I. Reading
There are at least two different approaches to reading a
professional or scientific document.
A. Skimming. Skimming is a process of examining a document to answer
questions such as the following:
B. Active, analytical reading
Active reading is intense
reading to thoroughly understand the contents and contributions of a
document: its concepts, analysis, examples, methodology, and
conclusions or recommendations. At its best, active reading is
like having discussion with the author, usually someone very smart
and/or well-informed from whom the reader can learn. Good
writing tells a story. The best writing makes the story line
clear, but you may have to work in order to figure out what story is
being told. For active reading:
Good professional writing should explain its purpose clearly, and
have a logical organization so that the purpose of each section is
clear and supports the overall goal.
There are many kinds of writing and presenting situations, and each
one has its goals and conventions. We will be reviewing some
of these during the semester. We will focus our attention
on the writing contexts that occur frequently in the information
technology field. Here are some principles that generally apply in
professional
writing tasks:
1. Summaries and Reviews
A. Summary
A summary is a report describing a document, presentation or
performance, focusing on its
purpose, major ideas or themes, organization and/or approach, methods
or techniques, and (if appropriate) its conclusions or
recommendations. It does NOT include the writer's opinion of
the ideas or the effectiveness of presentation.
A1. Abstract
An abstract is a very short summary (one paragraph, usually about 150
words). It is usually written by the authors of a longer
document, in order to describe its purpose and major contributions.
A2. Executive Summary
An executive summary often appears at the beginning of a proposal or
project report. It is a summary aimed at decision makers, which
focuses on the motivation for and contributions of the activity
described in the longer report. It summarizes any conclusions of the
longer report, and often includes recommendations about how to proceed.
B. Review
A review is an evaluation of a document, presentation, or performance.
It necessarily includes
some summarizing or descriptive material, along with an assessment of
its quality,
its truthfulness or credibility (if that is appropriate), its
usefulness (to whom and for what purpose), and its most
significant
contributions and deficiencies (if any). The assessments
should be justified.
C. Research memo
A research memo is a summary and review of the "state of the art" in
some area (such as mobile phone technology) or the current status of an
issue (e.g., universities' obligation to prevent alcohol abuse
among students). It explains what is generally known;
describes the current challenges, issues or controversies; explains the
current influences, trends and/or viewpoints; and identifies the major
participants. Heavy use of references normally characterizes this
type of document. When an IT company is considering creating
and/or offering a new product, for example, a research memo is often
prepared about the current state and likely trends of both the
technology and the market for it. When an organization is
considering what their policy should be in a sensitive area, a research
memo is often prepared about the current legal and ethical status of
the issues, and what other similar organizations are doing. The
"discussion of related work" which is a section in every research
proposal is also an example of a research memo.
D. Research report or proposal
E. Project report or proposal
F. System or product design or documentation
G. Powerpoint presentation
H. Email
III. Presenting
Later in the course we will talk about giving oral presentations and
the use of PowerPoint.