Student Writing Handbook Fifth+Edition

Technical Report / 379

STEP 7: Writing—Developing the Appendix

Sometimes statistics, narrative, or descriptive information is included in the appen-
dix. Usually this information would be cumbersome in the text, and, while it adds
strength or support to the results, it is not essential for every technical report.

A reference should appear in the text to any materials included in the appendix,
and all materials in the appendix must be titled and labeled descriptively. Materials
should be grouped into separate appendices (that is, Appendix A, Appendix B, and so
on) if they support separate parts of the report.

STEP 8: Writing—Preparing the Bibliography

If you cite background sources in your report (a necessity only in a lab report but
logical in some others), you must list the sources in a bibliography. Follow one of the
documentation forms in Chapter 34, Research Paper.

STEP 9: Writing—Adding the Final Touches

Finally, the report needs a table of contents, a table of graphics, and a title page. Use
the sample paper that follows as a model by which to develop these pages. Be sure to
check for accuracy of pagination.

STEP 10: Revising—Polishing the Content

Reread your rough draft, asking yourself the following questions:

• Are^ all^ sections^ clearly^ labeled?


• Does^ the^ table^ of^ contents^ accurately^ reflect^ the^ sections^ of^ the^ report?


• Does^ the^ table^ of^ figures^ and^ charts^ reflect^ the^ graphics^ included^ in^ the^ report^
  and in the appendix?
  -^ Does the introduction clarify my report’s audience, purpose, content, and
  findings? Will a reader, finishing the introduction, know all the main ideas in
  my report?


• Does^ the^ body^ deal^ with^ each^ topic^ separately^ under^ a^ separate^ subheading?


• Does^ the^ conclusion^ state^ my^ results^ clearly^ and^ concisely?


• Have^ I^ used^ appropriate^ vocabulary?


• Are^ my^ sentences^ simple^ and^ clear?


• Are^ my^ headings^ and^ subheadings^ logical^ and^ parallel?^ [See parallel structure
  in the Glossary.]


• Have^ I^ used^ visual^ aids^ effectively?
  -^ Does my text treat the visual aids adequately, without repeating everything the
  reader will find in them?
  -^ Are materials not essential to the content but relevant to the research included
  in the appendix?