COMM2: Formal Research Project Report & Verbal Presentation (45%)

Research Report (25%)

Assume that your Program Head has been contacted by a wealthy philanthropist, Dr. Francine Huang
identified herself as the 82-year-old grandparent of three BCIT grads and an admirer of BCIT’s
commitment to education and training. She is not your audience – she is the contributor to the
funding.

She would like to leave a legacy and add a SMARTIE Award to the list of BCIT scholarships and bursaries.
The award of $50,000.00 will fund future research for a feasible, relevant, and beneficial idea which will
improve upon, innovate, or benefit your area of expertise or your program area (engineering;
computing; business)

Your task will be to communicate your idea through an analytical research report that applies all
COMM2 technical writing standards learned to date.

THIS IS NOT AN ACADEMIC REPORT. YOUR PRIMARY AUDIENCE IS YOUR PROGRAM HEAD (AS THEY
MAKE THE FINAL DECISION) …YOUR SECONDARY AUDIENCE WILL BE ANY OTHER AUDIENCE THAT
MAY BE AFFECTED BY OR BENEFIT FROM YOUR IDEA. CONSIDER ALL OF THE PEOPLE MOST AFFECTED
BY YOUR TOPIC (THERE MAY BE MANY, MANY AUDIENCE ‘TYPES’ TO CONSIDER).

You will also deliver a persuasive presentation about your research as part if this project. More on that
at the end of this document.

Your task is to write a formal, investigative research report in which you convince your audience(s) your
idea deserves the grant.

The project will begin in Week 7 by identifying and receiving approval on your topic, followed by several
sub-assignments: a research and citation checklist to source some of the research AND a work plan to
outline your content (a template will be provided). Due dates are communicated in your course and
assignment schedule and in this document.

The topic memo (lab) during Week 7 will be submitted via a template and will guide you through the
communication of an appropriate topic. There is a sample topic request in the content area which
indicates the level of detail required.

Your research, once approved, will consist of:

• Optional primary research (direct observations, surveys, photographs, interviews, etc.)

• Required secondary research (published information from credible sources outside yourself)
• At least six in-text citations in the findings & at least six (6) secondary sources in the Reference
List (minimum of 4 academic resources + 2 credible non-academic resources)
As you write the findings:

Consider your audience with every sentence you write. Have you completed an audience analysis on
MULTIPLE AUDIENCES?

Every piece of information in the report that is not considered common public knowledge should be
supported by credible evidence (WRITTEN IN VERIFIABLE STATEMENTS) with APA in-text citations.
When you complete the Research and Citation Checklist, you will acquire the foundational articles in
support of your research (which can be added/revised as needed).

The findings will:

• describe the current reality/problem in your subject/topic area (1/3 of findings)

• present and prove that your idea will benefit your field of study/profession (2/3 of findings)
• contain at least two integrated graphics to translate complex technical data into non-technical
language for your audience (not copied from the internet – you need to create them)

The report content requirements, in order are:

1. Cover Letter/Memo
2. Title /Cover Page
3. Summary - 1 full page – see week 7 lecture
4. Table of Contents
5. List of Illustrations (may share a page with above)
6. Glossary of Terms – with ONE expanded definition (Week 8 Content/Chapter 14)

• Your glossary of terms and 1 expanded definition should fit on 1 page (1.5 max)
• No more than SIX terms in the Glossary INCLUDING your expanded definition
(ensure you identify the exp. definition so I know it's there)

7. Introduction (PASSO) – see week 7 lecture/lab

8. Background/Rationale (may share a page with above – 1 or 2 concise paragraphs)
9. Findings (Research Findings) – 4-5 pages of text incl. illustrations
10. Conclusion & Recommendation
11. Reference List (APA)
12. Appendices (optional)

**The finished report will be approximately 12-15 pages

Additional information:

• *Findings: to be NO MORE than 5 pages and organized in a logical, topical pattern with
descriptive headings (including transitions/forecast statements in between major sections);
written in coherent paragraphs (see ‘sequencing’ lecture/labs re; Chapter 11)
• Illustrations: Report must contain at least two – formally integrated (best practices). You can
either create your own or use from credible sources.
• Format: 1.15 spaced in New Times Roman 12-point font, 1” margins aligned LEFT (no INDENTS
and NOT double spaced)
Schedule of Sub-Assignments and Due Dates

Topic Plan Week 7 (due May 26)

Research & Citation Checklist Week 8 (due June 2)
Technical Work Plan Week 9 (due June 9)
Persuasive Presentation file submission Week 12 slides due by July 7
Final Class (peer review of uploaded presentations ONLINE) Week 14 - July 8 - all day
Final Report July 9
Take a look at the course assignment/schedule also.

**Report Presentation Portion (15%) (will re-visit this during Week 11)
The purpose of the presentation portion of your project is to PERSUADE your classmates that your ideas to solve a
problem is credible, relevant, and important. This is a 2-part project and students MUST complete both (report +
presentation). You will present your problem/solution in a well-timed, visual presentation of 5-6 minutes in
length. However, this is not a copy of your report. You will use the information that you gather, but will present it
in a different way as you will be communicating to a different audience. You will record this presentation with
either a video or audio narration. It will be timed and uploaded to a discussion forum for our final class. On April
10 you will perform peer reviews of other presentations – more information to come.

There will be full lecture and an opportunity to practice during Week 11.

The presentation slides will include the following, with a minimum of 18 slides:

• Audio or video embedded (recorded as a slide show) within the slides (PPT or PREZI)
• An attention getting opener
• Title slide
• Outline/agenda slide
• Background – tell us about the problem
• Middle – to build interest/desire about your ideas/solutions
• Recommendation
• A lasting impression close – what you’ve learned
• References slide

A few more tips for when the time comes:

• Credit all the sources you use within the presentation on a ‘References’ slide at the back of the
presentation (APA format)
• For photos/charts/visuals, include a minimized ‘photo credit: website name – not the URL)
• Do not include in-text citations unless quoting – it is not academic writing on PPT
• If you do refer to statistics/research, refer to your source ‘verbally’. More on that in the coming weeks.

Remember the target audience for the presentation is your peers, and the presentation is meant to pick out the
important parts of the report – not all of it – to persuade your audience that your ideas are worthy of
consideration (not a copy/paste of the analytical report)