Project
3: Long Primary Research Report
For this project, you will collaboratively
plan, research, and write a report that addresses a need or problem for a real
client. Your group may choose a feasibility, long proposal, or empirical report,
but each will include significant research in order to solve a need or problem
for a specific organization or service group. Possible clients include organizations
where you currently work, service groups to which you belong, and nonprofit organizations
that you support. Please review the resources for Project
3 for help in completing this project.
The goals of this project include the following:
- Research the specific needs of your audience(s) and tailor the components of your report to those needs.
- Organize a large body of information into a highly structured technical report with a coherent argument.
- Learn strategies for managing a complex document production (multiple documents related to the same task).
- Gain experience writing traditional types of writing expected in the workplace.
- Incorporate visuals into your report as a way to enhance your argument.
You must complete the following documents to fulfill the requirements for this project:
- E-mail your group's report topic ideas to me by March 17. Your e-mail should include the client for whom the report would be prepared, your relationship with the client, the client's need or problem, and what type of report you think would be appropriate: proposal, feasibility, empirical (read pgs. 444-445, 460-462, 487-488, and 516-518 for a description of report types).
- Project proposal (collaborative), due via e-mail on March 24. Your proposal should include what kind of report you will write, who the audience will be, what the purpose of the report is, what results you wish to bring about, what task it will enable its readers to perform, and how it will alter the readers' attitudes.
- Progress report (individual), due via e-mail on April 7 at 6:30pm. Your progress report should be between 400-500 words, in memo format to me, and should detail what you have accomplished thus far on the project, what remains to be done, and what problems you have encountered or anticipate you will encounter.
- Final primary research report (collaborative), due via e-mail on April 24 at 6:30pm. The final version of your report includes a document of transmittal, title page, table of contents, table of figures, and works cited page.
Your final report will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Purpose. Is the need for the research clear and is a viable concept for a project well developed and persuasively presented throughout your report, that is, is your argument clear and well-supported?
- Audience. Is the type of report and amount of information, terms, and language appropriate for the indicated audience?
- Organization. Is the information presented in a logical and intuitive manner both within each section and among sections?
- Conventions. Are all appropriate sections included in the report and are each well-developed?
- Visuals. Is the purpose of the visuals clear and do they serve to enhance the argument?
- Format. Is the information presented in a professional, appropriate format (i.e., does your report include headings, page numbers, consistent hierarchies, margins, spacing, etc.)?
Last Updated: December 22, 2022
