For this assignment, you will include three components: the Progress Report Memo, an Annotated Working Bibliography, and an outline of the Formal Report.
For the Progress Report Memo, you are required to include the following sections:
– Research Performed to Date – This section will include any work you have performed up until the Progress Report.
– Other Work Performed to Date – This includes anything you are currently working on.
– Work to Be Completed – This is anything you need to do before the Formal Report is due.
You can also include a Changes From the Original Plan section as exemplified in the Progress Report Example.
You will also include an Annotated Working Bibliography. A “working” bibliography includes all the sources you are consulting as you are conducting your research. If differs from the “Works Cited” or “References” in that a works cited or reference page only includes those sources from which you have quoted, summarized, or paraphrased material in your report.
For the Annotated Working Bibliography, you should have at least four sources (half your required amount for the Formal Report). Each source should include the full citation according to your required style (MLA or APA depending on your major – see the Research section in your lessons) and 2-3 sentences explaining how you plan on using the source.
Use the outline to explain your presentation of your research findings. Even though the set up of the report is prescribed by the handbook, you still need organization within the Discussion section of the report. The outline should focus on the Discussion section information only. Here is the formal report overview to help with the progess report.
Formal Report Overview
The main assignment for Technical Report Writing is to compose a long research report on a topic related to your major. This section will cover all the assignment guidelines, the book discussion, and the handbooks you are to model the report after.
Four main parts to this assignment will be completed this semester:
1. The Research Proposal – Following specific directions, you will explain what you plan to research and how you will approach the topic.
2. The Progress Report – About halfway through the semester, you will submit a short progress report detailing your work done on the research for the long report.
3. The Formal Report – The bulk of the assignment, the Formal Report is the long report in which you will showcase your skills in research and analysis in the format according to the handbook.
4. The Formal Report Presentation – You will translate all the written material from the Formal Report into a Power Point presentation which all your classmates will watch and leave comments for you.
YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE WIKIPEDIA OR HOWSTUFFWORKS AS SOURCES FOR ANYTHING RESEARCHED AND COMPOSED IN THIS COURSE.
Each component of the Formal Report project enables you to hone your organizational, research, and critical analysis skills, all of which each of you will be using in your future professions.
DO NOT USE YOUR BOOK’S LONG REPORT EXAMPLE! The format follows the same as your handbook, but the research is primary, so the example uses no sources.