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Scholarship Progress Letter

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April 20, 2002

Dr. Victoria Rhoda, Ph.D.
Pilar State University
Pilar, Bicol City

Dear Dr. Rhoda

This is in connection with the progress of my scholarship in ABC University taking Ph.D in Administrative Studies major in Technology Administration and I respectfully inform your good office that I have already earned 28 units out of 48 units of the curricular program of the said course.  Presentation of Seminar 3 was done on January 3, 2002 and Dissertation Proposal entitled “Appropriate Farming Plan for Small Farmers in Bicol, Philippines to Enhance Rice Self-Reliance” was successfully presented, accepted and approved by the Advisory Committee on March 14, 2002.  Attached with this are pertinent documents in relation to my current undertakings:

1.    Certificate of enrolment for first semester of academic year 2002– 2003 issued by the University Registrar’s office;
2.    Copy of approval sheet of Dissertation Proposal signed by the Advisory committee;
3.    Copy of the approved request form for the consideration of title and the proposal of dissertation problem; and
4.    Copy of grades earned from second semester 2000-2001 to second semester 2000-2001.

I am currently enrolled this first semester of academic year 2002 in Seminar and Workshop 4 and AD899 – Dissertation (8 units) in connection with data gathering process which will be conducted in the province of Bicol.

Very Respectfully yours,

Renato de Sevilla

Master Thesis and Phd Thesis

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Master thesis is requirement in order to earn a master’s degree while PhD thesis is known to be the highest form of thesis since PhD is a doctoral degree.  You cannot have a PhD degree without a master’s degree.  Master’s degree takes 2 to 3 years to complete depending on field and other applied experience. It depends to the programs whether to submit a thesis or take a comprehensive exam. Doctoral degree is more advance degree since it takes 4 to 8 years to complete.

Thesis is also known as dissertation but in some universities thesis and dissertation is treated differently. Thesis is submitted at the end of master’s degree while dissertation is submitted at the end of doctoral degree.

Thesis is compose of about 100 plus pages and does not need a long time and requires the students to perform a hypothesis based on their research. A dissertation is usually had about 300 plus pages and written in form of a book for academic purpose.

PhD dissertation is strictly more examined by the advisory board than master’s thesis.  Also, in master’s thesis, you can easily obtain help from your professors and advisers but in PhD dissertation you will work independently.

How to Pick up Thesis Topic

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I have many friends who are finished in academic requirement but not for their thesis requirement because of difficulty in choosing the right topic for their thesis.  Finding a thesis topic is difficult and frustrating. They can’t even think the best topic that will get an approval that’s why I would like to give tips on how to pick up thesis topic.

The following are some tips on selecting thesis topics according to my adviser.

  • Know your major interest based on your personal experiences that are important and meaningful to you. Select a topic you always love.
  • Identify the kind of data or information you would like to study. Also, make sure that your adviser is knowledgeable about your chosen topic.
  • Think of some theories you want to prevent and also some literature you are intrigue or curious.
  • Recognize the career goals you want to pursue. Select a topic that will helpful in your career path or in your field of specialization.
  • Narrow your selected topic.  If the topic is too broad, you will be spending too much time gathering piles of information but not sure if these data will be used. Let your topic manageable.
  • Make sure that the topic you selected is unique and original.
  • Select a topic that can be used in future studies and advancement.

Some Thesis Writing Strategies

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After academic study, the next one is to make your thesis or dissertation in order to graduate.  Thesis writing and dissertation is the last requirement to attain a masteral degree or doctorate degree.  The following are some writing strategies to construct your unique thesis.

  • Choosing the topic.  Make sure to choose a topic or theories you are interested in and what would you like to know more about.  Is there a question in your field does not answer satisfactorily?
  • After choosing a topic, begin looking for information relevant to your topic and its theoretical framework. Read everything.
  • Once you become familiar and knowledgeable, you should state your purpose for your thesis or dissertation. You should articulate your purpose clearly.
  •  You are now ready to collect and analyze data and writing up findings.
  •   Get also a copy of the graduate school guidelines for writing theses and follow guidelines exactly.

The following are some general outline of thesis / dissertation.

Chapter 1 – Purpose and Significance of the Study.  This chapter explains the significance of your study as well as the purpose of the study

Chapter 2 – Review of the Literature. Theoretical framework should be explained further and the literature  review.

Chapter 3 – Methodology. It describes and justifies the data gathering methods used. It also outlines how the data is analyzed. Describe the method used and why this method is best appropriate. And also explain every step of the data gathering and analysis process.  It includes the description of the research design, description of the population and justification of data sample used or method used and description of data analysis such as statistical analysis and tests performed

Chapter 4 – Findings.  It addresses the results from the data analysis.

Chapter 5 – Discussions.  It reiterate what you have found out and discuss what is your findings.

Some Basic Thesis Writing Tips

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  •  First of all decide on your topic. If your topic is too general, make sure to narrower subtopic to discuss.
  • After determining the topic that is suitable with you, you can prepare an outline to put your ideas about the topic.
  • Then you can write your thesis statement. Your thesis should have an argument.  It should not base on opinion statements. It should have thoroughly explored and dependable by evidence.
  • Thesis statement should focuses on ideas on one to two sentences to tell the reader what the paper is all about.
  • Be clear and avoid using vague words.
  • Make sure to collect sustainable evidence to defend your argument. Read every information relevant to your topic on academic research, trade literature, and information on popular press and on internet.
  • Your introduction should catch the attention of the reader and give an idea about your thesis.
  • Your conclusion should make your argument clear and provide your reader an indication of why your argument is credible.
  • Make sure that you proof-read your thesis carefully to prevent errors in spelling, grammars, and punctuation.  You can ask your friends or colleague to help you and proof read your thesis because you can overlook errors when reading your own work.

General Parts of the Research Report

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A common format in writing the research paper is to start the preliminaries.  Abstract, Table of Contents, Title Page, Acknowledgement, List of Tables and List of Figures.

Abstract

The researcher provides the readers with a “bird’s eye view” of the research either in the short form (100-175 words) or in long form (500 – 1,000 words).

The abstract shows the following:

1.    A brief discussion of the background and the objectives of the problem.
2.    A statement of the problem.
3.    A brief discussion of the research design
4.    The salient findings, conclusions and recommendations

Title Page

1.    Title of the report
2.    Full name of the researcher
3.    The subject for which the research is presented
4.    The college and department of the institution to which the research is presented
5.    The month and year in which the research is submitted

Acknowledgement

He mentions the people who guided him in the completion of the research

Table of Contents

He lists the chapter headings of the research in this section with the following:

1.    Preliminaries
2.    Chapter number
3.    Chapter titles and page citation
4.    Sub-headings of main headings and page citations
5.    Bibliography and page citations
6.    Appedix (ces) and page citations

List of Tables

He substantiates the presentation of the captions of the tables used with the following:

1.    Number of tables
2.    Caption of titles
3.    Pages in the research where the tables are located

List of Figures and Illustrations

He includes this section only if graphs, charts and other illustrations are used in the research

The list shows the following parts:

1.    Number of figures/illustrations
2.    Captions or titles
3.    Pages in the research where the figures/illustrations appear

The Text of the Research

To reflect on the researcher’s integrity, resourcefulness and creativity, the researcher follows the procedures systematically.  He uses reliable data to come up with a well-organized written research.

He presents the following

1.    Introduction
2.    Review of Related Literature
3.    Methodology
4.    Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data
5.    Summary, Conclusions, Recommendations and Implications

Introduction

He presents the following in this section:

1.    Background of the Study (This includes the theoretical and conceptual framework)
2.    Statement of the Problem
3.    Statement of the Hypothesis (Optional)
4.    Theoretical and Conceptual Framework (These are included in the Background of the Study)
5.    Definition of Terms
6.    Importance of the Study
7.    Scope and Delimitation of the Study

Review of Related Literature

He presents what has and has not been researched on the problem by explaining the basis of the theoretical framework.

He considers the following points:

1.    He includes only studies with related objectives, methods or findings.
2.    He clarifies the interrelationships between the studies reviewed by pointing out their weaknesses and strategies.
3.    He compares and contrasts the studies reviewed and the study being undertaken.

Methodologies

He presents the procedures in data gathering by including the following:

1.    Design of the study
2.    Variables and measures
3.    Sources of Data
4.    Instrumentation
5.    Procedure
6.    Treatment of research and data

Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

To answer research questions or to test the hypothesis of the research, he breaks down data into constituent pars.  He presents, analyzes, and interprets data or evidence sequentially because the presentation explains the meaning of the data

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

He summarizes findings to answer the   research questions.. From the collected data or evidences he forms conclusions or generalizations. From the academic discipline presented by the problem .he makes recommendation and implication and presents these for further research and for policy implementation.

The Reference Materials

Campbell (1982) states the functions of reference materials as:

1.    Allow the reader to obtain the scope of the investigation behind the report
2.    Permit the reader to locate easily full bibliographical information for materials cited in the text.
3.    Provide the reader with a foundation, with a prepared listing of words which he can use for his own research.

* The text above is taken from “Technical Writing Revised Edition by Corazon C. Obnamia, Mariano S. Dela Cruz and Margaret S. Aquino

Sample of Descriptive and Informational Abstract

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Descriptive Abstract

Flies, mosquitoes, and rats are vehicles of infection for ten widespread diseases.  These diseases can be prevented by removing or destroying the breeding places of these insects and rodents and by killing their adult forms.  Proper methods of control are described.

Informational Abstract

Flies, mosquitoes, and rats are vehicles of infection for ten widespread diseases.  These diseases can be prevented by removing or destroying the breeding places of these insects and rodents and by killing their adult forms.  The breeding of flies is controlled by proper disposal of decaying organic matter, and of mosquitoes by destroying or draining pools, or spraying them with oil.  With rats, only the indirect methods of rat-resistant houses and protected food supplies are valuable.  Control of adult forms of both insects and rodents requires use of poisons.  Screens are used for insects.  Minnows can be planted to eat mosquito larvae.

* “Insect and Rodent Control” is Section IV of Sanitation Requirements for an Isolated Construction Project, by Jerry Garrett.

Example of Topic Outline

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Kinds of Outline

1.    Topic Outline is consists of short phrases or singe word arranged.  It is most likely useful for short documents including letters, emails or memos.

2.    Sentence Outline is composed of a complete sentence.

3.    Paragraph Outline is arranged by paragraph.

Topic Outline Example

I. Introduction

A. Flies, mosquitoes, and rats as the vehicles of infection for ten widespread diseases

1. Flies
a. Mechanical transmission of disease
b. Intestinal diseases they transmit
(1) Typhoid
(2) Paratyphoid
(3) Dysentery
(4) Cholera
(5) Hookworm

2. Mosquitoes
a. Transmission of disease by biting
b. Diseases they transmit
(1) Malaria
(2) Yellow fever
(3) Dengue

3. Rats
a. Transmission of disease through harboring fleas
b. Disease they transmit
(1) Plague
(2) Typhus

B. Stopping the spread of these diseases by breaking the cycle of transmission

1. Removing or destroying the breeding places of insects and rodents
2. Killing the adult insects and rodents

II. Breeding control

A. Introduction

B. Flies
1. Breeding habits

2. Control measures
a. Sewage disposal
b. Removal of manure
(1) Time limit
(2) Storage bins
(3) Compression
c. Destruction of all decaying organic matter

C. Mosquitoes
1. Difference from flies
a. Greater difficulty in control of breeding places
b. Small percentage that carries disease

2. Disease-transmitting mosquitoes
a. Female Aedes aegypti
(1) Transmission of yellow fever and dengue
(2) Breeding in clean water in artificial containers
b. Anopheles quadrineculatus
(1) Transmission of malaria in southern United States
(2) Habit of biting at night
(a) Preference for stationary water
(b) Protection afforded by vegetation and floating matter

3. Control measures
a. Removing water
b. Spreading oil on stationary water

D. Rats
1. Lack of direct ways to control breeding of rats or their fleas
2. Prevention of breeding in specific areas
a. Building rat-resistant houses
b. Keeping rats from food

Example Research Paper

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Sustaining Technical Education in the Age of Globalization
By Selfa J. Briones and Andrea Bagares

Introduction

example research paperAware that the quality of human resources is necessary in the age of information technology, both private and public colleges and universities sustain their programs to produce globally competitive graduates.  Labor Secretary Laguesma said in a TV interview (January 9, 2001) the employment should be sustained despite the crisis.  This challenges technical educational institutions to make their programs responsive to the needs of the times and to maintain the university of technology education.  These institutions should produce graduates to manage the deteriorating industries to propel the economy to progress.  Santos (2000, p.50) emphasized the compelling need for an excellent technical education in the 21st Century.

Objectives of the Study

This study determines the employability of technician graduates of TUP-Taguig in terms of job readiness, job relevance, and competitiveness.  This research answers the following questions: 1) To what extent do globalization-ready factors facilitate learning? 2) To what extent do the respondents perceive the following factors? 2.1) Industry-related 2.2) School-related; 2.3) Student-related; and 3) What is the employability level of technician graduates of TUP-Taguig?

Hypothesis

The following variables predict the employability of technician graduates: job readiness, job relevance, and competitiveness.

Review of Related Literature

The Age of Globalization

Mazarr (2000) emphasizes the vital role of human interaction.  This emerges from globalization, world trade, communications and media whose activities span the globe, stimulate world-wide awareness and stir emergence of a global consumer culture.  Evidence of this process is overwhelming, at least in the economic realm (p.90).

Technology, as a driving force of change, creates new forms of competition overnight.  Tucker (p.39) stresses that it is only one of the boosting methods.  In preparation for the 21st century, the Philippines has welcomed globalization, liberalization, and deregulation (Santos, 2000, p.80).  Santos stresses that big corporations will only hire excellent graduates.  This compels educational institutions to deliver quality education.

The Linkage between Industry and School

Montefrio (1988) states that linkage is a real working relationship where technical-vocational education is not only the concern of the school but also the employer’s (p.56).  He believes that linkages could be effective of industry leaders join the school board of trustees.

School-related factors are important in education.  Manzano (1992)  states that a sound and an effectives system of education needs financial and human resources (p.87). Pada (1991, p.60) emphasizes that faculty and staff development should cope with the fast changing technologies including facility development (p.68).  He also cites that the faculty of technical programs should be experienced technicians who are pedagogically trained continuously.  Banez (1994, p.58) stresses the need for objectivity in hiring faculty based on their specialization and experience.  Villegas (1994, p.79) found that the more competent a faculty member, the easier it is for the graduates to find jobs.  Nawagan (1992, p.99), on the other hand, found out that productivity and employability of graduates are influenced by the teaching experience and educational attainment of teachers and the adequacy of facilities.

Information Technology Integration

The use of computers in problem solving is increasing rapidly (Erickson and Hall, 1995, p.28).  Thus, computers are used widely in education.  Accordingly, Burns and Bozeman (cited by Dick, 1992, p.75) claim that mathematics programs supplemented with computer-implemented drills and practice exercises are more effective than using only traditional means  Cheah, Ko, and Teo (1999) contend that the effective learning of science generally involves the need to visualize the various scientific concepts to understand (p. 100)

Employability of Graduates

The goal of education is to produce quality graduates.  Vinluan (TUP Research Abstract, 1988-93) revealed the following: 51% of the employed respondents are regular employees in private firms; the absorption of the graduates vary.  The OJT and the work attitude of the graduates surfaced as the major factors of their employment.

Salvador (1995) found that interest and performance in the major subjects are significantly related with their employability (p.98).  Estrabo (1996) claimed that graduates with high level work attitude and achievement motivation have the highest percentage of employment (p.90).  Aberin (1994), on the other hand, averred that students services, laboratory facilities and the school attended significantly affect employability.

Another study concluded that faculty competence is a major factor in employability.  In another study, to determine employability, Cabancia (1992) used relevance of training with job hunting time as an indicator.

Definition of Terms

Curriculum refers to the lateral integration of school-based subjects to meet the qualifications demanded by industry.

Factors to facilitate learning refers to the adoptive change through integration of information technology to facilitate learning, and the acquisition of materials for evaluation to cope with changing needs.

Industry-TUP-Taguig Linkage is the agreement between the industry and TUP-Taguig administration to provide students on the job/supervised training for 28 hours.

Integration of Information Technology is the important adaptive change to facilitate learning.

Sustainability of technician education is the ability of the TUP-Taguig technician education under the TUP-Taguig linkage to maintain a high job readiness and relevance, and the advantage among graduates.

Sustaining factor refers to the industry, school and student-related factors to maintain technician education.

Methodology

Being descriptive, the study used three groups of respondents: 150 technician graduates of TUP-Taguig, 20 personnel of the industry partners, and 10 faculty coordinators.  Means were computed to describe the variables.  Regression analysis determined the predictors of employability of technician graduates in terms of job readiness, job relevance and competitive advantage.

Summary of Findings

Globalization-Ready Factors

The three groups of respondents considered information technology a vital tool in education.  They perceived that IT tools should be fully integrated in the technician education curriculum to cope with the global trend of education.  The respondents also believed that through IT tools, like the internet and other computer-aided programs, an institution can achieve its goals  Santos (2000, p 92) emphasizes that the ultimate evaluator of quality education is the market.  Organizations and corporations will hire excellent graduates.

Sustaining Factors

The industry related factors obtained a mean of 3.57.  The 4.01 overall mean proves that the technician graduates who have full industry exposure are more employable.

The School-Related Factors

The school has met the qualifications demanded by industry with the overall mean of 3.79.  The teaching quality with an overall mean of 3.46 is satisfactory.  Mastery of the subject matter of the technician education specialists obtained a very satisfactory rating of 3.74.

The Student-Related Factors

The overall mean of 3.80 proves that the technician graduates are conversant with the work.  They have developed work values required by the job  The technician education sustainability provided the graduates with high job readiness.

Predictors of Employability in Terms of: Job Readiness, Job Relevance, and Competitive Advantage

The predictive abilities of the model, the curriculum, teaching methods, and industry exposure are vital instruments in the job readiness.  Industry exposure is the only predictor for job relevance.  Acierto (1990) asserts that the OJT has influenced significantly the success of job search.  On the other hand, the three predictors of competitive advantage are industry exposure, teaching methods, and technology use.  Tucker (1998, p.88) contends that the use of technology provides a strategic edge (competitive advantage) and that technology has changed the business design work of a firm.  Another factor for competitiveness is the methodology of the professor (Aberin, 1994, p.69)

References

Aberin, S.P (1994) Employability and Initial earnings of graduates in B.S. in Industrial Education in Region X.  Unpublished Thesis, TUP, Manila.

Basilio, E.L. & De Leon. P.F. (1998).  Cashing in on good times.  A business world 10th anniversary special.

Bautista. R.A. (1997).  Employability of graduates of dual tech training center.  Perspective for policy formulation.  Unpublished  Thesis, TUP, Manila.

Boone, R & Higgins, K (1998, March).  An evaluation framework for educational software special education.  Paper presented during the 15th  International Conference on Technology and Education, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

Bray, M (1999, March).  Reading the front page:  Delivery of a good graduate reading class in the web using front page ’98.  Paper presented during the 16th International Conference on Technology and Education , Edinburgh, Scotland.

Briones, S (2000).  Sustaining technical educations in the age of globalization.  Philippine journal of industrial education and technology, 11.

Cheah, H. Koh, T., & Teo, B. (1999, March).  Some examles of using web technologies to enhance science education.  Paper presented during the 16th International Conference on Technology and Education.  Edinburgh, Scotland.

David, R.  Why are We in Crisis?  Philippine business, 7(5)

Drucker, P (2000, May 15).  Webducation is the next great growth opportunity.  Forbes, p.93.

Estrabo, H.D. (1996).  The employability of technology graduates of Rizal Polytechnic College.  Unpublished Thesis, TUP, Manila.

Galvin, C & Tooker, G. (1993, May).  Community relations vision.  Motorola Commitment, Manila.

Leach, G (2001).  Commerce and trade.  Encarta 2001.

Mazarr, M.J. (1999).  Global trends 2005. U.S.A. St. Martin’s Press.

Mirandilla, A.P. (1995).  Employability of graduates of technological colleges and universities in selected Calabarzon industries.  Perspective to curriculum development.  Unpublished Dissertation, TUP, Manila.

Nawagan, A. (1992).  Productivity of auto-mechanics and electrical power diploma of private technical colleges in Bangkok., Thailand.  Unpublished Dissertatin, TUP Manila.

Perez, J.R. (1993).  Acceptability of TUP’s linkage activity among entrepreneurs-managers of industries in Metro Manila  Research abstract of TUP-Manila.

Presillas, P. (1999).  Studying the effects of globalization on lower-income socio-economic group accessibility to training opportunities.  The dualtech training experience (1991-1997).  World bank study.

Santos, N. (2000, April 26).  Education in the age of globalization.  People’s journal.

Serapio, M.S. Jr. (1998).  Sustaining growth via trade and investments.  A business world 10th anniversary special.

Supervised industrial training program manual.  (1996-2000)

Technological University of the Philippines – Taguig campus. (1999).  TUP-Taguig annual report 1998-1999.

Tucker, R.B. (1998).  Managing the future: 10 driving forces of change for the next century.  New York:  Berkeley Publishing Group.

An Example of Instructions on Report Writing

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Organization of Report

Much of what we are going to say about the organization of reports also applies to technical letters.  But the report is a good deal more formal, and the sequence of sections is more firmly established.  In a report these sections are given sub-titles for the convenience of the reader and for ease of reference.  Normally this is not done in a technical letter.  In drafting long letters, however, it is helpful to set up section headings similar to those in reports.  These may be deleted in the final revision of they do not add to clarity.  Not all of the sections discussed need be included in a report or letter.

A report consists of several essentially independent parts, with each succeeding one supplying greater detail about the problem.  You start in by merely stating the subject and title.  Next you may give a summary of the report.  Then you give much more information in the body of the report.  Finally, detailed descriptions of apparatus, materials, or data are supplied in the appendix so that the experiments can be duplicated or the conclusions verified.  To be sure, this involves some repetition, but permits the reader to stop whenever he has gotten enough detail to satisfy his needs.

Formal reports are bound with a heavy paper cover.  Just inside the cover is the title page.  This repeats much of the information on the cover, and in addition, tells who sent the report, who approved it, who did the actual work on the project, and who received copies of the report.

Opening Sections of a Report

Title

Filing purposes require that the title consist of a subject name, plus descriptive words to cover the specific study reported.  For example, “HK Alkylation – Effect of Reaction Temperature.”  This principle applies equally to letters.  A title should be appropriate, informative, and unique.  It should be no longer than necessary.

Summary

The most important part of your report is the Summary.  It is the section most often read; sometimes it is the only part read.  There is a strong feeling that the Summary should be tailored to fit on a single page.  In some instances this is not possible for it must be long enough to do the job adequately.  If your Summary must run to two or more pages, consider whether you should not precede it by a much shorter Abstract.

The Summary should briefly answer the questions:

1.    What was the problem?
2.    What are the facts and what do they mean?
3.    What are the important conclusions?
4.    What are the important recommendations?

There is no need to validate your data in the Summary; this is left to the Discussion of Results.  Use a short insert table or chart if you can tell your story more effectively, or where it will take the place of a long descriptive passage.  You may, if necessary, refer to a table or chart elsewhere in the report, but make sure it can readily be found.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The writer’s opinions about what was learned, based on the data presented, what steps should be taken as a result, and what additional studies are needed, should be given in the Conclusions and Recommendations.  Both of these go beyond simple and readily apparent observations.  In other words, saying that “the F-1 and F-2 Octane ratings are 95 and 82 is an observation.  The statement “Because of the widespread in F-1 and F-2 ratings, the fuel should have a good rich mixture performance” is a true conclusion in which the writer has applied his judgment to interpreting the data.

If there is no valid conclusion or recommendation, do not try to devise one.  But since most work of value will support a sound conclusion, be sure one is not being overlooked  All the important conclusions and recommendations in the report should be listed in this section.

It is customary to open this portion with an introductory sentence or two which will set the stage for what is to follow.  Your conclusions and recommendations may then be itemized, as (1), (2), (3), etc.  Where this portion of your report is short, the section may be eliminated and the conclusions given as part of the Summary.

Table of Contents

For short reports (up to 5-8 pages) a Table of Contents is usually not necessary.  For longer reports it serves as a guide and tells the reader at a glance the scope of the report.  Preparing it will give you an opportunity to check the logic of the organization of your report.  It is, in essence, the outline from which you worked

If a Table of Contents is worth preparing, it is worth doing well.  Use the same care in choice of words that you have used in the selection of a title.  Place the Table of Contents after the Conclusions and Recommendations; the reader who goes no farther than this has no need of the table  Separate lists of tables and charts giving page numbers may be included after the Table of Contents.

Introduction

The first section in the body of the report is the Introduction.  It includes a statement of the problem, the value of the work to the company, and the background and reasons for the work  Here you can list references to previous letters or reports, tell why the particular field of investigation was chosen, the relation of the problem to other fields of endeavor, the scope and limits of the report, and some mention of future work contemplated,  The Introduction is not a rehash of the Summary.  It sets the stage for what is to follow.

If only a sentence of introductory material is needed, this section may be omitted and the introductory thought covered elsewhere in the body of the report.

In addition to the foregoing sections found is most reports, there are others that, with the Introduction, make up the body of the report.  Your range of these section headings is practically unlimited, provided that the terms chosen are applicable to the problem.  These may be either generic terms such as:

Preparation of Samples (or Charge Stocks)
Test Methods
Operating Procedures
Product Specifications
Presentation of Data
Discussion of Results
Apparatus (or Equipment)

Or better still they may be specific titles dealing with the study, as:
Hydrotreating
Concentration by Vacuum Steam Distillation
Chemistry of Gum Formation
Effect of Sulfur Trioxide on Color
Possible Markets for Product
Analysis of a Two-Component Acid Mixture
Method of Aging

Some generic headings occur in reports often enough to make worth-while a few comments on them.

Work Done

A section on Work Done can be used to cover the actual work performed and the equipment and materials when these are incidental.  The title preferably is more specific, such as Experimental Runs Made in 20 Liter Cases.  Omit details not pertinent as well as ones understood by the reader.  On the other hand, one fault of technical writers is assuming that the reader is familiar with a test procedure because it has become commonplace to the writer.

Date may be presented in this same section along with the experimental work except when the volume of data is large, in which case it may best be put in a section itself.  Screen the data to eliminate any not pertinent to the results obtained, but don’t delete date merely because they appear to be inconsistent.  Short insert tables or graphs are effective.  For example:

The values for competitive regular motor oils were:
Mean Piston Rating
Mean Viscosity Increase
Mean Normal Pentane Insolubles

Voluminous data should be relegated to an appendix, using references in the text as necessary.

Discussion of Results

This is the span between the factual data and the writer’s conclusions.  In it, your are leading the reader through the reasoning necessary to understand the conclusions and see that they are sound.  Logic sometimes requires that you advance the opposing arguments in order to show that these are outweighed by the advantages, or that they are disproved by the assembled facts.  Don’t assume that the reader agrees with your conclusions, but establish their validity through the process of logical reasoning.  Try to strike a balance between annoying the reader by too thorough a discussion, and making it necessary for him to verify our conclusions by analyzing the data himself.

This is probably the section in which it is most difficult to refrain from using long, involved sentences.  Even though your reasoning may be complex, keep your style simple and straightforward.

Here is the place to include a statement of the limitations of the data and how far the information may be used in other connections.

Where the conclusions are fairly obvious and not much discussion is needed, this section may be left out and the points covered under another section such as Work Done.

Bibliography

Many reports contain a list of references to prior articles, reports, letters, and patents directly related to the field of investigation.  Usually these are referred to in the text, and in this case should be itemized and numbered in the order of reference.  The text reference need only show the item number in parenthesis.

The bibliography is placed after the last page of the report (the signature page), and ahead of the appendices, if any.

Appendix

In order to shorten reports and make them more readable, detailed descriptions of materials or apparatus used, operating procedures, detailed experimental results, and the like, are often included as appendices to the body of the report.  There may be several in a report.  Each appendix should be written as a separate unit.  If detailed data are set up as an appendix, condensed tables or charts should be included in the main body of the report to support the conclusions reached. In other words, your report should be complete and self-sufficient in itself.  Appendices are added to provide detail of value to future workers.  Be sure to make reference in the body to appended material.

Prepared By:

The Research and  Development of the Sun Oil Company