This blog is meant to guide you with preparations for creating a proposal for your Formal Report. Before reading this blog please be sure to read the assigned pages on The Research Process: 123 – 186.
Below you will find:
- A brief discussion on asking the right questions & pursuing a balanced view.
- A brief discussion on primary sources for research (p.140 – 150.)
- Procedures for preparing your proposal (p.150).
Asking the right question: after reading the chapters on the research process and Formal Reports you need to consider your experiences in the workplace, as a volunteer or a student, and identify a system or procedure that is problematic in some way: inefficient, not-profitable, environmentally dangerous, unhealthy, or some other similar category relevant to the situation you choose.
- What questions do you need to ask in order to investigate the root and history of the problem?
- What questions do you need to ask for an analysis on the best ways to solve the problem?
While you are brainstorming, be sure to also review pages 536 – 537; you will want to consider your audience right from the beginning. Give particular attention to the example of a letter of transmission; for the Final Report assignment, you will need to address your report to specific readers; not to your instructor. Remember your definition assignment and take into careful consideration your reader. Your reader will need to be a person, or persons, who can act on your final recommendations.
Follow the example of a proposal on page 543 in the textbook.
Take a look at the example of a conclusion for a formal report on pages 513 – 514 in the text book and you will see that your final goal is to provide a list of recommendations.
The ultimate purpose of your Final Formal Report (due at the end of term) is to make detailed recommendations based on an analysis of primary data to a reader with the authority to act on those recommendations. The purpose of the proposal to your instructor is to clearly indicate your ideas and intentions for approval before you begin drafting your report.
Primary sources for research: carefully review the sections in our text that discuss primary sources (140) and consider what types of data gathering you can use for the topics you are brainstorming. You will need to schedule yourselves accordingly; gathering data via interviews and surveys is time consuming and designing your interview questions and/or surveys will become a priority once you have settled on your topic for of investigation.
Surveys, Interviews and observations are your primary research methods. Collecting these data is time consuming so you will want to schedule yourselves accordingly – now. Please carefully review the requirements for surveys and interviews.
When you create your survey, research ethics require an introduction to the survey/ interview that
1] In the case of surveys – assure your participants confidentiality and autonomy
2] Clearly states the purpose of the survey and that participation is voluntary
3] Describes the amount of time required to complete the survey
4] Thank your participants
Procedures for preparing your report: The list of steps for researching the analytical report (p. 150) is an excellent way to begin. I encourage you to use this list when you organize your report, and to use your writing forums to discuss your approaches to audience profiles and narrowing down your topics, if time allows.
As always, please feel free to ask any questions or alert me to any confusions via our CHAT or personal email message. Thank you and enjoy.
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