Assignment: Chronological Organisation
Assignment: Chronological Organisation
FRONT MATTER:
• Title Page:
• Table of Contents and Table of Figures: can be on the same page; make sure right and left margins
line up; if you use an “insert” tool, make sure to adjust the font to match the body of the proposal
• Executive Summary: written especially for management, least technical vocab; 250-400 words
o Overview of entire project (including info new to the rec report, e.g. app/integration
proposal), but only major information, dates and outcomes – details will come in “report”
section below
o Chronologically organized
BODY: introduction, app recommendation, implementation plan, evaluation plan
• Introduction: this section has a number of purposes, but ultimately it provides the context and all
necessary background information for the reader to understand the report; 400-600 words
o Short history/background of technology use in the field/discipline/job; Sources must be from
trade or scholarly publications
o Problem statement – What problem(s) would using the app solve? Why is it important to
consider an app for this field/discipline job? Why should the reader care?
o Summary of research report (what apps [or at least kinds of apps] were researched, why and
how, what criteria were applied)
• Recommendation: (400-600 words)
o Add this sentence to the beginning of your recommendation if you are using any ideas or
language from your Informational Report:
▪ Some information presented in this section has come directly from an unpublished report
submitted to the supervisor on [date the research report was due].
o Brief statement of which app you chose
o Extended discussion of why this app works best – support with screenshots where
appropriate!!
▪ Functionality
▪ Audience
▪ Navigation/Usability
▪ Advantages/Opportunities
▪ Disadvantages/Constraints
▪ Cost
▪ Any other criteria you feel are necessary to cover
o Final persuasive statement of why this app works best for chosen audience in specific context
▪ “persuasive” b/c of data and reasoning
▪ Avoid vague or impressionistic praise words (“exciting” “infinite” etc.)
• Implementation Plan: detailed explanation of how to integrate into workplace (or whichever
audience/context you targeted; 300-500 words)
o Statement presenting logic of proposed steps
▪ Should include reasons for timeline, budget, and steps
▪ Chronological order plan of how app is to be integrated
▪ Use second-level subheadings for each major step – labels can be numbered steps or key
words
▪ Keep parallel format for each step
▪ Budget can be in narrative or table format
• Evaluation Plan: (200-400 words)
o Must include brief plan for evaluation of whether app is working as hoped – how would you test
for this? Should match the factors evaluated in the extended discussion of app in
Recommendation section.
BACK MATTER: references, glossary (if needed), list of symbols (if needed), appendix (if needed)
• References: (not included in word count) ALL sources used for entire project in correct APA format
• Appendix: (optional section; not included in word count) supplemental materials
Other important information for whole document:
• Highlighted information are subheadings to be used in document
• Include a shortened title and page number in header
• Pagination: Title Page and Table of Contents get no page numbers. All other front matter gets italicized Roman numerals for page numbers. The body of the text gets Arabic numerals. Here are two resources
to help you do this in Word:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEfvn0bvNlI (“How to insert Roman, Arabic, & English page numbers in the same Word document (Easy steps)” by MJ Tube)
o https://writingcenter.missouristate.edu/assets/WritingCenter/word_formatting_page_numbers.pdf (“Formatting Page Numbers in Word: Utilizing Roman Numerals and Arabic Numbers”)
• use default (1.15) or 1.5 spacing, 12 pt. Times New Roman or Calibri font • use 1” margins all around
https://writingcenter.missouristate.edu/assets/WritingCenter/word_formatting_page_numbers.pdf
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
