Due Date: 18/1/2015
REPORT ~ 1,500-2,000 words
Your written report will be based on one of the campaigns found here: https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns
INCLUDE IN YOUR REPORT
1. An overview of your selected problem from both an internal Australian viewpoint AND how the problem may be perceived by someone located overseas. How is the perspective likely to be different?
2. A summary of the key problems/arguments in each case, both for and against the central issue.
3. The options for progress in this issue - what actions might be taken? Discuss the benefits that might be connected to your suggested actions.
4. Identification of the key stakeholders in this issue - who are they and how do their perspectives of this matter differ? Why?
5. A summary of the current situation outlining the most recent activities dealing with the issue.
6. Your recommendations on how to best communicate this issue to the wider public in the future.
7. Formal sources/referencing of between five (5) academic and non-academic sources. The use of academic journal articles will be highly regarded.
FORMAT AND STYLE
Reports should meet the following format and style specifications:
- Headings must be used.
- Have short paragraphs (though not one sentence paragraphs as in journalistic style).
- Information from sources is paraphrased (direct quotes are not typically used in reports - avoid them, please).
- Third person is used.
Report writing
A report should include the sections outlined below and in the exact order:
Executive summary
This is an overall summary of the entire report and should:
• Introduce the topic of your report
• Indicate the main subjects (major findings) examined in the discussion section of your report
• State your conclusions
• State your recommendations
• Be on a separate page
Table of contents
This is an ordered list of the different sections and subsections of your report. It must include numbered section headings and subheadings, with their relevant pages. This indicates to your reader where various sections of your discussion can be found. The Table of contents should also be on a separate page.
Introduction (this page starts as number 1)
The introduction should generally include three key types of information:
• Background: This section sets the context for the report and provides the (brief) background information required for the reader to understand the report. For example, it may briefly outline the issue faced by the organisation. Tell the reader something about the history/origin of the report. When was it requested? Why is it important? Who was involved and how?
• Aims/objectives: This tells the reader what the aims/objectives of the report are. It indicates what key questions the report is trying to answer and what it is trying to achieve. Why was it written?
• Scope: Tell the reader exactly what areas/ideas are covered in the report. This also helps to explain how the report is organised. Look at your plan and consider your headings and sub-headings.
Discussion and analysis
This section is where information relevant to the topic is presented. It is similar to the 'body' section of an essay. It must be fully referenced throughout, using various resources to support ideas. It should be organised logically, using topic headings, subheadings and minor subheadings to break it into sections and sub-sections based on the ideas being discussed. All headings must be numbered sequentially. Length of a discussion is approximately 60% of total word count.
Conclusion
The purpose of the conclusion is to provide a summary of the major findings. It effectively attempts to answer the key questions posed in the introduction. When writing a conclusion it may be useful to consider the following:
• No new information should be introduced
• What has been learnt or proved from doing this research?
• On the basis of the research, what conclusions can be drawn?
• Consider the key questions and objectives set out in the introduction – what are the answers/conclusions you came to?
• Consider each of the key sections of your report – what was the main point made in each section?
Recommendations
Often when writing a report specific recommendations for future actions are requested. These can be included as a separate section after the conclusion or even as a part of the conclusion (using a sub-heading). Recommendations should state what actions should be implemented based on the findings of the report. You may list these in bullet points or small paragraphs.
Reference list
This list includes the full publication details of all books, articles, websites and other sources referred to in the report. The referencing style is Harvard. Access recent relevant peer reviewed academic journal articles, academic references (books, book chapters and international peer reviewed academic journal articles) to use in your discussion.
First draft
Specifically, the purposes of the first draft are:
• To formalise the structure of the assignment.
• To ensure that there is continuity between the various sections of the report.
• To state your ideas or case as clearly as possible.
Style, grammar, spelling and presentation are of only minor importance at this stage. These aspects are an important part of the final product because a person reading your report will expect a clear, well-written piece of work, but at this stage you are not writing for your reader. You are writing for yourself – to get your ideas down on paper in a structured form. For that reason, you should write as fast as you can - let your thoughts flow freely. Do not be restricted by considerations such as correct expression, choosing the right word or spelling. They can be considered when you do your second draft.
Revision of draft
Revision is successful when a thorough, systematic approach is used. One systematic way to ensure that your revision is thorough and that you produce a better document is to tackle the task of redrafting as several discrete tasks, rather than as one large one where you work through the document from beginning to end.
Move from the general to the specific. Your first revision should address the more general questions such as structure and coverage of material. Subsequent revisions would consider more specific areas such as language and spelling. Moving from the specific to the general would be counter-productive. There is little point in correcting spelling and improving the grammar of the material that may later be considered redundant or which has to be reworded for use in a different context. In the final editing stage, the emphasis is on producing a correct piece of work. Inadequate proofreading can produce a report that is difficult to read. Reading the report assignment aloud or having someone else read it are effective ways of finding errors.
Revise the document several times, on each occasion looking at different aspects. Ask yourself the following questions:
• Does the report answer the question adequately?
• Does it cover all the essential material?
• Does the report have a clear, logical structure?
• Are each of its parts clearly linked to one another?
• Does the report contain any irrelevant or redundant material?
• Does each paragraph have a clear purpose within its section?
• Are the introduction and conclusion effective?
• Is the language clear, direct and unambiguous?
• Are there any spelling or punctuation errors?
• Is referencing correct (in the body and reference list)?
• Has the report adhered to the stipulated word length?
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