Internet privacy reports and internet privacy presentation slide

Fomal Report Guide lines

Topic: Internet privacy Report and internet privacy presentation Slide with power point

Length

The body of the completed report must be from 3000 to 5000 words (approximately 12 – 20 pages).  If there is not enough information on the chosen topic, it must be broadened; conversely, if there is too much information, the topic must be narrowed.

Visuals

The body of the report must include a minimum of THREE visuals. The visuals must enhance the report; clip art is not acceptable.

Sources

You must use at least three secondary sources and at least one primary source in researching your topic.

Appearance

Reports must be neatly printed on good quality paper and be presented in a Cerlox binding. You will include the following parts:

1. Cover Page
2. Transmittal Document
3. Title Page
4. Table of Contents/List of Illustrations
5. Executive Summary
6. Report Body (including Introduction, Body, Summary/Concluding Comments)
7. Glossary (if applicable)
8. Appendix or Appendices

9. Works Cited or Bibliography

THE BREAKDOWN AND MARKING GUIDE FOR THE REPORT

Guide to Formal Reports

Note:  The final report should be approximately 3000 – 5000 words plus front and back matter.

This information is a guide to each of the components and to the formatting of the formal report.  It is not intended to replace the information given in your text.

Components

The components are discussed in the order in which they appear in the report, not in the order in which they are written.  The Memo or Letter of Transmittal, the Table of Contents, and the Executive Summary are written last.

Cover Page

The cover page is optional; however, it may be required by the instructor.  It contains only:

• a graphic to attract the attention of the reader.
• the title of the report.
• the author(s) of the report.

Memo or Letter of Transmittal

The Memo or Letter of Transmittal introduces the report.  Note:  Memos are sent to employees of your organization and letters to clients.

• Announce the topic of the report, tell how it was authorized, and briefly describe         the project (purpose statement).
• Mention the limitations of the report and any problems.
• Give an overview of the research conducted, and highlight your findings.
• Include your conclusions and recommendations if you are writing an analytical           report.
• Acknowledge any help from others.
• Close with instruction for follow-up activities and provide contact information.

Although first-person pronouns (I and we) are generally avoided in other sections of the long report, they may be used in the Memo or Letter of Transmittal because it is more personal.  Prepare the memo after you finish writing the report.

Title Page

Space the information evenly on the page:

• Type the name of your report in uppercase letters (do not underscore and do not       use quotation marks) 2 inches from the top edge.
• Drop down 2 inches and type Presented to and your instructor’s name and     institution.
• Drop down another 2 inches and type Prepared by and the group’s names.
• Type the date of submission 2 inches below the names.
• All items after the title are typed in a combination of upper and lowercase letters.

Table of Contents

Prepare the Table of Contents after you finish the report.

• Show the headings and subheadings of your report and page numbers.
• Start with the List of Illustrations if it has a page to itself. If not, start with the   Executive Summary.
• Include all headings and use dot leaders (spaced periods) so that the page numbers are aligned.
• Indent items in outline form or type them flush with the left margin.

List of Illustrations

Prepare the List of Illustrations after you finish the report.

• If you have only a few items, the List of Illustrations may appear on the same page as the Table of Contents.
• Figures are listed before tables.

Executive Summary

Prepare the Executive Summary after you finish the report. Its purpose is to give an overview of the report to people who do not want to read the entire document. The summary may repeat­ some of the information in the Memo of Transmittal, but try to avoid identical wording.

• Summarize key points including the statement of purpose and research                                  methods.
• Highlight the report findings by summarizing each section in the body of the                            report.
• Include conclusions and/or recommendations (as applicable).

Introduction

The introduction provides a background or setting for the topic. It includes researched information and might discuss current trends, give a brief history, or tell why the topic is popular.  In addition, it should

• describe the purpose of the report (again!) and tell why the topic is significant.                     Include the scope and limitations of the report.
• identify your sources of information.
• define any terms that may be new to the reader.
• give readers a “road map” that previews the structure of the report either at the                      end of your introduction or at the beginning of the Findings section.

The introduction may be divided using these headings:  Background, Purpose, Significance, Scope, Limitations, Research Methods, and Key Terms.  These headings must be introduced.

Findings (Body of Report)

The Findings is the body of the report and may carry the title Discussion of Findings, Findings, or more descriptive headings. This part of the report discusses, analyzes, interprets, and evaluates the research findings.

• Preview the organization of this section for the reader.  Organize the body into main sections.  You may choose to start each section on a new page.
• Use clear descriptive headings that explain each main section.
• Organize main sections into subsections using descriptive subheadings (talking heads).

Conclusions

The conclusions tell what the findings mean.

• Begin with a statement that relates to the findings, such as Based on the preceding findings, the following conclusions may be drawn about. . . .
• Present the conclusions in a numbered or bulleted list (improves comprehension).
• Be quite specific and refer to research found in the body of the report.
• End with a reminder that you have fulfilled the purpose of the report and a statement which leaves a lasting impression.

Recommendations (for analytical reports)

After considering the findings and conclusions, what recommendations would you make to your target audience?

• Include an appropriate introductory sentence, such as, The findings and conclusions in this study support the following recommendations.
• Write action statements. What should the reader do?
• Make recommendations specific.
• Present them in a numbered list.
• End with a reminder that you have fulfilled the purpose of the report and a statement which leaves a lasting impression.

Glossary

If included, does the glossary

• present specialized terms in alphabetical order?
• define terms in a grammatically parallel way (e.g., all in sentences or all in                  phrases)?
• include white space after the terms and align the left margins of the                             definitions?

Note that integrating definitions into the body of the report is a good strategy for most reports.

Appendix

Include any literature, charts, or documents that might be important for the reader to better understand the report.  The appendix precedes the Works Cited page.

• Begin with a typed title, Appendix, on a separate page.
• Name the appendices Appendix A, Appendix B etc. for more than one appendix.

Works Cited

Include a complete alphabetical list of all references using MLA documentation style.

• Title the page Works Cited if it includes only the references cited in the text of            the report.  List them in order alphabetical order.
• Title the page Bibliography if the list includes other works which you may have           referred to in your research as well as those references you have cited.

Formatting

Follow the following guidelines for formatting the report.

Spacing

Double-space the report with the exceptions of the pages given below.  When       pages are double-spaced, paragraphs are indented.  When pages are single-   spaced, paragraphs are not indented

• The Memo or Letter of Transmittal and the Executive Summary are                            single-spaced.
• The Works Cited page can either be single-spaced or double-spaced in                    MLA documentation style as the instructor suggests.

Margins

Use 1 1/4-inch side margins.

• If the report is to be bound, add an extra 1/4 inch to the left margin.
• Do not justify the right margin.  Ragged-right edges are easier to read.
• Leave a 2-inch top margin for special pages, such as the first pages of sections, and                        the Table of Contents, Executive Summary and Works Cited pages.
• Leave 1 1/4-inch top margins on other pages.

Page Numbering

All pages except the cover page and the title page must have numbers. The title page counts as a page although it is unnumbered.

• Pages before the introduction are numbered with lowercase Roman                           numerals.
• Within the body of the report, page numbers may appear in either the                         upper right comer or centered about 1 inch from the bottom of each page.
• Wherever you place page numbers, be consistent.

Format and Layout

The format and layout (the use of white space, headings, bold type,     underlining, caps,       bullets, numbering, etc.) of the report should

• make the information clear and accessible, e.g., by using lists to present   a          series of objectives, conclusions, recommendations or other logically co-      ordinate items.
• make the structure of the report clear, for example, by including more        space before headings than after headings and by differentiating the        headings typographically (e.g., by numbering the headings using a        decimal numbering system, to a maximum of four places).  Here is             one set of conventions:

                               MAIN HEADINGS: UPPER CASE, BOLD, CENTRED

                               First-level Headings: Mixed Case, Bold, Centred

                               Second-level headings: Lower case, italics, flush left

Illustrations and Tables

Illustrations (figures and tables) should be

• numbered and labelled consecutively as tables or figures (e.g., Table 1,    Table 2, Figure 1, Table 3, Figure 2), with tables titled above and figures         titled below.
• informatively titled (e.g., Table 1. Annual precipitation in Calgary, 1980 –    1990).
• accompanied by legends or footnotes to explain any abbreviations.
• original or accompanied by citations giving the source of the borrowed       information. (Depending on the case, borrowed information may be                    attributed by using phrases such as “adapted from…,” “information           from…,” or “as found in…”.)
• referred to and discussed in the text, with their significance made clear.
• presented as soon as possible after they are first mentioned in the text.

Widows and Orphans

Avoid ending a page with the first line of a paragraph or carrying a single line of a       paragraph to a new page.

Components in the Formal Report

Marking Guide for the Formal Report

          Names:    _______________ ________________                Report _______/85

_______________ ________________

________________________________

Comments

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

23        FRONT MATTER

             Cover Page

(2)    ___ Includes title, authors and appropriate image

(8)     Memo of Transmittal

___ Guide words are double-spaced; fill-in information is aligned two spaces after the longest guide word (SUBJECT)

___  Memo is initialled

___ Announces topic of report and how it was authorized

___ Summarizes the conclusions and recommendations, if applicable

___  Indicates minor problems and shows how they were surmounted

___  Mentions any additional research that was necessary

___ Acknowledges help from others if applicable

___ Provides instruction for follow-up activities; provides contact information

(2)    Title Page

         ___ Specific title in uppercase letters, 2” from top edge

         ___ 2” space, Presented to instructor’s name and institution

___ 2” space, Prepared by student’s names

___ 2” space, date of submission

(3)      Table of Contents/List of Illustrations

___ Table of Contents starts with Executive Summary; pages are numbered correctly

___ Includes all report headings followed by dot leaders and page numbers; page                                   numbers are aligned

___ Table of Illustrations/List of Figures follows; figures are listed before tables; can                             appear on the same page as the Table of Contents if few items or omitted if very                   few illustrations.

(8)     Executive Summary

___ Provides a summary of each section of the entire report (6)

___ Includes conclusions

___ Includes recommendations, if applicable

27     TEXT

(7)        Introduction

            ___ Researched background information (3)

___ Establishes problem and purpose

___ Includes scope and limitations

___ Describes research methods & sources

___ Defines key terms (if applicable) or refer readers to a glossary

(14)  Findings

___ Previews the organization of the report (1)

___ Discusses, analyzes, and interprets the research findings as applicable (8)

      ___ Includes in-text citations formatted appropriately as applicable (max. 5)

(6)        Conclusions/Recommendations

___ Contains an introductory statement that relates to the findings (1)

___ Sums up the key ideas proven by the findings (2)

___ Explains what the findings mean; makes recommendations if applicable (2)

___ Final statement which leaves a lasting impression (1)

4          END MATTER

(1)         ___ Appendices/Glossary

(3)         ___ Works Cited/Bibliography; uses correct format

10        STYLE (1/2 pt. each unless indicated)

___ Clear sentences (immediately understandable)  ___ Sentence variety

___ Use of plain English                                             ___ Paragraphs well developed

___ Concise                                                                ___ Short paragraphs

___ Effective word choice                                          ___ Short sentences

___ Objective point of view; omits personal pronouns (2)

___ Content is credible and is presented in a logical manner (2)

___ Uses clear descriptive headings; introduces each new level of headings (2)

9          GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, SPELLING

___ Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation (-1/2 pt. per error to a max. of 8)

___  Parallel construction used for bulleted and numbered lists

6          VISUALS

___ At least three visuals are included; no clip art (2)

___ Choice of visual is appropriate

___ Format is correct & consistent

___ Visuals are appropriately placed after they are introduced and on the same page

___ Source information is included if appropriate

6          PRESENTATION                  

___ Attractive and readable (cover of report looks inviting)

___ Appropriate style and size of font

___ Section headings are placed at the top of a new page

___ Effective layout (appropriate use of white space; report is readable)

___ Distinct levels of headings

___ Report is double-spaced with each paragraph indented

TOTAL 85