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Length/Sources Minimum is 2250 words, exclusive of transmittal letter, Works Cited, table of contents

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Length/Sources

Minimum is 2250 words, exclusive of transmittal letter, Works Cited, table of contents.

You must cite at least 10 sources, all drawn from the library databases. These must be 1) cited in text and 2) be listed on the Works Cited list. Correct MLA citation is essential.

Format

 Please follow the format explained in Lannon and Gurak and McMurrey (Links to an external site.).

• • Letter of Transmittal
  • Title page
  • Table of contents
  • List of tables and figures
  • Abstract
  • Report text (introduction, body, conclusion)
  • Works Cited page

FOR the report text, follow these guidelines.

• Spacing.  Single spaced the report.  You can skip a line between paragraphs or not. If you do not, indent the first line of every paragraph.
• Headings and subheadings. Use ample subheadings, perhaps even third or fourth-level headings, as needed.  We strongly urge you to use the automatic headings of various levels found in the "styles" section of Word.  Using these will allow you to generate an automatic table of contents later.
• Headers.  Use headers to indicate title of report and page number.
• Works Cited. Follow general MLA guidelines, except that you might wish to single space the Works Cited to be consistent with the report text. If you do so, skip a line between each entry.

Organization (Links to an external site.)

A.  To organize the report, I recommend an approach like the following, which you should adapt to the needs and topic of your paper:

• Introduction
  • Background of problem and significance.
  • Introduction to one proposed solution.
  • Purpose of the report (to assess feasibility).
  • Method of inquiry (review of published literature, especially scholarly journals).
  • Limitations of study (e.g., reliance on secondary sources; exclusion of other solutions such as x or y)
  • Scope of the paper (topics listed in order of examination)
  • Possibly bottom line
• Collected Data (Body)
  • History, scope, and nature of problem (subheadings likely)
  • Description of proposed solution
    • Definition
    • Details (history, parts, principle of operation, data, etc) (subheadings likely)
  • Advantages of proposed solution
    • Findings (subheadings likely)
    • Interpretation of findings (subheadings possible)
  • Disadvantages of/obstacles to proposed solution
    • Findings (subheadings likely)
    • Interpretation of findings (subheadings possible)
• Conclusion
  • Summary of findings
  • Overall interpretation of findings
  • Recommendations

B.  This is not as good an outline, being more generic for formal reports generally rather than a feasibility report.  It is copied from the John Lannon and Lauren Gurak textbook we are using:

• Introduction
  • Definition, description, and background
  • Purpose of the report and intended audience
  • Method of inquiry
  • Working definitions (here or in a glossary)
  • Limitations of the study
  • Scope of the inquiry (topics listed in logical order)
     
• Collected Data (Body)
  • First topic for investigation
    • Definition
    • Findings
    • Interpretation of findings
       
  • Second topic for investigation
    • Definition
    • Findings
    • Interpretation of findings
      (And so on)
       
  • Conclusion
    • Summary of findings
    • Overall interpretation of findings
    • Recommendations