Lesson 2:1

UNIT 2: 1

Formal Report & Proposal writing

Objectives:

Study writing techniques for Proposals and Formal Reports

Study the research process

Brainstorm ideas for a formal report

Readings:

Instructor’s Blog

Technical Communications:

Guidelines for Peer reviewing and editing: page 92

Peer review reports: 486 – 490

Chapters 7, 8 & 9: Thinking Critically about the Research Process

Chapters 21 & 22: Formal Reports and Proposals

Follow the example of a Proposal on pages 538 – 539.

NOTE: Through out these pages you will occasionally be directed to refer to specific pages in past chapters – please be sure to do so

301-Hand-out-Formal-Report-Topics1-6-6 (2)guidelines – a good idea to print

2: 1 Assignments:

PLEASE SEE Due dates on our Course Schedule

Formal report proposal addressed to your professor and posted on your Team forum.

An email memo to your Instructor alerting her to the post –to be posted on your Team Forum page before midnight [late assignments will loose 0.5 points per day]

Peer review of a Formal Report proposal on your Team Forum. [late assignments will loose 0.5 points per day]

Instructions for Assignments:

Research Proposal for a Formal Report

Please begin by re-reading pages 538 where you will find an example of a Proposal for a Formal Report.

In this unit, your task is to do some thinking – brainstorming – about the kinds of volunteer, community, or workplace experiences you might possibly draw upon for your formal report. The report is intended to investigate, analyze, and recommend action on a problem, an inefficiency, or a deficiency in a public setting (a workplace, a volunteer or community organization) of which you have recently been a part. For our purposes, “community organization” can also include the various communities (programs, clubs, learning facilities) at UBC.

This research proposal is being composed for your professor.

Step 1: Read the assigned pages and the attached Hand-out on how to select your topic and keep these questions in mind:

Which settings are of most interest to me given the purpose of the report?
Which specific problem, inefficiency, or deficiency can I usefully explore, analyze, and help to improve through reasonable recommendations for change?
Which topics am I able to explore objectively and dispassionately without resorting to personal criticism of individuals or groups?
Can I narrow a topic so that I can investigate it effectively and thoroughly within the target length of 12 -15 pages double spaced?
Is this a topic I can illustrate effectively with graphics?
Is this a topic I can write about without running into problems of confidentiality?
Is this a topic reflecting my recent, relevant, and researchable experience?

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. Identify a system or procedure that is problematic in some way: inefficient, environmentally dangerous, socially discriminating, unhealthy, or some other similar category relevant to the situation you choose.

What questions do you need to ask in order to investigate the problems?
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 consider your audience right from the beginning. Give particular attention to the example of a letter of transmission in our textbook. While you are writing this proposal for your Instructor, your Formal report will be addressed to specific readers; not to your instructor. Your reader(s) MUST have the authority to act on your final recommendations.

Because your proposal is for your instructor you will need to include background information and details about your reader for the Formal Report.

The final report will be addressed and written for a specific reader or readers who have the authority to act on your recommendations.

The ultimate purpose of the report is to make detailed recommendations according to your investigation and analysis.

Primary sources for research:

Carefully review the sections in our text that discuss primary sources 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 and your proposal has been approved by your Instructor.

NOTE, please do not proceed with distributing the surveys or interviews until I have reviewed and approved your surveys and interview questions. This is a process, and you need to complete each step with my approval before proceeding – this is according to the University policies for research ethics.

As always, please feel free to ask any questions or alert me to any confusions via our CHAT page or personal email message. Thank you and enjoy.

Step 2: Use the example of a research proposal on pages 538 – 539 –– and, refer to Part 3 of our text: Organization, Style and Visual Design for reference as you draft your proposal and think about the shape of your proposed Formal Report.

Step 3: Post your proposal on your writing team forum.

Step 4: Compose an email memorandum for your professor summarizing your proposal and post the memo on your Team Forum page.

Peer Review of Research Proposal