Online Technical Writing:
Planning Reports—Narrowing



Narrowing Report Subjects

Exercises Model: Example Report Topic Proposal (memo)

This section shows you an important technique for the early stages of your report-writing project: narrowing a report subject to a more manageable topic.

Narrowing report subjects

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:

  1. 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."

  2. 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.

  3. 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:

    • 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?

    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):

    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.

  4. 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.
Here are two excerpts, one of which is discussed generally; the other, specifically and technically:

                    General discussion

   A common component found on modern launch vehicles is the
fairing. Its purpose is to protect the payload of the space
mission, satellites, space capsule, or other types of
payloads. Basically, it is a metal covering that surrounds
most of the payload during takeoff and that is jettisoned with
the second or third stage.
               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           general
The 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.

Exercises

  1. Imagine that you have an audience of real estate developers and sales representatives for whom you are writing an informational report on solar devices, which they are considering as options on housing within a new development. Decide which of the following topics you'd select for the report for this specific audience and how you'd discuss the selected topics:
    Basic components of a             Basic operation of a solar
    solar device                      device
    Current research in               A survey of solar device
    solar device technology           manufacturers
    Costs to purchase, operate,       Results of consumer tests on
    and maintain solar devices        solar devices
    Historical background on          Economics of solar power
    the use of solar power            Dynamics of heat transfer
    Architectural considerations      Tax programs to benefit users
    in using solar devices            of solar power
    How to determine angle of         Comparison to other common
    inclination for a collector       energy sources
    


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