The Recommendation Report connects all of the writing projects in this course. It includes several kinds of writing, which we will explore one-by-one. This process will help you assemble the full report over the entire term (rather than trying to write the whole thing all at once).
Length: 15–18 single-spaced pages, including images, appendices, and appropriate formatting. There is not a minimum or maximum page length, but be sure to include all of the required information.
Example Report: See a general recommendation report in Figure 18.8: Sample Recommendation Report, on pages 504–527 of Markel and Selber.
General Project Description
In this report you you will analyze a website and makes recommendations for improving its content and design. Your recommendations will focus on the information on the site, how it is presented (the words and phrases), and what it looks like (the visual display).
Your analysis does NOT include technical aspects of web design and functionality. In other words, do not worry about coding your changes. You do not need any technical knowledge of HTML, CSS, or scripting to complete your analysis.
- You can mock up visual representations of the pages if you like in an image editor or word processor.
- Slide presentation software also works well. I used to mock up interface changes in PowerPoint.
- If you work with web design, you can mention technical capabilities, but the focus of your work should be on the words, images, and layout/design of the site and pages.
This project directly relates to our course because technical writing focuses strongly on the best way to phrase ideas, strategies to organize information, and the layout and design that work best for different situations. As you work on analyzing the website you choose, you are practicing skills that you can use to analyze any document that you and your colleagues write in the workplace.
Requirements for the Website You Choose
- Choose a website that uses English. I can’t read anything else well enough to follow your analysis. If appropriate, the site can use other languages. For instance, a sushi restaurant website might list dishes in both English and Japanese. If you’re unsure, ask me.
- Find a website that fits with the expectations of Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community.
- Identify a website that includes at least 8–12 pages of content that you can navigate and observe without a login. Alternately, choose a website that following your recommendations would be reorganized into at least eight pages.
- For our purposes, a page of content fills about ⅔ or more of the space in a browser window on a laptop or computer monitor.
- The content on a page can include images, text, form fields.
- Find a website for a small business, nonprofit, organization, or other group. Do NOT choose local franchises or branches of national or international businesses since they typically use an organization-wide design.
- Choose a local website. Specifically, select a website for a business or group that is located in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, or Montgomery County—all in Virginia. This area includes the Virginia Tech campus.
- Choose a website that allows you to address a specific decision maker (the owner, the department head, the CEO, the manager, for example). You will need to identify the name(s) of whomever you will address in your report.
- Select a website that you find personally interesting. You will work on this report the entire term, so your topic needs to be something that will maintain your interests for fifteen weeks.
You have a lot of latitude to choose something that interests you, check out the Recommendation Report Website Examples to guide your decision.
Requirement for Primary Research
As you decide on your topic, keep in mind that you must be able to observe the website fully and gather relevant data to use in your report. You need to test and explore the website thoroughly.
Not only will you need personal observations, you will also need visual and/or audio evidence. You should take photos or record videos that you can use to illustrate your report. I strongly urge you to take screenshots and/or screencasts of the website so that you have details on it even if the site changes or is unavailable.
Requirement for Secondary Research
You should rely on support from books, articles, and webpages that address website design and usability. Resources that discuss writing for online sites will also be useful.
Your report should include a bibliography that provides documentation for all of the resources you have consulted. If you find resources as you are choosing your website, save them and be sure to note the information necessary for bibliographical citations.
You may use the bibliographical format that is appropriate for your field (for instance, and electrical engineer would use IEEE format). Here are some tools you can use to track your sources:
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- EasyBib online citation builder creates MLA-format for free.
- Son of Citation Machine creates MLA, APA, and Chicago citations for free.
- Cite This For Me creates several styles, including IEEE, for free.
Requirement to Address Ethical Issues
Your report should include details on ethical issues that may impact the website. Use the information in Chapter 2 of Markel and Selber, “Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations” to identify how ethical concerns impact the site and your potential recommendation. The ethical issues will depend upon the content and focus of the website. Regardless of the focus, you can address the ethical aspects of accessibility of the site and of diverse representation on the site..
Requirement for Originality
Your report must be an original project, written by you, not copied or rephrased from another source. Consider this the requirement not to plagiarize. I have had situations where someone copied and pasted an entire report found online. Don’t do that!
Photo Credit: Website template design on a laptop screen by RawPixel Ltd on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.