Name the seven different types of reports
- Informational Reports:
a) Trip, Convention, and Conference Reports
b) Progress, Status, and Milestone Reports
c) Minutes Reports
d) Summary Reports - Analytical Reports
a) Justification/Recommendation Reports
b) Feasibility Reports
c) Yardstick Reports
What is the difference between informational and analytical reports?
Informational report is a document that presents data, facts, and other information without any interpretation or analysis.
- Purpose: provide readers with objective information about a particular topic or issue.
- Examples: status reports, progress reports, and financial reports.
Analytical report is a document that presents data, facts, and other information along with an analysis and interpretation of that information.
- Purpose: help readers understand the implications of the data and to make informed decisions based on the analysis presented.
- Examples: feasibility reports, market research reports, and SWOT analysis reports.
In summary, while both informational and analytical reports present information, the key difference is that an informational report simply presents data while an analytical report presents data along with an analysis and interpretation of that data.
What is the difference between a direct and indirect strategy approach?
Direct approach:
- The report begins with the main conclusion or recommendation, followed by the supporting analysis and evidence.
- This approach is often used when the reader is already familiar with the subject matter and the report writer wants to present the information in a concise and clear manner.
Indirect approach:
- The report begins with an overview of the problem or issue being analyzed, followed by a detailed analysis and evidence, and then concludes with the main recommendation or conclusion.
- This approach is often used when the reader may be unfamiliar with the subject matter, or when the writer needs to build credibility and convince the reader of the validity of the analysis and recommendation.
What is the difference between Qualitative and Quantitative data?
Qualitative data:
- Non-numerical information
- Interpretation-based, descriptive and relating to language
- Examples of qualitative data include interview transcripts, field notes, and observational data.
Quantitative data
- Numerical information, , countable, or measurable
- Examples of quantitative data include survey responses, test scores, and sales figures.
How do you determine if your data is valid and reliable?
Valid and reliable data are important for making accurate and trustworthy conclusions in research or analysis. Here are some steps to determine the validity and reliability of your data:
- Validity: Validity refers to whether the data accurately measures what it is intended to measure. There are several types of validity, including content validity, criterion validity, and construct validity. To determine the validity of your data, you can ask yourself:
- Does the data measure what it is supposed to measure? - Is the data collected from a representative sample? Does the data collection method avoid bias and ensure the accuracy of the data?
- Reliability: Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of the data over time or across different raters or measures. To determine the reliability of your data, you can ask yourself:
- Is the data consistent across different measurements or raters? - Does the data collection method produce consistent results across different times and settings? - Are the statistical measures of reliability, such as Cronbach's alpha, within an acceptable range?
What does the acronym C.R.A.A.P. stand for?
Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.
What does the outline help you to do?
- Helps you organize your thoughts and research
- Decreases the time required to compose, revise, and edit your first draft
What should be included in the outline?
- Report’s title
- Purpose statement
- Pre-summary statement (thesis or main point)
- All headings and subheadings, named and formatted
- Brief description of every paragraph in the report
- Name and number of each illustration placed where it will appear in the report
What is the different type of headings: Functional, Talking, and Combination?
- Functional headings provide only general information and are of minimal benefit to the reader . They are useful for routine reports.
- Talking headings provide more information and create interest for the reader. Sometimes called descriptive headings, they tell the reader about the content of a heading.
- Combination headings combine functional and talking headings.
What is the Purpose of Headings?
- Headings assist readers in comprehending the organization of a report. Readers can see major ideas at a glance.
- Headings provide resting points for the mind and the eye, breaking up large chunks of text into manageable segments.
What is the difference between Orphaned, Widowed, Stacked Headings?
- Orphaned heading: An orphaned heading occurs when a heading or subheading appears alone at the bottom of a page, with the following text starting on the next page. This can be confusing for readers as they may not know where the heading belongs.
- Widowed heading: A widowed heading occurs when the last line of a paragraph appears alone at the top of a page, with the heading or subheading following on the next page. This can also be confusing for readers as they may not know which heading corresponds to the following text.
- Stacked heading: A stacked heading occurs when two or more headings or subheadings appear consecutively without any text in between. This can be confusing for readers as they may not know which heading corresponds to which section.
What are the rules on heading capitalization?
- Writer might use all capitals for main titles.
- Follow traditional rules for other headings:
a) Capitalize the first letter of main words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and so on.
b) Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but, or, nor), and prepositions with three or fewer letters (in, to, by, for) unless they are the first or last words in the heading.
What contents are included in front matter, body, and back matter, and what is included in each
of these sections?
- Front Matter (Prefatory) Contents
1. Title Page
2. Letter or Memo or Email of Transmittal
3. Table of Contents
4. List of Figures
5. Executive Summary or Abstract - Body of the Report
1. Introduction
2. Discussion of Findings
3. Conclusions
4. Recommendations - Report Back Matter Contents
1. Works Cited or References
2. Bibliography
3. Appendices
What is included in an Abstract/Executive Summary, how long should it be, is it needed in every
report?
- Includes:
1. enough information for the reader to get an understanding of the content of the full report
2. Summarizes the purpose, key points, findings, and conclusions - Length: no longer than 10% of the original document
- Is it needed: I think so
What is included in a table of contents?
- For shorter reports, include all headings
- For longer reports, include 1-2 level headings
How is the Pagination in the different parts of the report?
- Cover page: typically not numbered, or may be numbered with a lowercase Roman numeral (i).
- Table of contents: usually numbered with lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.).
- Introduction and body: usually numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). The page numbers typically appear in the header or footer of the document.
- Appendices: may be numbered with letters or numbers (A, B, C or 1, 2, 3). The page numbers typically appear in the header or footer of the document.
- Bibliography/References: may be numbered using Arabic numerals or with a lowercase Roman numeral (i).
When and how do you use in-text citations in APA format?
- When to use in-text citations: In-text citations should be used whenever you use information from a source, whether it is a direct quote or a paraphrase. This includes information from books, articles, websites, and other sources.
- How to format in-text citations: In-text citations should include the author’s last name and the year of publication, separated by a comma. If you are quoting directly from the source, you should also include the page number(s). For example:
a) (Smith, 2010)
b) (Jones & Brown, 2015, p. 23)
c) According to Johnson (2008), “quoting directly from a source is an effective way to support your arguments” (p. 15). - Multiple authors: If a source has two authors, include both names separated by an ampersand (&) in the citation. If a source has three to five authors, list all the authors the first time the source is cited. For subsequent citations of the same source, list only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” For sources with six or more authors, list only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” for all citations.
- No author: If a source does not have an author, use the first few words of the title in the citation. If the title is italicized, use the first few words of the title in italics. For example: (“New Study Shows,” 2019)
- Electronic sources: If you are citing an electronic source such as a website, include the author (if available), the year of publication, and the paragraph number (if available) in the citation. If a paragraph number is not available, use the page number instead.
What is the difference between Primary and Secondary Research?
Give examples of each type of research
- Primary research: Primary research involves gathering original data directly from the source. This can be done through various methods, such as surveys, interviews, experiments, and observations. Primary research is often used when there is a specific research question or problem that needs to be addressed, and there is no existing data available to answer it. Examples of primary research include:
a) Conducting a survey to gather information about customer satisfaction with a product
b) Conducting an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new drug treatment
c) Conducting interviews with experts to gather information about a specific topic - Secondary research: Secondary research involves gathering information and data that has already been collected by others. This can be done through various methods, such as literature reviews, data mining, and analysis of existing databases. Secondary research is often used when there is a need to gather background information on a topic, or when there is existing data available that can be analyzed to answer a research question. Examples of secondary research include:
a) Reading academic articles or books to gather information on a topic
b) Analyzing sales data from a company to identify trends or patterns
c) Using data from government databases to analyze demographic information for a specific region
