Writing Proposals
Bedford Series for Technical and Professional CommunicationFirst Edition| ©2025 Joanna Wolfe
ISBN:9781319339784
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“I appreciate how concisely each chapter breaks down complicated concepts using vivid examples, clear writing, and a conversational tone.”– Paul Cook, Indiana University Kokomo“This is an exciting series that would breathe fresh life into a business writing course because of the various books within the series, taking topics and dedicating a book to each rather than presenting them as chapters in a larger text. The series truly becomes customizable to course goals and learning objectives.”– Laura La Flair, Belmont Abbey College
Writing Proposals
First Edition| ©2025
Joanna Wolfe
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Writing Proposals
First Edition| 2025
Joanna Wolfe
Table of Contents
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: Numbers Do Not Speak for Themselves
Case Study: The Challenger space shuttleFor Discussion: The Challenger memo
Data reporting involves argument
Data-based arguments depend on purpose, audience, and credibility
Numbers can be manipulated — just like words
Data can be qualitative as well as quantitative
Callout: Is the word data singular or plural?
Is this book for me?
Summary
Exercise 1.1: Reframing statistics
Chapter 2: Telling a Story with Quantitative Data
Data visualizations and words work together to tell a storyExercise 2.1: Telling stories about data
- Avoid breaking common conventions for reporting data.
- Do not make small differences seem large.
- For Discussion: Adjusted y-axis
- Include important context relevant to understanding the data.
- Carefully word claims to avoid exaggeration.
Exercise 2.2: Rating credibility
UNIT 2: WORKING WITH DATA STORIES
Chapter 3: Visualizing Your Data Story: Part I
The most common visualizations (and the stories they support)- Bar graphs
- Line graphs
- Pie graphs
- Tables
- For Discussion: Pie graphs
- A checklist for figure and table captions
- Exercise 3.1: Analyzing captions
- Exercise 3.2: Examining visualizations in research articles
Summary
Exercise 3.3: Creating visualizations
Chapter 4: Reinforcing Your Visualization’s Story
- Sort to emphasize your story
- Group data to foreground one story over another
- Reduce non-data ink
- Minimize eye movement
- Use contrast to emphasize your story
- Be consistent and credible in how you display numbers
Exercise 4.1: Examining visualizations in research articles
Exercise 4.2: Revising your data visualizations
Exercise 4.3: Grouping and arranging data in data visualizations
Chapter 5: Using Basic Math to Shape Your Story
Summarize data to concisely communicate a story- Exercise 5.1: Summarizing and averaging data
- Weighted data are useful in evaluations
- Weighted data are useful for Likert-scale data
- Exercise 5.2: Combining different types of data
For Discussion: Raw numbers versus percentages
For Discussion: Shaping the story with calculations
Summary
Exercise 5.3: Turning complex data into a clear story
Chapter 6: Working with Qualitative Data
Callout: Qualitative and quantitative are not mutually exclusive- For Discussion: Quotations as “data”
- For Discussion: Qualitative data across disciplines
Exercise 6.1: Ethical interpretation of quotes
Summary
Exercise 6.2: Analyze a report with qualitative data
UNIT 3: WRITING THE FORMAL DATA REPORT
Chapter 7: Writing a Formal Data Report (IMRD)
IMRD stands for Introduction, Method, Results, and DiscussionIMRD reports have an abstract or executive summary
- Exercise 7.1: Identifying IMRD information
- Exercise 7.2: How do you read an IMRD report?
Exercise 7.3: Analyze IMRD sections in a sample report
Summary
Exercise 7.4: Research Posters
Exercise 7.5: Analysis of good and bad reports
Chapter 8: Writing the Results Section
Write your data story in paragraphs- For Discussion: How does the paragraph change your understanding?
- Callout: For the mathematically minded . . .
- Exercise 8.1: Interpreting data
Use subheadings to organize into skimmable chunks
A sample Results section: improving instructor ethos through document design
Summary
Exercise 8.2: Annotating results
Chapter 9: Writing about Methods
Methods readers lie at two extremes of care in readingMethods are typically organized with subheadings
- For Discussion: Justifying methodological choices
- Exercise 9.1: Choosing active or passive voice
Summary
Exercise 9.2: Comparing methods sections
Chapter 10: Introducing Research Studies
Introductions convey the context and value of your workResearchers follow a “formula” for introducing research
Exercise 10.1: Annotating introductions
- For Discussion: Short and sweet introductions
Summary
Exercise 10.2: Annotating Introductions
Chapter 11: Discussions, Conclusions, and Recommendations
IMRD reports conclude by moving from specific to general- Exercise 11.1: Annotating Discussion sections
- Callout: The combined Results and Discussion
- Exercise 11.2: Choosing Results or Discussion
A Recommendations section often concludes business and professional reports
Chapter 12: Front Matter: Titles, Abstracts, and Executive Summaries
Titles should clearly and precisely state the main focusAbstracts and executive summaries are reports in miniature
- Callout: A note of caution
The structured academic abstract has labeled sections
An IMRD executive summary is typically one page
The recommendations-first executive summary
Avoid common problems with executive summaries
Summary
Exercise 12.1: Rating abstracts
Appendix A: Two Sample IMRD Reports
- Version 1: Effect of Verbal Commands in Instructions for Assembly of a Lego Vehicle
- Version 2: Effect of Verbal Commands in Instructions for Assembly of a Lego Vehicle
Authors
Joanna Wolfe
Joanna Wolfe (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is Director of the Global Communication Center at Carnegie Mellon University, where she develops new methods for improving communication instruction across the university. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles on teamwork, gender studies, collaborative learning technology , technical writing, and rhetoric Her research on collaborative writing in technical communication classes won the 2006 NCTE award for best article reporting qualitative or quantitative research in technical and scientific communication.
Writing Proposals
First Edition| 2025
Joanna Wolfe
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