The purpose of the Final Project is to provide an opportunity to integrate your understanding of how to use technical writing skills to write a Recommendation Report based on a chain of relevant preliminary documents that you have produced in Weeks One through Four. The Recommendation Report should demonstrate your ability to apply course concepts in recommending an initiative or solution to a problem that you may experience in your current or future career. Use the topic from your Week One Proposal that was approved by your instructor. For reference again, the following are possible topics for your Final Project:Environmental Cleanup Recommendation ReportYour Recommendation Report must be eight to ten pages in length, exclusive of title page, references page, glossary, and any other appendices. All of the sections below should incorporate any revision suggestions that your instructor offered on the Week Three Assignment. The Final Project must include:A title page (page 479). A letter of transmittal (pages 479, 488-489).An abstract (pages 479-480, 491). This will provide an overview of a problem and solution relating to the larger Recommendation Report.A table of contents and corresponding page numbers (pages 480-481, 492). This table should closely correlate with subheadings, and figures in the body of the Recommendation Report.A table of graphics/illustrations (pages 481, 483). This table should closely correlate with subheadings, and figures in the body of the Recommendation Report.A one-page executive summary (pages 483-484, 493).Body, including an introduction (problem, solution, background, data sources, scope and limitation) that ends with a clear thesis statement or initiative to solve the identified problem, methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations (pages 476-478, 489, 491, 493, 495, 509).A concluding paragraph that restates the paper’s main ideas. Effective, useful, and properly cited graphic aids (minimum of three). For citation guidance, see pages 294-335. Glossary that provides a comprehensive overview of specialized terminology appearing in the Recommendation Report (pages 476, 484, 486-487).Include at least four sources (from Week One Assignment) in addition to the course textbook that are amply and appropriately cited in the text of the document and listed on the Reference page. Two sources must be scholarly journal articles from the Ashford University Library. References page in APA format (pages 486-487, 510).For information regarding APA style, visit the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.YOU MUST MAKE SURE TO USE ALL THE TEACHERS RESPONSES TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. ALL PAGES ARE ATTACHED ALONG WITH THE WEEKS WORK AND TEACHES RESPONSES TO THEM. MUST BE DONE ON TIME AND ALL INSTRUCTIONS MUST BE MET. PAY ATTENTION TO THE FINAL GRADING RUBICS IT WILL HELP YOU ALONG.
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Total Possible Score: 27.00 Title Page, Letter of Transmittal, and Abstract Total: 4.00 Distinguished – Includes a title page, a letter of transmittal, and a well-constructed abstract that presents a clear and comprehensive overview of a problem and solution relating to the larger Recommendation Report. Table of Contents and Table of Graphics/Illustrations Total: 3.00 Distinguished – Includes two distinct tables that clearly delineate the order of information. The tables closely correlate with subheadings, and figures in the body of the Recommendation Report. Executive Summary Total: 3.00 Distinguished – Includes a well-written one-page executive summary that carefully follows the models from the textbook. Introduction and Body Paragraphs Total: 12.00 Distinguished – Effectively uses the instructor’s feedback on introduction and body paragraphs. Includes a well-written introduction that includes the problem, solution, background, data sources, scope and limitation, and ends with a clear thesis statement or initiative to solve the identified problem. Includes fully-developed body paragraphs that include: methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations. Uses the Instructor Feedback to Include a Conclusion That Restates the Main Points Total: 4.00 Distinguished – Effectively uses the instructor’s feedback to include a fully-developed conclusion that restates the main points. Written Communication: Genre and Disciplinary Conventions Total: 0.25 Distinguished – Properly employs all existing conventions for the specific type of assignment (e.g., lab report, academic paper, personal essay, etc.) and the specific academic field (e.g., science, business, English, etc.). Creative Thinking: Solving Problems Total: 0.25 Distinguished – Develops a logical, consistent plan to solve a problem. Identifies consequences of the solution and clearly communicates the reason for choosing the solution. Written Communication: Control of Syntax and Mechanics Total: 0.13 Distinguished – Displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains no errors and is very easy to understand Written Communication: APA Formatting Total: 0.13 Distinguished – Accurately uses APA formatting consistently throughout the paper, title page, and reference page. Written Communication: Page Requirement Total: 0.12 Distinguished – The length of the paper is equivalent to the required number of correctly formatted pages. Written Communication: Resource Requirement Total: 0.12 Distinguished – Uses more than the required number of scholarly sources, providing compelling evidence to support ideas. All sources on the reference page are used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Running head: RECOMMENDATION REPORT 0 Recommendation Report on Fracking in Texas Cory Kuzdzal ENG/328 7/24/2017 Jonathan Wilson Recommendation Report on Fracking in Texas Abstract The purpose of this paper is to address the continued environmental issues that have persisted to affect the environment due to the continuous oil mining process. This paper seeks to address the ongoing effect of fracking mining process that has continuously been applied in Texas. The consequence that has been brought about by this outcome is the continued increase of earthquakes in this area. The paper has therefore carried out sufficient research and offered recommendation which if implemented can improve the condition and status of the environment. To make the relevant stakeholders part of this, a schedule was prepared on how the findings of the paper will be implemented. The document will focus on the stakeholders that are involved in the oil mining industry. The purpose of coming up with this document is to help the key stakeholders understand the environmental impact that is brought about as a result of mining oil within Texas. The purpose of this document is to create awareness of the effects that are brought about as a result of mining the oil. The document shall focus on Fort Worth because of the recent environmental concerns that have been recently raised in the area. Environmentalists have been able to attribute the most cases of earthquakes that have been recorded in Fort Worth is as a result of the fracking process which is used by many oil mining companies within the United States. The document, therefore, seeks to create awareness on the need of having a proper environmental management system that will be able to save the environment from degradation. It will also try and reduce the instances of an earthquake occurring in the state of Texas, from which it is attributed to human activities which can be controlled (Kuchment, 2016). It will be difficult for the oil companies to take into consideration the contents of the document which threatens their business. This is because the recommendations that may be provided might have a negative impact on the business. As much as the document will focus on improving the status of the environment, it will be difficult to convince the companies on the effect that their activities have on the environment (Markel, 2015). Figure below shows impact of fracking on the environment Purpose The purpose of this document is to assist the businesses in moving forward with a more beneficial and environmentally friendly manufacturing process. A process that will not threaten the existence of the people in the environment and the eco-system in general. The document seeks to establish the importance of an environmental assessment that will be carried out before embarking on mining. This will help not only in conserving the environment but also to protect and promote the lives of human beings. This is because of the effect that fracking has; it has been found to affect the deposition of water beneath the soil. The figure below explains. The primary purpose and objective of this proposal are to provide a detailed assessment of the effect of fracking mining used by the oil manufacturers; the effect is both on the environment and human beings. The paper shall then offer a recommendation in which it shall assist the stakeholders within the mining industry to adopt mining methods that are environmental friendly approaches of mining. This will be done with the aim of controlling the rising numbers of earthquake cases in Texas. Executive Summary In the recent days, there have been high numbers of reports of earthquake cases in Fort Worth and Dallas Texas, the rise in numbers has been attributed to the fracking process which is used by oil companies to mine oil. I was, therefore, instructed to come up with a proposal which bears the form of a recommendation report about the environmental impact of fracking. This document is, therefore, an environmental cleanup report, in which it conveys details of how the cleanup process will be initiated by the various stakeholders. The paper has identified the effect that fracking continues to bear on the environment and the effect it has brought about. The need of fostering for a healthy and comfortable environment that will enable the members of the society and animals to have a conducive environment that will be able to sustain life. The paper has addressed some of the effects of fracking; this includes the increased instances of earthquakes. The article looks at various methods that can be used to ensure that there are better methods of mining oil that will safeguard that the sanctity of the environment is maintained. The paper, therefore, focuses on ensuring that continuous environmental degradation in Texas is controlled. The purpose of the article is to guarantee that real and attainable recommendations that will help to improve the ecological status of Texas are reached. This will assist to alleviate instances of earthquakes which have been rampant in the Texas. The paper also proposes a schedule that will ensure that the recommendations are implemented and effectively make sure that the environment is protected and preserved. The article also focuses on the relevant stakeholders and the role that they can play in ensuring that the status of the environment is improved and maintained. Introduction Earthquakes for a very long time have been considered to be as a result of nature. However, it has been suggested through scientific research that certain human activities have increased earthquake incidences. For example, in Texas, in particular, Fort Worth and Dallas, there has been an increased earthquake occurrence. This has been argued to be as a result of the mining of oil and gas in these areas. Mining is done using the fracking process where after the oil and gas have been separated from the salty water, the brine is pumped down in a set of deep wells. This pumping down of the brine results into an increased pressure on the ground resulting in earthquake incidences. This means that the process of fracking and in particular the aspect of pumping brine down the pipes is a form of environmental pollution. These activities have led to environmental pollution, and this has necessitated the coming up with this document. Things need to be done differently to be able to save and protect the environment from degradation (Snower, 2009). This report seeks to provide to the various mining companies within Fort Worth, and Dallas Texas with particular recommendations that will enable them to reduce their contribution towards environmental pollution which has, in turn, led to the increase of earthquake cases. This document seeks to help change the approach of mining being used by oil and gas mining companies within Texas and promote an environmentally friendly process. Figure below shows how fracking process works Proposed Tasks In helping reduce the environmental pollution in Fort Worth, Texas as a result of mining activities, there are various tasks that this paper will be making a recommendation to achieve that goal. The following are some of the proposed tasks: A training session that will be significant in spreading the importance of having a safe environment that will enable human beings to peacefully live within the environment. This will be done with the aim of promoting a clean and healthy environment. Employing Green fracking, it may not be 100% environmentally friendly, but it is something that the companies should try to use as a measure of resolving the environmental effect of the conventional fracking process. The company should take advantage of the growth of technology to ensure that they practice a safe environmental activity. This will also involve research that will help to identify the most environmentally friendly process. Another task will be to try and remove some of the brine that has been pumped back into the mining pipes as a result of the fracking process. This is to help try and reduce the pressure that comes with such salty water being pumped back into the ground through the mining pipes. Schedule If the whole project is to be implemented in its entirety and successful, there is a time frame that it has to be taken as some of the activities take days for them to be completed. This is an approximate timeline that can be used to carry out the project: The training session is supposed to take three days as it will involve intense training of the various stakeholders of how important environmental conservation is to the world. The scientific research will take one week as it will involve various practical’s and studies to come with different methods that have been used as alternatives to the fracking process in the mining of oil and gas. Removing brine will also take three days to be completed owing to the amount of brine that has been pumped back into the ground. This means the project will take an average of 13 days to be completed. Conclusion In conclusion, to ensure that the environment is preserved for the coming generation, then the recommendation of this paper needs to be implemented to ensure that the various environmental degradation that is a result of human activity is avoided. The adoption of green fracking will help to reduce instances of increased earthquakes. The mining companies need to focus or rather adapt an environmentally friendly method of mining oil which will ensure that the environment is safeguarded and protected for the future generation References: Kuchment, A. (2016, May 13). UT study: Fracking-related activities have caused a majority of recent Texas earthquakes. Retrieved from Dallas News: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2016/05/17/ut-study-long-before-fracking-oil-and-gas-activities-caused-texas-earthquakes Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication. New York City: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Snower, D. (2009). Environmental policy and the effect of pollution on production. New York: Institute for Advanced Studies. Expertvillage. (2008, July 6). Writing a formal business proposal: Formal business proposal table of contents (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i08Nm0gXvbU&feature=youtu.be Expertvillage. (2008, July 6). Writing a formal business proposal: Formal business proposal report introduction (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT2xbQ05Aus&feature=youtu.be
Final Project – Recommendation Report
View markup for ROUGH DRAFT FINAL.docx You are tackling a great subject, but it requires much more in-depth research. If you want to advocate for an environmental clean up, you must first prove that pollution has occurred. As it stands, you are actually addressing the outcome of significant soil movement beneath the surface of the Earth, which might have caused earthquakes, via fracking. Thus, devote your time to proving the problem exists. Then explain and define its constraints, and give your audience concrete solutions/recommendations that are supported by ample academic sources. ( 0.00 / 1.00) Table of Contents and Table of Graphics/Illustrations Non-Performance – The table of contents and table of graphics/illustrations are either nonexistent or lack the components described in the assignment instructions. ( 0.00 / 1.00) Conclusion and Glossary Non-Performance – The conclusion and glossary are either nonexistent or lack the components described in the assignment instructions. Overall Score: 4.53 / 8.00 Overall Grade: 4.53 FINAL NEEDS MUCH WORK AND MUST DO LOTS BETTER. THESE GRADES IVE BEEN GETTING ARE UNEXEPTABLE. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL TEACHER RESPONSES OF WHAT NEEDS FIXED AND TO IMPLEMENT THEM INTO THE FINAL ASSIGNMENT.
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. PAGE 479 WRitiNG the FRONt MatteR Front matter is common in reports, proposals, and manuals. As indicated in Table 18.1 on page 476, front matter helps readers understand the whole report and find the information they seek. Most organizations have estab- lished formats for front matter. Study the style guide used in your company or, if there isn’t one, examples from the files to see how other writers have assembled their reports. letter of transmittal In the letter of transmittal, which can take the form of a letter or a memo, the writer introduces the primary reader to the purpose and content of the report. In addition, the writer often states who authorized or commissioned the report and acknowledges any assistance he or she received in carrying out the project. The letter of transmittal is attached to the report, bound in with it, or simply placed on top of it. Even though the letter likely contains little information that is not included else- where in the report, it is important because it is the first thing the reader sees. It establishes a courteous and professional tone. Letters of transmittal are customary even when the writer and the reader both work for the same organization. See page 488 in the sample recommendation report for an example of a transmittal letter in the form of a memo. Cover Although some reports do not have covers, reports that will be han- dled a lot or that will be exposed to harsh environmental conditions, such as water or grease, often do. The cover usually contains the title of the report, the name and position of the writer, the date of submission, and the name or logo of the writer’s company. Sometimes the cover also includes a security notice or a statement of proprietary information. title Page A title page includes at least the title of the report, the name of the writer, and the date of submission. A more complex title page might also include a project number, a list of additional personnel who contributed to the report, and a distribution list. See page 490 in the sample recommenda- tion report for an example of a title page. abstract An abstract is a brief technical summary of the report, usually no more than 200 words. It addresses readers who are familiar with the techni- cal subject and who need to decide whether they want to read the full report. In an abstract, you can use technical terminology and refer to advanced concepts in the field. Abstracts are sometimes published by abstract services, which are useful resources for researchers. Abstracts often contain a list of half a dozen or so keywords, which are entered into electronic databases. As the writer, one of your tasks is to think of the various keywords that will lead people to the information in your report.
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Chapter 18: Writing Recommendation Reports Pages 469-489 CHAPTER 17 DISCUSSED informational reports: those in which the writer’s main purpose is to present information. this chapter discusses recommendation reports. A recommendation report also presents information but goes one step further by offering suggestions about what the readers ought to do next. here are examples of the kinds of questions a recommendation report might address: • what should we do about Problem X? What should we do about the increased cost of copper, which we use in manufacturing our line of electronic components? • should we do function X? Although we cannot afford to pay tuition for all college courses our employees wish to take, can we reimburse them for classes directly related to their work? • should we use technology a or technology b to do function X? should we continue to supply our employees with laptops, or should we switch to tablets? • we currently use method a to do function X. should we be using method b? We sort our bar-coded mail by hand; should we buy an automatic sorter? Each of these questions can lead to a wide variety of recommendations, ranging from “do nothing” to “study this some more” to “take the following actions immediately.” understanding the role of recommendation reports A recommendation report can be the final link in a chain of documents that begins with a proposal and continues with one or more progress reports. This last, formal report is often called a final report, a project report, a recommenda- tion report, a completion report, or simply a report. The sample report beginning on page 488 is the recommendation report in the series about tablet comput- ers at Rawlings Regional Medical Center presented in Chapters 16 and 17. A recommendation report can also be a freestanding document, one that was not preceded by a proposal or by progress reports. For instance, you might be asked for a recommendation on whether your company should offer employees comp time (compensating those who work overtime with time off) instead of overtime pay. This task would call for you to research the subject and write a single recommendation report. Most recommendation reports discuss questions of feasibility. Feasibility is a measure of the practicality of a course of action. For instance, a company might conduct a feasibility study of whether it should acquire a competing company. In this case, the two courses of action are to acquire the competing company or not to acquire it. Or a company might do a study to determine which make and model of truck to buy for its fleet. A feasibility report is a report that answers three kinds of questions: • Questions of possibility. We would like to build a new rail line to link our warehouse and our retail outlet, but if we cannot raise the money, the project is not possible. Even if we can find the money, do we have government authorization? If we do, are the soil conditions appropriate for the rail link? • Questions of economic wisdom. Even if we can afford to build the rail link, should we do so? If we use all our resources on this project, what other projects will have to be postponed or canceled? Is there a less expensive or a less financially risky way to achieve the same goals? • Questions of perception. Because our company’s workers have recently accepted a temporary wage freeze, they might view the rail link as an inappropriate use of funds. The truckers’ union might see it as a threat to truckers’ job security. Some members of the public might also be interested parties, because any large-scale construction might affect the environment. using a Problem-solving model for Preparing recommendation reports The writing process for a recommendation report is similar to that for any other technical communication: • Planning. Analyze your audience, determine your purpose, and visualize the deliverable: the report you will submit. Conduct appropriate secondary and primary research. • drafting. Write a draft of the report. Large projects often call for many writers and therefore benefit from shared document spaces and wikis. • revising. Think again about your audience and purpose, and then make appropriate changes to your draft. • editing. Improve the writing in the report, starting with the largest issues of development and emphasis and working down to the sections, paragraphs, sentences, and individual words. • Proofreading. Go through the draft slowly, making sure you have written what you wanted to write. Get help from others. In addition to this model of the writing process, you need a problem- solving model for conducting the analysis that will enable you to write the recommendation report. The following discussion explains in more detail the problem-solving model shown in Figure 18.1. Using a Problem-Solving Model for Preparing Recommendation Reports identify the Problem or Opportunity What is not working as well as it might, or what situation can we exploit? Establish Criteria for Responding to the Problem or Opportunity For example, any solution to our problem must reduce the number of manufacturing defects by 50 percent and cannot cost more than $75,000. Determine the Options list the possible courses of action, from doing nothing to taking immediate action. Study each Option according to the Criteria Analyze each option by studying the data on how well it satisfies each criterion. Draw Conclusions about each Option For each option, determine whether (or how well) it satisfies each criterion. Formulate Recommendations Based on the Conclusions Present your suggestions about how to proceed. IDeNtiFy the PROBleM OR OPPORtUNity What is not working or is not working as well as it might? What situation presents an opportunity to decrease costs or improve the quality of a product or service? Without a clear statement of your problem or oppor- tunity, you cannot plan your research. For example, your company has found that employees who smoke are absent and ill more often than those who don’t smoke. Your supervisor has asked you to investigate whether the company should offer a free smoking- cessation program. The company can offer the program only if the com- pany’s insurance carrier will pay for it. The first thing you need to do is talk with the insurance agent; if the insurance carrier will pay for the program, you can proceed with your investigation. If the agent says no, you have to determine whether another insurance carrier offers better coverage or whether there is some other way to encourage employees to stop smoking. eStaBliSh CRiteRia FOR ReSPONDiNG tO the PROBleM OR OPPORtUNity Criteria are standards against which you measure your options. Criteria can be classified into two categories: necessary and desirable. For example if you want to buy a photocopier for your business, necessary criteria might be that each copy cost less than two cents to produce and that the photo- copier be able to handle oversized documents. If the photocopier doesn’t fulfill those two criteria, you will not consider it further. By contrast, desirable criteria might include that the photocopier be capable of double-sided copy- ing and stapling. Desirable criteria let you make distinctions among a variety of similar objects, objectives, actions, or effects. If a photocopier does not fulfill a desirable criterion, you will still consider it, although it will be less attractive. Until you establish your criteria, you don’t know what your options are. Sometimes you are given your criteria: your supervisor tells you how much money you can spend, for instance, and that figure becomes one of your necessary criteria. Other times, you derive your criteria from your research. DeteRMiNe the OPtiONS After you establish your criteria, you determine your options. Options are potential courses of action you can take in responding to a problem or oppor- tunity. Determining your options might be simple or complicated. Sometimes your options are presented to you. For instance, your supervi- sor asks you to study two vendors for accounting services and recommend one of them. The options are Vendor A or Vendor B. That’s simple. In other cases, you have to consider a series of options. For example, your department’s photocopier is old and breaking down. Your first decision is whether to repair it or replace it. Once you have answered that question, you might have to make more decisions. If you are going to replace it, what features should you look for in a new one? Each time you make a decision, Should we repair or replace our photocopier? —- Repairing it would ——-Color would be useful, but we — not meet our long-term needs. can’t justify the costs because we do not use color often. Replacing it would be ——– Black and white would be a —- Copier A is good. the better decision in the long term. much better value and meet — Copier B excellent. Should we look at color copiers? almost all our other needs. — Copier C is good. — Copier D is unacceptable. you have to answer more questions until, eventually, you arrive at a recom- mendation. For a complicated scenario like this, you might find it helpful to use logic boxes or flowcharts to sketch the logic of your options, as shown in Figure 18.2. As you research your topic, your understanding of your options will likely change. At this point, however, it is useful to understand the basic logic of your options or series of options. StUDy eaCh OPtiON aCCORDiNG tO the CRiteRia Once you have identified your options (or series of options), study each one according to the criteria. For the photocopier project, secondary research would include studying articles about photocopiers in technical journals and specification sheets from the different manufacturers. Primary research might include observing product demonstrations as well as interviewing representatives from different manufacturers and managers who have pur- chased different brands. To make the analysis of the options as objective as possible, profession- als sometimes create a decision matrix, a tool for systematically evaluating each option according to each criterion. A decision matrix is a table (or a spreadsheet), as shown in Figure 18.3. Here the writer is nearly at the end of his series of options: he is evaluating three similar photocopiers according to three criteria. Each criterion has its own weight, which sug- gests how important it is. The greater the weight, the more important the criterion. As shown in Figure 18.3, the criterion of pages per minute is relatively unimportant: it receives a weight of 1. For this reason, the Ricoh copier, even though it receives a high rating for pages per minute (9), receives only a mod- est score of 9 (1 × 9 = 9) on this criterion. However, the criterion of color copy- ing is quite important, with a weight of 4. On this criterion, the Ricoh, with its rating of 10, achieves a very high score (4 × 10 = 40). But a decision matrix cannot stand on its own. You need to explain your methods. That is, in the discussion or in footnotes to the matrix, you need to explain the following three decisions: • why you chose each criterion—or didn’t choose a criterion the reader might have expected to see included. For instance, why did you choose duplexing (double-sided printing) but not image scanning? • why you assigned a particular weight to each criterion. For example, why is the copier’s ability to make color copies four times more important than its speed? • why you assigned a particular rating to each option. For example, why does one copier receive a rating of only 1 on duplexing, whereas another receives a 3 and a third receives a 10? A decision matrix is helpful only if your readers understand your methods and agree with the logic you used in choosing the criteria and assigning the weight and ratings for each option. Although a decision matrix has its limitations, it is useful for both you and your readers. For you as the writer, the main advantage is that it helps you do a methodical analysis. For your readers, it makes your analysis easier to fol- low because it clearly presents your methods and results. DRaW CONClUSiONS aBOUt eaCh OPtiON Whether you use a decision matrix or a less-formal means of recording your evaluations, the next step is to draw conclusions about the options you studied— by interpreting your results and writing evaluative statements about the options. For the study of photocopiers, your conclusion might be that the Sharp model is the best copier: it meets all your necessary criteria and the greatest number of desirable criteria, or it scores highest on your matrix. Depending on your read- ers’ preferences, you can present your conclusions in any one of three ways. • rank all the options: the Sharp copier is the best option, the Ricoh copier is second best, and so forth. • Classify all the options in one of two categories: acceptable and unacceptable. • Present a compound conclusion: the Sharp offers the most technical capabilities; the Ricoh is the best value. FORMUlate ReCOMMeNDatiONS BaSeD ON the CONClUSiONS If you conclude that Option A is better than Option B—and you see no obvi- ous problems with Option A—recommend Option A. But if the problem has changed or your company’s priorities or resources have changed, you might decide to recommend a course of action that is inconsistent with the conclu- sions you derived. Your responsibility is to use your judgment and recom- mend the best course of action. ETHICS NOTE PReSeNtiNG hONeSt ReCOMMeNDatiONS As you formulate your recommendations, you might know what your readers want you to say. For example, they might want you to recommend the cheapest option, or one that uses a certain kind of technology, or one that is supplied by a certain vendor. Naturally, you want to be able to recommend what they want, but sometimes the facts won’t let you. your responsi- bility is to tell the truth—to do the research honestly and competently and then present the findings honestly. your name goes on the report. you want to be able to defend your recom- mendations based on the evidence and your reasoning. one worrisome situation that arises frequently is that none of the options would be a com- plete success or none would work at all. What should you do? you should tell the truth about the options, warts and all. Give the best advice you can, even if that advice is to do nothing. writing recommendation reports The following discussion presents a basic structure for a recommendation report. Remember that every document you write should reflect its audience, purpose, and subject. Therefore, you might need to modify, add to, or delete some of the elements discussed here. Reports that are lengthy and complex are often written collaboratively. As you begin the project that will culminate in the report, consider whether it would make sense to set up a shared writing space, a wiki, or some other method for you and your team members to write and edit the report collaboratively. The easiest way to draft a report is to think of it as consisting of three sec- tions: the front matter, the body, and the back matter. Table 18.1 on page 476 shows the purposes of and typical elements in these three sections. You will probably draft the body before the front and the back matter. This sequence is easiest because you think through what you want to say in the body and then draft the front and back matter based on it. If you are writing your recommendation report for readers from other cultures, keep in mind that conventions differ from one culture to another. In the United States, reports are commonly organized from general to specific. That is, the most general information (the abstract and the executive sum- mary) appears early in the report. In many cultures, however, reports are organized from specific to general. Detailed discussions of methods and results precede discussions of the important findings. Similarly, elements of the front and back matter are rooted in culture. For instance, in some cultures—or in some organizations—writers do not cre- ate executive summaries, or their executive summaries differ in length or organization from those discussed here. According to interface designer Pia Honold (1999), German users of high-tech products rely on the table of con- tents in a manual because they like to understand the scope and organiza- tion of the manual. Therefore, writers of manuals for German readers should include comprehensive, detailed tables of contents. TABLE 18.1 ELEmENTS OF A TyPICAL REPORT SeCtiON OF the RePORt PURPOSeS OF the SeCtiON TyPiCal eleMeNtS iN the SeCtiON front matter • to orient the reader to the subject • letter of transmittal (p. 479) • to provide summaries for • cover (p. 479) technical and managerial readers • title page (p. 479) • to help readers navigate the report • abstract (p. 479) • to help readers decide whether • table of contents (p. 480) to read the document • list of illustrations (p. 481) • executive summary (p. 483) ——————————————————————————————————————— Body • to provide the most comprehensive • introduction (p. 476) account of the project, from the problem • methods (p. 477) or opportunity that motivated it to the methods • results (p. 477) and the most important findings • conclusions (p. 478) • recommendations (p. 478) back matter • to present supplementary information, • glossary (p. 484) such as more- detailed explanations • list of symbols (p.484) than are provided in the body • references (p. 486) • to enable readers to consult the • appendixes (p. 487) secondary sources the writers used Study samples of writing produced by people from the culture you are addressing to see how they organize their reports and use front and back matter. WRitiNG the BODy OF the RePORt The elements that make up the body of a report are discussed here in the order in which they usually appear in a report. However, you should draft the elements in whatever order you prefer. The sample recommendation report on pages 488–511 includes these elements. introduction The introduction helps readers understand the technical dis- cussion that follows. Start by analyzing who your readers are. Then consider these questions: • what is the subject of the report? If the report follows a proposal and a progress report, you can probably copy this information from one of those documents, modifying it as necessary. Reusing this information is efficient and ethical. • what is the purpose of the report? The purpose of the report is not the purpose of the project. The purpose of the report is to explain a project from beginning (identifying a problem or an opportunity) to end (presenting recommendations). • what is the background of the report? Include this information, even if you have presented it before; some of your readers might not have read your previous documents or might have forgotten them. • what are your sources of information? Briefly describe your primary and secondary research, to prepare your readers for a more detailed discussion of your sources in subsequent sections of the report. • what is the scope of the report? Indicate the topics you are including, as well as those you are not. • what are the most significant findings? Summarize the most significant findings of the project. • what are your recommendations? In a short report containing a few simple recommendations, include those recommendations in the introduction. In a lengthy report containing many complex recommendations, briefly summarize them in the introduction, then refer readers to the more detailed discussion in the recommendations section. • what is the organization of the report? Indicate your organizational pattern so that readers can understand where you are going and why. • what key terms are you using in the report? The introduction is an appropriate place to define new terms. If you need to define many terms, place the definitions in a glossary and refer readers to it in the introduction. Methods The methods section answers the question “What did you do?” In drafting the methods section, consider your readers’ knowledge of the field, their perception of you, and the uniqueness of the project, as well as their reasons for reading the report and their attitudes toward the project. Provide enough information to enable readers to understand what you did and why you did it that way. If others will be using the report to duplicate your meth- ods, include sufficient detail. Results Whereas the methods section answers the question “What did you do?” the results section answers the question “What did you see or determine?” Results are the data you discovered or compiled. Present the results objectively, without comment. Save the interpretation of the results—your conclusions—for later. If you combine results and conclusions, your read- ers might be unable to follow your reasoning and might not be able to tell whether the evidence justifies your conclusions. Your audience’s needs will help you decide how to structure the results. How much they know about the subject, what they plan to do with the report, what they expect your recommendation(s) to be—these and manyother factors will affect how you present the results. For instance, sup- pose that your company is considering installing a VoIP phone system that will enable employees to make telephone calls over the Internet, and you conducted the research on the available systems. In the introduction, you explain the disadvantages of the company’s current phone system. In the methods section, you describe how you established the criteria you applied to the available phone systems, as well as your research procedures. In the results section, you provide the details of each phone system you are consid- ering, as well as the results of your evaluation of each system. Conclusions Conclusions answer the question “What does it mean?” They are the implications of the results. To draw conclusions, you need to think carefully about your results, weighing whether they point clearly to a single meaning. Recommendations Recommendations answer the question “What should we do?” As discussed earlier in this chapter, recommendations do not always flow directly from conclusions. Always consider recommending that the organization take no action or no action at this time. Methods Results Conclusions Recommendations What did you do? What did you see or determine? What does it mean? What should we do? Writing Recommendations As you draft your recommendations, consider the following four factors: Content. Be clear and specific. if the project has been unsuccessful, don’t simply recommend that your readers “try some other alternatives.” What alternatives do you recommend and why? tone. When you recommend a new course of action, be careful not to offend whoever formulated the earlier course. do not write that following your recom- mendations will “correct the mistakes” that have been made. instead, your recom- mendations should “offer great promise for success.” A restrained, understated tone is more persuasive because it shows that you are interested only in the good of your company, not personal rivalries. form. if the report leads to only one recommendation, use traditional para- graphs. if the report leads to more than one recommendation, consider a num- bered list. location. consider including a summary of the recommendations—or, if they are brief, the full list—after the executive summary or in the introduction as well as at the end of the body of the report. WRitiNG the FRONt MatteR Front matter is common in reports, proposals, and manuals. As indicated in Table 18.1 on page 476, front matter helps readers understand the whole report and find the information they seek. Most organizations have estab- lished formats for front matter. Study the style guide used in your company or, if there isn’t one, examples from the files to see how other writers have assembled their reports. letter of transmittal In the letter of transmittal, which can take the form of a letter or a memo, the writer introduces the primary reader to the purpose and content of the report. In addition, the writer often states who authorized or commissioned the report and acknowledges any assistance he or she received in carrying out the project. The letter of transmittal is attached to the report, bound in with it, or simply placed on top of it. Even though the letter likely contains little information that is not included else- where in the report, it is important because it is the first thing the reader sees. It establishes a courteous and professional tone. Letters of transmittal are customary even when the writer and the reader both work for the same organization. See page 488 in the sample recommendation report for an example of a transmittal letter in the form of a memo. Cover Although some reports do not have covers, reports that will be han- dled a lot or that will be exposed to harsh environmental conditions, such as water or grease, often do. The cover usually contains the title of the report, the name and position of the writer, the date of submission, and the name or logo of the writer’s company. Sometimes the cover also includes a security notice or a statement of proprietary information. title Page A title page includes at least the title of the report, the name of the writer, and the date of submission. A more complex title page might also include a project number, a list of additional personnel who contributed to the report, and a distribution list. See page 490 in the sample recommenda- tion report for an example of a title page. abstract An abstract is a brief technical summary of the report, usually no more than 200 words. It addresses readers who are familiar with the techni- cal subject and who need to decide whether they want to read the full report. In an abstract, you can use technical terminology and refer to advanced concepts in the field. Abstracts are sometimes published by abstract services, which are useful resources for researchers. Abstracts often contain a list of half a dozen or so keywords, which are entered into electronic databases. As the writer, one of your tasks is to think of the various keywords that will lead people to the information in your report. There are two types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. A descrip- tive abstract—sometimes called a topical, indicative, or table-of-contents abstract—describes the kinds of information contained in the report. It does not provide the major findings (important results, conclusions, or recom- mendations). It simply lists the topics covered, giving equal emphasis to each. Figure 18.4 is a descriptive abstract from a report by a utility company about its pilot program for measuring how much electricity its customers are using. A descriptive abstract is used most often when space is at a premium. Some government proposals, for example, call for a descriptive abstract to be placed at the bottom of the title page. An informative abstract presents the major findings. If you don’t know which kind of abstract the reader wants, write an informative one. The distinction between descriptive and informative abstracts is not clear-cut. Sometimes you might have to combine elements of both in a single abstract. For instance, if there are 15 recommendations—far too many to list—you might simply note that the report includes numerous recommendations. See page 491 in the sample recommendation report for an example of an informative abstract. Table of Contents : The table of contents, the most important guide to navigating the report, has two main functions: to help readers find the infor- mation they want and to help them understand the scope and organization of the report. A table of contents uses the same headings as the report itself. There- fore, to create an effective table of contents, you must first make sure that the headings are clear and that you have provided enough of them. If the Abstrac t “Design of a Radio-Based System for Distribution automation” by Brian D. Raven A new survey by the maryland Public service commission suggests that utilities have not effectively explained to consumers the benefits of smart meters. the two-year study of 86,000 consumers concludes that the long-term benefits of smart meters will not be realized until consumers understand the benefits of shifting some of their power usage to off-peak hours in response to the data they receive from their meters. the study presents recommendations for utilities and municipal governments to improve customer understanding of how to use the smart meters effectively. Keywords: smart meters, distribution systems, load, customer attitudes, power consumption, utilities, maryland Public utilities commission table of contents shows no entry for five or six pages, you probably need to partition that section of the report into additional subsections. In fact, some tables of contents have one entry, or even several, for every report page. The following table of contents, which relies exclusively on generic headings (those that describe an entire class of items), is too general to be useful. table of contents introduction…………………………………..1 This methods section, which goes from materials …………………………………………………………….3 methods……………………………………………………………..4 Results……………………………………………………………… 19 Recommendations ………………………………………. 23 References ……………………………………………………… 26 Appendixes ……………………………………………………. 28 .For more-informative headings, combine the generic and the specific: Recommendations: Five Ways to improve information-Retrieval materials used in the calcification study Results of the commuting-time Analysis Then build more subheadings into the report itself. For instance, for the “Recommendations” example above, you could create a subheading for each of the five recommendations. Once you have established a clear system of headings within the report, use the same text attributes—capitalization, boldface, italics, and outline style (traditional or decimal)—in the table of contents. When adding page numbers to your report, remember two points: • The table of contents page does not contain an entry for itself. • Front matter is numbered using lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, and so forth), often centered at the bottom of the page. The title page of a report is not numbered, although it represents page i. The abstract is usually numbered page ii. The table of contents is usually not numbered, although it represents page iii. The body of the report is numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, and so on), typically in the upper outside corner of the page. See page 492 in the sample recommendation report for an example of a table of contents. list of illustrations A list of illustrations is a table of contents for the fig- ures and tables. List the figures first, then the tables. (If the report contains only figures, call it a list of figures. If it contains only tables, call it a list of executive Summary The executive summary (sometimes called the epitome, executive overview, management summary, or management overview) is a brief condensation of the report addressed to managers. Most managers need only a broad understanding of the projects that an organization undertakes and how they fit together into a coherent whole. An executive summary for a report of under 20 pages is typically one page (double-spaced). For longer reports, the maximum length is often calculated as a percentage of the report, such as 5 percent. The executive summary presents information to managers in two parts: • background. This section explains the problem or opportunity: what was not working or was not working effectively or efficiently, or what potential modification of a procedure or product had to be analyzed. • major findings and implications. This section might include a brief description—only one or two sentences—of the methods, followed by a full paragraph about the conclusions and recommendations. An executive summary differs from an informative abstract. Whereas an abstract focuses on the technical subject (such as whether the public is tak- ing advantage of the data from smart electric meters), an executive summary concentrates on the managerial implications of the subject for a particular company (such as whether PECO, the Philadelphia utility company, should carry out a public-information campaign to educate customers about how to use their smart meters). See page 493 in the sample recommendation report for an example of an executive summary. Writing an Executive Summary Follow these five suggestions in writing executive summaries. use specific evidence in describing the background. For most managers, the best evidence is in the form of costs and savings. instead of writing that the equipment you are now using to cut metal foil is ineffective, write that the equip- ment jams once every 72 hours on average, costing $400 in materials and $2,000 in productivity each time. then add up these figures for a monthly or an annual total. be specific in describing research. For instance, research suggests that a com- puterized energy-management system could cut your company’s energy costs by 20 to 25 percent. If the company’s energy costs last year were $300,000, it could save $60,000 to $75,000. describe the methods briefly. if you think your readers are interested, include a brief description of your methods—no more than a sentence or two. describe the findings according to your readers’ needs. if your readers want to know your results, provide them. if your readers are unable to understand the technical data or are uninterested, go directly to the conclusions and recommendations. ask an outside reader to review your draft. Give the summary to someone who has no connection to the project. that person should be able to read your sum- mary and understand what the project means to the organization. WRitiNG the BaCk MatteR The back matter of a recommendation report might include the following items: glossary, list of symbols, references, and appendixes. Glossary and list of Symbols A glossary, an alphabetical list of defini- tions, is particularly useful if some of your readers are unfamiliar with the technical vocabulary in your report. Instead of slowing down your discussion by defining technical terms as they appear, you can use boldface, or some similar method of highlighting words, to indicate that the term is defined in the glossary. The first time a boldfaced term appears, explain this system in a footnote. For example, the body of the report might say, “Thus the positron* acts as the . . . ,” while a note at the bottom of the page explains: *This and all subsequent terms in boldface are defined in the Glossary, page 26. Although a glossary is usually placed near the end of the report, before the appendixes, it can also be placed immediately after the table of contents if the glossary is brief (less than a page) and if it defines essential terms. Figure 18.6 shows an excerpt from a glossary. A list of symbols is formatted like a glossary, but it defines symbols and abbreviations rather than terms. It, too, may be placed before the appendixes or after the table of contents. Figure 18.7 shows a list of symbols. References Many reports contain a list of references (sometimes called a bibliography or list of works cited) as part of the back matter. References and the accompanying textual citations throughout the report are called documentation. Documentation acknowledges your debt to your sources, establishes your credibility as a writer, and helps readers locate and review your sources. See Appendix, Part B, for a detailed discussion of documenta tion. See page 510 in the sample recommendation report for an example of a reference list. appendixes An appendix is any section that follows the body of the report (and the glossary, list of symbols, or reference list). Appendixes (or appendices) convey information that is too bulky for the body of the report or that will interest only a few readers. Appendixes might include maps, large technical diagrams or charts, computations, computer printouts, test data, and texts of supporting documents. Appendixes, usually labeled with letters rather than numbers (Appendix A, Appendix B, and so on), are listed in the table of contents and are referred to at appropriate points in the body of the report. Therefore, they are acces- sible to any reader who wants to consult them. See page 511 in the sample recommendation report for an example of an appendix. sample recommendation report The following example is the recommendation report on the tablet project proposed in Chapter 16 on page 436. The progress report for this project appears in Chapter 17 on page 454. DATE: December 14, 2013 TO: Jill Bremerton, M.D. Chief Executive Officer Rawlings Regional Medical Center FROM; Jeremy Elkins, Director of Information Technology Eloise Carruthers, Director of Nursing Rawlings Regional Medical Center SUBJECT: Recommendation Report for the Tablet Study at RRMC Attached is the report for our study, “Selecting a Tablet Computer for the Clinical Staff at Rawlings Regional Medical Center: A Recommendation Report.”We completed the tasks described in our proposal of October 6, 2013: familiarizing ourselves with tablet use by clinical staff in hospitals across the country, assessing RRMC clinical staff’s knowledge of and attitudes toward tablet use, studying different models for administering tablet use, determining the criteria by which we might evaluate tablets, and performing the evaluations. To carry out these tasks, we performed secondary and primary research. We studied the literature on tablet use, distributed a questionnaire to RRMC clinical staff who own tablets, and interviewed Dr. Bremerton. Then, we collected and analyzed our data and wrote the report. Our main findings are that the clinical staff who already own tablets are very receptive to the idea of using tablets in a clinical setting and slightly prefer having the hospital supply the tablets. We, too, think the hospital- supplied model is preferable to the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) model. Although the best tablets for our needs would be those designed and built for health-care applications, those are too expensive for our budget. Because reports on the technical characteristics of computer products are notoriously unreliable, we cannot be sure whether the many general-purpose tablets can meet our standards for ease of disinfection or durability, and we are not sure whether they have sufficient battery life. We recommend one of two courses of action: reconsidering the cost criterion or testing a representative sample of general-purpose tablets for disinfection and the other technical characteristics and letting the clinical staff try them out. We appreciate the trust you have shown in inviting us to participate in this phase of the feasibility study, and we would look forward to working with you on any follow-up activities. if you have any questions or comments, please contact Jeremy Elkins, at [email protected] or at 444-3967, or Eloise Carruthers, at [email protected] or at 444-3982.
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. PAGE 470—PAGES 480-481—PAGE 483 Title Page—— A title page includes at least the title of the report, the name of the writer, and the date of submission. A more complex title page might also include a project number, a list of additional personnel who contributed to the report, and a distribution list. See page 490 in the sample recommenda- tion report for an example of a title page. Abstract—– An abstract is a brief technical summary of the report, usually no more than 200 words. It addresses readers who are familiar with the techni- cal subject and who need to decide whether they want to read the full report. In an abstract, you can use technical terminology and refer to advanced concepts in the field. Abstracts are sometimes published by abstract services, which are useful resources for researchers. Abstracts often contain a list of half a dozen or so keywords, which are entered into electronic databases. As the writer, one of your tasks is to think of the various keywords that will lead people to the information in your report. PAGES 480-481 Table of Contents The table of contents, the most important guide to navigating the report, has two main functions: to help readers find the infor- mation they want and to help them understand the scope and organization of the report. A table of contents uses the same headings as the report itself. There- fore, to create an effective table of contents, you must first make sure that the headings are clear and that you have provided enough of them. If the table of contents shows no entry for five or six pages, you probably need to partition that section of the report into additional subsections. In fact, some tables of contents have one entry, or even several, for every report page. The following table of contents, which relies exclusively on generic headings (those that describe an entire class of items), is too general to be useful. table of contents introduction………………………………………………………1 Materials …………………………………………………………….3 Methods……………………………………………………………..4 Results……………………………………………………………… 19 Recommendations ………………………………………. 23 References ……………………………………………………… 26 Appendixes ……………………………………………………. 28 This methods section, which goes from page 4 to page 18, should have subentries to break up the text and to help readers find the information they seek. For more-informative headings, combine the generic and the specific: Recommendations: Five Ways to improve information-Retrieval materials used in the calcification study Results of the commuting-time Analysis Then build more subheadings into the report itself. For instance, for the “Recommendations” example above, you could create a subheading for each of the five recommendations. Once you have established a clear system of headings within the report, use the same text attributes—capitalization, boldface, italics, and outline style (traditional or decimal)—in the table of contents. When adding page numbers to your report, remember two points: • The table of contents page does not contain an entry for itself. • Front matter is numbered using lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, and so forth), often centered at the bottom of the page. The title page of a report is not numbered, although it represents page i. The abstract is usually numbered page ii. The table of contents is usually not numbered, although it represents page iii. The body of the report is numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, and so on), typically in the upper outside corner of the page. PAGE 483 List of illustrations —-A list of illustrations is a table of contents for the fig- ures and tables. List the figures first, then the tables. (If the report contains only figures, call it a list of figures. If it contains only tables, call it a list of tables.) You may begin the list of illustrations on the same page as the table of contents, or you may begin the list on a separate page and include it in the table of contents. Figure 18.5 shows a list of illustrations. LIST OF ILLISTRATIONS Figure 1.1 U.S. R&D Spending on Biotechnology ………………………………. 11 Figure 1.2 ESCA R&D Spending v. Biotech R&D Spending ………………… 14 Figure 2.1 Annual Sales ………………………………………………………………….. 16 Figure 3.1 Hypothetical New-Product Decision Tree …………………………… 21 Figure 3.2 Annual Sales ………………………………………………………………….. 23 Tables Table 1.1 Industry Costs of the Final Rule (2005 Dollars)…………………… 12 Table 1.2 Industry Costs of the Final Rule (2010 Dollars)…………………… 12 Table 2.1 Government Costs of the Final Rule (2005 Dollars) …………….. 17 Table 2.2 Government Costs of the Final Rule (2010 Dollars) …………….. 18 Table 3.1 Applications Not Subject to ESCA ……………………………………. 23 Table 3.2 Examples of Microbial Applications Under ESCA ……………… 26 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Final Project – Recommendation Report
PAGE 492 table of Contents executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………1 introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 Research Methods……………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Task 1. Acquire a basic understanding of tablet use by clinical staff across the nation …………………………………………………………………………………………….4 Task 2: Determine the RRMC clinical staff’s knowledge of and attitudes toward tablet use …………………………………………………………………………..5 Task 3. Assess the BYOD and hospital-owned tablet models ………………………..6 Task 4: Establish criteria for evaluating tablets………………………………………………..6 Task 5. Assess available tablets based on our criteria …………………………………….7 Task 6. Analyze our data and prepare this recommendation report …………..7 Results ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8 Task 1. Acquire a basic understanding of tablet use by clinical staff across the nation …………………………………………………………………………………………….8 Task 2: Determine the RRMC clinical staff’s knowledge of and attitudes toward tablet use …………………………………………………………………………..9 Task 3. Assess the BYOD and hospital-owned tablet models …………………….. 10 Task 4: Establish criteria for evaluating tablets……………………………………………..12 Task 5. Assess available tablets based on our criteria …………………………………. 13 Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15 Tablet use by clinical staff…………………………………………………………………………………. 15 The RRMC clinical staff’s knowledge of and attitudes toward tablet use ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15 The BYOD and hospital-owned tablet models……………………………………………… 15 Criteria for evaluating tablets………………………………………………………………………….. 15 Assessing available tablets based on our criteria ………………………………………… 16 Recommendation …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17 Option 1: Reconsider the cost criterion ………………………………………………………….. 17 Option 2: Test a representative sample of general-purpose tablets …………. 17 References………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18 appendix: Clinical-Staff Questionnaire…………………………………………………………19 (Markel 492)
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. PAGES 620-632 THe aPa referenCe LiST A reference list provides the information your readers will need in order to find each source you have cited in the text. It should not include sources you read but did not use. Following are some guidelines for an APA-style reference list. • Arranging entries. Arrange the entries alphabetically by author’s last name. If two or more works are by the same author, arrange them by date, earliest to latest. If two or more works are by the same author in the same year, list them alphabetically by title and include a lowercase letter after the date: 2010a, 2010b, and so on. Alphabetize works by an organization by the first significant word in the name of the organization. • Book titles. Italicize titles of books. Capitalize only the first word of the book’s title, the first word of the subtitle, and any proper nouns. • Publication information. For books, give the publisher’s name in as brief a form as is intelligible; retain the words Books and Press. Include the name of both the city and the state (abbreviated) for publishers located in U.S. cities or the city and the country (not abbreviated) for publishers in non-U.S. cities; for publishers located in Canadian cities, also include the province. • Periodical titles. Italicize titles of periodicals and capitalize all major words. • Article titles. Do not italicize titles of articles or place them in quotation marks. Capitalize only the first word of the article’s title and subtitle and any proper nouns. • Electronic sources. Include as much information as you can about electronic sources, such as author, date of publication, identifying numbers, and retrieval information. Include the digital object identifier (DOI) when one exists. Remember that electronic information changes frequently. If the content of an electronic source is likely to change, be sure to record the date you retrieved the information. • Indenting. Use a hanging indent, with the first line of each entry flush with the left margin and all subsequent lines indented one-half inch: Sokolova, G. N. (2010). Economic stratification in Belarus and russia: An experiment in comparative analysis. Sociological Research, 49(3), 25–26. Your instructor may prefer a paragraph indent, in which the first line of each entry is indented one-half inch: Sokolova, G. N. (2010). Economic stratification in Belarus and russia: An experiment in comparative analysis. Sociological Research, 49(3), 25–26. • Spacing. Double-space the entire reference list. Do not add extra space between entries. • Page numbers. When citing a range of page numbers for an article, always give the complete numbers (for example, 121–124, not 121–24 or 121–4). If an article continues on subsequent pages after being interrupted by other articles or advertisements, use a comma to separate the page numbers. Use the abbreviation p. or pp. only with articles in newspapers, chapters in edited books, and articles from proceedings published as a book. • Dates. Follow the format year, month, day, with a comma after only the year: (2011, October 31). Following are models of reference list entries for a variety of sources. For further examples of APA-style citations, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. BOOKS 10. Book by One Author Begin with the author’s last name, followed by the first initial or initials. Include a space between initials. Place the year of publi- cation in parentheses, then give the title of the book, followed by the location and name of the publisher. Power, G. A. (2010). Dementia beyond drugs: Changing the culture of care. Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press. 11. Book by Multiple Authors When citing a work by from two to seven authors, separate the authors’ names with a comma or commas, and use an ampersand (&) instead of and before the final author’s name. Tyshenko, M. G., & Paterson, C. (2010). SARS unmasked: Risk communication of pandemics and influenza in Canada. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: McGill-Queen’s university Press. To cite more than seven authors, list only the first six, followed by three dots (an ellipsis) and the last author’s name. 12. Multiple Books by the Same Author Arrange the entries by date, with the earliest date first. Tabloski, P. A. (2007). Clinical handbook for gerontological nursing. upper Saddle river, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Tabloski, P. A. (2010). Gerontological nursing. upper Saddle river, NJ: Pearson. If you use multiple works by the same author written in the same year, arrange the books alphabetically by title and include a, b, and so forth after the year—both in your reference list and in your parenthetical citations. Agger, B. (2007a). Fast families, virtual children: A critical sociology of families and schooling. Boulder, Co: Paradigm. Agger, B. (2007b). Public sociology: From social facts to literary acts. lanham, MD: rowman & littlefield. 13. Book Authored by an Organization Use the full name of the organization in place of an author’s name. If the organization is also the publisher, use the word Author in place of the publisher’s name. American Nurses Association. (2010). Nursing’s social policy statement: The essence of the profession (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author. 14. Book by an Unknown Author If the author of the book is unknown, begin with the title in italics. The PDR pocket guide to prescription drugs (9th ed.). (2010). New York, NY: Pocket Books. 15. Edited Book Place the abbreviation Ed. (singular) or Eds. (plural) in paren- theses after the name(s), followed by a period. Haugen, D., Musser, S., & lovelace, K. (Eds.). (2010). Global warming. Detroit, Mi: Greenhaven Press. 16. Chapter or Section in an Edited Book Jyonouchi, H. (2010). Possible impact of innate immunity in autism. in A. Chauhan, V. Chauhan, & W. T. Brown (Eds.), Autism: Oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune abnormalities (pp. 245–276). Boca raton, Fl: CrC Press. 17. Book in an Edition Other Than the First Include the edition number in parentheses following the title. Quinn, G. r. (2010). Behavioral science (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical. 18. Multivolume Work Include the number of volumes after the title. Weiner, i. B., & Craighead, W. E. (Eds.). (2010). The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology (Vols. 1–4). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. 19. Translated Book Name the translator after the title. Bieler, A., & Gutmann, H.-M. (2010). Embodying grace: Proclaiming justification in the real world (l. M. Maloney, Trans.). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. 20. Non-English Book Give the original title, then the English translation in brackets. Hernandez, G. H., Moreno, A. M., Zaragoza, F. G., & Porras, A. C. (Eds.). (2010). Tratado de medicina farmacéutica [Treaty of pharmaceutical medicine]. Madrid, Spain: Editorial Médica Panamericana. 21. Entry in a Reference Work Begin with the title of the entry if it has no author. Kohlrabi. (2010). in r. T. Wood (Ed.), The new whole foods encyclopedia: A comprehensive resource for healthy eating (2nd ed., pp. 178–179). New York, NY: Penguin Books. PeriODiCaLS 22. Journal Article Follow the author’s name and the year of publication with the article title; then give the journal title, followed by a comma. For all journals, include the volume number (italicized). For journals that begin each issue with page 1, also include the issue number in parentheses (not itali- cized). Insert a comma and end with the page number(s). Cumsille, P., Darling, N., & Martinez, M. l. (2010). Shading the truth: The pattern of adolescents’ decisions to avoid issues, disclose, or lie to parents. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 285–296. 23. Magazine Article Include the month after the year. If it’s a weekly maga- zine, include the day. Give the volume and issue numbers, if any, after the magazine title. Stix, G. (2011, March). The neuroscience of true grit. Scientific American, 304(3), 28–33. 24. Newspaper Article Include the specific publication date following the year. Seltz, J. (2010, December 26). Internet policies examined: Schools aim to clarify social rules. Boston Globe, p. 1. 25. Newsletter Article Cite a newsletter article as you would a magazine article. If the date is given as a season, insert a comma following the year and then include the season. Meyerhoff, M. K. (2010, September/October). Paying attention to attention. Pediatrics for Parents, 26(9/10), 8–9. ELECTRONIC SOURCES Generally, include all the same elements for electronic sources as you would for print sources. Include any information required to locate the item. Many scholarly publishers are now assigning a digital object identifier (DOI) to journal articles and other documents. A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency. It provides a persistent link to unchanging content on the Internet. When available, substitute the DOI for a URL. If the content is subject to change, include the retrieval date before the URL. Use the exact URL for open-source material; use the home-page or menu-page URL for subscription-only material or content presented in frames, which make exact URLs unworkable. Break URLs before a punctuation mark, and avoid using punctuation after a URL or DOI so as not to confuse the reader. 26. Nonperiodical Web Document To cite a nonperiodical web document, provide as much of the following information as possible: author’s name, date of publication or most recent update (use n.d. if there is no date), docu- ment title (in italics), and URL (or DOI, if available) for the document. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010, June 1). Teens behind the wheel: Graduated driver licensing. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov /MotorVehicleSafety/Teen_Drivers/GDL/Teens_Behind_Wheel.html If the author of a document is not identified, begin the reference with the title of the document. If the document is from a university program’s web- site, identify the host institution and the program or department, followed by a colon and the URL for the document. Safety manual. (2011, March 18). Retrieved from Harvard University, Center for Nanoscale Systems Web site: http://www.cns.fas.harvard.edu/users/Forms /CNS_Safety_Manual.pdf Journal Articles 27. Article with DOI Assigned Iemolo, F., Cavallaro, T., & Rizzuto, N. (2010). Atypical Alzheimer’s disease: A case report. Neurological Sciences, 31, 643–646. doi:10.1007/s10072-010-0334-1 28. Article with No DOI Assigned Srivastava, r. K., & More, A. T. (2010). Some aesthetic considerations for over-the- counter (oTC) pharmaceutical products. International Journal of Biotechnology, 11(3–4), 267–283. retrieved from http://www.inderscience.com 29. Preprint Version of Article Wang, T. J., larson, M. G., Vasan, r. S., Cheng, S., rhee, E. P., McCabe, E., . . . Gerszten, r. E. (2011). Metabolite profiles and the risk of developing diabetes. Nature Medicine. Advance online publication. doi:10.1038/nm.2307 electronic Books 30. Entire Book Use “Retrieved from” if the URL leads to the information itself and “Available from” if the URL leads to information on how to obtain the content. Einstein, A. (n.d.). Relativity: The special and general theory. retrieved from http:// www.gutenberg.org/etext/5001 Dissertations and Theses 31. Dissertation Retrieved from Database For a commercial database, include the database name, followed by the accession number. For an institutional database, include the URL. Siegel, r. S. (2010). Mediators of the association between risk for mania and close relationship quality in adolescents (Doctoral dissertation). retrieved from http:// scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/426 reference Materials Give the home-page or index-page URL for reference works. 32. Online Encyclopedia Cross, M. S. (2011). Social history. in J. H. Marsh (Ed.), The Canadian encyclopedia. retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com 33. Online Dictionary Conductance. (n.d.). in Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary. retrieved from http:// www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conductance 34. Wiki Tsunami. (n.d.). retrieved March 20, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami raw Data 35. Data Set Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). FDA peanut product recalls [Data set]. retrieved from http://www.data.gov/communities/node/81/data_tools/350 36. Graphic Representation of Data u.S. Department of labor, Bureau of labor Statistics. (2011, April 4). Civilian unemployment rate (uNrATE) [line graph]. retrieved from Federal reserve Bank of St. louis Web site: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/uNrATE 37. Qualitative Data Jaques, C. (2010). They called it slums but it was never a slum to me [Audio stream]. retrieved from StoryCorps Web site: http://storycorps.org/listen/stories /category/historias Other electronic Documents 38. Technical or Research Report Moran, r., rampey, B. D., Dion, G. S., & Donahue, P. l. (2008). National Indian education study 2007, Part 1. Performance of American Indian and Alaska native students at grades 4 and 8 on NAEP 2007 reading and mathematics assessments (report No. NCES 2008–457). retrieved from National Center for Education Statistics Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2008457.pdf 39. Presentation Slides Wyominginspector. (2010). Cell phone use in the mining industry [PowerPoint slides]. retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/wyominginspector/cell-phone-use-in -the-mining-industry general-interest Media and alternative Presses 40. Newspaper Article Applebaum, A. (2011, February 14). Channeling Egypt’s energy of the crowd into positive change. The Washington Post. retrieved from http://www .washingtonpost.com 41. Audio Podcast Include the presenter, producer, or other authority, if known; date; episode title; any episode or show identifier in brackets, such as [Show 13]; show name; the words Audio podcast in brackets; and retrieval information. Cooper, Q. (Presenter). (2011, February 10). Science in Egypt. The Material World [Audio podcast]. retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series /material#playepisode8 42. Online Magazine Content Not Found in Print Version Greenemeier, l. (2010, November 17). Buzz kill: FDA cracks down on caffeinated alcoholic beverages. Scientific American. retrieved from http://www .scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id5fda-caffeinated-alcohol Online Communities 43. Message Posted to an Electronic Mailing List, Online Forum, or Dis- cussion Group If an online posting is not archived and therefore is not retrievable, cite it as a personal communication and do not include it in the reference list. If the posting can be retrieved from an archive, provide the author’s name (or the author’s screen name if the real name is not available), the exact date of the posting, the title or subject line or thread name, and a description of the type of post in brackets. Finish with the address. Gomez, T. N. (2010, December 20). Food found in archaeological environments [Electronic mailing list message]. retrieved from http://cool.conservation-us .org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/2010/1297.html 44. Blog Post Joseph j7uy5. (2010, May 11). Another rTMS update [Web log post]. retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/corpuscallosum/2010/05/another_rtms _update.php Telecom. (2011, February 22). Cellphone use tied to changes in brain activity [Web log comment]. retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/22 /cellphone-use-tied-to-changes-in-brain-activity/#comment-643942 45. Email Message or Real-Time Communication Do not cite email messages in the reference list. Instead, cite them in the text as personal communica- tions. (See item 8 on page 619.) OTHer SOurCeS 46. Technical or Research Report Include an identifying number in parenthe- ses after the report title. If appropriate, include the name of the service used to locate the item in parentheses after the publisher. Arai, M., & Mazuka, r. (2010). Linking syntactic priming to language development: A visual world eye-tracking study (Tl2010-18). Tokyo: institute of Electronics, information and Communication Engineers. 47. Government Document For most government agencies, use the abbrevia- tion U.S. instead of spelling out United States. Include any identifying docu- ment number after the publication title. u.S. Department of State. (2010, June). Trafficking in persons report (10th ed.). Washington, DC: Government Printing office. 48. Brochure or Pamphlet After the title of the document, include the word Brochure or Pamphlet in brackets. u.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010, october). How to clean and disinfect schools to help slow the spread of flu [Pamphlet]. Washington, DC: Author. 49. Article from Conference Proceedings After the proceedings title, give the page numbers on which the article appears. Sebastianelli, r., Tamimi, N., Gnanendran, K., & Stark, r. (2010). An examination of factors affecting perceived quality and satisfaction in online MBA courses. in Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the Decision Sciences Institute (pp. 1641–1646). Atlanta, GA: Decision Sciences institute. 50. Lecture or Speech Culicover, P. W. (2010, March 3). Grammar and complexity: Language at the intersection of competence and performance. lecture presented at the ohio State university, Columbus, oH. 51. Audio Recording Give the role (narrator, producer, director, or the like) of the person whose name appears at the beginning of the entry in parentheses after the name. Give the medium in brackets after the title. Young, J. K. (Lecturer). (2007). The building blocks of human life: Understanding mature cells and stem cells [CD]. Prince Frederick, MD: recorded Books. 52. Motion Picture Give the name of at least one primary contributor, such as the producer or director, and follow the film’s title with the words Motion picture in brackets. List the country in which the film was produced and the studio’s name. If the film was not widely distributed, give instead the distrib- utor’s name and address in parentheses. Fincher, D. (Director). (2010). The social network [Motion picture]. united States: Columbia Pictures. 53. Television Program Start with the director, producer, or other principal contributor and the date the program aired. Include the words Television broadcast or Television series in brackets after the program title. Fine, S. (Executive Producer). (2011). NOVA scienceNOW [Television series]. Boston, MA: WGBH. For a single episode in a television series, start with the writer and director of the episode or other relevant editorial personnel. Include the words Televi- sion series episode in brackets after the episode title. Also include information about the series. End with the location and name of the station or network. Dart, K., Evans, N., & Stubberfield, T. (Producers & Directors). (2010, october 26). Emergency mine rescue [Television series episode]. in H. Swartz (Executive Producer), NOVA. Boston, MA: WGBH. 54. Published Interview If it is not clear from the title that the entry is an interview, or if there is no title, include the words Interview with and the sub- ject’s name in brackets. Jackson, l. (2010, December 6). The EPA is not the villain [interview with Daniel Stone]. Newsweek, 156(23), 14. 55. Personal Interview Consider interviews you conduct, whether in person or over the telephone, as personal communications and do not include them in the reference list. Instead, cite them in the text. (See item 8 on page 619.) 56. Personal Correspondence Like emails, personal letters and memos should not be included in the reference list. Instead, cite them in the text. (See item 8 on page 619.) 57. Unpublished Data Where the title would normally appear, include a description of the data in brackets. Standifer, M. (2007). [Daily temperatures, 2007, Barton Springs municipal pool, Austin, TX]. unpublished raw data. SaMPLe APA ReferenCe LiST Following is a sample reference list using the APA citation system. ReferenCeS Nonperiodical web document with no DOI: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010, June 1). Teens behind the wheel: Graduated driver licensing. retrieved from http://www.cdc .gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Teen_Drivers/GDl/Teens_Behind_Wheel .html Journal article, paginated by volume: Cumsille, P., Darling, N., & Martinez, M. l. (2010). Shading the truth: The pattern of adolescents’ decisions to avoid issues, disclose, or lie to parents. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 285–296. Online article with a DOI: iemolo, F., Cavallaro, T., & rizzuto, N. (2010). Atypical Alzheimer’s disease: A case report. Neurological Sciences, 31, 643–646. doi:10.1007/s10072-010 -0334-1 Chapter in an edited book: Jyonouchi, H. (2010). Possible impact of innate immunity in autism. in A. Chauhan, V. Chauhan, & W. T. Brown (Eds.), Autism: Oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune abnormalities (pp. 245–276). Boca raton, Fl: CrC Press. Book in an edition other than the first: Quinn, G. r. (2010). Behavioral science (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical. Online article, paginated by issue, with no DOI: Srivastava, r. K., & More, A. T. (2010). Some aesthetic considerations for over-the- counter (oTC) pharmaceutical products. International Journal of Biotechnology, 11(3–4), 267–283. retrieved from http://www.inderscience.com
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP OUTLINE 1 Environmental Cleanup: Outline and Annotated Bibliography Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Environmental Cleanup Outline Introduction Problem It has been suggested through scientific research that certain human activities have increased earthquake incidences The process of fracking and in particular the aspect of pumping brine down the pipes is a form of environmental pollution Solution Assessing the impact of various types of mining on the environment Ensuring there is effective environmental cleanup Background Earthquakes for a very long time have been considered to be as a result of nature. It has been suggested through scientific research that certain human activities have increased earthquake incidences. For example, in Texas, in particular, Fort Worth and Dallas, there have been increased earthquake occurrences. This has been argued to be as a result of the mining of oil and gas in these areas. Mining is done using the fracking process where after the oil and gas have been separated from the salty water, the brine is pumped down in a set of deep wells. This pumping down of the brine results into increase pressure in the ground resulting in earthquake incidences. This means that the process of fracking and in particular the aspect of pumping brine down the pipes is a form of environmental pollution. Data Sources Published research studies on environmental issues from sources such as ECOBOST Databases Environmental reports from government agencies and other environmental organizations Scope and Limitations The study will focus on environmental issues that relate to environmental cleanup It will not conduct experiments to demonstrate the impact of various activities on the environment, but rather rely on existing studies to verify claims of environmental impacts. Thesis statement = Environmental cleanup is fundamental to keeping environmental pollution at bay Research Methods The study will rely on qualitative research approach. Task 1 Identifying the appropriate resources to complete the study Task 2 Reviewing literature on environmental cleanup Results Documenting the results based on the findings from the literature Analyzing the findings Conclusion Making a conclusion based on the results of the project. The conclusion will capture the key components of the project. Recommendations Presenting recommendations on what measures can be taken based on the project outcome Environmental Cleanup: Annotated Bibliography George, B. The environmental miner cleans up. Equities Magazine, 44(3). The article focuses on the role of individuals and business organizations, particularly miners in ensuring a sustainable environment. It provides compelling information on an individual, Amyn S. Dahya, who dedicated his work to organizations that work towards a clean environment. The article proposes that to acquire attractive properties in the developing countries, there is the need to gain the personal trust of the political and business leaders. It is important to meet them to talk with them and listen to their needs and provide solutions to some of the economic problems. Some of the needs include basic needs such as clean water. This is a form of corporate social responsibility that is part of ensuring a sustainable environment. The article will be valuable to the study by offering some how mining firms can ensure a clean and sustainable environment. Lahann, J. (2008). Environmental nanotechnology: Nanomaterials clean up. Nature Nanotechnology, 3(6), 320-321. The article proposes that membranes made of manganese oxide nanowires can be used to selectively absorb oil from water through a combination of superhydrophobicity and capillary action. This is one of the scientific ways of approaching environmental cleanup. The Exxon Valdez incident on 24 March 1989 emphasized the need for materials that can effectively separate oil and water and be used in cleaning up oil spills. The claims are based on valid scientific reports that make the work reliable for a study on environmental cleanup. Besides, the author is a specialist associated with a reputable university, The University of Michigan. The article will be valuable for this study. Mayer, H. J., & Greenberg, M. R. (2005). Using Integrated Geospatial Mapping and Conceptual Site Models to Guide Risk‐Based Environmental Clean‐Up Decisions. Risk Analysis, 25(2), 429-446. Environmental cleanup requires an adequate understanding of the environmental hazards and the potential risks that human ecosystems are exposed to as a result of the dangers. The article proposes that the integrated geospatial mapping and conceptual site models are effective in identifying the hazards and evaluating the alternative long-term environmental cleanup strategies in various locations across the United States. They are more appropriate for different situations compared to the graphic presentations that are designed to address a particular contaminant, the location, and its potential receptors. The article is fundamental in the study of environmental cleanup due to the groundbreaking information on the appropriate methods to use in identifying the hazards and exposures for the purpose of determining the most effective cleanup strategies. The scholars used published data from reliable sources to improve the validity of their study. Moilanen, S. (2014). Drill, Maybe, Drill: Using a Bilateral Environmental Agreement to Clean Up the Tar Sands. Journal of Public & International Affairs, (1), 88-103. The scholar proposes the use of policy to reduce the environmental impact of the tar sands rather than prohibiting exploitation of natural resources. By focusing on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, the article acknowledges that the issue has become a major point of debate in the United States about energy policy. The environmental community has objected to the pipeline on the basis that it will enhance climate change, destroy pristine lands, and contaminate water supplies. However, the study questions the approach and proposes that a more effective policy would be establishing an international agreement where the United States approves the project on the condition that the Canadian government will commit to reducing the environmental impact of the tar sands. The article is appropriate for the study as it addresses the issues of how the environment can be protected from potential harm by mining and movement of minerals. It is written by an established scholar in the field of energy that improves the credibility of the information presented. Panock, B. I. (1994). Planning for costs associated with environmental cleanup. The CPA Journal, 64(1), 71. The knowledge about the adverse impacts of careless waste disposal to the environment has led to the establishment of laws that dictate waste disposal methods at the local, state, and federal levels. The party responsible for waste disposal should be identified and take the duty of cleaning up the improperly disposed waste product. Environmental issues that require cleanup of the environment extends beyond the mining or drilling operations to other business operations and individual activities. For instance, there are hazards involved in the removal of asbestos and cleanup of spills that result from the activities around vacation or personal residence. The article offers important information about environmental cleanup and the risks associated with the process. This makes it relevant for the study. Also, it is published in a reputable journal that focuses on the planning and costs of environmental cleanup. Portney, K. E., & Berry, J. M. (2016). The impact of local environmental advocacy groups on city sustainability policies and programs. Policy Studies Journal, 44(2), 196-214. Environmental advocacy groups are fundamental for ensuring a clean environment. The article identifies that the American cities vary significantly in the level to which they seek sustainability. According to the authors, the variation is because sustainability can be more appealing to the high-income cities more than the economically strained cities. The scholars propose that the relationship between commitment to sustainability and income is conditioned by the level of environmental advocacy in the city. The study uses reliable data and surveys to support the claims made. Also, the article has effectively used the city of Seattle to illustrate the linkages that underlie the statistical analysis. The article presents valuable information that can inform the ideas on cleaning up cities especially by appreciating the work of advocacy groups. Schroth, S. T., & Helfer, J. A. (2017). Gifted & Green: Sustainability/Environmental Science Investigations That Promote Gifted Children’s Learning. Gifted Child Today, 40(1), 14-28. One of the ways of ensuring a clean environment is by teaching young people to make the environment clean. The article points out that Environmental Studies gives an ideal opportunity to the gifted children to establish critical and creative thinking skills as they also build skills in technology, engineering, science, and mathematics areas. Examining issues related to sustainability and environmental concerns allow the learners to identify problems and develop research questions, collect and analyze data, determine possible solutions, and share the information with others. Also, they can ensure a clean environment by exploring green issues because the gifted learners are always sensitive to the world around them and would often want to take part in activities that touch on issues facing their communities. The article is suitable for the study because of its proposal on offering environmental studies to the gifted learners with a focus on ensuring a clean environment. Shahiduzzaman, M. D., & Alam, K. (2014). Interfuel substitution in Australia: a way forward to achieve environmental sustainability. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 58(1), 22-42. The article provides valuable information on environmental cleanliness with regards to energy consumption and CO2 gas emissions. It explores the possibilities for interfuel substitution in Australia in light of the need to move towards cleaner combinations of fuels and technologies that would help in meeting future energy demands and addressing environmental concerns. The authors have estimated the cost function for the manufacturing sector and the subsectors, the aggregate economy, and the electricity generation subsector. They found that the relative prices of different forms of energies and technology can influence the market for low-emission technologies. This is a key factor that can be considered in environmental cleanup because it highlights the idea of sustainability of energy sources and the impact on the environment. The work is supported by a variety of academic resources that makes it more valid for further studies on the topic of environmental cleanup. Suresh, B., & Ravishankar, G. A. (2004). Phytoremediation — a novel and promising approach for environmental clean-up. Critical reviews in biotechnology, 24(2-3), 97-124. The article proposes an innovative approach to environmental cleanup. It considers phytoremediation as an eco-friendly way to remediating contaminated water and soil using plants. The process has two components; the plant roots colonize the microbes and the plants degrading the toxic compounds to further non-toxic metabolites. Plants can effectively remediate various compounds such as xenobiotics, heavy metals, organic compounds, and pesticides. The article is valuable in the study of environmental cleanup due to the innovative approach it proposes for the cleanup. Studies have shown that the hairy roots, plant cell cultures, and algae have the ability to degrade a variety of contaminants. The article is authoritative because the scholars used reliable sources to back their claims and findings. Tilleman, S. (2012). Is employee organizational commitment related to firm environmental sustainability? Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 25(4), 417-431. Environmental cleanliness is a duty of individuals, as well as organizations. Admittedly, an organization’s level of sustainability efforts can determine the organizational commitment of employees towards the firm. The article identifies that higher employee affective organizational commitment is positively associated with employee perceptions of environmental management practices. Therefore, it is important for organizations to promote employee commitment. This can help in attracting employees’ interest in the organization’s environmental cleanup activities. The article is suitable for this study because it highlights how organizations can engage their employees in environmental related activities that ensuring that the employees are committed to the organizations. References George, B. The environmental miner cleans up. Equities Magazine, 44(3). Lahann, J. (2008). Environmental nanotechnology: Nanomaterials clean up. Nature Nanotechnology, 3(6), 320-321. Mayer, H. J., & Greenberg, M. R. (2005). Using Integrated Geospatial Mapping and Conceptual Site Models to Guide Risk‐Based Environmental Clean‐Up Decisions. Risk analysis, 25(2), 429-446. Moilanen, S. (2014). Drill, Maybe, Drill: Using a Bilateral Environmental Agreement to Clean Up the Tar Sands. Journal of Public & International Affairs, (1), 88-103. Panock, B. I. (1994). Planning for costs associated with environmental cleanup. The CPA Journal, 64(1), 71. Portney, K. E., & Berry, J. M. (2016). The impact of local environmental advocacy groups on city sustainability policies and programs. Policy Studies Journal, 44(2), 196-214. Schroth, S. T., & Helfer, J. A. (2017). Gifted & Green: Sustainability/Environmental Science Investigations That Promote Gifted Children’s Learning. Gifted Child Today, 40(1), 14-28. Shahiduzzaman, M. D., & Alam, K. (2014). Interfuel substitution in Australia: a way forward to achieve environmental sustainability. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 58(1), 22-42. Suresh, B., & Ravishankar, G. A. (2004). Phytoremediation — a novel and promising approach for environmental clean-up. Critical reviews in biotechnology, 24(2-3), 97-124. Tilleman, S. (2012). Is employee organizational commitment related to firm environmental sustainability? Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 25(4), 417-431.
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Proposal for Recommendation Report Audience Analysis Who are my readers? The readers of this documents will be the executives of the various mining plants within the city of Fort Worth in Texas. Why is my audience reading my document? Fort Worth is one of the areas within Texas together with Dallas where a lot of oil and gas mining activities are going on. It has been shown through various reports that the mining process of fracking that has been used by the many plants in Fort Worth and Dallas is one of the reasons why there has been a rise of earthquake incidences in these areas (Kuchment, 2016). This means the fracking activities are polluting the environment. The readers are reading this document to get the useful recommendations on how to limit the environmental pollution through fracking activities. What are the attitudes and expectations of my readers? The attitude of my audience is that of reluctance (Markel, 2015). This is because there are various ways in which the environmental clean-up will have negative impacts on the companies. Another reason is the fact that such environmental cleanups are expensive and costly as a lot of resources are needed for them to be successful. This will also be one of their expectations, that the cost of the proposal will be immense. This means these people will have to be convinced that in the long run, the activity will be beneficial to the companies. How will this document be used by the readers? This document will be used by the readers to help in knowing the various ways in which they can reduce the harmful effects that fracking activities that they are engaging in have on the environment. They will be using this document to change some of the ways in which they engage in the mining of oil and gas in the areas of Fort Worth, Texas. Lastly, this document will also be used by readers to show their juniors in the field better ways of engaging in their activities without polluting the environment. Purpose The objective of this recommendation or proposal is to help provide a detailed recommendation report about cleaning up environmental pollution caused by fracking. That is removing or changing the way in which the companies are doing mining activities in Fort Worth Texas can avoid the cases of human activities motivated earthquakes for the sake of preventing an environmental crisis. Summary In Fort Worth and Dallas Texas, there have been researched based reports that have suggested that the increased incidences of earthquakes in the areas are as a result of mining activities through the fracking process. Owing to this, I was instructed to write a proposal in the form of a recommendation report about the environmental issue of fracking. Therefore, this is an environmental cleanup report that states a plan on how the cleanup process will be implemented by the stakeholders. This includes the date, how and when the environmental cleanup process will take. Introduction Earthquakes for a very long time have been considered to be as a result of nature. However, it has been suggested through scientific research that certain human activities have increased earthquake incidences. For example, in Texas, in particular, Fort Worth and Dallas, there has been an increased earthquake occurrence. This has been argued to be as a result of the mining of oil and gas in these areas. Mining is done using the fracking process where after the oil and gas have been separated from the salty water, the brine is pumped down in a set of deep wells. This pumping down of the brine results into an increased pressure on the ground resulting in earthquake incidences. This means that the process of fracking and in particular the aspect of pumping brine down the pipes is a form of environmental pollution. These activities of environmental pollution are what has necessitated the coming up with this document. It is time we change the way things are being done so that we can help prevent and reduce environmental pollution (Snower, 2009). This document is providing the various mining companies within Fort Worth, Texas with particular recommendations that can enable them to reduce their contribution towards environmental pollution that leads to earthquakes. This is a document to help change things for the oil and gas mining companies within Fort Worth, Texas. In the end, we all want is an environment where everything is occurring as a result of nature but not as a result of certain human activities that have negative consequences on the people. Proposed Tasks In helping reduce the environmental pollution in Fort Worth, Texas as a result of mining activities, there are various tasks that this paper will be making a recommendation to achieve that goal. There following are some of the proposed tasks: There will be a training session for the executive directors on the importance of having a company which promoted the environment. That is ensuring that their activities as an organization have less adverse effects on the environment. This will take part in one of the companies within Fort Worth. Engaging in scientific research on how the mining of oil and gas can be mined without using the fracking process that has been said to have impacts regarding contributing to earthquake incidences. This will be looking for alternatives to fracking. Another task will be to try and remove some of the brine that has been pumped back into the mining pipes as a result of the fracking process. This is to help try and reduce the pressure that comes with such salty water being pumped back into the ground through the mining pipes. Schedule The whole project is to be implemented in its entirety and successful, there is a time span that it has to take as some of the activities take days for them to be completed. This is an approximate timeline that can be used to carry out the project: The training session is supposed to take three days as it will involve intense training of the various stakeholders of how important environmental conservation is to the world. The scientific research will take one week as it will involve various practical’s and studies to come with various methods that have been used as alternatives to the fracking process in the mining of oil and gas. Removing brine will also take three days to be completed owing to the amount of brine that has been pumped back into the ground. This means the project will take an average of 13 days to be completed. Experience Nothing gives a someone personal satisfaction in life than just being part of the group that is making a positive change in the world. It is not my aim to stop engaging in activities that improve the environment through reducing environmental pollution. I want to continue participating in the various activities that help in reducing pollution. I want to leave the world a better place for the future generations. References References: Kuchment, A. (2016, May 13). UT study: Fracking-related activities have caused a majority of recent Texas earthquakes. Retrieved from Dallas News: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2016/05/17/ut-study-long-before-fracking-oil-and-gas-activities-caused-texas-earthquakes Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication. New York City: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Snower, D. (2009). Environmental policy and the effect of pollution on production. New York: Institute for Advanced Studies. Expertvillage. (2008, July 6). Writing a formal business proposal: Formal business proposal table of contents (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i08Nm0gXvbU&feature=youtu.be Expertvillage. (2008, July 6). Writing a formal business proposal: Formal business proposal report introduction (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT2xbQ05Aus&feature=youtu.be
Final Project – Recommendation Report
Overall, the majority of issues that need to be resolved are lack of details and clarity. You must define, in the most concise terms, the value and feasibility of your project to your perspective audience. To accomplish such a task, think more in-depth about and address each facet of your Final Project. I.e. anticipate and answer any questions that might arise before they are asked. Such a strategy places the constraints of the issue or query within the scope of the presenter (you), rather than the audience. Thus, do not allow your audience the leeway to construct an assumption or answer. Guide them at all times. In fact, you should be prepared for any and all questions. In other words, you should already know and understand the “inadequacies” of your proposal and be prepared to speak to them in your presentation.
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