Creating Your Title Page

What You Will Learn and Practice

How to analyze your audience and purpose so that you can choose how to present information clearly and effectively. [CLO 1]
How to write documents you may encounter in the workplace (specifically front matter for a report). [CLO 4]
How to use colors, layout, and formatting that make your documents understandable and easy to read. [CLO6]
How to take advantage of design principles, including contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity, to communicate your ideas effectively. [CLO 7]

What I Want You to Do

Flowchart showing this is the second item in the report's front matter: 1. Letter of Transmittal: Introduce the primary readers to the purpose and content. 2. Title Page: List the title, author, and date as well as the recipient. 3. Abstract: Provide a brief technical summary for readers familiar with the topic. 4. Table of Contents: List headings and sub-headings with page numbers or links. 5. Executive Summary: Summarize the background, findings, and implications for management. — The Sections of the Front Matter of the Recommendation Report

Create the title page for your Recommendation Report, following the examples and details from the textbook.

Why I Want You to Do It

Your title page is one of the first things someone will see when they look at your report. It is also an easy piece of your report to write. The hardest part is writing a strong title.

Where You Can Find Help

From Markel & Selber, Chapter 18:
- The details on a title page, from p. 495:
  “A title page includes at least the title of the report, the name of the writer, and the date of submission. A more complex title page might also include a project number, a list of additional personnel who contributed to the report, and a distribution list.”
- Example title page, on p. 506 (part of the sample recommendation report in Figure 18.8).
- “Writing Clear, Informative Titles,” on pp. 193–194 (in Chapter 9)
Effective Report Titles (page in Canvas)
LinkedIn Learning video, “The importance of a clear title page” (3m 51s), from the Technical Writing: Reports course.

When to Do It

Suggested Due Date: By 11:59 PM on Friday, April 22, 2022, to participate in the Last-Chance Recommendation Report Feedback Discussion.
Grace Period: The grace period for this activity ends at 11:59 PM on Friday, April 29, 2022.

How You Do It

Open the word processor document where you are working on your recommendation report.
Scroll through the outline you created to the location for your title page.
Follow the example on p. 506 of Markel and Selber to add the text for your title page.
Format your title page similar to the example on p. 506 as well.
Review the title you have written to make sure it follows the guidelines on the Effective Report Titles page and from the textbook (See above).
Review the “Prepared for” information. Your report should be prepared for the decisionmaker who can take action on your recommendation (e.g., some administrator on campus for a problem you are exploring on campus, some manager at a workplace, town council or a similar group in your local community).
Move on to the next part of your report that you want to work on.

How to Assess & Track Your Work

You track and grade your own work in this course. Be sure to complete the following tasks:

Track your work in your Weekly Work Log.

This is a working draft for your Best Submission. It is marked Complete in Canvas when you submit it for one of the two Feedback Discussions.