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For many writers, a technical report is the longest document they've
ever written. It normally involves some research; often the information comes
not only from published sources in the library, but also from sources outside
the library, including non-published things like interviews, other
correspondence, and videotapes. It may also be a fancy document one creates- it
uses binding and covers and has special elements such as a table contents, title
page, and graphics.
The real focus is the writing, how well adapted is it to a specific
audience, how clear and readable is it, how it flows, how it's organized, how
much detail it provides. You should also be focused on format. For making a hard
copy of the report, a simple typewriter or dot matrix printer, scissors, tape,
whiteout, a good-quality photocopier, and access to nice (but inexpensive)
binding are all you need.
The writer’s job now boils down to define the following:
Report topic: Decide the subject you are going to write on; narrow
it as much as possible.
Report audience: Define a specific person or group of people
you are targeting. Define the circumstances in which this report is needed.
Report purpose: Define what the report will accomplish--what
needs of the audience it is going to fulfill.
Report type: Decide on the type of report--for example, technical
background report, feasibility report, instructions, or some other.
You can do these in any order; for some people, it helps to start by
defining an audience or a report type first. For others, beginning by picking a
topic is more stimulating. Once you have defined the above elements, you can
start testing your report-project ideas by asking yourself these questions:
Is there hard, specific, factual data for this topic?
Will there be at least one or two graphics?
Is there some realistic need for this report?
There are basically seven types of technical reports:
Technical-background report- The background report is the hardest to
define but the most commonly written. This type of technical report provides
background on a topic--for example, solar energy, global warming, CD-ROM
technology, a medical problem, or U.S. recycling activity. However, the
information on the topic is not just for anybody who might be interested in the
topic, but for some individual or group that has specific needs for it and is
even willing to pay for that information.
For example, imagine an engineering firm bidding on a portion of the work to
build a hemodialysis clinic. The engineers need to have general knowledge about
renal disease and the technologies used to treat it, but they don't want to go
digging in the library to find it. What they need is a technical background
report on the subject.
Instructions- These are probably the most familiar of all the types of
reports. Students often write backup procedures for the jobs they do at their
work. Others write short user manuals for an appliance, equipment, or program.
If there is too much to write about, they write about some smaller segment--for
example, instead of instructions on using all of WordPerfect, just a guide on
writing macros in WordPerfect.
Feasibility, recommendation, and evaluation reports-
This type of report studies a problem or opportunity and then makes a
recommendation.
A feasibility report tells whether a project is
"feasible"--that is, whether it is practical and technologically
possible. A recommendation report compares two or more alternatives and
recommends one (or, if necessary, none). An evaluation or assessment
report studies something in terms of its worth or value.
For example, a college might investigate the feasibility of giving every student
an e-mail address and putting many of the college functions online.
Primary research report- Primary research refers to the actual work done
by somebody in a laboratory or in the field. In other words, this means the
various experiments and surveys done by an individual. This is inclusive in the
technical report as well. In this type of report, you present your data and draw
conclusions about it, but also explain the methodology, describe the equipment
and facilities used, and give some background on the problem.
Technical specifications- In this report type, you discuss some new
product design in terms of its construction, materials, functions, features,
operation, and market potential. The text is generally dense, fragmented;
tables, lists, and graphics replace regular sentences and paragraphs whenever
possible. Thus, specifications do not showcase your writing abilities. However,
you can write a more high-level version--one that might be read by marketing and
planning executives.
Report-length proposal- Proposals can be monster documents consisting of
hundreds or even thousands of pages. Most of the elements are the same, just
bigger. Also present are elements like feasibility discussion, review of
literature, and qualifications, drawn from other kinds of reports.
Business prospectus- If you are ambitious enough to start your own
business, you should write a business prospectus, which is a plan or proposal to
start a new business or to expand an existing one. It is aimed primarily at
potential investors. Therefore, it describes the proposed business, explores the
marketplace and the competition, project revenues, and also describes the
operation and output of the proposed business.
The above types of technical reports are the commonly defined ones. Others might
exist, called by different names; but on a closer look would reflect the
above-mentioned types.
A critical step in early report planning is to define a specific
audience and situation in which to write the report. For example, if you want to
write about CD audio players, the audience cannot be "anybody who is
considering purchasing a CD player." You need to define the audience in
terms of its knowledge, background, and need for the
information.
Ø
Why does
the audience need this information?
Ø
How will
readers get access to this information?
You also have to define the audience in terms of who they are
specifically; that means things like names, organization or company,
street address and phone numbers, and occupation or
position should be known and collected.
Just as critical to the planning process is defining the situation. When
you define your audience, you also define who the readers are, what they know or
don't know in relation to the topic, what experience or background they have in
relation to the topic, and why they want or might need the information.
Sometimes this leaves out a critical element, what are the circumstances that
bring about the need for the information.
The writer might use the following questions to ensure that the technical report is structured properly according to specifications:
Ø
Did you
include all the required components in the required order, for example,
transmittal letter, title page, figure list, and so on? Did you address your
report to a real or realistic audience that has a genuine need for your report?
Did you identify in the introduction what background the audience needs to read
and understand your report?
Ø Does your report contain specific, factual detail focused on the purpose of the report and the needs of the audience and aimed at their level of understanding?
Ø
Does your
report accomplish its purpose? Is the purpose clearly stated in the
introduction?
Ø
Does your
report use information sources and did you document them
properly?
Ø
Does your
report use graphics and tables?
Ø
Does
every new section start on a new page? Have you checked for widowed headings,
stacked headings, lone headings and parallelism in the phrasing of headings?
Ø
Does the
title page of your report include a descriptive abstract?
Ø
Did you
include an informative abstract in your report; is it positioned properly in
relation to the other report components; and is it written according to the
specifications in the chapter on abstracts? Specifically, does your informative
abstract summarize the key facts and conclusions of your report rather than act
as just another introduction or descriptive abstract?
Ø Does the introduction of your report include the elements necessary in good introductions, such as audience, overview, and purpose? Did you avoid the problem of having too much background in the introduction, or having an introduction that is all background?