8.1 Front and Back Matter
Just as we completed the middle of the report for Week Seven, this week's activity will focus on composing the beginning and the end of the report.
Now that you have drafted the bulk of what you have to say about the problem and your possible solution(s), you'll need to introduce the report to your audience and provide documenting materials at the end of the report.
Note: Some of these materials may seem repetitious. For example, you'll indicate the purpose of your report and the recommendations that you are making in multiple sections of the report. This repetition is normal for the formal report.
Now that you have drafted the bulk of what you have to say about the problem and your possible solution(s), you'll need to introduce the report to your audience and provide documenting materials at the end of the report.
Note: Some of these materials may seem repetitious. For example, you'll indicate the purpose of your report and the recommendations that you are making in multiple sections of the report. This repetition is normal for the formal report.
The sections that you will be drafting for this week's activity are:
- Letter of Transmittal--The letter of transmittal is addressed to the audience of the report and provides a very brief overview of the purpose, conclusions, and recommendations for the report (see pp. 321 and 326 for a discussion and example of the Letter of Transmittal).
- Title Page--The title page includes a descriptive title for the report, your name and affiliation, and the date the report will be submitted (see pp. 322 and 328 for a discussion and example of the title page).
- Table of Contents--The table of contents lists the contents for the report. For now, you will just include a space-holder for the T.O.C. until you are finished formatting the entire report. At that time, you will go back and add page numbers).
- Abstract--The abstract is a very concise summary of the contents of the report. The abstract should include 1) the purpose for the report, 2) how you researched the report, your conclusions in the report, and your final recommendations. A good rule of thumb is to include one sentence for each section in the main body of the report (see pp. 286, 322, and 329 for a discussion and examples of an abstract).
- References--Your references page should be a list of all the sources that you cited in the body of your report formatted correctly in either MLA or APA format. A this point, you should be able to pull the complete list of references (with additional references added, if you have continued your research) directly from the Progress Report).
- Appendices--Include any additional materials in your appendices that support the body of your report. These materials might include interview or survey questions, large chunks of data that might be too large to include in the body of the report, or other materials that the audience might need to be able to fully understand your research (see pp. 324 and 335-337 for a discussion and example of an appendix).
You can submit these elements all in one Google Document (separate each item on a new page by going to "Insert" and "Page Break").
Think About It
Audience Awareness:
Keep in mind your primary audience for your final report. The audience is likely to be very busy and may only have time to read one or two sections of the report. Thus, the letter of transmittal and the abstract are very short, but important, parts of the report. Readers should be able to understand the entirety of your report from just reading those two sections. These sections are a perfect place to practice the principles of technical writing (clarity, conciseness, fluency, and personable writing). Invite your reader to read your entire report by making a good first impression in the front matter.
Information Literacy:
The back matter of the report demonstrates that you have included relevant research that is reliable for your audience. Your appendix also includes additional information that might help the reader in making decisions. Use these sections to provide information that will help your audience act on your recommendations.
Digital Literacy:
At this point, you will have completed several documents using Google Docs and submitted them to me. You will continue to use this program as a means to collaborate with your professor on this document in order to make these annotations as clear as possible for the final report.
Images above found at http://eblane.com/theinsidelane/every-story-and-event-has-a-beginning-middle-and-end/ and http://terapiaasistidaporperros.wordpress.com/historia-de-la-tap-parte-i/histroria-de-la-tap-parte-ii/.
Audience Awareness:
Keep in mind your primary audience for your final report. The audience is likely to be very busy and may only have time to read one or two sections of the report. Thus, the letter of transmittal and the abstract are very short, but important, parts of the report. Readers should be able to understand the entirety of your report from just reading those two sections. These sections are a perfect place to practice the principles of technical writing (clarity, conciseness, fluency, and personable writing). Invite your reader to read your entire report by making a good first impression in the front matter.
Information Literacy:
The back matter of the report demonstrates that you have included relevant research that is reliable for your audience. Your appendix also includes additional information that might help the reader in making decisions. Use these sections to provide information that will help your audience act on your recommendations.
Digital Literacy:
At this point, you will have completed several documents using Google Docs and submitted them to me. You will continue to use this program as a means to collaborate with your professor on this document in order to make these annotations as clear as possible for the final report.
Images above found at http://eblane.com/theinsidelane/every-story-and-event-has-a-beginning-middle-and-end/ and http://terapiaasistidaporperros.wordpress.com/historia-de-la-tap-parte-i/histroria-de-la-tap-parte-ii/.