Technical Report Writing Relative Frequency Homework
Relative Frequency Table
Solution
Response
Frequency
Relative Frequency
Relative Frequency
Decimal Value
Percent Value
I do not drive a car
249
0.052201258
5.2201258%
Never
118
0.024737945
7.6939203%
Rarely
249
0.052201258
12.9140461%
Sometimes
345
0.072327044
20.1467505%
Most of the time
716
0.150104822
35.1572327%
Always
3093
0.648427673
100.0000000%
Totals
∑ =4770
∑ =1
∑ =100.0000000%
1. What is the sample size of this study?
Answer
The sample size is 4,770
2. Find both relative frequency values for each category and type it in the table above. The
sums should total 1.0 and 100%, respectively.
Answer
Please refer from the table above
3. What percentage of students answered Always? Don’t round the answer.
Answer
From the table above, the percentage of students who answered Always is
0.648427673*100% = 64.8427673%
4. What percentage of students answered Never? Don’t round the answer.
Answer
From the table above, the percentage of students who answered Never is
0.024737945*100% = 2.4737945%
5. Create a bar chart (using % relative frequency values) in Microsoft Excel and copy/paste it in
the space below. copy/paste here
Answer
Technical Report Writing Relative Frequency Homework
Percentage relative frequency
100.0000000%
35.1572327%
20.1467505%
12.9140461%
5.2201258%
I do not drive a
car
7.6939203%
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Most of the time
Always
Response
Figure 1 A bar chart showing percentage of relative frequency against responses.
6. Create a pie chart (using % relative frequency values) in Microsoft Excel and copy/paste it in
the space below. Follow these guidelines for the chart:
Answer
Technical Report Writing Relative Frequency Homework
I do not drive a car
3% Never
4%
Rarely
7%
Sometimes
11%
Always
55%
Most of the time
20%
Figure 2: A pie chart showing the percent value of relative frequencies with their corresponding
responses.
7. Which chart—bar or pie—do you prefer and why?
Answer
I prefer the pie chart because of its visual representation of the information. By looking at, I
can easily interpret the information presented. I’m not saying that the bar graph is not a good
one but I think a pie chart has a good aesthetics, together with the information that can easily
be interpreted by simply looking at it.
Data Analysis Report Proposed Survey Question and Responses
Name:
In the spaces below, answer the following statements about your data analysis report topic.
Identify your area of study:
The area of study is wearable technology. It is an area of study in biomechanics.
Copy and paste the assignment option scenario that you chose:
Learning about various concepts related to your field of study can be a daunting task. New and
updated information is frequently introduced into your discipline's ever-growing body of
literature. Maintaining current knowledge of this information can impact your career success and
your reputation in the field. Assume that you are a member of an introductory course in your
field of study. The professor would like each class member to be well-grounded in the discipline,
so he or she has decided that the class will publish an electronic manual that can be read by
current and future students to learn all about various topics related to the discipline. Each
subsequent semester, the manual will be updated by future students, so everyone can easily
access the most recent materials. You'll write your information report to current and future class
members, and the electronic manual will be available in PDF format on the course Web site.
Identify the survey question and four survey response choices:
Survey Question: What are some of the wearable technologies suitable for healthcare, and how are they
used?
Four Survey Response Choices:
1. Wearable sensors
2. Wearable fitness trackers
3. Smart health watches
4. Wearable Blood Pressure Monitors
What 2 demographics will you use (e.g., males vs. females, commuters vs. on-campus residents)?
Data Analysis Report Proposed Survey Question and Responses
Children vs adults
Why did you choose these 2 demographic groups?
I chose these two demographic groups because wearable technology can be designed specifically for a
particular age.
Data Analysis Report Audience Profile Worksheet
Name: Mohammed Aldossary
Report Topic: Biomechanics Data Analysis Report
Audience Profile
Answer each of the following questions/prompts in detail.
Who is the report’s primary reader and why?
Answer: The report’s primary reader is university students who are interested to learn about
biomechanics. The report will be part of an electronic manual that will be used by current and
future students to keep them updated with the most recent materials about Biomechanics.
What is the highest level of technicality that the primary reader can understand and why?
Answer: The highest level of technicality that the primary reader can understand is the
mechanical part of how the human body works. Most engineering students did physics as their
primary subject and not biology, therefore, they would understand the mechanical part of
biomechanics, rather than the biological part.
Who is (or might possibly be) the report’s secondary readers and why?
Answer: The report’s secondary students may be sports athletes since most would love to know
how the human body functions mechanically, in a way that would prove helpful to their sports.
Wearable technology is part of biomechanics and is very important for sports athletes, and thus
this report proves to be a good source of information for sports athletes.
What is the highest level of technicality that the secondary readers can understand and why?
Answer: The highest level of technicality that the secondary readers can understand is how the
body moves in unison, and how the body organs work. Secondary readers would find it difficult
to understand engineering mechanics in biomechanics since some have not undertaken any
engineering courses.
What level of technicality should the report be written in and why?
Answer: The report should be written in a slightly high level of technicality since the primary
readers are current and future engineering students who have basic knowledge in engineering
mechanics and thus would understand technical terms used in engineering.
What are some potential problems you may run into when writing the report, not as a student
taking this TRW course but as the technical writer in the assignment scenario?
Answer: Some of the potential problems that I would come across would include having trouble
defining some biological terms since I am not a biology student. Defining some concepts in a
simple way without plagiarizing is quite difficult but I did manage.
Considering your answers to the potential problems listed above, what specific and measurable
actions can you take to address these problems if they occur?
Answer: One of the specific and measurable action that I would take to address such a problem
would be consulting different sources which would help to give me different definitions of some
difficult biology concepts involved in biomechanics.
Data Analysis Report Audience Profile Worksheet
Name:
Report Topic: Biomechanics Data Analysis Report
Audience Profile
Answer each of the following questions/prompts in detail.
Who is the report’s primary reader and why?
Answer: The report’s primary reader is university students who are interested to learn about
biomechanics. The report will be part of an electronic manual that will be used by current and
future students to keep them updated with the most recent materials about Biomechanics.
What is the highest level of technicality that the primary reader can understand and why?
Answer: The highest level of technicality that the primary reader can understand is the
mechanical part of how the human body works. Most engineering students did physics as their
primary subject and not biology, therefore, they would understand the mechanical part of
biomechanics, rather than the biological part.
Who is (or might possibly be) the report’s secondary readers and why?
Answer: The report’s secondary students may be sports athletes since most would love to know
how the human body functions mechanically, in a way that would prove helpful to their sports.
Wearable technology is part of biomechanics and is very important for sports athletes, and thus
this report proves to be a good source of information for sports athletes.
What is the highest level of technicality that the secondary readers can understand and why?
Answer: The highest level of technicality that the secondary readers can understand is how the
body moves in unison, and how the body organs work. Secondary readers would find it difficult
to understand engineering mechanics in biomechanics since some have not undertaken any
engineering courses.
What level of technicality should the report be written in and why?
Answer: The report should be written in a slightly high level of technicality since the primary
readers are current and future engineering students who have basic knowledge in engineering
mechanics and thus would understand technical terms used in engineering.
What are some potential problems you may run into when writing the report, not as a student
taking this TRW course but as the technical writer in the assignment scenario?
Answer: Some of the potential problems that I would come across would include having trouble
defining some biological terms since I am not a biology student. Defining some concepts in a
simple way without plagiarizing is quite difficult but I did manage.
Considering your answers to the potential problems listed above, what specific and measurable
actions can you take to address these problems if they occur?
Answer: One of the specific and measurable action that I would take to address such a problem
would be consulting different sources which would help to give me different definitions of some
difficult biology concepts involved in biomechanics.
Data Analysis Report: Finding Research Sources
Name: Mohammed Aldossary
Write down your data analysis report background claim: The area of study is wearable
technology. It is an area of study in biomechanics
Part One: Search Terms
Develop a list of at least 5 credible search terms. At least 3 of them must include a Boolean
operator (e.g., AND, OR, NOT).
•
•
•
•
Term #1: Biomechanics
Term #2: Wearable technologies suitable for healthcare
Term #3 with Boolean: Biomechanics and healthcare
Term #4 with Boolean: Biomechanics and wearable technology
• Term #5 with Boolean: Wearable Blood Pressure Monitors
Part Two: Finding Sources
Find at least 5 credible sources that you will look up. All 5 sources must be a magazine,
newspaper, or journal article from a Bierce Library academic database (e.g., Academic Search
Complete, LexisNexis Academic, Newspaper Source, Article First).
As an alternative to typing all the information below, you may print a copy of the database
information page for each source. That way, you’ll have the information necessary to look
up and read each source (which you’ll do in the follow-up lesson to this assignment).
Source #1 (Article)
• Name of Database: The University of Akron Libraries Catalog
• Name of Author(s): Kharmanda, Ghias, El Hami, Abdelkhalak
• Title of Article or Book Chapter: Biomechanics : optimization, uncertainties and reliability
• Title of Book, Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: Reliability of multiphysical systems set;
volume 5
• Publication Date: 2017
• Volume and Issue Numbers: Volume 5
• DOI Number: 10.1002/9781119379126
• Key Words Used to Find This Source: Biomechanics
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This source has a lot of information on
Biomechanics.
Source #2 (Article)
Page 1
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Data Analysis Report: Finding Research Sources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Name of Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
Name of Author(s): Amir Mehmood, Adnan Nadeem, Kashif Rizwan, Nadeem Mahmood,
Ahmad Waqas
Title of Article or Book Chapter: A Study of Wearable Bio-Sensor Technologies and
Applications in Healthcare
Title of Book, Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: Sukkur IBA Journal of Computing and
Mathematical Sciences,
Publication Date: 2017
Volume and Issue Numbers: Vol 1, Iss 1, Pp 67-77
DOI Number: 10.30537/sjcms.v1i1.9
Key Words Used to Find This Source: Wearable technologies suitable for healthcare
Briefly explain why you chose this source: The article clearly explains the use of wearable
sensors in healthcare.
Source #3 (Article)
• Name of Database: Science Citation Index
• Name of Author(s): Enix, Dennis E., Mayer, John M.
• Title of Article: Sacroiliac Joint Hypermobility Biomechanics and What it Means
for Health Care Providers and Patients
• Title of Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: PM&R, 11, S32–S39
• Publication Date: AUG 2019,
• Volume and Issue Numbers: Supplement: 1
• DOI Number: 10.1002/pmrj.12176
• Key Words Used to Find This Source: Biomechanics and healthcare
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This source gives a detailed explanation of the
application of Biomechanics in healthcare.
Source #4 (Article)
• Name of Database: IEEE Xplore Digital Library
• Name of Author(s): Veltink, P.H., De Rossi, D.
Title of Article: Wearable technology for biomechanics: e-textile or micromechanical sensors?
[Conversations in BME]
•
•
•
•
•
Title of Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine
Publication Date: 2010
Volume and Issue Numbers: 29(3):37-43
DOI Number: 10.1109/MEMB.2010.936555
Key Words Used to Find This Source: Biomechanics and wearable technology
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This article discusses the relationship between
wearable technology and biomechanics.
Page 2
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Data Analysis Report: Finding Research Sources
Source #5 (Article)
•
Name of Database: IEEE Xplore Digital Library
•
Name of Author(s): Narasimhan, Ravi, Parlikar, Tushar, Verghesel, George, McConnell,
Michael V.
•
Title of Article: Finger-Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor
•
Title of Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: 40th Annual International Conference of the
IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)
•
Publication Date: 2018
•
Volume and Issue Numbers: 3792-3795
•
DOI Number: 10.1109/EMBC.2018.8513065
•
Key Words Used to Find This Source: Wearable Blood Pressure Monitors
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This article explores the finger wearable blood
pressure measurement device to assist in frequent daytime and night time monitoring.
Page 3
Visit the LibGuide at http://libguides.uakron.edu/EnglishComp for information about using academic databases to find research sources.
Data Analysis Report: Finding Research Sources
Write down your data analysis report background claim: The area of study is wearable
technology. It is an area of study in biomechanics
Part One: Search Terms
Develop a list of at least 5 credible search terms. At least 3 of them must include a Boolean
operator (e.g., AND, OR, NOT).
•
•
•
•
Term #1: Biomechanics
Term #2: Wearable technologies suitable for healthcare
Term #3 with Boolean: Biomechanics and healthcare
Term #4 with Boolean: Biomechanics and wearable technology
• Term #5 with Boolean: Wearable Blood Pressure Monitors
Part Two: Finding Sources
Find at least 5 credible sources that you will look up. All 5 sources must be a magazine,
newspaper, or journal article from a Bierce Library academic database (e.g., Academic Search
Complete, LexisNexis Academic, Newspaper Source, Article First).
As an alternative to typing all the information below, you may print a copy of the database
information page for each source. That way, you’ll have the information necessary to look
up and read each source (which you’ll do in the follow-up lesson to this assignment).
Source #1 (Article)
• Name of Database: The University of Akron Libraries Catalog
• Name of Author(s): Kharmanda, Ghias, El Hami, Abdelkhalak
• Title of Article or Book Chapter: Biomechanics : optimization, uncertainties and reliability
• Title of Book, Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: Reliability of multiphysical systems set;
volume 5
• Publication Date: 2017
• Volume and Issue Numbers: Volume 5
• DOI Number: 10.1002/9781119379126
• Key Words Used to Find This Source: Biomechanics
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This source has a lot of information on
Biomechanics.
Source #2 (Article)
• Name of Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
Page 1
Visit the LibGuide at http://libguides.uakron.edu/EnglishComp for information about using academic databases to find research sources.
Data Analysis Report: Finding Research Sources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Name of Author(s): Amir Mehmood, Adnan Nadeem, Kashif Rizwan, Nadeem Mahmood,
Ahmad Waqas
Title of Article or Book Chapter: A Study of Wearable Bio-Sensor Technologies and
Applications in Healthcare
Title of Book, Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: Sukkur IBA Journal of Computing and
Mathematical Sciences,
Publication Date: 2017
Volume and Issue Numbers: Vol 1, Iss 1, Pp 67-77
DOI Number: 10.30537/sjcms.v1i1.9
Key Words Used to Find This Source: Wearable technologies suitable for healthcare
Briefly explain why you chose this source: The article clearly explains the use of wearable
sensors in healthcare.
Source #3 (Article)
• Name of Database: Science Citation Index
• Name of Author(s): Enix, Dennis E., Mayer, John M.
• Title of Article: Sacroiliac Joint Hypermobility Biomechanics and What it Means
for Health Care Providers and Patients
• Title of Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: PM&R, 11, S32–S39
• Publication Date: AUG 2019,
• Volume and Issue Numbers: Supplement: 1
• DOI Number: 10.1002/pmrj.12176
• Key Words Used to Find This Source: Biomechanics and healthcare
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This source gives a detailed explanation of the
application of Biomechanics in healthcare.
Source #4 (Article)
• Name of Database: IEEE Xplore Digital Library
• Name of Author(s): Veltink, P.H., De Rossi, D.
Title of Article: Wearable technology for biomechanics: e-textile or micromechanical sensors?
[Conversations in BME]
•
•
•
•
•
Title of Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine
Publication Date: 2010
Volume and Issue Numbers: 29(3):37-43
DOI Number: 10.1109/MEMB.2010.936555
Key Words Used to Find This Source: Biomechanics and wearable technology
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This article discusses the relationship between
wearable technology and biomechanics.
Source #5 (Article)
Page 2
Visit the LibGuide at http://libguides.uakron.edu/EnglishComp for information about using academic databases to find research sources.
Data Analysis Report: Finding Research Sources
•
Name of Database: IEEE Xplore Digital Library
•
Name of Author(s): Narasimhan, Ravi, Parlikar, Tushar, Verghesel, George, McConnell,
Michael V.
•
Title of Article: Finger-Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor
•
Title of Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper: 40th Annual International Conference of the
IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)
•
Publication Date: 2018
•
Volume and Issue Numbers: 3792-3795
•
DOI Number: 10.1109/EMBC.2018.8513065
•
Key Words Used to Find This Source: Wearable Blood Pressure Monitors
Briefly explain why you chose this source: This article explores the finger wearable blood
pressure measurement device to assist in frequent daytime and night time monitoring.
Page 3
Visit the LibGuide at http://libguides.uakron.edu/EnglishComp for information about using academic databases to find research sources.
Data Analysis Report: Reading Research Sources
Name: Mohammed Aldossary
Write down your data analysis report background claim: The area of study is wearable
technology. It is an area of study in biomechanics.
Annotated Bibliography
From your list of possible research sources, choose 3 that seem most promising and compile
an APA formatted annotated bibliography. All three (3) sources must be a magazine,
newspaper, or journal article from an academic database. The annotated bibliography will look
like an APA References page, but below each source you’ll write a paragraph that summarizes
and evaluates the source. The paragraph must cover all of the following information:
•
•
•
•
Summarize the thesis of the article, as well as the main supporting arguments.
Assess the quality of the information: How biased is the information? How reliable is it?
How current is it?
Reflect on how you will use this article in your background section: Does it provide you with
supporting evidence? Background information? Supporting detail? A counterargument? Does
it provide information you had not previously considered?
From which UA library database did you find the article?
Example
McManus, K. (2011). No lines, no waiting. Industrial Engineer: IE, 43(8), 18.
This article described how waiting in the service world is accepted. The author believed that
waiting times need to be cut down as much as possible, and the way to do so is for service
companies to hire industrial engineers. The article appeared in a periodical that is published by
the Institute of Industrial Engineers, and it is indexed in the Academic Search Complete
database, so its content should be reliable. However, some bias may be present since the article,
written by an industrial engineer and appearing in an industrial engineering periodical,
recommended that service companies should hire industrial engineers. The article is current, and
I plan on using it as supporting detail for my argument. I found the article in the Academic
Search Complete database.
Page 1
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Data Analysis Report: Reading Research Sources
Source #1
Veltink, P. H., & De Rossi, D. (2010). Wearable technology for biomechanics: e-textile or
micromechanical sensors? [Conversations in BME]. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology
Magazine, Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine, IEEE, IEEE Eng. Med. Biol.
Mag, 29(3), 37–43. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uakron.edu:2443/10.1109/MEMB.2010.936555
This article describes the use of two approaches which are important in the sensoring technology.
Wearable devices have transformed neurorehabilitation and has proved to be a major milestone
in the healthcare sector. The article is reliable since it is indexed in the IEEE Xplore Digital
Library and hence is reliable. The article is current and has proven useful for this project.
Therefore, the article proves to be biased since it does not contain new information about
wearable technology for biomechanics. The article is updated and will be very useful as a
supporting document for my background section.
Source #2
Amir Mehmood, Adnan Nadeem, Kashif Rizwan, Nadeem Mahmood, & Ahmad Waqas. (2017).
A Study of Wearable Bio-Sensor Technologies and Applications in Healthcare. Sukkur IBA
Journal of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, (1), 67.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.uakron.edu:2443/10.30537/sjcms.v1i1.9
[Summary and Evaluation Paragraph]
Page 2
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Data Analysis Report: Reading Research Sources
Source #3
Narasimhan, R., Parlikar, T., Verghesel, G., & McConnell, M. V. (2018). Finger-Wearable
Blood Pressure Monitor. Conference Proceedings: ... Annual International Conference Of The
IEEE Engineering In Medicine And Biology Society. IEEE Engineering In Medicine And
Biology Society. Annual Conference, 2018, 3792–3795.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.uakron.edu:2443/10.1109/EMBC.2018.8513065
[Summary and Evaluation Paragraph]
Page 3
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Title of Report
Introduction
Purpose
Briefly identify the reason for writing the report: what you are examining and why you are examining it.
Problem
Describe (a) the background or history of the situation that led to the problem, (b) describe the problem, (c) identify what
(in general) needs to be done—without proposing a solution, (d) describe the impact of the problem—what should or will
happen if it’s addressed; what could happen if it’s not addressed?
Scope
Review what the report will cover and why; review what the report will not cover and why.
Background
Review research and/or information related to the report’s purpose in order to help readers to appreciate why the report and
its findings are important.
Procedures/Methodology
What raw data were collected? Where can this raw data be found (refer to the Appendix)? What sampling method of data
collection was used? From whom were the data collected? How were the data measured (or calculated) and why? Describe
the survey question and answers.
Data and Results
Report the results by (a) including the figures, and (b) referencing, describing, and reporting the data results in each figure.
Your figures are placed in this section. Do not discuss the implications of or draw conclusions about the results. You’re
only reporting objective observations of the data.
Conclusion
Assessment
What do the data and results suggest? What do they mean? What subjective conclusions can you draw from them?
Recommendation
Based on the conclusion section, what do you recommend? What actions need to be taken? What follow-up studies should
be done in the future to address uncertainties in the data?
Contact
Provide contact information in case of questions (your name, phone number and best time to reach you, and
e-mail address).
References
Place your references here (double spaced).
Appendix
Place your raw data form here.
Background Section as Argument
First of all, note that all Background sections can be organized as an argument; however, the content of
each Background depends on the kind of report you're writing. Before we take a look at the data
analysis report's Background section, let's briefly discuss how the Background section of two other kinds
of reports forms an argument.
Research Report
Let's define a research report as a written document that discusses an experimental procedure designed
and carried out for the purpose of expanding (or adding to) a discipline's body of knowledge. For this
report, the purpose of the Background section is to identify and review previous research that provides
the foundation on which the experimental procedure attempts to build in order to advance the
discipline's overall body of knowledge.
Establishing the purpose of the Background section is important, because it helps you to formulate its
claim. Here's how the argument can be organized:
Claim = This study (or experimental procedure) will add knowledge to a particular discipline's
well-established body of research.
Reader Questions = (1) What body of research does it add to, and (2) what knowledge does it
attempt to add?
Support = (1) Review of prior research, and (2) the knowledge it attempts to add.
In many research reports, the claim is not explicitly stated; rather, it is inferred. That is, one can safely
assume that readers automatically understand that the report is trying to prove this unstated claim. As
a result, the Background section often begins with a review of prior research and then concludes by
identifying the knowledge that the experimental procedure should provide. This knowledge can take the
form of supporting the results of prior research, refuting the results of prior research, and so forth. The
rest of the report proves the claim to be true.
Lab Report
Let's define a lab report as a written document that discusses an experimental procedure designed and
carried out for the purpose of expanding (or adding to) one's own body of knowledge about a particular
discipline or topic. For this reason, the purpose of the Background section is to identify and review the
body of research that already exists about the topic.
Once again, you can write the Background section as an argument. Let's use the following example:
You're conducting an experiment that shows how mixing solutions of copper ions with other ions results
in different colors.
Claim = Previous research explains the reasons why different colors are the result.
Reader Questions = (1) What are those research sources, and (2) What do they report that is
relevant to the topic?
Support = (1) Review of prior research sources, and (2) their reported results relevant to the
topic.
Again, the claim in a lab report may not be stated explicitly; rather, it could be inferred. As a result, the
Background section may only review the prior research by identifying the various research sources and
reporting their results that are relevant to the topic.
Now let's discuss the Background section of your data analysis report.
Page 1
Data Analysis Report Background Section as Argument
Just like for the research and lab reports, the Background section of a data analysis report can serve a
different purpose. Let's define a data analysis report as a written document that recommends a
statistics-driven solution to a well-defined problem. For our data analysis report, the purpose of the
Background section is to identify and review previous research and/or information about the report's
purpose in order to help readers understand why the report and its findings are important. Organizing
the Background section as an argument can help establish that reader understanding.
For the data analysis report, the argument is very simple:
Claim = Topic Related to the Report's Purpose
Reader Question = [Depends on the Claim]
Support = (1) Review of research sources, and (2) their reported results relevant to the topic.
Now you can understand why the Background section in a data analysis report is so difficult: identifying
a topic that is related to the report's purpose must be completed before the claim or the reader
question can be written.
Some people have attempted to define the claim this way: Solving the problem is important. However,
we already know that solving the problem is important, because the Introduction's Problem area clearly
describes what could happen if the problem is addressed and what could happen if it's not addressed.
Furthermore, students who have taken this route soon discovered that finding research sources to
support the claim proved to be difficult.
What steps can you take to help identify an important topic that is related to the report's purpose? The
answer: focus freewrite about it. Let's look at a specific example.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 2
Example: Data Analysis Report Background Section as Argument
Recall the mini-carrot (Gibillini's Garden Dijonaise dish) example. Let's use it to see how we can
organize a Background section for the report. We've already discussed how (a) Gibillinis needs to
purchase a new brand of mini-carrots for its signature dish, and (b) the Background section needs to
convince readers that the report and its findings are important. Here's how to formulate the claim.
Step #1: Focus Freewrite
In order to stimulate your thinking about the topic related to the report's purpose, you can focus
freewrite whatever comes to mind about it. Here's an example of focus freewriting:
What should the background's claim be? We already know that the purpose of this report is to
find a new brand of mini-carrot for Gibillini's signature dish, and the data analysis itself is about
mini-carrots, so maybe the background section should review how mini-carrots are grown and/or
manufactured. That would be interesting . . . but it really isn't relevant to the report's purpose
which is to find a replacement mini-carrot for the signature dish. I mean, it really doesn't explain
why the report and its findings are important. In the Scope section, I already mentioned how
mini-carrot taste, texture, and color have already been considered, so those areas are not part of
what I actually did when I measured all those mini-carrots. Why exactly did I measure all those
mini-carrots? Why is it so important for every mini-carrot to be as close as possible to the same
length? It has nothing to do with taste or texture or color. But it does have everything to do with
how the restaurant's signature dish looks. That's why it's important. The way the dish looks is
important. Otherwise, why would the chef care about the lengths. That's it.
Now that you have a rough idea about why the report and its findings are important, you can use that
idea to formulate a claim.
Step #2: Write the Claim
Remember the formula for the data analysis report claim: Topic Related to the Report's Purpose.
Through focused freewriting, you've already established that the way food looks is important. You could
write the following claim: The way food looks is important. The wording here is okay, but it doesn't
sound very technical; that is, it sounds too informal. At this point, you can tweak the wording to sound
more professional. How about this claim: Food presentation is important.
It sounds like a good claim, so let's analyze it:
Is it arguable? The answer: Yes. Reasonable people can disagree about whether or not food
presentation is important.
Is it a topic that is related to the report's purpose? The answer: Yes. The reason why you wrote
the report and measured all the mini-carrots was totally related to the way the signature dish
would look, which is clearly connected to the idea of food presentation.
Do you think research sources can be found to support this claim? The answer: Yes. Food
presentation is a big deal in restaurant business. There should be a lot of sources available to
support the claim.
At this point, the claim seems like a good one that can be used for the Background section.
Step #3: List Various Search Terms
Your job now is to find research sources that support the claim, that prove the claim to be true. We've
already covered the steps you can take to find relevant search terms, so I won't repeat them here.
However, keep in mind that a successful search for relevant sources begins with and is dependent upon
a finely-tuned list of relevant search terms.
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Step #4: Find the Sources
The next lesson will provide further instruction about finding sources for your background section for
the purpose of discovering research that supports the claim.
Step #5: Read the Sources
After you locate the research sources, you'll read them to see if they actually provide evidence that
supports the claim.
Step #6: Take Notes about the Sources
As you're reading the sources, you'll take notes that can be used for quotes and paraphrases in the
background section.
Step #7: Write the Argument Outline
After you locate your sources and take notes—all for the purpose of finding support for your claim—you
can write the outline for your argument. Here's one possible outline for the mini-carrot Background
section:
Claim: Food presentation is important.
Reader Question: Why is food presentation important?
Support:
People don't like to eat food that looks bad (as found in Source #1).
Chefs spend a lot of time making their plates look good (as found in Source #2).
A restaurant's reputation can hinge on its food presentation (as found in Source #3).
Now we must determine whether or not the items of support prove the claim to be true. Some people
might be satisfied with all three items of support and agree with the claim. However, our warrants help
us to determine whether a logical connection exists between the claim and support. Let's look at the
warrant for each item of support.
1. Food presentation is important (claim) because people don't like to eat food that looks bad
(support), which can be found in Source #1 (a peer-reviewed academic source). The connection
makes sense, the research source says it's true, and most reasonable people would recognize the
source as credible (warrant), so the claim and support are logical.
2. Food presentation is important (claim) because chefs spend a lot of time making their plates look
good (support), which can be found in Source #2 (a peer-reviewed academic source). The
connection makes sense because chefs wouldn't spend so much time if food presentation wasn't
important, the research source says it's true, and most reasonable people would recognize the
source as credible (warrant), so the claim and support are logical.
3. Food presentation is important (claim) because a restaurant's reputation can hinge on its food
presentation (support), which can be found in Source #3 (a peer-reviewed academic source). The
connection makes sense, the research source says it's true, and most reasonable people would
recognize the source as credible (warrant), so the claim and support are logical.
Notice how the warrants are not based on popular opinion. Instead, they are based on the credibility of
the research sources. If your sources are not credible (e.g., if they were taken from a Web site written
by your friend who likes to eat in restaurants), then the items of support may not be considered
credible by most reasonable people. If the sources are written by a world-famous restaurant critic and
chef, then most people would agree that the sources are credible.
Step #8: Write the Background Section
Now you're ready to write the Background section of the report, following the outline. Keep in mind
Page 4
that you can add your own common knowledge information to the Background section as well. Not
every sentence needs to be supported with a research source.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 5
Example #2: Data Analysis Report Background Section as Argument
We're almost finished with the lesson. Let's look at one more example of a Background section. Here's
the scenario of the assignment: A restaurant chain wanted to replace its restroom electric hand dryers
with paper towels to help reduce operating costs. As a result, the restaurant's management team hired
an outside company to identify one paper towel brand with the greatest strength (out of three different
brands) that would serve as a suitable electronic hand dryer replacement. The purpose of the report
was to analyze the strength of three paper towel brands in order to recommend one as a suitable
replacement for the electric dryers.
Step #1: Focus Freewrite
Here's one possible focus freewrite about the report's purpose:
The restaurant managers want to lower the restaurant's operating costs by replacing the electric
hand dryers with paper towels, mainly because the old electric hand dryers don't work well and
are worn out, and because replacement dryers are very expensive. They also have been getting
customer complaints about the electric dryers because they're unsightly and their start buttons
have a lot of germs on them. Who wants to touch a filthy start button with just-washed hands?
However, they also aren't quite sure if they'd like to switch over to the paper towels, because
they can be more expensive than the one-time purchase and then continual operating costs
(electric) of the dryers. I could write the background section about the importance of lowering
the operating costs of a business, but doing so is unrelated to the report's purpose. They're not
really doing so based on cost savings. I also could discuss the tensile strength of paper towels,
but that topic doesn't connect clearly with the report's purpose, which is to replace the electric
dryers with paper towels. I could discuss how paper towels are manufactured, but again, it's
unrelated to the purpose. Well . . . the managers aren't quite sure if it's a good idea to replace
the dryers with paper towels, but their customers are complaining about the dryers. But the
reason why I'm even conducting this investigation is because the managers somehow think that
paper towels would be better than the electric dryers. Perhaps that's what I should write about.
Papers towels are better.
Now that you have a rough idea about why the report and its findings are important, you can use that
idea to formulate a claim.
Step #2: Write the Claim
Remember the formula for the data analysis report claim: Topic Related to the Report's Purpose.
Through focused freewriting, you've already established a possible claim: Paper towels are better than
electric hand dryers. This claim sounds pretty good and doesn't really need to be tweaked, so let's
analyze it:
Is it arguable? The answer: Yes. Reasonable people can disagree about whether or not paper
towels are better.
Is it a topic that is related to the report's purpose? The answer: Yes. The reason why you
measured each paper towel's strength was because doing so helped to determine a suitable
electric dryer replacement which, at least in a restaurant manager's mind, is connected to which
method of hand drying (electric vs. paper towel) is better for customers and for the restaurant.
Do you think research sources can be found to support this claim? The answer: Maybe. There
should be enough sources available to support it (and obviously there were).
At this point, the claim seems like a good one that can be used for the Background section.
Step #3: List Various Search Terms
You next would find research sources that support the claim, that prove the claim to be true.
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Step #4: Find the Sources
Using the search terms from the previous step, you will use the academic databases to find research
sources that provide support for the claim.
Step #5: Read the Sources
After the research sources are located, you would read them to see if they actually provide evidence
that supports the claim.
Step #6: Take Notes about the Sources
As you're reading the sources, you'll take notes that can be used for quotes and paraphrases in the
background section.
Step #7: Write the Argument Outline
After locating the sources and taking notes—all for the purpose of finding support for the claim—you'll
write an outline for the Background section argument:
Claim: Papers towels are better than electric hand dryers.
Reader Question: Why are they better?
Support:
Paper towels are healthier (Johnston, 2007; Weise, 2009; Preidt, 2014).
Papers towels are better for the environment (Schildgen, 2013).
Paper towels are quieter than electric hand dryers (Berkowitz, 2015).
Instead of reviewing the warrants in a lot of detail, we can rather easily establish that the research
sources, which came from scholarly articles, would be recognized by most reasonable people as
creditable sources, so the claim and items of support appear to be logical.
Step #8: Write the Background Section
We'll cover this last step at another time. In the meantime, let's get started with completing Step #1
and Step #2 in this part of the lesson.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 7
Conclusion: Assessment Section
In the assessment section, you'll write a detailed paragraph that covers the following items:
Relative to the problem, what do the data results suggest (or what do they mean)
regarding the total responses?
Relative to the problem, what do the data results suggest (or what do they mean)
regarding the responses for both demographics (e.g., male vs. female, commuters vs. oncampus residents, and so forth)?
Keep in mind that you're drawing subjective conclusions about the data, so essentially you're providing
your expert opinion about the data results—but you need to make sure that the data results support
your opinion.
We'll continue to use the Clean Access example for this section. Here's how the Assessment could be
written:
Assessment
Only one out of four students expressed some level of satisfaction ("I like it" and "It's okay") with
the Clean Access Program, indicating that a problem exists with the Internet experience for
students in the Honors Complex. While male and female levels of dissatisfaction were identical,
male students were more satisfied with the program by a margin greater than two-to-one
compared to female students; however, a substantial percentage of male and female students
clearly do not like the program.
Comments: Notice the following important points about this section:
It doesn't merely repeat the data results; it actually draws conclusions about or interprets the
data results using general statements.
The technical writer combined the "I like it" and "It's okay" responses and considered that they
represented some level of satisfaction. This combination seems perfectly reasonable and
illustrates the subjective nature of drawing conclusions from the data; however, the data also
support this conclusion.
It draws a general conclusion about the total responses first, and then it draws another general
conclusion about both demographic responses second. The order doesn't matter, but addressing
each one separately helps readers to clearly understand what the data results mean.
Both sentences draw conclusions that are relevant to the following problem: Employees in the IT
Department need to know if the Clean Access program is working well for students, but they
don't how satisfied students are with it. The conclusions that were drawn from the data results
provide clear answers that will help the IT employees to solve the problem and, from there,
recommend a course of action if enough students are dissatisfied with the program.
Now notice what conclusions the technical writer did not draw from the data results:
He did not state that a majority of students were okay with the program based on the fact that
fewer than half (or less than a majority) expressed dissatisfaction with it. Forty-five percent of
30,000 students is a huge number of people, so clearly a problem exists. Even if only 25% were
dissatisfied, 25% of 30,000 students is 7500 students, so a problem still exists.
He did not recommend a solution or a course of action that the IT employees should take. The
purpose of the Assessment section is to draw conclusions about the data results, not to
recommend a course of action.
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After you've written the Assessment section, you're ready to complete the last section in the
Conclusion: the Recommendation.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 2
Data Analysis Report: Recommendation Section
In the recommendation section, you'll write a detailed paragraph—based on the conclusions that you
wrote about in the assessment section—that covers the following items:
What general course of action should be taken?
What specific course of action do you recommend?
What follow-up studies should be completed in the future to (a) address any uncertainties
in the data, and/or (B) DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE RECOMMENDED COURSE OF
ACTION WORKED?
Here's how the recommendation section would be written for the NASA topic:
Recommendation
The Clean Access program by necessity needs to continue in order to protect student computers
and to avoid security problems on the network. However, the level of dissatisfaction expressed by
students—particularly female students—indicates a need for the university to investigate further
why residents in the Honors Complex find the program problematic. Student representatives and
staff members of Information Technology Services should meet to identify problems with the
program and to discuss appropriate solutions which, if feasible, should be implemented
immediately. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AFTER THE SOLUTIONS ARE IN PLACE, THE ORIGINAL
SURVEY SHOULD BE REPEATED TO MEASURE STUDENT OPINIONS ABOUT THE REVISED CLEAN
ACCESS PROGRAM IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHETHER FURTHER CHANGES ARE NECESSARY.
Comments: For this report, no uncertainties in the data were present, so no information for the green
section (about addressing any uncertainties in the data) was included. However, your project
might require that a follow-up study be conducted (e.g., another survey) in order to discover missing
data that could help solve the problem, and then a third follow-up study would determine if the
recommended course of action worked or not.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 3
Data Analysis Report: Conclusion as Argument
Recall how we analyzed the Conclusion section of the recommendation report to see if its argument
made sense. We can check the data analysis report's conclusion section as well.
Elements of Argument
Recall our previous discussion about the two elements of argument: claim and support. The claim is a
statement about what you believe to be true, while support takes on the form of data (e.g., statistics,
facts) that proves the claim to be true.
Think of the two sections of the conclusion in this manner:
Claim = Recommendation (What general and specific course of action needs to be taken?)
Support = Assessment
Here's why I used only the "general and specific course of action" as the claim: Both of them are
arguable statements. That is, reasonable people can disagree with them; however, they are statements
that must be supported by the assessment section. The remainder of the recommendation (follow-up
studies) provide the details for how the courses of action can be carried out, so they're not part of the
actual claim. Let's test this statement using the Clean Access program example.
Clean Access Topic as Argument
Claim/Recommendation: The Clean Access program by necessity needs to continue in order to protect
student computers and to avoid security problems on the network. However, the level of dissatisfaction
expressed by students—particularly female students—indicates a need for the university to investigate
further why residents in the Honors Complex find the program problematic.
Support/Assessment: Only one out of four students expressed some level of satisfaction ("I like it" and
"It's okay") with the Clean Access Program, indicating that a problem exists with the Internet
experience for students in the Honors Complex. While male and female levels of dissatisfaction were
identical, male students were more satisfied with the program by a margin greater than two-to-one
compared to female students; however, a substantial percentage of male and female students clearly
do not like the program.
Argument: The Clean Access program by necessity needs to continue in order to protect student
computers and to avoid security problems on the network. However, the level of dissatisfaction
expressed by students—particularly female students—indicates a need for the university to investigate
further why residents in the Honors Complex find the program problematic. Why? Because only one out
of four students expressed some level of satisfaction ("I like it" and "It's okay") with the Clean Access
Program, indicating that a problem exists with the Internet experience for students in the Honors
Complex. Why else? Because even though male and female levels of dissatisfaction were identical, and
even though male students were more satisfied with the program by a margin greater than two-to-one
compared to female students, the fact still remains that a substantial percentage of male and female
students clearly do not like the program.
Comments: I slightly changed some of the words in the support text to make the argument flow more
smoothly, but those changes didn't alter its meaning. As you can see, the argument makes sense.
When you write your conclusion section for the data analysis report, make sure that your
recommendations section (claim) and assessment section (support) form a persuasive argument.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 4
Data Analysis Report: Contact, References, and Appendix Sections
After you write the Conclusion section of the report, only three major sections remain, each with a firstlevel heading: Contact, References, and Appendix. You're already familiar with the Contact and
References sections, so let's briefly discuss the Appendix.
Appendix
The Appendix serves an important function in the report: it provides readers with access to your raw
data so they can check your calculations to determine if they're correct. For this report, your raw data
can be organized as a table which provides an accurate count for each response. Like all tables, you'll
need to include a correctly-formatted APA caption.
Recall from our last report how a table caption is formatted compared to a figure:
The caption is placed above the table; it's placed below a figure.
The table number is not italicized; it is italicized for a figure.
The table number is placed separately on its own line and is not followed by a period; the figure
number is not placed on its own line, and it is followed by a period.
The table caption itself is italicized; for a figure, it's not.
The table caption itself does not end with a period; a figure caption ends with a period.
The table caption itself capitalizes the first letter of all major words; a figure caption does not.
The only trait that both figures and tables share is that both captions are not complete sentences;
instead, they're brief yet descriptive texts of the table or figure.
Appendix Table Format
In APA, tables are typically double spaced throughout, and vertical lines are not used in them. For this
course, you may use MS Word's "table" features to include vertical and horizontal lines (to form boxes),
and all text may be single spaced instead of double spaced for this reason: to save space on the
printed page. Otherwise, your tables may run to more than two pages.
Here's how the table for the Clean Access example would be formatted:
Table 1
Raw Data for Clean Access Program Survey
Male
Female
I like it.
1
0
It's okay.
6
3
Dissatisfied
9
9
No Opinion
4
8
Comments: Notice the following format guidelines for the Appendix table:
The table does not need to take up the entire width of the page.
The table is aligned all the way to the left margin.
The table cell contents are centered vertically and horizontally in each cell.
Each table cell includes some horizontal and vertical blank spaces.
The table caption is typed in an italic font.
Only the raw data are included; no percentages and no total responses are provided.
Page 5
Data Analysis Report: Putting It All Together
After you're finished writing the final three sections, here's what the entire data analysis report should
look like after you complete the homework assignment for this lesson:*
Analysis of Consistent Mini-Carrot Length for Gibillini's Garden Dijonaise Dish
Introduction
Purpose
This report analyzes the number of equal length carrots per bag of two mini-carrot brands in order to
determine which brand should be used for Gibillinis Restaurant's Garden Dijonaise dish.
Problem
For the past 30 years, Gibillinis has served the residents of greater Phoenix as one of the area's
premier upscale restaurants. Among its selection of unique cuisine is its signature dish, Garden
Dijonaise, which earned a "Best of Best Award" for taste and presentation. Garden Dijonaise, Gibillinis'
most popular entrée, is decorated with a circular pattern of mini-carrots whose length is identical to the
naked eye.
Recently, Gibillinis lost its sole supplier of mini-carrots, so an alternative brand-whose mini-carrots are
as close to an equal length as possible-must be found in order to preserve the excellent presentation of
Garden Dijonaise. J.Organics, a regional supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, carries two alternative
brands that have been selected by the head chef and that need to be analyzed to determine which
brand offers the most consistent mini-carrot length per bag.
Selecting the brand with the best consistency in length is necessary so that the prestige and
appearance of Garden Dijonaise is preserved. The selection of the best alternative is also imperative in
maintaining Gibillinis' good name and excellent food. Failing to find a suitable mini-carrot replacement
would require a change in the company's signature dish, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction
with its presentation and, as a consequence, possibly lead to a decline in sales and customer
satisfaction.
Scope
The gathering and evaluation of data include only an analysis of mini-carrot length consistency, because
consistent length is the only remaining determining factor that affects the visual appeal of Gibillinis'
signature dish. Taste, texture, and color are not taken into account because the kitchen chef already
considered these factors when he chose the two brands that are compared for this project.
Background
Due to recent economic struggles, many restaurants are looking for ways to lower costs. One of the
best ways restaurants can minimize expenses is by decreasing operation and maintenance (O&M) costs.
To do so, many restaurant managers have decided to exclusively use paper towels instead of napkins.
This choice has been shown to save companies a tremendous amount of money. Using paper towels
instead of napkins, the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group will save about $70,000 this year (Miller, 2009, para.
16). In addition, households have recognized the cost savings attributed to only using paper towels.
According to Toth (2009), paper towels have replaced about every other type of household paper
product except toilet tissue (para. 1).
However, for commercial restrooms, the O&M cost of hand dryers is less than that of paper towel
dispensers. Paper towel dispensers are made cheaper and tend to malfunction more than hand dryers.
Maintenance workers need to restock paper towel dispensers on a regular basis, whereas hand dryers
Page 6
only require one-time installation. Also, restroom users are often messy when they dispose of paper
towels, requiring extra maintenance work for cleanup (Koerner, 2008, para. 12). Nonetheless, hand
dryers present problems in two main areas, customer preference and hygiene.
When hand dryers hit the market in the 1970s, they were not popular with consumers. According to
research, consumers' perceptions have not changed as hand dryers are only in six percent of public
restrooms in the United States (Weise, 2009, para. 17). Restaurant managers have to weigh the O&M
cost savings against their customers' comfort, but the issue of greater concern is hygiene.
According to Weise (2009), hand dryers may discourage people from washing their hands because of
the required drying time (para. 26). Health authorities recommend over twice the time of use for hand
dryers compared to paper towels (Johnston, 2007, para. 4). Paper towels require less time of use
because they create friction, which helps remove bacteria from hands. In contrast, the flow of air
created by hand dryers causes bacteria to disperse into the air, facilitating cross-contamination between
individuals (Weise, 2009, para. 19). Based on the evidence, paper towels outperform hand dryers from
a health standpoint, but another area of interest is the environmental efficiency of each method.
According to Koerner (2008), hand dryers are usually more environmentally friendly than paper towels
because they use less energy over a given period of time (para. 3 & para. 18). However, Koerner
(2008) also found that the difference in long-term carbon emissions is small (para. 19). Therefore,
restaurant managers should base their decision on O&M costs, customer preference, and hygiene.
Based on the motto and reputation of Otto's Kitchen, customer preference and hygiene should outweigh
O&M costs, supporting the exclusive use of paper towels.
Procedures/Methodology
In the survey, the author of this report gathered student opinions about the university's Clean Access
program (see Appendix for raw data results), using a combination of stratified sampling (parenthetical
definition here) and systematic sampling (parenthetical definition here). Twenty male and twenty female
students who reside in the Honors Complex and who were willing to participate in the survey, were
asked the following question: "What is your opinion regarding the new Clean Access program for
connecting to the Internet?" Students could respond in one of four ways: (1) I like it, (2) It's okay, (3)
Dissatisfied, or (4) No Opinion.
Response data were calculated in two ways. [Explain how the relative frequency of one group vs. the
second group was calculated and explain why you chose to use relative frequency for the comparison.]
[Explain how the relative frequency of all responses from both groups was calculated and explain why
you chose to use relative frequency.]
Data and Results
Figure 1 is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Approximately 2.5% of all students liked the program, 22.5% thought it was okay, 45% were
dissatisfied, and 30% had no opinion.
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Figure 1. Student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Figure 2 is a bar chart that shows . . .
Figure 2. Male and female student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Conclusion
Assessment
Only one out of four students expressed some level of satisfaction ("I like it" and "It's okay") with the
Clean Access Program, indicating that a problem exists with the Internet experience for students in the
Honors Complex. While male and female levels of dissatisfaction were identical, male students were
more satisfied with the program by a margin greater than two-to-one compared to female students;
however, a substantial percentage of male and female students clearly do not like the program.
Recommendation
The Clean Access program by necessity needs to continue in order to protect student computers and to
avoid security problems on the network. However, the level of dissatisfaction expressed by studentsparticularly female students-indicates a need for the university to investigate further why residents in
the Honors Complex find the program problematic. Student representatives and staff members of
Information Technology Services should meet to identify problems with the program and to discuss
Page 8
appropriate solutions which, if feasible, should be implemented immediately. Approximately one month
after the solutions are in place, the original survey should be repeated to measure student opinions
about the revised Clean Access program in order to determine whether further changes are necessary.
Contact
For question or concerns regarding this report, contact Sandy Smith at 330-972-6888 between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m. on weekdays or by e-mail at ssmith@marketresearch.co.
References
[list references here]
Appendix
Table 1
Raw Data for Clean Access Program Survey
Male
Female
I like it.
1
0
It's okay.
6
3
Dissatisfied
9
9
No Opinion
4
8
*Please note that different examples were used for each section, so the report does not represent just one example. Your report will focus on only your
proposed (and accepted) project report topic.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 9
Data and Results: Disclaimer
The example that will be presented in this lesson should give you a better idea about how such a report
is organized. However, keep in mind the following information when you read through it:
The section may contain mechanical, grammatical, and style errors.
The section may include areas of wordiness that have been left unedited, including the use of to
be and to have verbs, along with the possible use of this, these, and those without a referent,
and the possible use of expletives (e.g., there is, there are, it has been stated that, and so forth).
Edit the final draft of your report to eliminate wordiness and other style weaknesses.
Consider this section as one example of a categorical (qualitative) data analysis report, not as a
template of words, phrases, and graphic styles you can pick up. Don't duplicate the report's
wording and graphic presentation; improve it.
The assignment requirements, APA format, and grading scale for this example may differ from
yours. Think about what you're writing within the context of your assignment and current APA
guidelines.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 1
Data and Results: Good Example
Recall the criteria we need to keep in mind for this section:
Report objective observations.
Reference, describe, and report the data results in each figure.
Show the figure.
Don't draw conclusions about the data.
Now let's take a look at a good example of reporting data for the Clean Access program that we
discussed in an earlier lesson. The Clean Access survey compared male vs. female responses as the two
data groups. Remember, however, that for this report, you'll report two data results: (a) Group #1 vs.
Group #2 responses, and (b) total responses—Group #1 plus Group #2 responses combined. For the
Clean Access results, we'll then compare the following two responses:
Male vs. Female responses.
Total Responses (Male plus Female responses combined).
Let's begin with examples of reporting the combined responses.
Good Example of Reporting of Data
Figure 1 is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Nearly one-half of all students were dissatisfied with the program, about one in four students
thought the program was okay, and almost one-third had no opinion. Fewer than 3% of all
students expressed satisfaction with the Clean Access program.
Figure 1. Student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Example Comments
Notice how this example meets all four criteria listed above:
1. The second and third sentences report the objective results of the data; that is, they don't state
any personal opinions about the data. Even though it rounds the numbers up—for example,
nearly one-half for 45%, about one in four for 22.5%, almost one-third for 30%, and fewer than
3% for 2.5%—it still is an objective reporting of the data, especially since readers can easily see
the exact number results on the figure itself.
2. The paragraph references (Figure 1), describes (is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions
Page 2
about the Clean Access program), and reports (the remainder of the paragraph) the figure.
3. The figure is shown, along with its APA-formatted caption.
4. It doesn't draw any conclusions about the data.
Now let's look at some other examples.
Note: When you report the total responses, you can use either a pie chart (illustrated above) or a bar chart.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 3
Data and Results: Another Good Example
Once again, recall the criteria we need to keep in mind for this section:
Report objective observations.
Reference, describe, and report the data results in each figure.
Show the figure.
Don't draw conclusions about the data.
Now let's take a look at a second good example of reporting data regarding the Clean Access program
that we discussed in an earlier lesson.
Good Example of Reporting of Data
Figure 1 is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Approximately 2.5% of all students liked the program, 22.5% thought it was okay, 45% were
dissatisfied, and 30% had no opinion.
Figure 1. Student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Example Comments
Some people may not like to report any results other than the exact statistical data percentages from
the study. In these cases, you can always just report the actual results. Again, notice how this example
meets all four criteria listed above:
1. The second sentence reports the objective results of the data; that is, reasonable people would
not disagree that the data reported are the actual data results.
2. The paragraph references (Figure 1), describes (is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions
about the Clean Access program), and reports (the remainder of the paragraph) the figure.
3. The figure is shown, along with its APA-formatted caption.
4. It doesn't draw any conclusions about the data.
Many of my students use this method of reporting their data results, because it helps prevent the writer
from making a subjective observation about the data and/or drawing a conclusion about the data
results. Now let's look at some incorrect ways of reporting the data.
Note: When you report the total responses, you can use either a pie chart (illustrated above) or a bar chart.
Page 4
Data and Results: Wrong Reporting
Now let's take a look at an example of the wrong way to report data results.
Wrong Way to Report Data
Figure 1 is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Approximately 2.5% of all students liked the program, 22.5% thought it was okay, 45% were
dissatisfied, and 30% had no opinion. The data indicated that most students are dissatisfied with
the Clean Access program.
Figure 1. Student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Example Comments
What's the problem with this paragraph? Recall the four criteria we need to keep in mind for the Data
and Results section:
Report objective observations.
Reference, describe, and report the data results in each figure.
Show the figure.
Don't draw conclusions about the data.
Notice how the first three criteria are met:
1. The second sentence reports the objective results of the data; that is, reasonable people would
not disagree that the data reported are the actual data results.
2. The paragraph references (Figure 1), describes (is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions
about the Clean Access program), and reports (the remainder of the paragraph) the figure.
3. The figure is shown, along with its APA-formatted caption.
However, the last sentence in the paragraph (The data indicated that most students are dissatisfied
with the Clean Access program.) draws a conclusion about the data, which violates the last criteria:
4. Don't draw conclusions about the data.
Keep in mind that all four criteria must be met, so this paragraph doesn't correctly report the data
results. Let's look at another example of bad data reporting.
Page 5
Note: When you report the total responses, you can use either a pie chart (illustrated above) or a bar chart.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 6
Data and Results: Another Example of Wrong Reporting
Now let's take a look at a second example of the wrong way to report data results.
Wrong Way to Report Data
Figure 1 is a pie chart that shows overall levels of student dissatisfaction with the Clean Access
program. A large number of students were dissatisfied with the program, many students thought
the program was okay, and a significant number had no opinion. Very few students expressed
satisfaction with the program. The data indicated that too many students are not satisfied with
the Clean Access program; therefore, changes should be made to it.
Figure 1. Student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Example Comments
This paragraph has a lot of problems? Recall the four criteria we need to keep in mind for the Data and
Results section:
Report objective observations.
Reference, describe, and report the data results in each figure.
Show the figure.
Don't draw conclusions about the data.
Notice how the second and third criteria are met:
2. The paragraph references (Figure 1), describes (is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions
about the Clean Access program), and reports (the remainder of the paragraph) the figure.
3. The figure is shown, along with its APA-formatted caption.
However, after the first sentence, the remainder of the paragraph violates the first and fourth criteria:
1. The reporting of data is subjective; that is, reasonable people could disagree with the reported
results. For example, representing 45% as a large number of students is a subjective statement;
reasonable people can disagree about whether it's a large number or a huge number or a big
number. Also writing that many students thought the program was okay is very subjective,
because reasonable people can disagree about what the word "many" means. Likewise, using the
word "significant number" to represent 22.5%, and using "very few" to represent 2.5% are both
very subjective terms.
Page 7
4. The paragraph also draws conclusions about the data (the data indicated that too many students
are not satisfied with the Clean Access program) and then makes a recommendation (therefore,
changes should be made to it).
Again, all four criteria must be met, and this paragraph meets only two of them, so it doesn't correctly
report the data results.
Note: When you report the total responses, you can use either a pie chart (illustrated above) or a bar chart.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 8
Data and Results: Reinforcing a Good Example
I don't like to end with a bad example, so read through one of the good examples once again so it
remains fresh in your mind:
Figure 1 is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Approximately 2.5% of all students liked the program, 22.5% thought it was okay, 45% were
dissatisfied, and 30% had no opinion.
Figure 1. Student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Again, the example meets all four criteria for the effective reporting of data results:
1. The second sentence reports the objective results of the data; that is, reasonable people would
not disagree that the data reported are the actual data results.
2. The paragraph references (Figure 1), describes (is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions
about the Clean Access program), and reports (the remainder of the paragraph) the figure.
3. The figure is shown, along with its APA-formatted caption.
4. It doesn't draw any conclusions about the data.
Note: When you report the total responses, you can use either a pie chart (illustrated above) or a bar chart.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 9
Data and Results: Reporting Group #1 and Group #2
After you report the total data results, you'll also need to report the results of each data group. For the
Clean Access program example, you would report the Male and Female responses, following the same
four criteria.
I don't want to give you the exact wording to use, because you can organize your reporting in a few
different ways. Here's how this part of the Data and Results would be written:
Figure 2 is a bar chart that shows . . . [Remember that you must report the results for each
group.]
Figure 2. Male and female student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Report the data in the same manner as before in Figure 1. However, you may report it separately (all
four male responses first and then all four female responses second) or one response at a time (e.g.,
male I Like It, female I Like It; male It's Okay, female It's Okay, and so forth). Remember: Remain
objective. Don't make any subjective comparisons. Again, the reporting must meet all four criteria:
Report objective observations.
Reference, describe, and report the data results in each figure.
Show the figure.
Don't draw conclusions about the data.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 10
Data Analysis Report: Your Report So Far
At this point, you will have written four out of five major sections. Here's how your data analysis report
should look after you complete the homework assignment for this lesson:*
Analysis of Consistent Mini-Carrot Length for Gibillini's Garden Dijonaise Dish
Introduction
Purpose
This report analyzes the number of equal length carrots per bag of two mini-carrot brands in order to
determine which brand should be used for Gibillinis Restaurant's Garden Dijonaise dish.
Problem
For the past 30 years, Gibillinis has served the residents of greater Phoenix as one of the area's
premier upscale restaurants. Among its selection of unique cuisine is its signature dish, Garden
Dijonaise, which earned a "Best of Best Award" for taste and presentation. Garden Dijonaise, Gibillinis'
most popular entrée, is decorated with a circular pattern of mini-carrots whose length is identical to the
naked eye.
Recently, Gibillinis lost its sole supplier of mini-carrots, so an alternative brand-whose mini-carrots are
as close to an equal length as possible-must be found in order to preserve the excellent presentation of
Garden Dijonaise. J.Organics, a regional supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, carries two alternative
brands that have been selected by the head chef and that need to be analyzed to determine which
brand offers the most consistent mini-carrot length per bag.
Selecting the brand with the best consistency in length is necessary so that the prestige and
appearance of Garden Dijonaise is preserved. The selection of the best alternative is also imperative in
maintaining Gibillinis' good name and excellent food. Failing to find a suitable mini-carrot replacement
would require a change in the company's signature dish, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction
with its presentation and, as a consequence, possibly lead to a decline in sales and customer
satisfaction.
Scope
The gathering and evaluation of data include only an analysis of mini-carrot length consistency, because
consistent length is the only remaining determining factor that affects the visual appeal of Gibillinis'
signature dish. Taste, texture, and color are not taken into account because the kitchen chef already
considered these factors when he chose the two brands that are compared for this project.
Background
Due to recent economic struggles, many restaurants are looking for ways to lower costs. One of the
best ways restaurants can minimize expenses is by decreasing operation and maintenance (O&M) costs.
To do so, many restaurant managers have decided to exclusively use paper towels instead of napkins.
This choice has been shown to save companies a tremendous amount of money. Using paper towels
instead of napkins, the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group will save about $70,000 this year (Miller, 2009, para.
16). In addition, households have recognized the cost savings attributed to only using paper towels.
According to Toth (2009), paper towels have replaced about every other type of household paper
product except toilet tissue (para. 1).
However, for commercial restrooms, the O&M cost of hand dryers is less than that of paper towel
dispensers. Paper towel dispensers are made cheaper and tend to malfunction more than hand dryers.
Maintenance workers need to restock paper towel dispensers on a regular basis, whereas hand dryers
Page 11
only require one-time installation. Also, restroom users are often messy when they dispose of paper
towels, requiring extra maintenance work for cleanup (Koerner, 2008, para. 12). Nonetheless, hand
dryers present problems in two main areas, customer preference and hygiene.
When hand dryers hit the market in the 1970s, they were not popular with consumers. According to
research, consumers' perceptions have not changed as hand dryers are only in six percent of public
restrooms in the United States (Weise, 2009, para. 17). Restaurant managers have to weigh the O&M
cost savings against their customers' comfort, but the issue of greater concern is hygiene.
According to Weise (2009), hand dryers may discourage people from washing their hands because of
the required drying time (para. 26). Health authorities recommend over twice the time of use for hand
dryers compared to paper towels (Johnston, 2007, para. 4). Paper towels require less time of use
because they create friction, which helps remove bacteria from hands. In contrast, the flow of air
created by hand dryers causes bacteria to disperse into the air, facilitating cross-contamination between
individuals (Weise, 2009, para. 19). Based on the evidence, paper towels outperform hand dryers from
a health standpoint, but another area of interest is the environmental efficiency of each method.
According to Koerner (2008), hand dryers are usually more environmentally friendly than paper towels
because they use less energy over a given period of time (para. 3 & para. 18). However, Koerner
(2008) also found that the difference in long-term carbon emissions is small (para. 19). Therefore,
restaurant managers should base their decision on O&M costs, customer preference, and hygiene.
Based on the motto and reputation of Otto's Kitchen, customer preference and hygiene should outweigh
O&M costs, supporting the exclusive use of paper towels.
Procedures/Methodology
In the survey, the author of this report gathered student opinions about the university's Clean Access
program (see Appendix for raw data results), using a combination of stratified sampling (parenthetical
definition here) and systematic sampling (parenthetical definition here). Twenty male and twenty female
students who reside in the Honors Complex and who were willing to participate in the survey, were
asked the following question: "What is your opinion regarding the new Clean Access program for
connecting to the Internet?" Students could respond in one of four ways: (1) I like it, (2) It's okay, (3)
Dissatisfied, or (4) No Opinion.
Response data were calculated in two ways. [Explain how the relative frequency of one group vs. the
second group was calculated and explain why you chose to use relative frequency for the comparison.]
[Explain how the relative frequency of all responses from both groups was calculated and explain why
you chose to use relative frequency.]
Data and Results
Figure 1 is a pie chart that shows overall student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Approximately 2.5% of all students liked the program, 22.5% thought it was okay, 45% were
dissatisfied, and 30% had no opinion.
Page 12
Figure 1. Student opinions about the Clean Access program.
Figure 2 is a bar chart that shows . . .
Figure 2. Male and female student opinions about the Clean Access program.
*Please note that different examples were used for each section, so the report does not represent just one example. Your report will focus on only your
proposed (and accepted) project report topic.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 13
Introduction: Purpose
As an example, I'm going to use a report that was written for a fictitious restaurant project. No other
details about the project will be provided, because the introduction, if it's written well, should provide all
the information you need.
Once again, you should recognize the introduction section's organization and format right away. Why?
Because it includes essentially the same areas or subsections as the introduction you wrote for the
recommendation report.
Report Title
Before we review how the report looks so far, you'll need to write a title. The title is a first-level
heading, so it's typed in 12-point Bold Times New Roman and centered at the top of the page. Because
your report involves data analysis, you can title your report this way: Analysis of ________________.
Using the mini-carrot example, the title could be written this way: Analysis of Consistent Mini-Carrot
Length for Gibillini's Garden Dijonaise Dish.
Following the title is the Introduction section. It begins with the following first-level (bold) heading
(Introduction), and the first subsection of the Introduction is the Purpose section. It calls for a secondlevel (underlined) heading, because it represents a major subsection within the introduction. Here's how
the introduction section looks so far.
Report Title
Introduction
Purpose
The Purpose section simply and briefly identifies the reason for writing the report: what you are
examining and why you are examining it. Here's an example:
This report analyzes the number of equal length carrots per bag of two mini-carrot
brands in order to determine which brand should be used for Gibillinis Restaurant's
Garden Dijonaise dish.
Format of all paragraphs: 12-point Times New Roman, single-spaced; double space after the paragraph.
Comment: Notice how this one-sentence purpose statement clearly identifies the project you are
reporting on and the reason why you examined it. Even though I provided very little information about
the project, you should now have a much better idea about what it involves just from reading the
Purpose section. Remember: For this course, write your Purpose section using only one sentence.
Introduction Format So Far
Here's how the introduction section is formatted so far:
Analysis of Consistent Mini-Carrot Length for Gibillini's Garden Dijonaise Dish
Introduction
Purpose
This report analyzes the number of equal length carrots per bag of two mini-carrot brands in order to
determine which brand should be used for Gibillinis Restaurant's Garden Dijonaise dish.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
Page 1
Introduction: Problem
The second subsection, the Problem, can often be the most difficult part of the Introduction. It calls for
a second-level (underlined) heading, just like the Purpose subsection. However, you need to cover these
four areas for every problem:
1. Review the background or history of the situation that led to the problem.
2. Describe the problem.
3. Identify what (in general) needs to be done-without proposing a specific solution.
4. Describe the impact of the problem: What should or will happen if the problem is
addressed? What could happen if it's left unaddressed?
Let's put together a Problem section that covers all four areas for the restaurant example.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 2
Four Areas of the Problem Section
You've already written a Problem section for the recommendation report, so I won't go into a lot of
details; besides, each area's required content is self-explanatory, so as you're reading, notice how the
example provides the needed information.
1. Review the background or history of the situation that led to the problem.
For the past 30 years, Gibillinis has served the residents of greater Phoenix as one of the area's
premier upscale restaurants. Among its selection of unique cuisine is its signature dish, Garden
Dijonaise, which earned a "Best of Best Award" for taste and presentation. Garden Dijonaise, Gibillinis'
most popular entrée, is decorated with a circular pattern of mini-carrots whose length is identical to the
naked eye.
Comments: This area provides a context for helping readers to understand the problem. In this case, it
provides background information that explains how the problem developed.
2. Describe the problem.
Recently, Gibillinis lost its sole supplier of mini-carrots,
Comments: This area typically is stated briefly in one or two sentences. Pay particular attention to the
fact that the problem area in no way includes a solution. For example, the writer could have stated that
Gibillinis needs to find a new supplier and brand of mini-carrots. However, finding them is not the
problem; it's the solution. Only state the problem.
3. Identify what (in general) needs to be done—without proposing a specific solution.
so an alternative brand-whose mini-carrots are as close to an equal length as possible-must be found in
order to preserve the excellent presentation of Garden Dijonaise. J.Organics, a regional supplier of fresh
fruits and vegetables, carries two alternative brands that have been selected by the head chef and that
need to be analyzed to determine which brand offers the most consistent mini-carrot length per bag.
Comments: This area identifies what needs to be done in general. Notice how it identifies a "general"
solution. Think of this general solution like you would an essay's thesis statement. Both require more
information or further explanation, which will be revealed later in the report.
4. Describe the impact of the problem: What should or will happen if the problem is addressed?
What could happen if it's left unaddressed?
Selecting the brand with the best consistency in length is necessary so that the prestige and
appearance of Garden Dijonaise is preserved. The selection of the best alternative is also imperative in
maintaining Gibillinis' good name and excellent food. Failing to find a suitable mini-carrot replacement
would require a change in the company's signature dish, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction
with its presentation and, as a consequence, possibly lead to a decline in sales and customer
satisfaction.
Comments: Notice how this area criterion requires that you describe what "could" happen if the problem
is addressed and what "could" happen if it's left unaddressed. First, you don't need to address these
two parts in order; whatever conveys the meaning most effectively should be used. Second, sometimes
you know what "will" happen if the problem is left unaddressed, so you can use the word "will" instead
of "could." In this example, you already know that if left unaddressed, the signature dish would change,
but the consequence of doing so is unknown, so using the word "could" in the last sentence is
appropriate.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
Page 3
Problem Section: Putting It All Together
Notice how smoothly the Problem section reads from one area to the next when you put all the areas
together, using this formula:
1. Review the background or history of the situation that led to the problem.
+
2. Describe the problem.
+
3. Identify what (in general) needs to be done—without proposing a specific solution.
+
4. DESCRIBE THE IMPACT OF THE PROBLEM: WHAT SHOULD OR WILL HAPPEN IF THE
PROBLEM IS ADDRESSED? WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF IT'S LEFT UNADDRESSED?
For the past 30 years, Gibillinis has served the residents of greater Phoenix as one of the area's
premier upscale restaurants. Among its selection of unique cuisine is its signature dish,
Garden Dijonaise, which earned a "Best of Best Award" for taste and presentation. Garden
Dijonaise, Gibillinis' most popular entrée, is decorated with a circular pattern of mini-carrots
whose length is identical to the naked eye.
Recently, Gibillinis lost its sole supplier of mini-carrots, so an alternative brand-whose minicarrots are as close to an equal length as possible-must be found in order to preserve
the excellent presentation of Garden Dijonaise. J.Organics, a regional supplier of fresh
fruits and vegetables, carries two alternative brands that have been selected by the
head chef and that need to be analyzed to determine which brand offers the most
consistent mini-carrot length per bag.
SELECTING THE BRAND WITH THE BEST CONSISTENCY IN LENGTH IS NECESSARY SO THAT THE
PRESTIGE AND APPEARANCE OF GARDEN DIJONAISE IS PRESERVED. THE SELECTION OF THE
BEST ALTERNATIVE IS ALSO IMPERATIVE IN MAINTAINING GIBILLINIS' GOOD NAME AND
EXCELLENT FOOD. FAILING TO FIND A SUITABLE MINI-CARROT REPLACEMENT WOULD
REQUIRE A CHANGE IN THE COMPANY'S SIGNATURE DISH, WHICH COULD LEAD TO CUSTOMER
DISSATISFACTION WITH ITS PRESENTATION AND, AS A CONSEQUENCE, POSSIBLY LEAD TO A
DECLINE IN SALES AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
Notice how this Problem section is three paragraphs long. Combining them all into one paragraph would
have been too overwhelming for the reader; two paragraphs would have been okay, but three
paragraphs seems to work best in terms of making this section easier to read. Now let's look at how
the Introduction section is taking shape so far.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 4
Introduction: Purpose and Problem
Here's how the proposal would be formatted so far:
Analysis of Consistent Mini-Carrot Length for Gibillini's Garden Dijonaise Dish
Introduction
Purpose
This report analyzes the number of equal length carrots per bag of two mini-carrot brands in order to
determine which brand should be used for Gibillinis Restaurant's Garden Dijonaise dish.
Problem
For the past 30 years, Gibillinis has served the residents of greater Phoenix as one of the area's
premier upscale restaurants. Among its selection of unique cuisine is its signature dish, Garden
Dijonaise, which earned a "Best of Best Award" for taste and presentation. Garden Dijonaise, Gibillinis'
most popular entrée, is decorated with a circular pattern of mini-carrots whose length is identical to the
naked eye.
Recently, Gibillinis lost its sole supplier of mini-carrots, so an alternative brand-whose mini-carrots are
as close to an equal length as possible-must be found in order to preserve the excellent presentation of
Garden Dijonaise. J.Organics, a regional supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, carries two alternative
brands that have been selected by the head chef and that need to be analyzed to determine which
brand offers the most consistent mini-carrot length per bag.
Selecting the brand with the best consistency in length is necessary so that the prestige and
appearance of Garden Dijonaise is preserved. The selection of the best alternative is also imperative in
maintaining Gibillinis' good name and excellent food. Failing to find a suitable mini-carrot replacement
would require a change in the company's signature dish, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction
with its presentation and, as a consequence, possibly lead to a decline in sales and customer
satisfaction.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 5
Introduction: Scope
The third and final subsection of the Introduction is the Scope section. It also calls for a second-level
(underlined) heading, because it represents a major subsection within the introduction. The Scope lets
readers know to what extent the report will cover the topic. That is, it clearly identifies the report's
limitations, so readers aren't misled about the report's contents.
The Scope for a proposal is different than a Scope section for the recommendation report. Instead of
covering three areas, it only covers two:
1. Scope of the Report (what the Project will Cover and Why).
2. Limitations of the Report (what the Project will not Cover and Why).
Example
Here's how the Scope is organized for the restaurant proposal:
1. Scope of the Report (what the Project will Cover and Why)
The gathering and evaluation of data included only an analysis of mini-carrot length consistency
because consistent length was the only remaining determining factor that affects the visual appeal of
Gibillinis' signature dish.
Comment: Notice how this statement is short and concise. Readers will know exactly what the proposed
study will cover.
2. Limitations of the Report (what the Project will not Cover and Why)
Taste, texture, color, and other factors were not taken into account, because the kitchen chef had
already considered these factors when choosing the two brands that would be compared for this
project.
Comment: Astute readers will want to know what the proposed project does "not" cover, so the third
and final section of the scope identifies the "relevant" areas that the project will not cover and why it
won't cover them. Important: Make sure that all the limitations of the report are relevant to the study.
Putting It All Together
To create the Scope section, just combine both areas:
1. Scope of the Report (what the Project will Cover and Why).
+
2. Limitations of the Report (what the Project will not Cover and Why).
The gathering and evaluation of data included only an analysis of mini-carrot length
consistency, because consistent length was the only remaining determining factor that affects
the visual appeal of Gibillinis' signature dish. Taste, texture, color, and other factors were not
taken into account,because the kitchen chef had already considered these factors when
choosing the two brands that would be compared for this project.
Comment: The Scope is small enough that you can easily combine both areas into only one paragraph.
Again, notice how smoothly one area flows into the next. At this point, the Introduction section is
written. Let's see how the formal proposal memo looks so far.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 6
Introduction: Purpose, Problem, and Scope
Here's how the Introduction of a formal proposal memo would be formatted:
Analysis of Consistent Mini-Carrot Length for Gibillini's Garden Dijonaise Dish
Introduction
Purpose
This report analyzes the number of equal length carrots per bag of two mini-carrot brands in order to
determine which brand should be used for Gibillinis Restaurant's Garden Dijonaise dish.
Problem
For the past 30 years, Gibillinis has served the residents of greater Phoenix as one of the area's
premier upscale restaurants. Among its selection of unique cuisine is its signature dish, Garden
Dijonaise, which earned a "Best of Best Award" for taste and presentation. Garden Dijonaise, Gibillinis'
most popular entrée, is decorated with a circular pattern of mini-carrots whose length is identical to the
naked eye.
Recently, Gibillinis lost its sole supplier of mini-carrots, so an alternative brand-whose mini-carrots are
as close to an equal length as possible-must be found in order to preserve the excellent presentation of
Garden Dijonaise. J.Organics, a regional supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, carries two alternative
brands that have been selected by the head chef and that need to be analyzed to determine which
brand offers the most consistent mini-carrot length per bag.
Selecting the brand with the best consistency in length is necessary so that the prestige and
appearance of Garden Dijonaise is preserved. The selection of the best alternative is also imperative in
maintaining Gibillinis' good name and excellent food. Failing to find a suitable mini-carrot replacement
would require a change in the company's signature dish, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction
with its presentation and, as a consequence, possibly lead to a decline in sales and customer
satisfaction.
Scope
The gathering and evaluation of data included only an analysis of mini-carrot length consistency,
because consistent length was the only remaining determining factor that affects the visual appeal of
Gibillinis' signature dish. Taste, texture, and color were not taken into account, because the kitchen
chef had already considered these factors when choosing the two brands that would be compared for
this project.
Copyright 2012- 2016 Michael Johanyak
The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution.
Page 7
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