Technical Reports: Details & Evidence
Although you already have the foundation for the Problem Discussion section of your recommendation report (you can recycle it from your research proposal!), both it and the Solutions section will need all of the data and details you can muster to convince the reader of the validity of your claims.
The two questions you must answer in these two sections are
- What will it take to convince our reader(s) that the problem is real?
- What will it take to convince them that our solution(s) can work?
Use the tips here to ensure that you are providing enough evidence to persuade your readers.
Don't Be Skimpy With Details
- Details are the facts and information about your problem and solution(s).
- Furnish all of the details your reader could conceivably want about every facet of the problem and solution(s).
- Apply the reporter's questions -- what? who? why? when? where? -- to figure out what details you need to add.
- Sample: What specifically is the problem? Where is it located? Who does it affect? When does it affect them? Why does this problem occur?
- Remember that whenever you make a claim about anything, you have to prove it using data or another type of evidence, such as photographs or interview responses.
- It’s better to overdevelop than under-develop.
- If you say that students are dissatisfied with the current state of any system or program, give facts, figures, results of surveys.
- If you have really interesting quotations from your research, particularly if it is original research discovered through interviews or surveys, use them verbatim. Quotations lend your argument a level of authenticity that summaries sometimes do not.
Use a Variety of Evidence
- Remember that evidence can be numbers (survey results, research findings), the written word (research findings, quotations from interviews), and visual (photographs, graphs, charts, etc.).
- Don't rely only on one type of evidence; instead, use a blend of types that complement or enhance each other (e.g., a photograph of a dangerous intersection after you have discussed the intersection).
Don't Generalize or Guess
- It's easy sometimes to let generalizations or guesses masquerade as "evidence," but both things undercut your argument.
- Providing evidence means giving your readers concrete facts and figures rather than estimations and generalizations: 75 out of 100 students suggest, 10 of 12 people indicate, 68% of respondents, the residence hall was built in 1925, etc.
- Replace with exact numbers or better evidence any instances in your text where you use vague terminology to support your argument: many students suggest, several people indicated, some students say, a lot of people believe, everyone thinks, etc.
- Avoid (in most cases) terminology that suggests you are merely guessing. We believe and we think are prime examples. If you have the facts and figures to support your assertions, you won’t need to guess. And if you don’t have the facts and figures to support your assertions, you should not make them.