EAS360: STEM Communication
Technical White Paper Guidelines
The Recommendation Report
Many government agencies and business or engineering organizations produce formal,
analytical reports of one type or another. Such reports are official documents that contain
detailed information, research, and data necessary to make decisions. A formal
recommendation report is generally prepared for the purpose of solving problem(s) with
recommendations. Make sure that the recommendation report is for the eyes of decision
makers.
In this assignment, you will, therefore, write a Recommendation Report in which you use
technical expertise to solve a real problem or an issue. Your main goal in this assignment is
to identify a problem or issue in a workplace, local community, or on-campus, discuss how
you investigated the problem, evaluate the solution(s) for the problem, describe the
solutions, discuss your findings, and then recommend which solution(s) to implement and
why.
Your report will help the intended reader make an informed decision about the
problem/issue that needs solving or a situation that is problematic. For instance, you might
investigate why X occurred (or is occurring) and based on the results of your investigation,
you recommend a plan of action for resolving problem X. You can also consider whether a
solution is feasible. In a way, your goal is to investigate, analyze, and understand the
problem/issue and identify a plan of action for solving it.
As you draft your report, consider the following factors in your recommendation report:
a)
Content: Your reputation as a professional engineer can be influenced by the quality
of your recommendations. Therefore, the quality of the content must be good. Be
clear and specific about your content. If the site or project seems to be unsuccessful,
do not simply recommend that your reader “try some other alternatives.” Consider
what alternatives you recommend and why.
b)
Tone: When you recommend a new course of action, be careful about the tone you
use—do not offend whoever formulated the earlier action. Do not say that following
your recommendations will “correct the mistakes” that have been made. Instead, your
recommendation should “offer great promise for success.” A restrained, neutral tone is
more persuasive and influential because it shows that you are interested only in the
good of your company, not personal rivalries.
c)
Length: The report should be prepared in minimum 2200 words and maximum
2500 words, single-spaced, not including the front matter (i.e., transmittal letter,
title page, table of content, and lists of tables and figures) and back matter (i.e.,
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glossary, references, and appendixes).
d)
Format: Use consistent formatting in your document to look professional. Use singlespaced sentences. Use at least two levels of headings in addition to the title (main
sections and subsections) with appropriate format for each level. Type your report
using 1 in. margins all around. Do not use fancy fonts. Use Times New Roman theme
font (12 font size for main text). Keep in mind that the way you design your document
also determines its quality.
Note: To complete this work successfully, you need to meet the content requirements and
additional requirements as provided below. Please read all these requirements carefully
and prepare your report accordingly.
Content Requirements:
The Elements of the Formal Recommendation Report
The following components make up your entire TWP and are all required. Remember the word
count does not include the front and back matter, but only the main report (sections 5 -9).
Front Matter:
1. Transmittal Letter
2. Cover Page
3. Table of Contents
4. Abstract
Main Report (2200-2500 words in total & two visuals that you have designed):
5. Introduction
6. Methods
7. Results
8. Conclusions
9. Recommendations
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EAS360: STEM Communication
Back Matter:
10. Glossary (if any)
11. Reference Page (must include at least 5 sources in APA format)
12. Appendix (if any)
The following section includes detailed descriptions of each of these report elements.
Content Requirements:
The Elements of the Formal Recommendation Report (in detail)
As you prepare your report, include the following components:
1.
A Transmittal Letter that takes a form of a business letter and introduces the primary
reader to the purpose and content of the report. As you prepare the letter, consider
doing the following:
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2.
include your name and title and that of your primary reader (i.e., your client),
include subject heading that indicates the subject and the purpose of your report,
begin the first paragraph with the purpose of the study and state the title of your
report (for example: “Attached is the report for my study, “Title of Your
Report……”),
explain your research methods in your second paragraph,
In your next paragraph, mention your principal findings: the results and the
conclusions of the study,
next, write the major recommendations,
Conclude with a polite offer to participate further by providing your phone number
and email.
A Cover Page that contains the title of the report, the name and position of the writer,
the date of submission, and the name of the writer’s company. In this page, do the
following:
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select a good title that indicates the subject and purpose of your report,
Include the name and position of the principal reader (i.e., your client) and the
writer of the document (yourself),
If you have name/logo of your organization, you can present it at the bottom of the
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page.
3.
A Table of Contents page that helps the reader navigate the report, find the information
they want, and understand its scope and organization. As you prepare the table of
content page, do the following:
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4.
An Abstract (100-250 words) that allows a reader to get the bare-bones information
about a document without requiring them to read the whole document. Consider the
following:
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5.
use the same typeface and design of the headings in the table of contents in the
report itself,
if the project is broken into different tasks, consider the two levels of headings
distinguished by type style (boldface vs italic) and indentation.
Accuracy–a good abstract includes only information included in the original document
Brevity–a good abstract gets straight to the point, contains precise language, and does
not include unnecessary and superfluous adjectives
Clarity–a good abstract does not contain jargon, cliché, or colloquialisms, and it always
explains any acronyms used in the document
Do not refer to the author (e.g., “Dr. Johnson argues”) or what type of document you
are abstracting (e.g., “This book describes”)
An Introduction that explains the purpose of the report and helps readers understand
the technical discussion that follows. Also, include information in brief about the
problem being investigated and provide relevant background or historical information
about the problem, its causes, and attempt to solve it. You must show that the issue is a
problem for a group of people rather than just a personal grudge. Consider doing the
following in your Introduction section:
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begin with a brief statement of the context (purpose)
include the background of the study stating that the current situation is unsatisfactory
for several reasons with evidence
evidence based on research that there is a problem that needs to be addressed and
that current situation is unsatisfactory
create a list of formal statements of tasks and incorporate a brief overview of
your research methods into each task,
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discuss your principal findings,
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offer your recommendations (for instance, you may say, “I recommend…….”),
conclude this section with an advance organizer for the rest of your report (for
instance, you may use the structure such as, “In the following sections, I
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EAS360: STEM Communication
provide……”)
6.
A Methods section that answers the questions such as “What did you do?” In this section,
provide sufficient information to enable your readers to understand what you did and
why you did it that way. It should include enough detail to convince your reader of the
soundness, thoroughness, and appropriateness of your methods. When you describe your
research methods, follow these suggestions:
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7.
explain how you began your research methods: interview, survey, focus group,
case studies, observations, secondary research consultation (literature review)
etc.,
to perform the analysis, break the project into different tasks and explain the
reasoning of using a particular research method to address the particular task,
explain why you chose the specific research method over other methods (doing
so suggests that you are a careful analyst),
carefully explain the logic of each method used for each task,
if you used interview and/or survey as your research methods, create an appendix and
provide the appendix reference for your interview/survey questions and responses
you received from the participants,
include the page number where the appendix (if any) appear in the report,
provide as much information as your reader needs to be able to follow your report.
A Results section that reports on the results of your investigation. Your Results section
answers the question, “What did you see or determine?” In this section, present the
results objectively, without yourpersonal comments. Since your report investigates a
complex problem or issue, you might include an analysis of what is happening and why it
is happening. But do not interpret yourresults and save the interpretation for conclusion.
In your Results section, consider doing the following:
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present an advance organizer (for instance, you might say, “In this section, I present
the results of my research….”),
use the same task structure used in the method sections if possible,
explain what you did (the research method(s) you used) and what happened (the
results you obtained). If possible, use one or two effective illustrations appropriately
for your results,
present your findings in each task section.
You must have at least three visuals, properly created and labeled in your results section.
8.
A Conclusions section that answers the questions originally sparked the analysis. In this
section, you summarize, interpret, and recommend. It should provide a clear and
consistent perspective on the whole project. Do not introduce new ideas, facts or
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statistics. In this section, do the following:
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present an advance organizer (for instance, you might say, “In this section, I present
my conclusions based on my research……”),
abandon task labels (if any) but retain the headings,
focus more on the meaning of the information you gathered (results you obtained)
and less on what you did (the research methods you employed),
mention what conclusions you drew from your research study.
A Recommendation section that answers the question “What should we do?” For a
complex situation, your recommendation might include a plan of action for implementing
one or more solutions over a period of time. If your report just focuses on proposing a
solution, it would end with a call to action. You must give evidence that your
recommendation will work. You should have at least two sources showing that the solution
is feasible and viable. As you prepare this section, follow these suggestions:
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present an advance organizer for the recommendation section (For instance, you
might say, “I recommend…….”),
provide options first and present your preference for one or two options over other
options,
evidence that your recommendation is viable & has worked elsewhere
conclude the section with the benefits of your recommendation (again, you may use
the structure such as, “I recommend that……”).
10.
A Glossary and List of Symbols section (if any) that includes an alphabetic list of
definitions and symbols used in the report. A list of symbols is formatted like a glossary,
but it defines symbols and abbreviations rather than terms.
11.
A Reference section that lists any source you consulted. Documentation information
usually appears in this section of the report, and often entitled “References,” “Work
Cited,” or “Bibliography.” Use APA style for this assignment. You must include at least 5
sources in your TWP cited both in-text and on your reference page.
12.
An Appendix section (if any) that provides supplementary information that supports the
body of your report. Appendixes might include maps, large technical diagrams or charts,
computation, test data, and texts of supporting documents. If you use appendixes,
designate each appendix with a letter of the alphabet such as “Appendix A,” “Appendix
B” and so on. Use title for each appendix and list them in the table of contents.
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Additional Requirements:
 The report is accurate and detail, clear in meaning and complete.
 The content is structured in a logical order.
 The report is written in a relevant format including sections with headings that
identify the content.
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Report is to a specific, well-defined audience that is not Dr. Martiniuk
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Vocabulary is clear, precise, and relevant and contributes to a relevant tone for
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the report.
Any technical terms are defined clearly.
If any sources of data are used, they should be referenced accurately in a consistent
format.
Avoid long, complicated sentences and use active voice whenever possible. A
technical report is not a work of imagination, feelings, and/or emotion. It is better to
use short, clear statements to make your point. People read technical documents
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quickly and may be confused by long sentences.
Avoid using acronyms that might cause confusion.
Avoid nonstandard punctuation. Dashes and parenthetical comments should be
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used only sparingly.
The report is carefully proofread and edited.
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Due Dates & Point Values
Due Dates
PART OF PROJECT
POINTS
2/26
Topic Idea Memo
2
3/9
Half Draft #1 (introduction and methods)
5
3/12
Peer Review of Draft #1
2
3/30
Draft #2: Full Report with all sections
8
04/02
Peer Review of Draft #2
2
04/09
FINAL DRAFT submitted for grading
26
TOTAL PROJECT
45