Study Guide
Lecture 4 Part 4 Report Supporting Sections
-
University:
Kentucky State University -
Course:
ENG 216 | Technical Writing Academic year:
2021
-
Views:
83
Pages:
39
Author:
Lily Callahan
Part 4: Report Supporting
Sections Report Supporting Sections
- In this part of the chapter we will discuss
the following report supporting sections:
Summary
Abstract
Title
Appendixes
References Supporting Sections
Summary Section
The summary is the first main section in a report.
(Although this section appears first, it is usually written
last.)
The summary is limited to 200 words.
The concluding section ground rules also apply to the
Summary, which must be written so that it can be read
independently of the report. It should be a concise
recapitulation of the report content.
No specific format is prescribed (given) for the summary. Supporting Sections
Summary Section
Include in the summary:
Purpose and scope of your work. ( whether it is
experimental, theoretical, or both.)
Range of variables.
Limitations
Major findings.
Obviously results and conclusions given in the
Summary should be consistent with those in the
concluding section. Example: Summary
This report deals with the testing and comparison of three data
compression techniques on an internal IBM software system.
A description of each of the three data compression techniques
used is provided with the testing protocol and results.
It was concluded that, although all three of the techniques resulted
in substantial data compression , the increase in CPU time used to
execute the compression functions was not acceptable and
therefore , none of the three compression functions would be
implemented in the system at this time.
It is recommended that more exhaustive literature search be done
to find other compression techniques and that development takes
place to create and test new techniques. Supporting Sections
Abstract Section
The abstract must be:
1- understandable independently of the text.
2- It should be no longer than 200 words. But if
you can tell your story in less than that do it.
The abstract should briefly state the main
features of the report such as:
- The purpose.
- The scope
- The major findings. Supporting Sections
Abstract Section
It is a condensed form of the Summary. Because
the Abstract and Summary are used for different
purposes, repetition in these two sections is
acceptable.
Many readers are first informed of your report
through abstracting services (library). In fact, the
Abstract usually receives wider circulation than
the report. Therefore take the time to word the
Abstract carefully so that the true nature and
content of your report are described. Supporting Sections
Title
Webster dictionary defines the title :
“The distinguished name of a written, printed, or filmed
production”.
Clearly this statement is appropriate to titles of technical
publications. Much abstracting and indexing is based on
the title. An improperly titled paper may be virtually lost
and never reach the audience for which it was intended.
For this reason alone the title must be carefully thought
out and worded to convey the most information in the
fewest words (maximum length, 120 characters including
spaces). Supporting Sections
Title
Title should identify the basic area of effort and,
if possible, convey either explicitly or implicitly
whether the work covered was primarily
experimental or theoretical.
But avoid starting your title with, for example,
“Study of--------------------------------“
“Research on ---------.”
Do not use part numbers in titles (e.g., l, ll, etc.)
unless at least the first two parts can be
published concurrently or nearly so. Supporting Sections
Title
If a report has been published in some other
forms, include that information on your rough
draft. Depending on the type of publication, this
information will be presented as a footnote on
page 1. For example,
*Published in part 1 in OR Journal, vol.40, no.10,
Octo.1990, and presented at the September 1989
Meeting of the Jordanian OR Society. Supporting Sections
Title
Judicious use of footnotes may be made
in the text, but remember that footnotes
are:
- disruptive (upsetting) to readers
- decrease their comprehension
(understanding).
Bibliographic references must not be
given as footnotes. Supporting Sections
Title
Prepare a list of several tentative titles as
you write the report, but make the
selection only after all writing has been
completed. By that time, you will have had
to ponder (think over) all aspects of your
work and will be in the strongest position
to choose a representative title. Which Title is better?
[Option A]
ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS REPORT
THE FUEL CELL CAR
[Option B]
TWO ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
Answer: option B Supporting Sections
Acknowledgments
Significant contribution directly related
to the substantive content shouldbe
suitably acknowledged.
When acknowledgment of contribution is
wanted, it is included in a paragraph on
the back of the title page. Example:
Acknowledgment
MASK Engineering would like to thank Dr. Schaff
of the Music Department and Ms. Cleveland from
the Theater Department for their expertise and
input for the Arts Center. We would also like to
thank Dr. Tom for his aid in our research and use
of his research materials. Supporting Sections
Appendixes
An appendix should be regarded as the
place for material that is important, but
not essential, to the complete
development of the report.
Examine the main parts of your report for
unusual long and detailed sections.
Frequently, the report can be improved by
relocating some material from these
sections to an appendix. Supporting Sections
Appendixes
Particularly appropriate for appendixes are:
1- Involved mathematical derivations.
2- An example of an analysis described in the
report.
3- Detailed descriptions of techniques, procedures,
or equipment not essential to the main purpose
of the report.
4- Symbol lists.
Supporting Sections
Appendixes
Appendixes must have titles. If there is
more than one appendix, identify them by
capital letters (A, B, C, etc.) in the order of
their mention in the report.
Each appendix should be referred to at
some point in the main body of the report.
If the symbol list is an appendix, make it
either the first or last appendix. Supporting Sections
Appendixes
Numbering of figures and tables
mentioned for the first time in the
appendixes is a continuation of the
numbering in the main text.
Equations are usually numbered
according to the appendix in which they
appear (e.g., (A1), (A2), etc.) but may be a
continuation of the equation numbers in
the main text. Supporting Sections
Appendixes
Authors other than those of the report may write
appendixes. Appendixes having independent
authors should be mentioned in the Introduction
in the following manner:
Appendix C by Jone Mark describes the computer
program used in the analysis.
An author and affiliation line (membership), as
applicable, also appears under the appendix title. Supporting Sections
References
References are citation of work related to
points brought out in the report and are
given as sources of additional information
for the reader.
The question of whether a reference is
needed can only be answered with
experience. Supporting Sections
References
A reference may be appropriate to:
1- Show work pertinent to the subject.
2- Acknowledge the work of others in the same
field, particularly quotations.
3- Save repetition of lengthy descriptions
procedures, development of theories, or other
information.
4- Support your assumptions, reasoning,
viewpoints, or explanations.
5- Compare previous results with those of your
report.
Supporting Sections
References
Reports, books, papers, and other
publications referred to in reports are
listed in the References section at the end
of the text, after the concluding section,
before any appendixes at the back of the
report. Supporting Sections
References: Reference format
1) Format1:
References are generally put into
established style and listed by number in
the order of mention in the text, tables,
and figures consecutively.
But the style and format of the reference
list may follow accepted practice in the
discipline of the report. Example: References
Example1:
Few other examples of steganography can be found in [1, 2, 3].
An important technique was the use of sympathetic inks. Ovid in
his ”Art of Love” suggests using milk to write invisibly.
References
[1] A.Papoulis, ”Probability, Random Variables and
Stochastic Processes”, McGraw Hill Inc., 3rd Edn.,1991.
[2] R.C.Gonzalez and R.E.Woods, ”Digital Image Processing”,
Addison-Wesley Publishing company, Inc.,1993.
[3] A.K.Jain, ”Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing”,
Prentice-Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., 1995. Supporting Sections
References: Reference format
Format2:
You may use the author last name (date) style of
citation
(e.g. Jones (1997, 1999); Hindi (2000)).
This style allows to revise your manuscript
(document) without searching for and changing
all references numbers. Example: References
Example2
It is the process that embeds data called a watermark into a
multimedia object (cover work) such that the watermark can be
detected or extracted later to make an assertion about the object.
The object may be an image, audio, video or text (Mohanty, 1999).
Reference
(Mohanty, 1999). Mohanty P.Saraju, ”Digital Watermarking: A
Tutorial Review”, informing science special issue on multimedia
informing technologies-part 1,vol 2, 1999.. Supporting Sections
References: Reference format
This type of reference list alphabetized by the
last name of the first author.
Multiple publications by the same author (or
authors) are listed in the chronological order
from oldest to most recent.
Documents by the same author in the same year
are cited by author last name, year, and letter
(e.g., Robinson (1970a,b)).
Documents having no personal author may be
cited in the text by using an abbreviated title. Supporting Sections
References: Reference format
-
If a bibliography is presented in addition
to or in place of the References section,
the publications in it are:
neither numbered nor cited in the text
either listed alphabetically according to
author, listed chronologically, or grouped
according to subject. Example: References
Journal article, one author:
Ruebarbe, L. M. (1995). Cleaning up the psychological
house. Ethics in behavioral therapy, 66, 334-352.
Journal article, two authors:
Tenn, I. Q., & Peller, R. (1989). Violence in
entertainment media. Perspectives in Psychology, 3, 919.
Magazine article:
Feemish, J. A. (1994, November 30). The mind’s eye.
Tomorrow’s Science Today,24, 37-42. Example: References
Book
DuCarbeaux, M. A., & Lustiger, I. V. (1969). Mentorship
among older and younger college students. Berkeley,
University of California.
Encyclopedia or dictionary
Malin, R. & Collie, C. (Eds.). Encyclopedic Dictionary of
Human Behaviors, (4th ed., Vols. 1-4). New London,
Whaley. Example: References
Websites
Limb, P. (1992, May). Relationships between lab-or &
African nationalist/liberation movements in southern
Africa [Online]. Available: http://www.neal.ctstateu.edu/
history/world_history/archives/limb-l.html [1997, April 20].
(Note that the first date is the one on the web document (if
there is one), and the date at the end of the citation is when
the site was accessed as a reference.) Example: References
Example1
It is the process that embeds data called a watermark into a
multimedia object (cover work) such that the watermark can be
detected or extracted later to make an assertion about the object.
The object may be an image, audio, video or text (Mohanty, 1999).
Reference
(Mohanty, 1999). Mohanty P.Saraju, ”Digital Watermarking: A
Tutorial Review”, informing science special issue on multimedia
informing technologies-part 1,vol 2, 1999.. Example: References
Example2:
Few other examples of steganography can be found in [1, 2, 3].
An important technique was the use of sympathetic inks. Ovid in
his ”Art of Love” suggests using milk to write invisibly.
References
[1] A.Papoulis, ”Probability, Random Variables and
Stochastic Processes”, McGraw Hill Inc., 3rd Edn.,1991.
[2] R.C.Gonzalez and R.E.Woods, ”Digital Image Processing”,
Addison-Wesley Publishing company, Inc.,1993.
[3] A.K.Jain, ”Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing”,
Prentice-Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., 1995. Table of contents Example: Which is better? A
Contents
Summary
1.0 Introduction
1
2.0 Car A
1
2.1 Design features
1
2.2 Materials selection
2
2.3 Fuel efficiency
2
3.0 Car B
3
3.1 Design features
3
3.2 Materials selection
4
3.3 Fuel efficiency
4
4.0 Comparison of designs
5
5.0 Conclusions
8
6.0 References
9
Appendices:
Appendix A Design diagrams
Appendix B Contribution of each group member Example: Which is better? B
Summary
1
1.0 Background
1
2.0 Car A design
2
3.0 Car B design
4
4.0 The materials we selected
5
5.0 What are the safety features?
7
5.1 Car A
7
5.2 Car B
7
6.0 Discussion
8
7.0 Conclusion
9
8.0 References
9
9.0 Appendix
10
Appendix
11 Answer: Contents A is better
Contents B has the following problems:.
The page should be titled 'Contents'.
Background information should be included in the Introduction,
perhaps as a subsection if there is a considerable amount.
Section headings should be in parallel grammatical form; for example,
Materials and Safety Features, and these should be sub-sections of
Sections 2 and 3. Subsections should be clearly indented.
The Discussion could more informatively be entitled: Comparison of
Designs
The Conclusions section needs an 's'.
Appendices to a report should not have section or page numbers and,
where there is more than one, should be titled Appendices. They also
need titles.
Dotted lines between section headings and page numbers would
improve readability.
Lecture 4 Part 4 Report Supporting Sections
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