RECOMMENDATION REPORT ASSIGNMENT                                                       (HOME)

ENGL 410-001 Technical and Report Writing Spring 2007
George Mason University
Scott Berg, Instructor


THE REPORT:

This report may recommend an internal action or an external action (or some combination of the two) in reponse to either an internal or external problem/issue that you will have already outlined in a separately assigned memorandum.  Whatever scenario you propose, your report will be read only internally, probably by a board of directors or some other appropriate set of superiors of your choosing. Your recommendation report, addressed directly to the appropriate internal audience, must include the following sections:

1. Title Page:  Includes the title of the report, the person/department for which the report is produced, the authors' name, and the date on which the report is submitted.  I'll eventually send you an MS Word rubric for this page. (One page)

2. Overview or Executive Summary:  Should provide a brief description of the report, section by section, culminating in a clear and concise statement of your specific recommendation. (One page)

3. Introduction: A general description of the particular problem/issue at hand and the need to take action on this problem/issue.  This may repeat information  from your "problem" memorandum, but will additionally contextualize the issue/problem within the larger mission and function of the organization. (One to two pages)

4. Research/Findings/Analysis: Uses and includes whatever materials are necessary (all of which should be included in either part 6 or part 7) to discuss various options in addressing the issue/problem at hand.  This section will discuss three possible solutions.  All three should be feasible, and the feasibility of all three should be established using research.  You will include a concise description of each action and a concise explanation of the rationale for each action. (Three to six pages)

5. Your conclusions and recommendation: Explains the reasoning behind the decision to adapt one option discussed in section 4, repeating and expanding on the recommendation stated in step 2.  Your final recommendation should also include a list of any steps necessary to take this action.  Fit the scope of these steps to the available space, but never skimp on the early steps.  "What do we do next?" is never a question the recommendation report should leave hanging (One to two pages)

6. References:  A list of all internal and external sources consulted as part of researching the issue/problem.. These sources should be formatted following a consistent documentation style (APA, MLA, etc.) (One page)

7. Appendices:  Includes documents that support and enhance your recommendation. Potential appendices include a glossary, technical documentation, charts, instructions, glossaries, illustrations of pages, a diagrams, etc. (Varies)