
well-written introduction contains exactly the correct amount of detail to lead
readers quickly into the major narrative.
Knowing
your reader influences the depth of detail required
The length of an introduction and its depth of detail depend
mostly on the reader’s knowledge of the topic. If you know that the ultimate
reader is technically knowledgeable, but at the same time you have to cater to
the executive reader who is probably only partly technical, write the
introduction (and conclusions and recommendations) in semitechnical language.
This permits semitechnical executives to gain a reasonably comprehensive
understanding of the report without devoting time and attention to the technical
details contained in the discussion.
Technical Report Writing
www.sti.nasa.gov
Scientists
at NASA’s Lewis Research Center must write reports that are both technically
correct and easy to read. This NASA guide was written to make writing reports
easier. Separate chapters deal with the stages of report preparation, report
style, the introduction, experiment and analysis descriptions, results and
discussions, concluding and supporting sections, reviewing reports, and
references. An author’s checklist and reporting aids provide quick guidelines
for technical report writers.
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Most introductions contain
three parts: purpose, scope, and background information.
Frequently the parts overlap, and occasionally one of them may be omitted
simply because there is no reason for its inclusion. Normally, the introduction
is a straightforward narrative of one or more consecutive paragraphs; only
rarely is it divided into distinct sections preceded by headings. It always
starts on a new page (normally identified aspage 1 of
the report) and is preceded by the report’s full title. The title is followed
by the single word “Introduction,” which can be either a center heading or a
side heading, as shown inFigure
6-1.
The purpose explains why the project was carried out
and the report is being written. It may indicate that the project has been
authorized to investigate a problem and recommend a solution, or it may
describe a new concept or method of work improvement that the report writer
believes should be brought to the reader’s attention.
Figure 6-1
Different ways to integrate headings and text.
The scope defines the parameters of the report. It
describes the ground covered by the report and outlines the method of
investigation used in the project. If there are limiting factors, it identifies
them. For example, if 18 methods for improving packaging are investigated in a
project but only 4 are discussed in the report, the scope indicates which
factors (such as cost, delivery time, and availability of space) limited the
selection. Sometimes the scope may include a short glossary of terms that need
to be defined before the reader starts to read the discussion.
Place a
short glossary in the introduction, a longer glossary in an appendix
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…describe
what has gone before, and…
…explain
factors affecting both the study and the report
Discussion
The discussion, which normally is the longest part of a report,
presents all the evidence (facts, arguments, details, data, and results of
tests) that readers need to understand the subject. The writer must organize
this evidence logically to avoid confusing readers, and present it
imaginatively to hold their interest.
There are three ways you can build the discussion section of a
report:
·
By chronological
development—in which you present information in the sequence that the
events occurred.
·
By subject
development—in which you arrange information by subjects, grouped in a
predetermined order.
·
By concept
development—in which you organize information by concept, presenting it as
a series of ideas that imaginatively and coherently reveal how you reasoned
your way to a logical conclusion.
Reports using the
chronological or subject method offer less room for imaginative development
than those using the concept method, mainly because they depend on a
straightforward presentation of information. The concept method can be very
persuasive. Identifying and describing your ideas and thought processes helps
your readers organize their thoughts along the same lines.
As a report writer, you
must decide early in the planning stages which method you intend to use, basing
your choice on which is most suitable for the evidence you have to present. Use
the following notes as a guide.
Chronological Development
A discussion that uses the chronological method of development is
simple to organize and write. Planning is minimal: you simply arrange the major
topics in the order they occurred, and eliminate irrelevant topics as you go
along. You can use it for very short reports, for laboratory reports showing
changes in a specimen, for progress reports showing cumulative effects or
describing advances made by a project group, and for reports of investigations
that cover a long time and require visits to many locations to collect
evidence.
Chronological
development is essentially factual…
But the simplicity of the chronological method is offset by some
major disadvantages. Because it reports events sequentially it tends to give
equal emphasis to each event regardless of its importance, which may cause
readers to lose interest. If you read a report of five astronauts’ third day in
orbit, you do not want to read about every event in exact order. It may be
chronologically true to report that they were wakened at 7:15, breakfasted at
7:55, sighted the second stage of their rocket at 9:23, carried out metabolism
tests from 9:40 to 10:50, extinguished a cabin fire at 11:02, passed directly
over Houston at 11:43, and so on, until they retired for the night. But it can
make dull reading. Even the exciting moments of a cabin fire lose impact when
they are sandwiched between routine occurrences.
When using chronological development, if you are to hold your
readers’ attention you must still manipulate events. You must emphasize the
most interesting items by positioning them where they will be noticed, and
deemphasize less important details. This has been done in the following
passage, which groups the previous events in descending order of interest and
importance:
·
The highlight of the
astronauts’ third day in orbit was a cabin fire at 11:02. Rapid action on their
part brought the fire, caused by a short circuit behind panel C, under control
in 38 seconds. Their work for the day consisted mainly of metabolism tests and…
·
They sighted the first
stage of their rocket on three separate occasions, first at 9:23, then at…and…,
when it passed directly over Houston. Their meals were similar to those of the
previous day.
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…but
there still is room for some orchestration
Over a five-year period H. L. Winman and Associates has been
investigating the effects of salt on concrete pavement. Technical editor Anna
King has suggested that the final report should have chronological development,
because the investigation recorded the extent of concrete erosion at specific
intervals. She wanted the engineer writing the report to describe how the
erosion increased annually in direct relation to the amount of salt used to
melt snow each year, and for the final conclusion to demonstrate the cumulative
effect that salt had on the concrete.
Subject Development
If the previous
investigation had been broadened to include tests on different types of
concrete pavements, or if both pure salt and various mixtures of salt and sand
had been used, then the emphasis would have shifted to an analysis of erosion
on different surfaces or caused by various salt/sand mixtures, rather than a
direct description of the cumulative effects of pure salt. For this type of
report Anna King would have suggested arranging the topics in subject order.
The subject order could be based on different concentrations of
salt and sand. The engineer would first analyze the effects of a 100%
concentration of salt, then continue with salt/sand ratios of 90/10, 80/20,
70/30, and so on, describing the results obtained with each mixture.
Alternatively, the engineer could select the different types of pavement as the
subjects, arranging them in a specific order and describing the effects of
different salt/sand concentrations on each surface.
Subject
development sorts information into groups
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Barry Brewster, who is head of H. L. Winman and Associates’s
design and drafting department, has been investigating high-speed color
printers for use with the company’s CAD system, and plans to recommend the most
suitable model for installation in his department. He writes his report using
the subject method. First, he establishes selection criteria, defining what he
needs in an ideal printer, such as its speed, purchase price, economy of
operation, and quality of printout. Then, as his tests have already determined
the most suitable printer, he discusses the best machine either first or last.
If he chooses to describe it first, he can state immediately that it is the
best printer, and say why, by comparing it to the selection criteria. He can
then discuss the remaining printers in decreasing order of suitability, also
comparing each to the selection criteria to show why it is less suitable. If he
prefers to describe the best printer last, he can discuss the printers in
increasing order of suitability, again comparing each against the selection
criteria and then stating why he has rejected each one, before describing the
next.
The subject method of
development permits report writers to hide their personal preferences until
almost the end of their reports or, as Barry has done, to let their preferences
show all the way through. These alternative approaches are illustrated inFigure
5-3 onpage
106.
Concept Development
By far the most interesting reports are those using the concept
method of development. They need to be organized more carefully than reports
using either of the previous methods, but they give the writer a tremendous
opportunity to devise an imaginative arrangement of the topic.
They can also be very persuasive. Because the report is organized
in the order in which you reasoned your way through the investigation, your
readers will much more readily appreciate the difficulties you encountered, and
will frequently draw the correct conclusion even before they read it. This
helps readers feel they are personally involved in the project.
Concept
development has the greatest potential for orchestrating information
You can apply the concept
approach to your reports by thinking of each project as a logical but forceful
procession of ideas. If you are personally convinced that the results of your
investigation are valid, and remember to explain in your report how you reached the results and why they are valid, then you will probably be
using the concept method properly. Always anticipate reader reaction. If you
are presenting a concept (an idea, plan, method, or proposal) that readers are
likely to accept, then use a straightforward four-step approach:
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·
1. Describe your
concept in a brief overview statement.
·
2. Discuss how and why
your concept is valid; offer strong arguments in its favor, starting with the
most important and working down to the least important.
·
3. Introduce negative
aspects, and discuss how and why each can be overcome or is of limited
importance.
·
4. Close with a
restatement of your concept, its validity, and its usefulness.
But if you are presenting a
controversial concept, or need to overcome reader bias, then modify your
approach. Try to overcome objections by carefully establishing a strong case
for your concept before you discuss it in
detail.
Andy Rittman used this approach in a report he prepared for Mark
Dobrin, owner/manager of a company making extruded plastic and metal parts.
Manufacturing costs had risen steeply over the past two years and Mark’s prices
had become uncompetitive. Mark thought he should replace some of his older,
less efficient equipment, so he asked Andy to evaluate his needs.
Andy quickly realized that if Mark was to avoid going out of
business he would have to replace much of his equipment with
microprocessor-controlled machines, and do it soon. Because the cost would be
high, he would have to lease, rather than buy the new equipment. Here, Andy had
a problem. Mark was as old-fashioned as some of his extruders and shapers, and
throughout his life he had steadfastly refused to purchase anything that he
could not buy outright. He was unlikely to change now.
The
concept method leads the reader to the right answer…
In his report, Andy used
a carefully reasoned argument to prove to Mark that he needed a lot of new
equipment and that the only feasible way he could acquire it would be to lease
it. Throughout, Andy wrote objectively but sincerely of his findings, hoping
that the logic of his argument would swing Mark around to accepting his
recommendation. Very briefly, here is the step-by-step approach Andy used:
·
• He opened with a
summary that told Mark that to avoid bankruptcy he would have to invest in a
lot of expensive equipment and make extensive changes in his operating methods.
·
• Andy then produced
financial projections to prove his opening statement, and discussed the
productivity and profitability necessary for Mark to remain in business.
·
• He discussed why
Mark’s equipment and methods were inefficient, introduced the changes Mark
would have to make, established why each change was necessary, and demonstrated
how each would improve productivity. (Andy referred Mark to an appendix
containing equipment descriptions, justifications, and costs.)
·
• Andy then introduced
two sets of cost figures: one for making the minimum changes necessary for
Mark’s business to survive, and the second for more comprehensive changes that
would ensure a sound operating basis for the future. He commented that both
would require capital purchases likely to be beyond Mark’s financial resources.
…carefully tracing a
logical, persuasive, and sometimes intricate path
·
• He outlined
alternative financing methods available to Mark, the implications and
limitations of each, and the financial effect each would have on Mark’s
business. (Although he introduced leasing, Andy made no attempt to persuade
Mark that he would have to lease; he let the figures speak for themselves.)
·
• Andy concluded by
summarizing the main points he had made: that new equipment must be
acquired; that to buy even the minimum equipment was beyond Mark’s financial
resources; and that, of the financing methods available, leasing was the most
feasible.
·
• In his
recommendation, Andy suggested that Mark should make comprehensive changes and
lease the new equipment. (By then, Andy had become so involved with Mark’s
predicament that he wrote strongly and sincerely.)
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