Two-Component Report

Introduction / Rationale
Reports are one of the most common and important technical documents in the workplace.
Reports provide information and recommendations in order to help organizations solve
problems. A well-designed and written technical report is informative and persuasive, often to
multiple audiences.
Assignment Prompt
For this assignment, you will be writing a long-form two-component report. You may write an
Empirical a Proposal Report (Anderson, Chapter 24), an Empirical Research Report (Anderson,
Chapter 25), or a Feasibility Study (Anderson, Chapter 26) for this project.

Structure. A two-component report must have both Front matter and Discussion
sections. Whichever kind of report you decide to write, closely follow the outlines
provided in Chapter 24 (pp. 504-506), Chapter 25 (pp. 535-536), or Chapter 26 (pp. 558559).
o Front matter: Minimally, the front matter will comprise a title page as well as an
executive summary. The Executive Summary must include a statement of the
problem, a statement of research methods, and your major conclusions and/or
recommendations. Look carefully at the sample Executive Summary Anderson
provides on p. 284
o Discussion: The Discussion section must include an introduction to present the
background for the report and explain its organization. A feasibility report
includes an introduction, overview of alternatives, criteria, method, evaluation,
conclusions, and recommendations. An empirical research report includes an
introduction, objectives, method, results, discussion, conclusion, and
recommendations. A proposal research report includes an introduction, problem
definition, objectives, solution, method, resources, schedule, qualifications,
management, costs, and conclusion. References should be included after the body
of the report and before the Appendix. Look carefully at the sample technical
reports Anderson provides in Chapters 24, 25, and 26.

Visuals. You must integrate at least 3 visuals into your report. Be sure to refer to
Anderson Chapter 14 for more information on the types of visuals that are used in
technical communication as well as how to design those visuals to achieve your desired
ends.

Collaborative work. If you submitted a collaborative project plan, you will also be
completing a collaborative two-component report. If you choose this option, your
instructors expectations for the end product will be higher. Plan to develop a report that
is at least 12-16 pages in length.
o Team member responsibilities: Teams may divide responsibilities however they
want, but each team must select a team leader whose responsibilities include
guiding the team through the successful completion of the project. Teams might
consider having team leaders responsible for creating front matter, including

cover pages and executive summaries. Team leaders might also be responsible for
the Introduction to the Discussion and the Conclusion. Researchers, then, could
divide the remaining writing responsibilities.
o Feasibility study report example: If a team is writing a feasibility study, one
researcher might be responsible for the current situation---why is this a
problem---, one researcher might be responsible for investigating the feasibility of
one solution and the remaining researcher might be responsible for investigating
another. Remember to maintain a descending order of priority throughout the
report, where the most important and relevant solutions are discussed first.
o Empirical research report example: If a team is writing an empirical research
report, the same strategy might be followed, but instead of investigating the
feasibility of an alternative, the team might just be focused on a discussion of the
results of a particular research project.
Learning Objective
You will become familiar with long-form communication used in professional settings. You be
able to carry out extended research and writing projects.
Minimum Requirements
Two-component report with Executive Summary and Discussion
8-10 pages if completed individually; 12-16 pages if completed as part of a group
Three useful visuals integrated into discussion
All resources properly cited in APA style
A properly formatted APA title page
Due Date
Week 14
Grading

Two-Component Report - ENG 3050 Rubric

General Description
Audience &
Purpose

How well did you analyze the

likely audiences for this
communication?

Is the Executive Summary

written concisely, clearly, and
persuasively for the decisionmakers?

How well did you tailor this

communication to that audience?

Does the Discussion provide

sufficient and persuasive
information and interpretation
for the implementers?

Is your document useful and

persuasive for these intended
audiences?
Research

Assignment Specific

How thoroughly did you

investigate the subject(s) of this
composition?

Is the technical report solidly

based on adequate research?

Does the research include

information from primary and
Did you select an appropriate and secondary research?
ethical research method?
Do you show the results of that
research in this text?
Content &
Organization

Does your content support your

claim / purpose, and is it usable
for your audiences?

Does the Executive Summary

highlight the problem and
solution?

Do you employ the appropriate

superstructure for this audience
and purpose?

Is the Discussion section a

well-organized presentation
and interpretation of
information?

Do you employ standard forms of

technical organization (i.e.,
moving from general to
particular, writing in a
descending order of priority)?

Do the sections of the

Discussion move from general
statements to particular details,
thereby maintaining a
descending order of priority
throughout?

Score

Format &
Design

Is this document usable,

attractive, and easy to navigate?
Do you make effective and
persuasive use of relevant visuals
and graphics (labels, captions,
color choice, etc.)?

Does the report exhibit good

page design in all sections?
Are visuals well-integrated
with text in the sections of the
report?
Are all sources properly cited
and documented in APA style?

Do you make effective and

persuasive use of page design
(e.g. white space, quadranting,
headers, etc.)?
Grammar &
Style

Points Possible

Do you write in an effective and

efficient technical prose style
(e.g. spelling, grammar,
concision, tone, accuracy, etc.)?

350

Are the grammar and

mechanics perfect?
Is the style appropriate to a
professional audience?

Total Score