1. Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

2. Researching Proposals
Chapter 15
Researching Proposals
and Reports
Steps in Report Writing
Formal vs. Informal
Report Classifications
Report Topics
Types of Research
Sources
Chapter 15. Planning and researching reports.

3. Chapter 15 Learning Objectives
LO 15-1 Recognize varieties of reports
LO 15-2 Define report problems
LO 15-3 Employ various research strategies
LO 15-4 Use and document sources

4. Steps in Report Writing
Define the problem
Gather necessary data
Analyze the data
Organize the information
Write the report
No matter what kind of report you are writing, the process involves five steps:
Define the problem
Gather necessary data
Analyze the data
Organize the information
Write the report
This presentation covers the first two steps.

5. Formal vs. Informal Reports
Formal reports contain formal elements:
Title page
Transmittal
Table of contents
List of illustrations
Informal reports may be memos, letters, , sales figures, etc.
Many different kinds of documents are called “reports.” Generally, however, formal reports include more elements, including title page, transmittal, table of contents, and list of illustrations. Less formal or informal reports may be included in memos, letters, , sales figures, and so on. One of the first challenges in creating a report is deciding what kind of report is desired.

6. Report Classifications
Information reports collect data for reader
Sales reports
Quarterly reports
Reports come in three general categories: information, analytical, and recommendation. Information reports simply present data for the reader. These include sales reports and quarterly reports.

7. Report Classifications, continued…
Analytical reports interpret data but do not recommend action
Annual reports
Audit reports
Make-good or pay-back reports
Analytical reports present data along with interpretations, but they stop short of recommending action. Annual reports, audit reports, and make-good or pay-back reports are examples of analytical reports.

8. Report Classifications, continued…
Recommendation reports recommend action or a solution
Feasibility reports
Justification reports
Problem-solving reports
Recommendation recommend an action or a solution. These include feasibility reports, justification reports, and problem-solving reports.

9. Report Classifications, continued…
Some reports combine information, analytical, and recommendation types
Accident reports
Credit reports
Progress reports
Trip reports
Closure reports
Come reports combine all three types of reports. For example, accident reports, credit reports, progress reports, trip reports, and closure reports present data, analysis, and recommendations for action all in one report.

10. Defining Report Topics
Real problem
Important enough to be worth solving
Narrow but challenging
Real audience
Able to do recommended actions
As you begin the process of creating a report, you need to make sure that you have defined the purposes and audiences of the report accurately and specifically. Begin by defining the problem. The problem needs to be real, important enough to be worth solving, and narrow enough to accomplish in the time and space you have available. The report also needs to be geared toward a real audience who is able to implement the recommended actions.

11. Defining Report Topics, continued…
Data, evidence, and facts
Convey severity of problem
Prove that recommendation will solve problem
Available to writer
Comprehensible to writer
In addition to defining the problem and the audience, you need to make sure you define what data you need. The data, evidence, and facts you gather must convey the severity of the problem and prove that your recommendation will solve the problem. In addition, the data to solve the problem must be accessible to you and comprehensible to you.

12. Purpose Statement Makes three things clear
Organizational problem or conflict
Specific technical questions that must be answered to solve problem
Rhetorical purpose the report is designed to achieve
Explain - Recommend – Request - Propose
Once you have defined your problem, you can write a purpose statement. This needs to make three things clear:
The organizational problem or conflict
Specific technical questions that must be answered to solve the problem.
The rhetorical purpose the report is designed to achieve (explain, recommend, request, propose)

13. Research Types Primary research gathers new data
Surveys
Interviews
Observations
Secondary research retrieves information that someone else gathered
Library research
Online searches
With a problem statement in place, you can begin or continue your research. There are two general types of research: primary and secondary. Primary research gathers new data through surveys, interviews, and observations. Secondary research retrieves information that somebody else gathered from a library or through online searches.

14. Criteria for Evaluating Web Sources
Authors
What person or organization sponsors site?
What credentials does author have?
Objectivity
Does site give evidence to support claims?
Does it give both sides of issues?
Is the tone professional?
When you are gathering sources in secondary research, you need to make sure that the sources are credible and useful. Evaluate the sources through five criteria:
Authors. What person or organization sponsors the site? What credentials does the author have?
Objectivity. Does the site give evidence to support claims? Does it provide both sides of the issues? Is the tone professional?

15. Criteria for Evaluating Web Sources, continued…
Information
How complete is information?
What is it based on?
Currency
How current is the information?
Audience
Who is the intended audience?
As you continue to evaluate web sources, use these additional criteria:
3. Information. How complete is the information? What is it based on?
4. Currency. How current is the information?
5. Audience. Who is the intended audience?
A librarian can provide additional assistance to find the best sources as you research.

16. Surveys, Questionnaires, and Interviews
Survey—questions large groups of people, called respondents or subjects
Questionnaire—written list of questions that people fill out
Interview—a structured conversation with someone who will be able to give useful information
In gathering primary research, you will often talk to people to get their input and measure their opinions. This kind of research can be gathered in three ways:
Survey. Surveys question large groups of people, and are generally designed to provide both quantitative data (using Likert scales or other measurements) and qualitative data (essay or short answers).
Questionnaire. These generally focus on a smaller group than surveys and have a written list of questions for people to fill out.
Interview. This one-on-one conversation is structured to gain useful information from an individual.

17. Questions to Consider about Surveys
Who did the survey and who paid for it?
How many people were surveyed and how were they chosen?
How was the survey conducted?
What was the response rate?
What questions were asked?
When you are looking at the results of surveys as secondary research, evaluate the surveys to make sure they will provide good information. Ask:
Who did the survey and who paid for it? Is it from a trustworthy source? Does the funder of a survey have a vested interest in the results?
How many people were surveyed and how were they chosen? The number of people surveyed and how they were chosen to participate makes a big difference in the accuracy of the results.
How was the survey conducted? Was the survey face-to-face? By phone? By mail? Through the Internet?
What was the response rate? How many people responded to the survey out of how many it was sent to?
What questions were asked?

18. Characteristics of Good Survey Questions
Ask only one thing
Are phrased neutrally
Are asked in an order that does not influence answers
Avoid making assumptions about the respondent
Mean the same thing to different people
When you consider which questions are asked on a survey, think about these characteristics of good survey questions. Questions should ask only one thing, be phrased neutrally, and be asked in an order that doesn’t influence the answers. The questions should also avoid making assumptions about the respondent and mean the same thing to different people.

19. Question Types Closed questions—limited number of possible responses
Open questions—unlimited responses possible
Branching questions—direct subjects to different parts of questionnaire based on answers to earlier questions
Survey and interview questions can come in several types: closed questions have a limited number of responses. For example, you could ask for the city where a person lives or a simple yes/no question. Open questions have unlimited responses. Branching questions direct subjects to different parts of the questionnaire or survey based on answers to earlier questions.

20. Question Types, continued...
Multiple choice—make the answer categories mutually exclusive and exhaustive
Probes—follow up original question to get at specifics of a topic
Mirror questions—paraphrase content of last answer
Here are more types of questions: multiple choice questions provide a limited number of answers to choose from. Probes follow up on original questions to get at more specific information. Mirror questions paraphrase the content of the last answer.

21. Sample Types Convenience sample—set of subjects who are easy to get
Judgment sample—group of people whose views seem useful
Random sample—each person in group has equal chance of being chosen
When you are examining or designing research, pay attention to how the respondents are chosen. A convenience sample is made up of people who are close by or easy to contact. Judgment sample is a group of people whose views will be useful. A random sample gives an equal chance to each person in a larger group to be chosen for the study.

22. Using Technology in Research
Online networks
Web-based surveys
Data mining
Analytics
Technology is playing an increasing role in research. Online networks provide easier access to specific groups for surveys and questionnaires. Web-based surveys provide easy access for respondents and tools for compiling and analyzing data. Many companies use data mining of social networks like Facebook and Twitter to learn about attitudes and responses to the organization. Companies also perform analytics on technology usage (like visits to a web page) that help them determine the views and interests of their customers.

23. Citation and Documentation
Citation—attributing an idea or fact to its source in report body
Documentation—listing bibliographic information readers would need to locate original sources
No matter what kinds of research you use, you need to make sure to provide citations and documentation. Citations attribute an idea, fact, or quote in the report body to its original source. Documentation lists bibliographic information to help readers locate the original sources.