Put a title here for the report. State who the report is for (your client – not the lecturer), the..
Put a title here for the report.
State who the report is for (your client – not the lecturer), the author, ID no, submission date and word count.
There is no page number on the cover page (although it is page i).
Removing page i from your document: Insert the page numbers starting with ‘page ii’ and select ‘different first page’. NB: This is already formatted if you use this template.
Table of contents
(Remember, because you are already at the page, a ‘table of contents’ is not required as an entry in this section)
Tabulate your list of contents.
Include section and page numbers. (Remember, any sections outside the body of the report do not have a section number, such as any appendices or your list of references.
Body of the report (please note – this is not a heading in the report)
Introduction
This section contains introductory information about the organisation and the problem. It is not a summary of the research.
This section contains 1 or 2 short paragraphs, including:
provide a brief, focussed overview of your organisation’s background
why it is important to address the problems
outline any limitations of your report.
Remember, the page numbers become Arabic numerals, start at ‘1’ with the body of the report, and continue until the very last page of the appendices.
To change the page numbers, in page layout, go to ‘page breaks’ and select ‘section break’. Then reinsert page numbers, using Arabic numerals, starting from page 1.
Findings and discussion
(The findings and discussion may sometimes be separate sections. However, for this report it is useful to combine them).
Although these sections are on separate pages in this template, please do not use a new page for each section of the body of the report – sections flow throughout the pages as the report is a continuous document.
Have a new section number for the analysis of each problem i.e. 3.1.
Introduce your chosen problems with a strong rationale for why you think these are the most important to the organisation.
Use material from current journal articles and your readings to compare your findings to what has been said in the past. Look at examples in your case material that fit with communication literature.
Do not reference unpublished lecture notes and handouts (unless the material you are referring to has been published previously in a recognised source).
Concentrate on providing convincing evidence that will give you a strong foundation for the conclusions and recommendations.
Conclusions
This section contains the claims you are making from your findings and analysis.
Your conclusion(s) are not just a summary of your findings and analysis. Each conclusion must contain evidence of what you have concluded from the data, theory and analysis in your previous findings and discussion section.
Conclusions never contain any new material, including theory, literature or quotes. They relate only to your assessment of the importance of the material in the previous findings and discussion section.
Conclusions should make a clear, strong argument for your chosen ‘best fit’ solution.
Conclusions should never be more than 3 to 4 sentences long. Therefore, they must be carefully constructed and contain clearly focused and relevant material.
Continue your section numbering, but remember, do not use bullet points at any stage in a report.
Recommendations
This section contains the specific actions you want from your reader.
Write a short sentence after your main heading, stating “It is recommended that:”
Use parallel construction – that is, continue from the sentence above in each recommendation (don’t repeat it, just imagine you are writing on from the words, ‘It is recommended that…….’
All recommendations have a section number, e.g., 4.1. Sometimes a recommendation may cover more than one aspect of the identified communication problems.
All recommendations are short, specific, achievable, measurable and time bound. They should be no longer than 2 (or at the very most) 3 sentences.
Within these sentences, each recommendation must give the reader specific detail about:
What to do,
When to do it,
For how long,
How to do it,
Who will do it,
Instructions for the client about an appropriate tool to measure whether the recommendation was successful,
When the client should carry out the measurement.
References
A list of all references cited in your report.
The reference list always begins on a new page (as it is not considered part of the body of the report).
Include all of the references cited in your report.
Check that you have provided all of the relevant information in each reference.
Reference lists are always in alphabetical order (with family name first) and initials for first names only.
Ensure you have used the required type and number of references specified in your marking guide.
Refer to the examples from the APA manual in the library or the OWLL website to ensure you have correctly used the APA format for your citations and reference list.
Ensure you have cited in-text references correctly, and have used a page numbers for direct quotes from published sources.
Nearly there – a final checklist…
Is the report accurately, attractively and professionally presented in a manner that is appropriate for the workplace?
Have you presented a concise, thorough analysis to enable a busy reader to extract the relevant information?
Have you chosen strong academic references from relevant sources and shown your understanding by integrating the material with your findings?
Is the text 1.5 or double-spaced, in size 12 font? Is there consistent and appropriate formatting evident throughout the document? Are you within the prescribed word count?
In other words, would you be proud to attach this document as an example of your work in your CV for future employers to view?
When you have finished and edited your report, submit to the assignment dropbox on Stream prior to the due date and time.
