Technical Report / 377STEP 3: Prewriting—Gathering Materials
Obviously, technical reports report something, and you must collect that information
or data. Reports usually omit secondary research, unless for background purposes
such as in lab reports. [See secondary research and primary research in the Glossary.
See Chapter 34, Research Paper, for detailed information on documenting secondary
research.] Rather, technical reports share the results of personal experience or pri-
mary investigation conducted by the writer or team of writers.
As you gather materials, consider what background information you need. Is the
subject familiar to your readers? If so, leave out unnecessary details. If readers need
basic background information, however, include it without “talking down.”
With your knowledge of the audience as your guide, list the ideas you need to
include. Do the ideas listed here support the list developed in Step 2?
STEP 4: Prewriting—Planning the Development and
Organization
Technical reports set the introduction and conclusion apart from the main section.
Other organizational matters are like those for similar non-technical writing. [See
Chapter 1, Prewriting. Also, see the prewriting suggestions for specific methods of devel-
opment in Part II and kinds of writing in Part III.]
Choose a method of development that suits your purpose.
STEP 5: Prewriting—Selecting the Headings
With your method of organization in mind, decide on appropriate headings. List the
three major divisions of your paper: the introduction, exposition, and conclusion.
The introduction must
-^ state your purpose in terms of audience [from Step 2],
-^ define any unfamiliar terms,
-^ state your purpose in terms of subject [from Step 1],
-^ summarize your findings.
The introduction in a lab report must
-^ include a statement of the problem, labeled as such,
-^ state your purpose in terms of the experiment,
-^ provide a one-sentence statement of the hypothesis.
The exposition, like the body of a theme, carries out the statement of purpose. For a
lab report, the exposition includes two parts: procedure and data analysis.