No matter how fascinating your report subject is, you still must spend some time narrowing it. Narrowing a report subject means reducing it to a manageable size: something you can accomplish within a certain amount of time and within a certain number of pages. Narrowing is like zooming in on a subject and selecting only a few topics to report on, according to your report-writing situation, specific audience, and specific purpose. Narrowing also means deciding whether to cover those topics in a general, specific, technical, or nonspecialist way.To narrow a report subject, follow these steps:
Here are two excerpts, one of which is discussed generally; the other, specifically and technically:
- Make as complete a list of topics related to your report subject as you can by following steps in the section "The invention or brainstorming stage."
- Look up entries on that subject in both general and specialized encyclopedias to help develop this topic list also. (See the section on finding reference books). Encyclopedia entries are usually written in a comprehensive way; use them to build your topic list.
- When you have a sizeable list of topics related to your report subject, you are ready to do the real work of narrowing, which means asking questions like these:
The audience and purpose of your report act like filters, screening out the unnecessary topics. An audience of homeowners interested in wind-powered electrical systems would want to read general information on how such systems work, what are the financial savings, and how to select a system (topics 2, 4, 5, and so on in the narrowed topic list in the diagram below):
- Is this section necessary to my audience's needs?
- Will my audience be lost and confused without this subsection?
- Is the information included in this section crucial to my audience's understanding and to the uses to which they'll put my report?
- Could I delete this section without harming the overall effect or purpose of my report?
- Is the level of discussion in this section too general for my audience? too technical? not technical enough?
Figure 4. Audience and purpose used to narrow a report topic If you are not familiar with the different audiences that reports commonly have, see the section on types of audiences. The steps there show you how to analyze your audience systematically and what to do if you're not sure who your audience is.
- One last step in the narrowing process is to decide how to discuss the topics you've selected. You can discuss topics within a report in several ways:
- General discussion gives a rapid overview of a topic and can take up less space in a report. General discussion can be for either specialist or nonspecialist readers. In a general discussion for specialists, you save space by assuming those readers have a certain level of knowledge.
- Specific discussion gives much detail about a topic and thus usually takes up more space within a report. Specific discussion can also be for either specialist or nonspecialist readers. In a specific discussion for nonspecialist readers, you make sure every detail is explained thoroughly so that those readers can understand.
Specific discussion Fairing. The metal fairing, which protects the payload during the ascent phase through the atmosphere, is jettisoned in flight during the second-stage burn at an altitude of approximately 120 km. The fairing, which weighs 826 kg and has a diameter of 3.2 m and a height of 8.65 m (external dimensions), is bulb-shaped to provide a diameter and useful volume compatible with satellites or payloads. The bottom, or boat-tail, section of the fairing is made of radio-transparent material to allow communications with the payload. If two satellites are to be carried, the bottom satellite is placed in an egg-shaped structure called the DOSLAS (double satellite launch system). The DOSLAS is a 180-kg aluminium-honeycomb, carbon-filament-covered structure that . . . .
Figure 5. General and specific discussion of a technical subject Based on the audience and purpose described above, here's how the individual topics for the wind-power report might be handled:Report section Level of detail Engineering background on WPES general Basic components of WPES general Basic operation of WPES general Selection of a WPES system specific Economics of WPES specific Other considerations specific WPES designs and manufacturers generalThe three sections labelled specific are vital to an audience that wants to decide on wind systems and to be able to select a particular design.
Step 5. On your worksheet, select from your topic list the topics you think should be discussed in your report, and then indicate which ones you'll discuss in detail and which you'll discuss generally.
