Reporting Information Powerpoint

1. 1 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting Information
The Norton Field Guide to Writing, 3e,
© 2013, W. W. Norton & Company
Reporting Information
Chapter 9

2. 2 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting InformationPart 2: Genres
Key Features of Reports
• Tightly focused topic
• Accurate, well-researched information
• Various writing strategies
• Clear definitions
• Appropriate designs

3. 3 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting InformationPart 2: Genres
Guide to Writing Reports
• Choose a topic
• Consider the rhetorical situation
• Generate ideas and text
• Explore what you already know about the
topic
• Narrow the topic
• Develop a tentative thesis
• Research and revise your thesis

4. 4 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting InformationPart 2: Genres
Ways of Organizing
a Report
Begin by engaging reader
Provide background and thesis
Describe topic and define key terms
Explain topic by comparing, classifying, etc.
Conclude
Reports on topics that are unfamiliar to readers

5. 5 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting InformationPart 2: Genres
Ways of Organizing a Report
Reports on an event
Introduce
topic and
background
information
Narrate first event
Narrate second event
Repeat as necessary Conclude
with
implications

6. 6 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting InformationPart 2: Genres
Ways of Organizing a Report
Reports that compare and contrast
Introduce
topic and
background
information
Describe one item
Describe another item
using same structure
used to describe the
first
Conclude
by
restating
thesis

7. 7 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting InformationPart 2: Genres
Writing a Draft
• Draft a beginning
• State thesis
• Start with something that will pique interest
• Begin with an illustrative example
• Draft an ending
• Summarize main points
• Point out implications of report
• Frame report by referring to the introduction
• Tell what happened
• Come up with a title

8. 8 of 8 Chapter 9: Reporting InformationPart 2: Genres
Finishing Your Report
• Consider matters of design
• Get response and revise
• Edit and proofread
• Take stock of your work