Stylistic Expectations for Project
Reports
As you master the techniques of manipulating data
and presenting it to readers in various formats, it is important that you
produce figures that are clear, comprehensive and well-documented. It is
also important that these figures support the conclusions of your report clearly
and directly.
Text
Within the body of your written report, you
should produce textual material which;
-
flows clearly from a description of the
problem you are addressing, through the analysis you have performed to the
results, conclusions, and recommendations,
-
is organized with clear, logical headings and
sub-headings,
-
refers directly to the figures in the report,
explaining clearly how each support
yours conclusions and recommendations,
-
explains the classification scheme for each
map in the report, and
-
contains no grammatical, usage or spelling
errors.
Maps
Your report should include several maps, either
integrated into the document (as .jpg images) or included within full page
figures (from ArcView layout). Each map should include;
-
an appropriate and clear title,
-
documentation of the source and date of the
background data,
-
clearly and logically titled legends and
classification categories, which are properly formatted and which are NOT
the variable names from the dataset,
-
a reasonable number of classification
categories in the legend,
-
appropriate, logical color scales (if
appropriate),
-
clearly contrasting colors within and between
themes, and
-
classifications and labels which are clearly
related to important measures and values reported in the analysis.
Charts
Your report should include several charts, either
integrated into the document as Excel charts or included within full page
figures (from ArcView layout). Each chart should include;
-
an appropriate and clear title,
-
documentation of the source and date of the
background data,
-
clearly and logically titled axes and/or
legends, which are properly formatted and which are NOT the variable names
from the dataset,
-
properly formatted axis tick values,
-
scales which represent the data proportions
realistically, and
-
classifications and labels which are clearly
related to important measures and values reported in the analysis.
Tables
Your report should include several tables, either
integrated into the document as Excel/Word tables or included within full page
figures (from ArcView layout). Each table should include;
-
an appropriate and clear title,
-
documentation of the source and date of the
background data,
-
clearly and logically titled headings for
rows and columns,
-
logical formatting to reflect relevant
relationships within the data, and
-
classifications and labels which are clearly
related to important measures and values reported in the analysis.
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