THE 2012 ELECTION

2012 ELECTORAL COLLEGE

ELECTION RESULTS

EXIT POLLS – NBC NEWS

TEXT TYPE

A Formal Report

An Official Report

FORMAL REPORT STRUCTURE

1. TITLE

The Title must include the subject of the report, who the report is for, who the report is by and the date of submission.

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS It may be labeled “Table of Contents” or simply “Contents.”

List the sections of the report in a column on the left, using the same system of numbering used in the body of the report.

If the report has subsections, list these as well. (Subsection headingsmay be indented a few spaces from the section headings.)

In a column at the right of the page, list the appropriate page numbers (or paragraphs).

If the report itself contains a number of tables or figures, list them with an appropriate label—for example “List of Tables.”

The Table of Contents should be on a separate page.

It helps the reader to find specific information and indicates how the information has been organized and what topics are covered.

Leave space and write your Table of Contents last

3. SUMMARY A summary is usually 50 to 100 words and should include the following:

• why the report has been written (i.e. what question or problem is it addressing?)• how the study was undertaken • what the main findings were• what the significance of the findings is.

Be specific and precise so that the reader can get a good understanding of the main points without having to read the whole report.

It is usually written in a single paragraph with no indentation.

4. INTRODUCTION

The Introduction has three main components:

1. The Background which describes why the report is necessary.

2. The Purpose which defines what the report is to achieve, who authorized it and the specific terms of reference (definitions).

3. The Scope which outlines any limitations imposed on the project such as cost, time…etc.

5. BODY

The Body varies according to the type of report. Basically, it answers the questions — Who? Why?

Where? When? What? How? In an investigative report, it would consist of all the

information required to convince the reader that the conclusions and recommendations are valid/reliable. This information must be presented in a systematic way.

For a polling report, you must include the background, question(s), methodology, sample size and randomization.

Charts, Graphs, Drawings!!!!

6. CONCLUSION

The Conclusion should be as brief as possible.

It should be presented in descending order of importance and should not suggest action (you are merely reporting your facts).

Conclusions should be free from speculation (i.e. ideas for which you have presented no evidence), have no new thoughts or references introduced and contain no further discussion of points raised.

7.REFERENCES If you have referred in your report to any facts or figures that are not

general knowledge, you must give the source in a reference. The most common methods of documentation is the MLA Style (Link

available on course website)

Citations Parenthetical citations are used in the body of the report, giving only the author’s last name and the date of publication, for example (Soames,

1995). If you are referring to a page or section of the source material, your

citation should include this information, for example (Henderson, 1993, p. 49) or (Shelley, 1992, chap. 3).

FONTS AND SPACING

In general, use TIMES NEW ROMAN font Fonts should be a minimum of 12 point and 1.5 line

spacing is recommended unless otherwise specified. Titles and headings may be in a bold font.

A blank line, but no indentation, is used between paragraphs.

CHECK YOUR PUNCTUATION!

A Sample report is on our course website

LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT We are writing to the President of the United

States

Please write a letter to President Obama using formal language

You may write about ANYTHING – our class, our school, your personal interests and hopes, why you’re studying abroad for university, your concerns about his presidency, etc. ANYTHING

DUE: Friday – Please write neatly – I’m mailing the letters on Saturday!

HOMEWORK Conduct your own poll and write an official

report

Your report is due on November 30th (week 13) before the beginning of class.

You must hand in a hard copy and a Turnitin copy

Minimum word count: 300 words

Remember – NO PLAGIARISM!!!