Writing Assignment 3 Instructions: Research Report (Article)
Professional Writing
Due Dates: MARCH 6
RESEARCH PAPER
Topic Choices:
• Achieving work-life balance in a specific industry and/or situation (ex. deployment)
• Improving TSA security at a specific airport
• Decreasing identity theft in a specific industry or hypothetical corporation
• Recommending or rejecting non-lethal versus lethal weapons for security guards
• Helping military retirees transitioning into civilian jobs
• Monitoring employees’ personal communications at work and home
• Comparing Paypal with Apple Pay or another payment method
• Evaluating a 360-degree employee performance appraisal system
• Recommending or rejecting female military personnel engaging in combat
• Evaluating and predicting the success of the Apple Watch or Fitbit Watch
• Analyzing HIPPA violations with electronic submission of medical records
• Recommending or rejecting body cameras for law enforcement personnel
• Relocating ex-patriates in a specific industry
• Analyzing why an entrepreneurial corporation failed
• Comparing self-publishing of a novel with seeking a corporate publisher
• Evaluating standardized tests for a specific grade in kindergarten through 12th grade
• Recommending methods to decrease survival guilt due to downsizing in an industry
• Recommending or rejecting patrol rifle optics
• Recommending improvements in public transportation or roads in a specific city
• Creating a PR campaign for a specific product
• Revising one I.R.S. tax law
Formatting Guidelines: Complete this assignment using the following memo format for the first four lines of the transmittal memo (first page of the entire assignment):
To: Robert Warner, Article Acquisition Editor
From: YOUR NAME
Date: DUE DATE
Subject:
• Write no more than eight to twelve clear and concise pages, excluding illustrations, which are required.
• Design an appropriate letterhead for Parker-Benson Publishing. Don’t use the address for the transmittal memo. You may use color, a bolded font, graphic image, etc.
• Use a Size 12 Times New Roman font.
• Single space within the paragraph and skip a space in between paragraphs.
• Use five to eight outside sources and include the APA-formatted in-text citations and References page as needed. Three sources must be from the UMUC Library databases.
• Use appropriate headings for the report. Don’t use headings in the transmittal memo.
• Include an executive summary but no abstract.
• Use the date of your submission and a relevant, concise subject line for the transmittal memo.
• Illustrations are required.
Scenario: You are an editor for Parker-Benson Publishing. However, you have completed a master’s degree and would like to publish an article for your resume as you look for a different job. In Weeks 3-4, the article acquisition editor accepted your proposal and agreed to publish your research report as an article.
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Here is what Robert Warner, the acquisition editor, requires in this order:
Front Matter:
Transmittal memo to state the name of the article that is attached and to move the project forward (two paragraphs)
Title page
Executive summary
Introduction
Statement of the problem and/or opportunity
Scope establishing boundaries and limitations for your article
Appropriate background information (ex. historical data, relevant laws, definitions, etc.)
Research Methods
Use secondary sources or your own inspections for this project.
Primary research, including interviews and surveys, can’t be used because there isn’t time to process the Institutional Review Bureau’s informed consents and other paperwork that the Federal Government requires for academic research projects.
Conclusions
Conclusions drawn from the experts’ opinions and facts in the sources
Criteria for drawing those conclusions (evaluating options and alternatives)
Recommendations
Brief summary of problem and/or opportunity
Recommendations
Predictions
Back Matter
References
Glossary and other appendices as needed
Illustrations:
Illustrations are required for this assignment. The illustrations must be formatted, positioned logically in the article, and sized correctly so that they supplement the textual information without distracting the reader. Illustrations may be photos, charts, graphs, logos, etc. Create your own illustrations or borrow them from sources if you give credit to the original authors according to the APA guidelines and the copyright laws.
Don’t use multiple attachments. Only one attachment will be opened and returned to you.
Use one Microsoft Word attachment or an attachment of another compatible software program that I can open with my Microsoft Word program (.doc, .docx, or .rtf).