3.5: How Do You Write Instructions?

PREPARING FEASIBILITY STUDIES

A feasibility report is a testimony that attempts to create some sort of action. Feasibility reports are created to persuade/help the decision-makers to choose between available options. Remember that your option is not the only one; the decision-makers will probably have many to choose from. A feasibility report also determines whether or not the investigated task can be done with the number of resources available or how many resources will be necessary in order to complete the task. A feasibility report may be useful in a lot of different situations such as event planning, finances, or even remodeling your home.

WHAT IS A FEASIBILITY STUDY?

A feasibility study is a way to evaluate the practicality and desirability of a project. Before a company invests time and money into a project, they need to know how successful the project will be before investing. Sometimes companies want to understand input costs, the amount of research that will need to be done, or even the marketability of a project. With input prices, it is essential that companies understand, (even before they put time and research into the project), how much it would cost to go through with their product. Companies also like to know how the public/people will react to the change if they put time into research and go through with their change or promotion of a product. Will people be fighting over the new product, or will it fall through? The purpose of feasibility studies is to provide company information and analysis on whether or not they should pursue this course of action.

Feasibility reports are usually used to sway decision-makers towards one direction or the other. Many times there is only one course of action but there needs to be a second course of action.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR REPORT

WHAT TO CONSIDER IN CREATING FEASIBILITY STUDIES/REPORTS?

It remains important to consider alternatives when you are creating a feasibility study. Decision-makers in companies want to understand why they have to make a choice, and then why they should choose this certain option. Feasibility reports need to include detailed information on the problem that has presented itself to provide decision-makers with a reason to consider further options.

IS YOUR ARGUMENT IMPORTANT AND APPROPRIATE?

When deciding on whether or not your feasibility study is important you must first recognize the target audience or reader. Professional organizations want your argument or study based on the needs or aims of the organization and their future. In professional settings, it is believed that those guiding points or criteria should be known by the people judging your study. In other words, make the study reasonable and have it relate to what you are looking at implementing or the change you want to see happen.

Facts can make your argument important. However, decision-makers want to know that your sources are reliable. They want to be assured that the information they are receiving is from a credible source in the industry. This source analysis may turn out to be the most important aspect of any feasibility study and report. Due simply to the fact that any information you gather, no matter the presentation, can be ruined if you’re lacking information about your sources or in the worst case if your sources are not credible.

WHAT TO CONSIDER ABOUT YOUR ALTERNATIVES?

It is important to understand how your alternatives compare to the criteria you set in place. In most cases, your readers will want to understand how your results compared to others. This allows them to make an educated decision based simply on facts and results.

WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND AGAINST YOUR ALTERNATIVES?

Based on experiments and finding results about possible alternatives and how they fare, it is important to draw conclusions about the alternatives. This comparison is not made to bash other options or products but is made to set your product or idea apart. You should include general knowledge or conclusions about what each product does well. This remains an important part because once again decision-makers need a basis for comparison; they need a reason to select your idea compared to the alternatives and may already be set in place or will be in the near future.

WHAT SHOULD YOU WRITE IN YOUR CONCLUSION?

Include in your conclusion how you’re going to go implement your ideas for the company and how it will enrich the company. Explain why the company should choose your course of action. Compare statistics and data and help the readers understand the logical choice and the course of action that would aid in selecting one option over the other. Explain your expertise on the subject matter and help them realize that your idea is the choice they are looking for. Based on your experiences, the reader will most likely take your side if you present the argument efficiently. Your goal is to get the company to select your course of action based on the key points you outline in your feasibility study.

IMPORTANT FEATURES OF A BASIC FEASIBILITY REPORT

Below are the seven elements of a feasibility report:

1. Introduction – Persuade the decision-maker to even consider any sort of alternative. You need to convince them to even read your report first. Tell them what they will gain personally or as an organization by considering your work.
2. Criteria/Constraints – Specifically map out the criteria of what the ideal outcomes are. This criteria outline will allow you to make practical and logical decisions. You can present the criteria in your feasibility report in one of two ways. First, you can separate the criteria into its own section. This organizational strategy is best when you have an extensive report and you need to go in-depth with the explanation. Second, you can incorporate the criteria throughout your report as the criteria become relevant. Whichever strategy you choose, make sure that the criteria are introduced early in the report. It is also very important to map out the constraints of your suggested solutions. This outline will show the audience that you understand and acknowledge the fact that no solution is perfect. This will also make sure that the audience makes the decision in their best interest.
3. Method – Present facts that are accurate and relevant. State the reliable sources you used and what method they came from (internet, interview, book, etc.). Without a credible research method or credible sources, your document itself will lack credibility.
4. Overview of Alternative Options – Underline the key features of each possible option. Make sure they are easy to understand and presented in a friendly layout. Keep in mind that the goal is to allow your audience to make the best decision.
5. Evaluation – Evaluate the options using the criteria you created. This section will be the bulk of your report. Add graphs, charts, etc. to show that you have studied your options, and have come up with statistics that back up your reasons as to why your alternative beats the competition.
6. Conclusions – State the conclusion you have come up with. How did you evaluate the alternatives? Which alternative best fits your organization?
7. Recommendations – Use your experience and knowledge to state which option you think should be adopted.

Note: All seven elements outlined do not need to be included in the feasibility report depending on the audience, circumstance, mission, etc. The elements do not need to be in the exact order outlined above. Specifically, the conclusion should be mentioned more than just at the end of the report. It should also be summarized at the beginning of the report and in the case the feasibility report is long, it can be mentioned in the middle as well.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An executive summary should be included at the beginning of the report. In 2-3 pages, the main points of the feasibility study are summarized for a quick review by busy administrators and school board members. The executive summary provides the reader with an overview of the feasibility study and will help them see the entire picture before they read the details. Some decision-makers may only read the executive summary.

Thus, the executive summary should be concise and include the major findings of the study followed by a recommendation.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the introduction of a feasibility report is two-fold:

1. To answer the reader's question: “Why do we need to look into these alternatives and do they matter?” In order to answer this question, it is necessary to identify the problem that your report will help resolve or what your report is aimed at accomplishing.
2. To talk about the other options that you have looked at and analyzed, as well as to explain how you went about researching and analyzing them.

Note: Usually, the introduction to a feasibility report briefly discusses some of the important conclusions and the most feasible options for change. Other elements of a report of this nature, such as the criteria, method, or any other kind of general background, may also be concisely noted and mentioned in this portion of the report.

CRITERIA/CONSTRAINTS

WHAT TO CONSIDER IN YOUR FEASIBILITY STUDY/REPORT.

As you begin formulating what you would like to consider, you should realize that usually, criteria work around one or more of the following questions:

WILL YOUR PLAN OR COURSE OF ACTION REALLY DO WHAT IS DESIRED?

This is often seen on the technical side. Ask yourself whether or not your implementation or change really makes that much of a difference. Let’s say you are looking to improve an aspect of your company. Will your change really improve the proficiency and speed of what they’re trying to do? Or will you find in your study that the change actually slows down production or the efficiency of the company’s workers? This is important to predict beforehand because sometimes an improvement in the workplace is not always an improvement in how a company works. But many of these factors you will not notice until after you complete your study. And in the worst case, you may not see negative ailments until after the plan is implemented.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO IMPLEMENT YOUR COURSE OF ACTION?

Even though your plan of action may seem correct and efficient on paper, it may not be practical towards your line of work. You must take into account the circumstances that arise in every aspect of a professional setting. What you may find is that in one field your plan may be extremely successful, but in another may be a bust. This can also take place from company to company. As you work at different companies along the same field, you will begin to understand what can be successful in one workplace that may not work in another. Sometimes you have to take into account the number of changes that will need to be implemented for your plan. Do you need to go through extensive changes in operations, or make upgrades to current equipment or materials that are currently in use or in stock? Sometimes the amount of money that needs to be put into a new project may be much more than the actual amount of benefit that would be received from the changes. You must consider your plan as a cost-benefit analysis.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

This question may become the biggest factor in any business decision. In not only business but any professional field, the benefits must outweigh the costs in any decision. This is even the case when deciding to work on one aspect of a project compared to the other. When forming criteria for a feasibility report, you must understand the costs if all went as planned. Then you might even want to find out what the cost would be if you had minor or major setbacks. It is important to understand the costs because unless the benefits outweigh the costs, a company will most likely not go through with your proposed plan of action. Also, it is important to look into the future of the company. Maybe your plan of action will not be beneficial for the first year in existence, but what about the years following? Like any other decision in business, the original fixed cost may be high but the marginal gains may be high. In that case, it may be a good decision for the company to make a change if it is beneficial for the future. Think about health care companies. Would it be beneficial for a company to invest in new equipment even though the upright payment is very high?

IS YOUR IDEA/PRODUCT DESIRABLE?

Will people want to overextend themselves for change, or will they reject what you are trying to do? Sometimes a change or solution must be more than just effective and affordable. You must consider the consumers and people that will be changing. Sometimes many feasible courses of action do not succeed simply because they create effects that drive the consumers away. Because of this, the product or plan is not marketable. These undesirable side effects can be as simple as tearing away employee morale. Sometimes even though a plan is promoting and expected to increase productivity, how will the employees react? Many times companies overlook how their employees are going to react to change. But the fact of the matter is that the only way to increase production is to keep employees happy. If they are not pushed to improve the company and their own status then they simply may not find change necessary.

METHOD

This part of your paper demonstrates to the reader that what you discovered through your research actually matters and has reliability. By telling your audience how you came to know what you have found and know now, you are demonstrating to them that your results are trustworthy and that they truly hold significance in meaning. With strong methods for finding out your facts, your readers will then feel comfortable and confident to make the necessary changes.

It’s all about the source. The question of what sources to use completely varies from study to study. There are several different types of sources that you could use to find your facts; it all just depends on what you are trying to find answers to. Sources can include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Academic journals or reports
• Library research
• Phone calls
• Face-to-face interviews
• Meetings with those who are knowledgeable about the topic or are in your company/organization
• Surveys (Survey Monkey!)
• Usability Testing
• Lab testings

SOURCE ANALYSIS

The length and density of content will vary from each report to the next. You should take into consideration your audience as well as the context and purpose, for which your paper is written. The main goal is to purely get the point across to the readers that what you are reporting has validity by describing how the means of attaining your information are sound and secure. Make sure that your writing is reader-centered and that they would be satisfied. This will ensure that your method is long and descriptive enough.

PLACEMENT

The placement of this section of your report will also depend on the type of report that you are writing. If there are only a couple of different methods used throughout your research, it might be a good idea to fit them into the beginning of your report, writing a paragraph for each technique. If you have several unrelated methods, however, it would be good to place those paragraphs throughout the report, where they would best accompany your analysis or data.

Note: Sometimes, if it is really obvious how you went about your research, then there might not even be a need to talk about your methods. It is key, though, that your readers always have a clear understanding of the way you obtained your facts and that they are worth trusting.

REVISION CHECKLIST

Once your feasibility study is complete, review the following checklist to ensure every topic has been addressed:

INTRODUCTION

Does it tell your readers why you conducted this study?

Does it provide background information the readers will need or want?

Does it identify the action or alternatives you investigated?

Does it persuade readers to use this study as a valid document?

CRITERIA

Does it identify the standards by which the action or alternatives were evaluated?

METHOD

Does it explain the way you obtained the facts and ideas presented in the report?

Does it persuade the readers that this method would produce reliable results?

OVERVIEW OF ALTERNATIVES

Does it present a general description of each alternative?

EVALUATION

Does it evaluate the action or alternative in terms of criteria?

Does it present the facts and evidence that support each evaluative statement?

CONCLUSIONS

Does it explain the significance from the reader’s viewpoint of your facts?

Does it state the conclusion plain and simple?

RECOMMENDATIONS

Does it advise which course of action or alternative you recommend?

Does it present recommendations that stand out?

Does it suggest specific steps your readers may take to act on each of your recommendations?

FRONT MATTER: CONTENTS, LISTS, AND MORE

The first few pages of a report are essential. These elements are often referred to as “Book Elements,” as they are commonly found in larger works, they include the cover page, title page, abstract, table of contents, and list of tables and figures.

Important considerations should also be made on how your publication will be used. To increase usability, you should consider how your readers will be using the report, and what they will be looking for, and focus on making this easy to find. Specifics such as the size of the font, font type, formatting, and organization need to be taken into consideration when creating the front matter of your report.

Below are the elements of the front matter of a report:

COVERS

A cover page is a very simple, precise, brief way to introduce your report to the reader. This page should contain the following:

• A large specific title
• Company name
• Name of the author(s)
• Date of the report
• Relevant picture to help reinforce the subject of the report

One goal of the cover page is to be informative and scalable because once it is filed, it will need to be easy to pick out of a stack of other reports. A second goal is to make the report stand out. If the report cover looks bleak and dull, the reader will start reading with a negative outlook. Think of the cover page of a report like what is worn to an interview. The cover page is the first thing that is seen. It will be the foundation for first impressions, for better or worse. One easy way to make the report stand out is to use a theme for the report that your audience can connect to. For example, if a report is written to McDonald’s, the cover page will be in yellow and red with the golden arches as a picture. It is important that the reader believes that he or she is the most important aspect of the report.

TITLE PAGE

A title page will be very similar to your front cover as it repeats the information on the cover but adds more important details. These extra details may include the report number, date, title, names, and addresses of authors, specific contract information, name and address of the supervisor, and name and address of the organization who supported the report.

The title page is an opportunity to provide specific, detailed information about the document and its authors to its intended audience. See Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\) for a sample draft of a title page.

Sample Draft

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Sample draft

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT

Abstracts are an important element in the business world. Abstracts will help a manager learn the main points of your document, and they will help the reader determine if the entire report is relevant to what they are looking for. Charts and graphs that show factual data are helpful visuals that can be implemented in this section of the document.

Major topics should be mentioned in the abstract, but not the main points of each. This will be where most of the keywords of your report are used, and it will be a preview of the information to be covered. Often, summaries are used when representing a report in a database, so illustrating the main topics of your report in this segment can be useful.

The abstract should always be a page or less, especially in informative situations, and typically an abstract should not be more than 15 percent of the total report.

In an abstract, you will do the following:

• Identify the intended audience
• Describe Contents
• Tell the reader how the information is presented

TABLE OF CONTENTS

In any report or analysis, a table of contents is helpful to navigate the report. Some lengthy reports may also include a table of graphs and/or a table of figures.

In addition to the summary, the table of contents will allow the reader to quickly scan the topics you have covered. This will also help if they are looking for something particular. Use of proper headings and sub-headings gives readers a good overview of all the information contained in your document.

The table of contents is usually extremely generic and similar to each other. This is for ease of navigation to the user. The table of contents can be formatted from Microsoft Word.

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

This is a useful section to include if your images or tables are referred to repeatedly throughout your text. Include Figures and Tables lists when your report is over about 15 pages. This page also allows for easy comparison between images when they are grouped together.

REPORT DESIGN

Technical reports have specifications as do any other kind of project. Specifications for reports involve layout, organization and content, the format of headings and lists, the design of the graphics, and so on. The advantage of a required structure and format for reports is that you or anyone else can expect them to be designed in a familiar way—you know what to look for and where to look for it. Reports are usually read in a hurry—readers are in a hurry to get to the information they need, the key facts, the conclusions, and other essentials. A standard report format is like a familiar neighborhood.

When you analyze the design of a technical report, notice how repetitive some sections are. This duplication has to do with how people read reports. They don't read reports straight through: they may start with the executive summary, skip around, and probably not read every page. Your challenge is to design reports so that these readers encounter your key facts and conclusions, no matter how much of the report they read or in what order they read it.

The standard components of the typical technical report are discussed below. The following sections guide you through each of these components, pointing out the key features. As you read and use these guidelines, remember that these are guidelines, not commandments. Different companies, professions, and organizations have their own varied guidelines for reports—you'll need to adapt your practice to those as well the ones presented here.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

The transmittal letter is a cover letter. It is either attached to the outside of the report with a paper clip or is bound within the report. It is a communication from you—the report writer—to the recipient, the person who requested the report and who may even be paying you for your expert consultation. Essentially, it says "Okay, here's the report that we agreed I'd complete by such-and-such a date. Briefly, it contains this and that but does not cover this or that. Let me know if it meets your needs." The transmittal letter explains the context—the events that brought the report about. It contains information about the report that does not belong in the report.

In the example of the transmittal letter in the following, notice the standard business-letter format. If you write an internal report, use the memorandum format instead; in either case, the contents and organization are the same:

• First paragraph. Cites the name of the report, putting it in italics. It also mentions the date of the agreement to writing the report.
• Middle paragraph. Focuses on the purpose of the report and gives a brief overview of the report's contents.
• Final paragraph. Encourages the reader to get in touch if there are questions, comments, or concerns. It closes with a gesture of goodwill, expressing hope that the reader finds the report satisfactory.

As with any other element in a report, you may have to modify the contents of this letter (or memo) for specific situations. For example, you might want to add another paragraph, listing questions you'd like readers to consider as they review the report.

COVERS AND LABELS

If your report is over ten pages, bind it in some way and create a label for the cover.

COVERS

Covers give reports a solid, professional look as well as protection. You can choose from many types of covers. Keep these tips in mind:

• Avoid the clear (or colored) plastic slipcases with the plastic sleeve on the left edge. These are like something out of freshman English; plus they are aggravating to use—readers must struggle to keep them open and hassle with the static electricity they generate.
• Marginally acceptable are the covers for which you punch holes in the pages, load the pages, and bend down the brads. If you use this type, leave an extra half-inch margin on the left edge so that readers don't have to pry the pages apart. Of course, this type of cover prevents pages from lying flat: readers must grab available objects or use various body parts to keep the pages weighted down.
• The best covers are those that allow reports to lie open by themselves (see the illustration in the next section). What a great relief for a report to lie open in your lap or on your desk. This type uses a plastic spiral for the binding and thick, card-stock paper for the covers. Check with your local copy shop for these types of bindings; they are inexpensive and add to the professionalism of your work. See the simulated example of a plastic spiral binding in the following.
• Generally less preferable are loose-leaf notebooks or ring binders. These are too bulky for short reports, and the page holes tend to tear. Of course, the ring binder makes changing pages easy; if that's how your report will be used, then it's a good choice. At the "high end" are the overly fancy covers with their leatherette look and gold-colored trim. Avoid them—keep it plain, simple, and functional.

LABELS

Be sure to devise a label for the cover of your report. It's a step that some report writers forget. Without a label, a report is anonymous; it gets ignored.

The best way to create a label is to use your word-processing software to design one on a standard page with a graphic box around the label information. Print it out, then go to a copy shop and have it photocopied directly onto the report cover.

Not much goes on the label: the report title, your name, your organization's name, a report tracking number, and a date. There are no standard requirements for the label, although your company or organization should have its own requirements. (An example of a report label is shown below in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\).)

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Transmittal letter and report cover (with cover label)

ABSTRACT AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Most technical reports contain at least one abstract, sometimes two, in which case the abstracts play different roles. Abstracts summarize the contents of a report, but the different types do so in different ways:

• Descriptive abstract. This type provides an overview of the purpose and contents of the report. In some report designs, the descriptive abstract is placed at the bottom of the title page, as shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\).

  

  Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Descriptive abstract

• Executive summary. Another common type is the executive summary, which also summarizes the key facts and conclusions contained in the report. See the example shown in the following. It's as if you used a yellow highlighter to mark the key sentences in the report and then siphoned them all out onto a separate page and edited them for readability. Typically, executive summaries are one-tenth to one-twentieth the length of reports ten to fifty pages long. For longer reports, ones over fifty pages, the executive summary should not go over two pages. The point of the executive summary is to provide a summary of the report—something that can be read quickly.

If the executive summary, introduction, and transmittal letter strike you as repetitive, remember that readers don't necessarily start at the beginning of a report and read page by page to the end. They skip around: they may scan the table of contents; they usually skim the executive summary for key facts and conclusions. They may read carefully only a section or two from the body of the report and then skip the rest. For these reasons, reports are designed with some duplication so that readers will be sure to see the important information no matter where they dip into the report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

You're familiar with tables of contents (TOC) but may never have stopped to look at their design. The TOC shows readers what topics are covered in the report, how those topics are discussed (the subtopics), and on which page numbers those sections and subsections start.

In creating a TOC, you have a number of design decisions:

• Levels of headings to include. In longer reports, consider not including only the top two levels of headings. This keeps the TOC from becoming long and unwieldy. The TOC should provide an at-a-glance way of finding information in the report quickly.
• Indentation, spacing, and capitalization. Notice in the illustration below that items in each of the three levels of headings are aligned with each other. Although you can't see it in the illustration, page numbers are right-aligned with each other. Notice also the capitalization: main chapters or sections are all caps; first-level headings use initial caps on each main word; lower-level sections use initial caps on the first word only.
• Vertical spacing. Notice that the first-level sections have extra space above and below, which increases readability.

One final note: Make sure the words in the TOC are the same as they are in the text. As you write and revise, you might change some of the headings—don't forget to change the TOC accordingly. See the example of a table of contents in Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\) below:

Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): Table of contents (which comes first) then the executive summary

This TOC uses a decimal-numbering style, which is common in reports. Others use the roman-numeral style. In a technical writing course, ask your instructor if the decimal-numbering style for the table of contents and headings is required. Notice, too, the cap style for the different TOC levels here.

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

The list of figures has many of the same design considerations as the table of contents. Readers use the list of figures to find the illustrations, diagrams, tables, and charts in your report.

Complications arise when you have both tables and figures. Strictly speaking, figures are illustrations, drawings, photographs, graphs, and charts. Tables are rows and columns of words and numbers; they are not considered figures.

For longer reports that contain dozens of figures and tables each, create separate lists of figures and tables. Put them together on the same page if they fit, as shown in the illustration below. You can combine the two lists under the heading, "List of Figures and Tables," and identify the items as figure or table as is done in the illustration below.

INTRODUCTION

An essential element of any report is its introduction—make sure you are clear on its real purpose and contents. In a technical report, the introduction prepares the reader to read the main body of the report.

See this example of an introduction in Figure \(\PageIndex{5}\) below:

Figure \(\PageIndex{5}\): List of figures and tables followed by the introduction

If there are no tables, make it "List of Figures." In a technical writing course, ask your instructor if the decimal-numbering style for headings is required.

BODY OF THE REPORT

The body of the report is, of course, the main text of the report, the sections between the introduction and conclusion. Illustrated in Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\) below are sample pages:

Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\): Excerpt from the body of a technical report

The body of your report will also most likely include the following:

HEADINGS

In all but the shortest reports (two pages or less), use headings to mark off the different topics and subtopics covered. Headings enable readers to skim your report and dip down at those points where you present information that they want.

BULLETED AND NUMBERED LISTS

In the body of a report, also use bulleted, numbered, and two-column lists where appropriate. Lists help by emphasizing key points, by making information easier to follow, and by breaking up solid walls of text.

SYMBOLS, NUMBERS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

Technical discussions ordinarily contain lots of symbols, numbers, and abbreviations. Remember that the rules for using numerals as opposed to words are different in the technical world. The old rule about writing out all numbers below 10 does not always apply in technical reports.

In a technical writing course, ask your instructor if the decimal-numbering style for headings is required. Also, a different documentation system may be required—not the IEEE, which is for engineers.

GRAPHICS AND FIGURE TITLES

In the technical report, you're likely to need drawings, diagrams, tables, and charts. These not only convey certain kinds of information more efficiently but also give your report an added look of professionalism and authority.

CROSS-REFERENCES

You may need to point readers to closely related information within your report, or to other books and reports that have useful information. These are called cross-references. For example, they can point readers from the discussion of a mechanism to an illustration of it. They can point readers to an appendix where the background on a topic is given (the background that just does not fit in the text). And they can point readers outside your report to other information—to articles, reports, and books that contain information related to yours.

Note: Longer reports often use the page-numbering style known as folio-by-chapter or double-enumeration (for example, pages in Chapter 2 would be numbered 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, and so on). Similarly, tables and figures would use this numbering style. This style eases the process of adding and deleting pages.

CONCLUSIONS

For most reports, you'll need to include a final section. When you plan the final section of your report, think about the functions it can perform in relation to the rest of the report.

APPENDICES

Appendixes are those extra sections following the conclusion. What do you put in appendixes?—anything that does not comfortably fit in the main part of the report but cannot be left out of the report altogether. The appendix is commonly used for large tables of data, big chunks of sample code, fold-out maps, background that is too basic or too advanced for the body of the report, or large illustrations that just do not fit in the body of the report. Anything that you feel is too large for the main part of the report or that you think would be distracting and interrupt the flow of the report is a good candidate for an appendix. Notice that each one is given a letter (A, B, C, and so on).

INFORMATION SOURCES

Documenting your information sources is all about establishing, maintaining, and protecting your credibility in the profession. You must cite ("document") borrowed information regardless of the shape or form in which you present it. Whether you directly quote it, paraphrase it, or summarize it—it's still borrowed information. Whether it comes from a book, article, a diagram, a table, a web page, a product brochure, an expert whom you interview in person—it's still borrowed information.

Documentation systems vary according to professionals and fields. Engineers use the IEEE system, examples of which are shown throughout this chapter. Another commonly used documentation system is provided by the American Psychological Association (APA).

PAGE NUMBERING

The page-numbering style used in traditional report design differs from contemporary report design primarily in the former's use of lowercase roman numerals in the front matter (everything before the introduction). Below are some tips for page numbering:

• All pages in the report (within but excluding the front and back covers) are numbered; but on some pages, the numbers are not displayed.
• In the contemporary design, all pages throughout the document use Arabic numerals; in the traditional design, all pages before the introduction (first page of the body of the report) use lowercase roman numerals.
• On special pages, such as the title page and page one of the introduction, page numbers are not displayed.
• Page numbers can be placed in one of several areas on the page. Usually, the best and easiest choice is to place page numbers at the bottom center of the page (remember to hide them on special pages).
• If you place page numbers at the top of the page, you must hide them on chapter or section openers where a heading or title is at the top of the page.

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LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS

• “Preparing Feasibility Studies” by WikiBooks licensed under (CC BY-SA)
• “Feasibility Report Overview” by Elizabeth Lowman licensed under (CC BY 4.0)
• “Image of Recommended” by jm3 licensed under (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• “Image of Executive Summary” by Wally Gobetz licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND)
• “Report Design” by David McMurrey licensed under (CC BY 4.0)