APA style and citations for dummies - Joe Giampalmi 2021

Writing reports in six easy-to-follow steps
Perfecting specialized writings: APA reports
Perfecting presentation: beginnings, endings, and other writings

Psychologists and economists have recently begun to study choices, more specifically, how too many choices are a problem that can paralyze selection. Too many choices of information when developing a report represent a problem with report writing, but choice overload is reduced by answering key questions before you begin. Most answers to these questions come from the person requesting the report.

Here’s a look at key questions to determine the focus and extent of a report:

· Who asked for the report and what is the organizational level of that person?

· What event initiated the need for the report?

· How will the report be used?

· What question should the report answer?

· Who is the audience and what is the purpose?

· Is the report internal or external?

· Does the report require a recommendation?

· Are any tables and figures needed to understand the report?

Answers to these questions will shape your report’s structure, audience, purpose, focus, and tone — in addition to identifying optional sections. For example, if the report is vertical and disseminated up the hierarchy, it will be written formally and include an executive summary, table of contents, and transmittal memo.

After you establish the preliminary focus of your report, follow the steps in the following sections to complete the report.

Adapting the APA writing style to report writing

APA’s academic writing style adapts to research papers (see Chapters 10, 11, and 12), essays (see Chapter 15), and reviews of literature (see Chapter 16). Here’s how APA’s writing style adapts to report writing.

· Focus: The topic focus shapes the report’s structure and length. Reports require that focus be limited to one workable topic. Too narrow a topic, such as home-office color schemes, produces limited significant information. Too broad a topic, such as productive home offices, produces too much information. A focused topic produces a focused report, such as creating a distraction-free home office environment.

· Purpose: The report’s purpose shapes the focus and structure of the writing. If the purpose of a report focuses on a project’s progress, the report evaluates what has been completed and the probability of completing the project before deadline.

· Audience: Unlike many other audiences, readers of reports (especially internal reports) have a vested interest in the information in those reports (for example, content directly affecting the future of the organization they’re a member of). Therefore, audience shapes what is said, why it’s said, and how it’s said. Successful reports address their audience directly and openly. For example, if the focus of a report is to explain a reduction in the workforce, the report needs to identify who, when, and to some extent why. Reports written to the wrong audience are as useless as a left-handed fork.

· Tone: Tone of reports is generally serious and formal, similar to research papers and reviews of literature. However, reports written to a small team may include informal language. Reports lack tone variations common to essays.

· Transitions: The structure of reports establishes the flow of content throughout headings and subheadings, which require organization such as general to specific, less important to more important, or sequential or logical.

Step 1: Plan and focus

Begin reports (and all writing assignments) by analyzing the assignment, brainstorming, and reading background information on the topic. Read for key terms, relevancy, and extent of the topic. Who and what is affected by the topic? What are the economic implications? Anticipate the information needed to answer the report’s major question.

Step 2: Search for information

Using key terms from the assignment and background reading, search your library databases, focusing on content-specific sources (see Chapter 11). Concentrate on secondary and popular sources (see Chapters 10 and 11).

Step 3: Analyze the information

Some reports require analysis without taking a position. Most reports require an analysis of information to make a recommendation that an organization can act on. If a report supports an argument or position, it requires an analysis. Analysis frequently requires refuting the opposition, similar to research paper writing. Review Chapters 5 and 11 for more information.

Step 4: Organize major and optional sections

Answering the report’s key questions prior to Step 1 determines the major and optional sections. For example, long reports, vertical reports, and analytical reports require a table of contents and an executive summary to help the organizational leader locate key information. A report with extensive statistical data and technical terms requires tables and a glossary. A report disseminated externally or throughout the organization additionally requires a transmittal memo (See the section, “Organizing Your Report: Other Essential Sections,” earlier in this chapter.)

Step 5: Write the report

Before drafting the report, categorize the content into major sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. Begin drafting with a copy of the focused question in front of you.

Categorize content by asking questions such as these:

· What content is background? (introduction)

· What content contributes to the results and findings? (body)

· What content covers implications? (body or conclusion)

· What content is interesting, but supplemental? (appendix)

· What content is off topic? (delete)

Many writers begin projects by starting with the body of information because they don’t know the information they’re introducing. This approach requires writing in the sequence of the middle, ending, and introduction. If you can’t write in this sequence, focus on revising the initial draft of your introduction. See Chapter 8 for revising strategies.

Here are some tips for writing reports:

· Write clearly and directly, with an average of approximately 25 words per sentence. Generally, avoid more than one dependent thought per sentence.

· Write primarily in the third person (review Chapter 6). Generally, avoid the second person. Avoid the first person, except for references to the collective we, for reports written by a team where you would use “I”.

· Refer to research in the past tense, as recommended by APA.

· Use the active voice.

· Emphasize active verbs and specific nouns.

· Explain with the words “such as” and “for example.”

Tips for writing team reports

Unlike college, everyone in the work world accepts responsibility for team reports — paycheck motivation is higher than grade motivation. Ideal team composition includes members with diverse backgrounds. Studies have identified the ideal team composition as three females and two males.

The challenge of team writing is in orchestrating a collection of individually written sections and ideas into a symphony of sound as though it were written with one voice.

Here’s a look at some guidelines for successful team writing:

· Select a project manager, someone with initiative and leadership, like you.

· Initially meet to analyze the task, answer key questions, brainstorm, narrow the topic, identify the question the report asks, and allocate work.

· Schedule deadline meetings for completion of assigned parts and review of writing. Post completed work in an online sharing file.

· Schedule a meeting to review compilation of completed parts.

· Schedule a meeting for revising strategies, as I discuss in Chapter 8.

· Use unbiased and respectful language (see Chapter 5).

· Write in a confident tone, avoiding language such as “hopefully” and “I think.”

· Write with formal language and avoid contractions. You aren’t writing a For Dummies book.

Step 6: Revise

Revise at three levels: structural; sentence and paragraph; and word. Review the revising strategies in Chapter 8, especially model-revised sentences at the end of the chapter. If you’re an overachiever, add personal models of revised sentences to the list.