English 360: Technical & Professional Writing
Dr. Russel Hirst
Assignment #4: Scientific, Technical, or Business Report

This assignment calls for a report about 20 pages long on a scientific, technical, or business topic. Don't panic: the pages will be double spaced and the required length includes all front and back pages, as well as all graphics. With an intelligent layout and graphic supplement, your text will probably amount to about 15 pages.

This assignment will sharpen your ability to combine the three languages of reports (words, graphics, and mathematics) in making a sustained rhetorical effort in a scientific, technical, or business context. Remember, you are not writing an encyclopedia article (subject-centered writing); you are writing a report to accomplish specific purposes in connection with specific audiences in specific circumstances (reader-centered writing). I will carefully read your report in the light of your document analysis to decide how well you have chosen and adjusted your material to your stated purpose, audience, and circumstances, and how well you have carried out your stated strategy.

Remember also that I am very interested in your mastering the proper form of a technical report. Not only must your report display all the right parts (title page, summary, table of contents, introduction, conclusions, recommendations, discussion, bibliography, etc.), it must display an effective layout of material and show an intelligent use of graphics (and, if appropriate, mathematics).

You may choose just about any scientific, technical, or business topic you want. Choose something challenging, but not overwhelming. You may be interested in artificial intelligence, for example. But how much do you already know about it? Can you make yourself a "mini-expert" on some aspect of AI in the time you have to write the report? Do you know of, or can you hypothesize, a believable circumstance that would call for a report to be written on a topic that you can handle?

Also, beware of topics too hard, or too expensive, for you to research. If you are interested in laser-weapon technology, can you find anything but superficial information on the subject? Will you have to use interlibrary loan? Pay for photocopies?

This final assignment is your chance to use all your tech comm skills in an extended, unified rhetorical effort. It is also the single biggest element in your grade. Do a good job.