Assignment Instructions: Research Report (Article)
Due Dates:
No Late Rough Drafts: If you miss the deadline, I recommend working with the tutors at the Effective Writing Center.
Week 6 Graded Submissions: The late penalty for the final version of assignments is 10% (40 points each day). If there are extenuating circumstances, please advise me by e-mail or phone call.
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Topic Choices:
· Improving TSA security at a specific airport
· Monitoring employees’ personal communications at work and home
· Comparing Paypal with Apple Pay or another payment method
· Recommending or rejecting body cameras for law enforcement personnel
· Perfecting social media as a marketing technique
· Analyzing why an entrepreneurial corporation failed
Formatting Guidelines: Complete this assignment using the following memo format for the first four lines of the transmittal memo (first page of the entire assignment):
To: Robert Warner, Article Acquisition Editor
From: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Date:
Subject:
- Write no more than eight to twelve clear and concise pages, excluding illustrations, which are required.
- Design an appropriate letterhead for Parker-Benson Publishing. Don’t use the address for the transmittal memo. You may use color, a bolded font, graphic image, etc.
- Use a Size 12 Times New Roman font.
- Single space within the paragraph and skip a space in between paragraphs.
- Use five to eight outside sources and include the APA-formatted in-text citations and References page as needed. Three sources must be from the Library databases.
- Use appropriate headings for the report. Don’t use headings in the transmittal memo.
- Include an executive summary but no abstract.
- Use the date of your submission and a relevant, concise subject line for the transmittal memo.
- Illustrations are required.
Scenario:You are an editor for Parker-Benson Publishing. However, you have completed a master’s degree and would like to publish an article for your resume as you look for a different job. In Weeks 3-4, the article acquisition editor accepted your proposal and agreed to publish your research report as an article.
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Here is what Robert Warner, the acquisition editor, requires in this order:
Front Matter:
Transmittal memo to state the name of the article that is attached and to move the project forward (two paragraphs)
Title page
Executive summary
Introduction
Statement of the problem and/or opportunity
Scope establishing boundaries and limitations for your article
Appropriate background information (ex. historical data, relevant laws, definitions, etc.)
Research Methods
Use secondary sources or your own inspections for this project.
Primary research, including interviews and surveys, can’t be used because there isn’t time to process the Institutional Review Bureau’s informed consents and other paperwork that the Federal Government requires for academic research projects.
Conclusions
Conclusions drawn from the experts’ opinions and facts in the sources
Criteria for drawing those conclusions (evaluating options and alternatives)
Recommendations
Briefsummary of problem and/or opportunity
Recommendations
Predictions
Back Matter
References
Glossary and other appendices as needed
Illustrations:
Illustrations are required for this assignment. The illustrations must be formatted, positioned logically in the article, and sized correctly so that they supplement the textual information without distracting the reader. Illustrations may be photos, charts, graphs, logos, etc. Create your own illustrations or borrow them from sources if you give credit to the original authors according to the APA guidelines and the copyright laws.
