COMM 1065: Professional and technical communication - Report
Getting Started
This Assignment Help will help you in finding information for Assessment 3: Report
| Please refer to your Course Outline and LearnOnline site for full assessment information. |
Key sources of grey literature
For your report you may have to find updated information on the content of the document you're critiquing.
In this section you will find find information on how to locate non-profit and governmental organisations as well as know where to look for statistical data. This type of information is otherwise known as Grey Literature. 'Grey literature' is information that has not been published commercially.
Watch the following video on how to find grey literature. (2:39 mins)
Further information on Government bodies and non-profit organisations can be found in the Company & Industry Guide.
Search Tip:
Use Google to search across multiple Australian government websites by including site:gov.au (or site:sa.gov.au to limit to South Australian bodies) in your search eg. site:sa.gov.au policy
Watch the following video on how to locate policy analysis resources by searching Government Websites. (5:32 mins)
Know your organisation's audience
Here are some example resources to get you thinking about your organisation's audience.
Inclusive community resources
The following example resources on inclusive communities may help you think about what you need to analyse and evaluate when writing up your report on your selected community group.
Inclusive communities are welcoming to diverse groups of people, including, but not limited to, seniors, youth, children, Aboriginal Peoples, immigrants and newcomers, persons with disabilities, people experiencing mental health challenges, and low-income populations. Social inclusion can impact both the physical and mental health of community members, including their life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and mental health.
Evaluate what you have found
Is what you have located relevant and reliable? Are you uncertain whether to use the information you have found? Always critically evaluate what you find.
When evaluating information you can use the CRAAP test:
| Currency | How current does the information need to be? Do you need to use information published in the last five years or are older, seminal works fine to use? |
| Relevance | Does the information found answer your question? Do you understand the content and is it at the right level for your purpose? |
| Authority | What are the author's qualifications? Are they linked to a particular organisation such as a university, research institute or government department? |
| Accuracy | Is evidence given for the research undertaken? Can you verify the information presented by using other sources? Is there a bibliography or reference list given? |
| Purpose | Is it trying to communicate research, persuade you or sell you something? Is it expressing an opinion, or is it balanced and objective? |
The following resources offer more information and tips on undertaking this key step:.
Summarise and critique your document
Critical thinking is an essential part of taking a scholarly approach to learning. It involves analysing and questioning information you receive to arrive at logical, well-reasoned conclusions.
The following resources will assist you in understanding and developing your critical thinking and analysing skills needed for your assignment.
Further Assignment Help
Need advice on writing or presenting? Not sure how to organise your ideas? The Study help: online resources hub has tools to help you with your Assignments and succeed at university!
Want someone to check over a draft of your assignment? Studiosity offers an online classroom where you can chat with a learning adviser. The associated "Check Mate" service helps with English, writing and referencing.
Report Overview
The purpose of a report is usually to investigate an issue and ‘report back’ findings which allow people to make decisions or take action. Depending on your course, a report may require you to record, to inform, to instruct, to analyse, to persuade, or to make specific recommendations. Look for these or other key words in your assessment task.
Resources on reports at Assignments > Reports
Further resources on reports.
Referencing
- Referencing websiteHelp with various referencing styles. Find in-text citations and reference examples from different sources such as articles, books and chapters, websites and more.
Always check your Course Outline or LearnOnline site for the citation style required for your course.
Other referencing support tools:
What do you do with all those references you have found?
Use bibliographic management software to store, organise and cite your references. The Library supports the bibliographic management tool EndNote. There are also many free systems available.
Ask the library
Ask the Library for help via live chat, phone, email, or access our suite of self-help resources.