ENGLISH TEC WRITING
MIMI206
Writing-a-Report-Memo.docx
Writing a Memo Report
The most important feature about a memo is that it be concise yet complete and informative.
Your professor who has asked you to perform this task so you can present key results. Your audience is skeptics who won’t believe your recommendation unless you back it up by carefully explaining your methods and procedures and presenting your data based on that research. Your challenge is to present the important and relevant information in a 2-3 page memo. However, you can include as many attachments as you like.
Memos are generally divided into two parts: the heading and the body.
Heading
The heading segment follows this general format:
MEMORANDUM
TO: (readers' names and job titles)
FROM name): (your name and job title ‐ "sign" by putting your handwritten initials after your DATE: (current date)
SUBJECT: (what the memo is about)
Make sure you address the reader by his or her correct name and job title. Be specific and concise in your subject line.
Body
Your memo should be concise and informative. To achieve this, organize it as follows:
1. Opening: Start the memo by stating the main purpose. Include the context and problem, the specific assignment or task, and the purpose of the memo. This section should be short (2‐3 sentences) and should tell the reader why you are writing the memo. An example opening statement might start with “The purpose of this memo is to inform you about the results….”
2. Discussion: The discussion section is the longest part of the memo report. This is where you include all the information that you have gathered to support your recommendations/results. Start with the information that is most important. Use meaningful highlighted headings to direct the reader. Try to write headings that are short but clarify section content. Include the following subsections:
· Analysis: Describe your analysis of the data; how you performed your analysis.
· Results: Describe your primary results. You can include a summary table or plot of results but only the important ones (this is not the place to include your raw data – that belongs in an attachment). Use words to describe the results based upon evidence of your findings.
· Discussion: Discuss your findings! What do they mean? What are the limitations on your findings? Is there further research that you would recommend? What frustrated you about doing this research?
3. Closing: After the reader has absorbed all of your information, you want to reiterate your main findings and state what action you want your reader to take. Close with a courteous ending (i.e. an offer of further assistance) and include your contact information.
4. References: Provide bibliographical information for any material that is not original and which you cited in your report (i.e. technical specifications, equations, tables, figures done by someone else). Use the APA citation style. See the following website for more information:
5. Attachments: Use attachments to provide supporting data and give the reader confidence in your recommendations. You can do this by attaching extra information (procedures, detailed analysis, data, product information etc.) at the end of your memo. This is the longest part of the report and there is no limit on the length of this section. Give a title to each attachment (Raw Data, Experimental Set up…) and include a “List of Attachments” at the end of your memo.
Other things to keep in mind:
1. Writing a quick outline may help you to organize your thoughts. Develop a list of the main ideas that you wish to present. Use short paragraphs and analyze each paragraph of your memo for its purpose, content, or function. When you find a paragraph that does more than one thing, consider splitting it into two paragraphs. If you find two short separate paragraphs that do the same thing, consider combining them.
2. Your memo should be no more than two pages. Use size 11 font, 1 inch margins and single line spacing. Include an extra space between paragraphs (it makes it easier to read the text).
