Module 4 Assignment: Writing a Report

Module 4 Assignment: Writing a Report50 PointsWrite a persuasive research report. This needs to be designed to help some organization-real or imaginary-solve some problem or achieve some goals. You must write it in response to a request (real or imaginary) from the organization you are addressing. Refer to pages 625-626 of textbook.*Do not forget to refer to Project Four’s Rubric.1. Steps to writing a reportRemember that your purpose is to help your readers make a practical decision or take a practical action in a real or imaginary organization.Prepare a communication that includes front and back matter (page 275). Review the ways your readers will use the communication. Review your persuasive goals. Find out what is required and expected within the organization (if real).The body of your report should be between twelve and twenty pages long (not counting cover, executive summary, title page, table of contents, appendixes, and other similar parts). Make sure your summary and introduction are similar in purpose, but not worded the same.Select a topic for your persuasive report. This should be a two-sided issue about which there is some level of controversy. Be sure the topic is broad enough that you can research it adequately, but narrow enough that you can deliver a focused essay.Research your topic. Use respected, credible publications and websites in your research. Reliable sources build your credibility as a writer.Write an introduction for your paper that includes a clear claim statement. This statement gives the position you are taking in the report. You should be able to state your position in a single sentence, another reason for ensuring your topic is narrow enough. For example, a persuasive report on whether to legalize drugs could use the following as a statement of claim: “The war on drugs has failed, and the United States should end this policy by legalizing marijuana and other illegal drugs.”Articulate reasons why readers should support your position, using facts and evidence gathered from your research to back your point of view. Be sure to attribute the facts you present to the sources from which you found them. Then present the key opposing views and rebut them, again using the evidence you gathered to support your arguments. Remember to include the most obvious opposing views in your report. Not doing so tells your readers that you do not have a firm grasp on the issues surrounding your topic.Write a concluding section that restates your claim and summarizes the reasons your audience should agree with you.Include a Transmittal Letter (page 277-278). This accompanies your empirical research report and contains an Introduction, Body, and Closing.