Your LANG1001 Project Report

(A case study report)

At HKUST, different departments, and different courses, will prefer different formats for different kinds of reports. In all cases, thinking about your readers, who they are, what they want to accomplish, and what you want to accomplish, will help you determine how to write and format your report. The instructions here are for your LANG1001 Project Report. The reader of your A!"#$$# report is your instructor. %our report should consist of no more than eight &'( paragraphs, and a bibliography ) #. *. ,. -. An introduction The body+ three focus areas, each one consisting of two paragraphs A conclusion A bibliography &or list of references(.

%our report should consist of no less than #,$$$ and no more than #,-$$ words, plus the bibliography. .rite the word count &e/cluding the bibliography( at the end of the report. Do NOT give each section of your report a heading . Headings are not necessary when you write clear topic sentences with strong controlling ideas, and when you link your ideas well. %ou must submit a soft copy of your report to Turnitin by 0riday, * nd 1ecember. .e will send you instructions ne/t week on how to do this.

1.

The Introduction

ne of the hardest parts of !ritin" any report can #e !ritin" the introductory para"raph. The introduction is an i$portant co$pass for the reader. In this LANG1001 report% your introduction shou&d '

put the report into a conte(t for the reader state the purpose of the report #y e(pandin" upon the ori"ina& )uestion that &ed to the report% state the reasons for your choice of three focus areas% su$$arise the $ain points of the report in a !ay !hich pro*ides an out&ine of the infor$ation there% su$$arise the resu&ts of your research.

In doin" a&& this% you shou&d '

de$onstrate +no!&ed"e of the su#ject the report is addressin".

Write the first draft of your introduction

Although the introduction is the first section of a report, you will find that it is easier to write the introduction &and also the conclusion( of your report after you ha2e written the body. .rite your opening one or two sentences. The opening sentences help the reader to understand the report. The opening should include information about the topic of the pro3ect, and should relate to the pro3ect 4uestion that led to your research. This might include a definition5 it will probably include a statement about the significance of the topic. Here is an e/ample of the first sentences of a research report which compares the usefulness of tablet and netbook computers for students+ To the surprise of many in the business of providing compact electronic devices to students, tablet computers are rapidly seizing a significant portion of the market from netbook computers. It is important for students to understand the advantages of these two different devices before they make what is for many of them a large financial commitment. Then write your original pro3ect 4uestion, but write it as a statement. Add the purpose of writing this report &or this 6paper7(. Here are some e/amples of this+ This paper reports a case study investigation in which .., in order to ... O! This report presents and discusses ... The purpose of the investigation was to ... Summarise your results in your own words, without looking at your notes. State them in the order in which you will discuss them in the report. In this way, they will pro2ide an outline of the body of your paper as well as a summary. 0or e/ample, if the research report 4uestion was, 8Are tablet computers a better choice for students than netbooks98 you might write the following from your research+ It seems that although tablets are generally a more e"pensive option than netbooks, they have the advantages of being faster, and of having multimedia capabilities which make them much more than netbooks, which are #ust small $%s. In one sentence, write the o2erall conclusion you ha2e reached ) that is, your answer to the pro3ect 4uestion. %ou might begin in this way+ I therefore conclude that . This leads me to conclude that

Edit and proofread your draft

:e;read your introduction, and where necessary, edit it. It should be at least #$$ words long5 perhaps a bit longer. <heck that your introductory paragraph clearly states the purpose of the report, states the original pro3ect 4uestion &written as a statement(, and demonstrates your knowledge of the sub3ect. It should also be grammatically accurate, and correctly spelled.

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The -ody (i.e.% the three focus areas)

This section should consist of two &and only two( well;de2eloped paragraphs for each focus area. A well;de2eloped paragraph could be anything from about #*$ to *$$ words long. The longer a paragraph is, howe2er, the more difficult it is to make sure that it is unified ) that is, that it de2elops the controlling idea, and only the controlling idea. =ake sure that you support your points with paraphrased information or ideas from two different >nglish language newspapers and two different >nglish language maga?ines, all of which you cite.

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The /onc&usion

The conclusion to a report may do a number of things. In this A!"#$$# report your conclusion should ) :emind the reader of the purpose of your research. .rite your original pro3ect 4uestion again, as a statement, and summarise your findings. .rite the o2erall conclusion you ha2e reached ) that is, your answer to the pro3ect 4uestion. 1o not write this using the same words that you used in the introduction. >/plain how the o2erall conclusion you ha2e reached is significant to you &i.e., in what way&s( does your similarity to of difference from your generation affect you9(.

0.

The -i#&io"raphy (or List of References)

0ollow the instructions gi2en to you in your second ibrary .orkshop. Although you only need to cite four sources of information in your report, you ha2e to ha2e read at least fi2e sources. %ou should list the fi2e &and any others( here.

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